Best First-Party Switch Games

10. Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Switch)

There’s no question about it: Super Mario Galaxy and Galaxy 2 are two of the most sublime games ever created. With gameplay that subverts expectations and scenarios that wouldn’t be possible if not for the creative freedom of the cosmos, they represent the Mario series at its absolute best. They look better than ever, boast small yet welcome additions, and expand upon the narrative with new storybook pages.

Gyro aiming simply isn’t as effective as the Wii pointer, however, and you’ll be recentring the onscreen cursor a lot. Very minor issues with the camera are also a bit more noticeable now than they were 15 years ago, but the fact that Nintendo managed to pull off some utterly ridiculous sequences without the camera going haywire remains a remarkable feat. These games command a high price on Switch, to be sure, but you’ll be playing them for the rest of your life.

9. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons improved upon every single facet of the series imaginable. There's more to do, more to see, more to change, more to mould, and more to love; fans and first-time players can find themselves losing hours at a time gathering materials, creating new furniture, and making their island undeniably theirs.

Every moment is unashamedly blissful, with excellently written characters that truly feel alive and an island paradise that gives back infinitely more than you put in. Back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf hit the shelves all those years ago and created a whole new generation of fans, many people were wondering how Nintendo could possibly top it, but here we got our answer.

This is a masterpiece that's worth buying a Switch (or two) to play.

8. Pikmin 4 (Switch)

Pikmin 4 is a sumptuous strategy adventure that serves up tons of fun for returning fans of the franchise whilst also adding lots to entice new players into giving it a try.

Oatchi is the star of the show in our eyes, a very good boy who is woven cleverly into the core of the puzzle action. Series-best dungeons, a hugely inventive overworld, night missions, Dandori battles, and post-credit goodies only sweeten the deal.

Yes, the co-op is disappointing, and the campaign's not gonna be challenging enough for some diehard fans — and my word the opening hours are talk-talk-talk — but overall Nintendo nailed it here, serving up a magical Pikmin adventure tailor-made for Switch.

7. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury takes everything that made the cat-filled Wii U original special and throws in various small gameplay tweaks to make it even more enjoyable. The first four-player 3D Mario game fuses the freedom of the third dimension with the more constrained (yet no less imaginative) courses from his 2D games to wonderful effect.

The cooperative multiplayer element brought Princess Peach, Luigi, and Toad back into the fold, mirroring Super Mario Bros. 2's lineup, and both Cat Mario and Captain Toad were also introduced here. It's the additional open-world-y Bowser's Fury mode that makes this Switch version a must-buy, even if you 100%'d the Wii U original.

The only real mark against the awkwardly acronymed SM3DW+BF is patchy online multiplayer implementation, but this Switch release is otherwise up there with the very best of the plumber's portfolio.

Bowser's Fury is probably the best Mario game for people who have never played a 3D Mario before, serving as an unintimidating introduction to a larger three-dimensional Super Mario world that can also be played with friends and family.

6. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (Switch)

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is, quite simply, the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World in our opinion; the slickest, sharpest, and smartest that two-dimensional Mario has felt since 1991.

In its Wonder Flowers, badges, and online aspects, it serves up an endlessly inventive and impressive platforming adventure that will utterly hook you. From its myriad animation details to its infectious anything-could-happen spirit, it's got charm up the wazoo.

A refinement of a well-established formula, it doesn't totally upend the 2D tea table, but with local co-op and online fun adding to the replayability factor, this feels like 2D Mario with its mojo back. Super Mario Wonder is one of the very best platformers we've played.

5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Mario Kart 8 delivered a huge amount of racing goodness right out of the box on Wii U and was only a proper Battle Mode away from being top of the class. The big twist this time around was the introduction of 'anti-gravity' sections which allow tracks to bend and twist on themselves in surprising ways, making it possible to collide with other racers and gain a small speed boost, adding a welcome layer of tactical play.

And then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe repackaged the original on Switch and added in that excellent (and sorely missed) Battle Mode for good measure, making it the pinnacle of the entire series; a fast, attractive, sublimely playable romp which has to rank as one of the best racing games of all time; the definitive Mario Kart experience, content-rich and a delightful feast of comedic, cartoonish karting action.

Switch's best-selling game continually raises a smile and, occasionally, induces that trademark Mario Kart rage as shells strike and positions are lost. It's addictive, unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel.

And the addition of 48 more courses with the awkwardly named Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC? Well, that's just more icing on an already-grand cake, isn't it? Essential.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch)

It’s impossible to talk about everything that makes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom so incredible, and making those discoveries yourselves is part of the magic.

It’s also impossible to overstate just how much there is to do in this Hyrule the second time around. Much like its predecessor, this will become your playground for several years, with a little sprinkling of that older Zelda fairy dust mixed into Breath of the Wild’s formula.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a glorious, triumphant sequel to one of the best video games of all time - absolute unfiltered bliss to lose yourself in for hundreds of hours. And the improved performance of the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition makes it even better.

3. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

There's an argument to be made that Mario 64 never got a 'true' sequel until this game: Sunshine's FLUDD muddied the waters with its feature set; the Galaxy games eschewed large playgrounds for impeccably crafted planetoids designed around specific ideas; 3D Land and 3D World were deliberately contained with linear design to introduce 2D Mario players to the third dimension.

Super Mario Odyssey promised a return to the 'sandbox' style players had been pining for since 1996, and it delivered. Cappy's capture abilities keep things fresh in a game which blends all sorts of ideas and art styles into an improbably coherent, compelling whole.

It really shouldn't work, but New Donk City's human inhabitants co-exist happily with anthropomorphic cutlery, colourful sombrero-wearing skeletons, and the big-eyed Mushroom Kingdom clan thanks solely to the developers' impeccable execution. The mechanical mastery here is breathtaking, with so many distractions to discover. We don't envy the designers who have to come up with Mario's next game, but Mario Odyssey proves that absolutely anything is possible.

An utterly remarkable entry in this most celebrated of series, then. The best Switch Mario game is an essential purchase whether you like Mario or not.

2. Metroid Dread (Switch)

Metroid Dread was a triumphant return for both Samus Aran and developer MercurySteam. This is a super-slick, hugely entertaining, and exquisitely designed entry in the Metroid franchise that plays better than anything we've seen from the series so far.

With a bunch of fantastic new abilities, super tense and enjoyable stealth sections, plenty of great big boss fights and a story that fans will definitely enjoy, we can't really see how this one could have been improved.

Best Metroid game ever? There'll likely be calls of recency bias, but there's a very strong argument that 2D Metroid has never been better.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a landmark release, both for its franchise and Nintendo. It was the first time that the company truly took on the open-world genre, and by arriving late to the party it embraced the strengths of top-in-class games while also forging its own unique identity.

BOTW was a revolution for the series, but the Legend of Zelda essence is still there — its soul remains, and the end result is captivating. After years of following the same old template, Nintendo bravely took Zelda in a new direction and delivered an absolute triumph which still has us regularly revisiting its iteration of Hyrule. This is the series' best-selling game for a reason.

Its sequel expanded on the open world first presented here, but the excitement of exploring Breath of the Wild's wilderness for the very first is an experience nobody should miss. And the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition polishes out a couple of blemishes with 60fps performance that gives the game new life once more.