Best Nintendo Switch 3D Platformers

Did Fe ever get a physical release? It looks lovely.

Is there a glitch with your Amazon links or are you really trying to sell games with that huge markup?

Snake Pass and Human Fall Flat are very reasonably priced....

Yet another unnecessary list. So many of those games are mediocre and we don’t even have A Hat in Time yet.

Why is it that whenever Crash is mentioned nintendolife feels the need to put the game down and make unnecessary fanboy comments against it?
"This is definitely worth a look if you're a fan of 3D platformers, but just as was the case back in the '90s, Crash isn't in quite the same league as Mario when it comes to playability, inventiveness and entertainment. "
Just like they did in their review of the game.

Is it just me or are some of those affiliated links rediculusly over priced

Snake Pass is a definite go for me. I definitely hope for a sequel.

Now if Mushroom Men ever get a sequel too...

Breath of the wild!

@FragRed Pretty sure the games that are crazy expensive had are eShop only games that had very limited physical copies sold. So they are pretty rare and expensive.

Ahhhh, Snake Pass... the origin of icon-gate.

"Please note that some of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale... "
Snake Pass - $149,95
Human Fall Flat - $179,99

Nice try, Nintendo Life, nice try.😎

"Just like Vanessa Williams"

raises eyebrow

Yooka laylee and snake pass? Yeah no

I wouldn’t really call captain toad a 3d platformer

Love snake Pass! Enjoyed it more then Yooka-laylee.

But what about Spyro Reigni--

Oh, wait...

Not much question about which of these games should come out on top.

...

Obviously I'm talking about Poi, an utterly indisputable masterpiece of 3D platforming. Unquestionably the best 3D platformer to release on October 24, 2017.

@1UP_MARIO Captain Toad isn't really a 3D platformer, it's more of a puzzle game. I find it hard to call it a platformer when you can't even jump.

Why are you linking to overpriced physical versions of some games? They were part of limited release runs. It's better to recommend the eshop versions instead.

Need to try Poi. To be honest I was disappointed with Super Mario Odyssey but that's just me.

I was close to pulling the trigger on Snake Pass and Human Fall Flat yesterday for a combined $335 but here they are on Nintendolife for only $330. Bargain! So glad I waited.....

Can't believe you included those links.

@1UP_MARIO It's just there to make this list look better than it actually is.

I don't know if I have $150 to spend on watching a snake with partial paralysis die every two seconds.

Where’s turok 😆

@sandman89 Turok is a first person shooter, not a platformer.

DO NOT BUY SNAKEPASS.
It's a misleadingly infuriating game that isn't worth its sale price. It's frustrating and boring and all the artistic charm in the world can't save this disaster of a game. Lack of puzzle verity, lack of features and content. cute protagonist? Maybe. But for the love of God, stay away from this train wreck.

@OorWullie don't bother with snakepass. Save yourself the money and frustration.

@OorWullie I agree captain toad does make every list great 😉 @wazlon correct. I’d say human fall flat and snake pass shouldn’t be there too

Putting in rubbish games like Fe in this list and passing it off as a Best Of feature is a whole new level of low.

This list is simply a reminder that quality 3D platformers are mostly missing from the Switch.

This is a terrible list, where is Knack?

Never liked snake pass

@OorWullie @redDK snakepass is hard and that’s half the fun. I get sweaty palms playing it because I have to concentrate so hard. Get it if you’re up for it! Reminds me of hard games of yesteryear.

@beazlen1 more power to ya! Glad you had fun.

DAFUQ! I've been waiting for Yooka Laylee to have a physical release on the Switch only for it to be a limited run??? UGH

You guys should do a best Switch "walking simulator"/"first person exploration" games list. That would be interesting.

@redDK @beazlen1 I actually own Snake Pass already. I was just making a joke about the ridiculous prices of the Amazon links. I played it for a few hours when I first got it and thought it was alright. I'll go back to it eventually.

Yooka Laylee is an underrated gem.

$150 for Snake Pass, what a deal!!!

Jokes aside, Yooka-Laylee gets too much hate. It’s not as bad as people make it out to be - if you didn’t like collectathons like Banjo Kazooie or Donkey Kong 64 it WON’T change your mind, it’s literally made as a BK clone (complete with all the flaws), but it does exactly what it sets out to do and, after playing through it to 100% twice, I will continue to defend it. I hope it gets a sequel. That being said, the Rextro minigames and minecart level’s are pretty awful. I will say that much.

@iLikeUrAttitude probably because it's true

Poi and Odyssey are really the only games I'd put on this list, therefore making this article pointless. Hat in time looks nice

Maybe i'm happy already with those that i have, didn't get interested in any of those others.

@Paraka Mushroom Men did actually get a sequel, called Truffle Trouble, but it's PC only sadly.

Poi has been excellent so far. Simple but perfectly executed and you know, fun.

Crash is solid, and perhaps the best if your just in it for genuinely good platforming - except for the somewhat blurry visuals - especially handheld (same visual issue plague Snake Pass)

Oddysey felt all glitter and not enough gold (with gold being plenty of actually engaging platforming sections, and glitter being an over obsession with costumes). I didn't dislike it – but it didn't have much wow for me. For a Mario game it was weak. For me 3D Land is the most under-appreciated game in terms of nailing the 'essence' of what makes Mario fun.

I enjoyed Snake Pass - but it does get very frustrating in later stages.

Yooka Laylee I haven't played and with such split opinion I still don't know whether to bother. I'd like to be encouraged to get it.

A Hat in Time looks great but I'm still hurt by the developers being totally deceptive d**ks to Mac Kickstarter supporters at the beginning. I don't really trust the company – but the game will likely be done right on Switch.

This is my favourite genre - but man, it's still one with the fewest modern real gems. I hope developers change this in the future – especially Indie devs need to move away from the 2D space more now.

I was just thinking of some great platformers I’ve played on Switch but realized they’re 2D. Hmm... I agree with others that are saying that this list brings to attention that there aren’t many good ones.

@brandonbwii not to mention some aren’t what I would call 3D platformers. Here’s an idea nintendolife if you have to stretch the definition it is probably better to wait on publishing the list. Captain toad??? Not a platform we also some of these games are rubbish so there’s that too

@Stargazer That may be true to you but there is no reason for you or nintendolife to be complete fanboys about it.

You can review a game or mention it without having to talk down about it saying how your preferred game is so much better.

@1UP_MARIO Now you mention it I wouldn't class Snake Pass or Human Fall Flat as 3D platformers either. It's a bit of an odd list really.

@GetShulked It could have been so much better. The camera makes this game almost unplayable. I guess they all can’t be Mario.

@Toadie - It's also an endless runner, so I cannot say it'd do the franchise justice to get ported.

Love Snake Pass, Yooka Laylee, Mario Odyssey, Crash, Toad and can can't wait for a Hat in Time!

Still curious about Fe.

How about a list of most overrated games...

The list only goes to show that Switch BEGS for more decent 3D platformers. Every review stated Yooka Laylee was a nice try that didn't get close to the results intended. Captain Toad is a favorite for me but it's far from being a platformer. It's a puzzle game with almost no platforming in it....

While we have a nice little bunch of great 2d, we really need more good 3d platformers! There is hardly any....

@sandman89 France.

I'm not as upset as some other commenters seem to be, but this definitely is a lackluster list.

Not the best genre on the Switch or even in general it would seem. I also tried to love Mario Odyssey more than I ended up loving it in the end. Not a bad game by ANY means, but I don't know, not that special either in my book.

Got paid to advertise crap games? Some are not even platformers, Captain Toad is more of a puzzle game.

Steamworld Dig 2 is still the best platformer on Switch

There's a typo in the headline. It should read "The Best 3D Platformers [Are] On Nintendo Switch".

@Al_Godoy I agree this is a pretty meh list. Most games are average and that's sad when you see them in a best of list. On the other hand, I just love Mario Odissey. Fell in love with it instantly, great gameplay in my opinion

Mario Odyssey is pretty much it for me when it comes to this list.

@GetShulked @ShadJV Agreed with you guys. I have watched videos of this game and I am going to buy it in a few weeks.

@pigwarts5ever Rare yes, Expensive? Those are just pathetic overprice asking prices and not worth it even if it is very rare.........

@SamusLv7 enjoy! As I mentioned, the minecart stages and Rextro minigames might drive you a bit batty, and the game is certainly a little rough but no more than Banjo Kazooie was. I really hope this becomes a franchise; now that the characters and world are established, they can move forward and iron out the kinks.

@IceEarthGuard I didn't set the prices. I'm just explaining them.

Mario Odyssey is by far and away the best on that list. It’s just really disappointing that it never had DLC. I keep hopping into it every few weeks and I’m finally getting close to 750

Edit: and then I saw the 3D part haha.... well that explains a lot.

Solid list, but I prefer 2D like Embers of Mirrim and N+. I know they might be an aquired taste, sometimes it just gets a bit too obvious what's gonna be on these kind of lists. I wiuld include Embers because of the very different dual stick mechanics, and N+ because it is so much fun in co-op with a gazillion levels.

@Fake-E-Lee interestingly Yooka is 50% off both in the US and the UK and very few people are mentioning it. As long as some very bad games on sale are being commented, why not this one, which seems to be better than average?

@iLikeUrAttitude because Crash has clunky controls and feels very awkward to control versus Mario games.

@pigwarts5ever I know. I am just going on a small outrage heheh.

@Whalehome Actually it did got DLC though. (New costumes and that mode with Luigi. Free DLC basically.)

@IceEarthGuard I know it was free, but for such a fun game, this was lackluster dlc. Grinding more coins to get new costumes isn’t my idea of a good time. I really wish we could’ve seen new levels in a paid DLC

+1 for Yooka Laylee - once I accepted that it would never be as tight and fresh as Banjo Kazooie 1, I found myself having a ball.
-1 for Snake Pass - that game is nothing but stress and frustration. How anyone is classifying it as a joy to play, is beyond me.

@joex Again you can review a game or mention it without having to talk down about it saying how your preferred game is so much better.

I have no problem with nintendolife criticizing other platformers but when the tone of their review is just a fanboy mentality like "Mario rules Crash drools" then thats where a problem is occurring. Not only was that mentality in their review of the game but also in this article.
What you said was just your preference of the game.

@iLikeUrAttitude yeah, good point..

"However, despite having a reputation for hosting the finest of the genre, none of Nintendo’s platforms have hosted the breadth of 3D platformers we saw back during the genre’s N64 heyday."

... The Wii?

@GrailUK unfortunately not, did ask the devs of Fe but they said it was too expensive for their little company.

I got it when it was on offer, it is a gorgeous little game, the camera needs a little time to get used to but loved it all the same and glad it made it on this list

Crash > Mario Odyssey

Title should be:
Some games, half of which are 3D platformers.

Fury has repetitive missions, but Odyssey doesn't? In Fury, missions always have a twist to them, even when the base objective is the same. In Odyssey, it's like 50 missions each repeated ten times.

Hmm, no mention of Balan, then eh? Not surprised. ;D

Snake Pass always gets a lot of cred but I personally disliked a lot of aspects of that game.

3D world odyssey and captain toad are all excellent still not tried bowser’s fury yet

Just out of spite, I'm going to toss my recyclables in with the general waste this week!

@MrBlacky both are incredible games though, but no game is worth that price. Snake Pass I bought when it was still digital only, and it's one of the few games from back then that I never removed from my sd card to make space. Human Fall Flat I bought the first limited print release of, thinking 30 was pushing it already, but great fun. Now apparently that's worth a small fortune, but the game itself can be had 'for some change' when on sale. All of the fun is there, not in owning a box, cartridge, and some cards... This coming from an ex-collector who blew his income on collecting boxes, cartridges, and extra stuff... And still appreciates those over some code. Nowadays I just rather blow my savings on forest land in different countries and climates to travel, go live far away from human society, protect some nature from 'progress' and 'expansion' of that society, in 'poverty', with all the riches I need and actually value, not just give me surrogate meaning to a life enslaved. Now I feel rich, back then I had it all and always felt poor.

@Silly_G waving my fist, 'that will teach them all a lesson!'

@Thenewguy It's a good game but I think it got a lot of praise because it came out at a time when there was no solid competition. Today the landscape is so different

Let’s be honest it’s about time Nintendo gave us a new AAA platform game be it Mario Odyssey 2 or 2d Mario or Donkey King.
5 years this October 2022 since Mario Odyssey and we have had nothing new AAA since, not including re-releases, ok a 5 hour Bowers Fury, which was good in its own way.
What happened to the statement, having one console hybrid instead of two separate consoles home and handheld will enable Nintendo to produce more first party big games. I think that has fallen by the way side Nintendo.

@iLikeUrAttitude that's true. Crash is not in the same league as Mario 64. Crash is almost like those 2.5D games. You're essentially running through corridors.

Is New Super Lucky’s Tale really that good?
I was thinking about Yooka-Laylee, which can be found on the eShop for 8 bucks.

Man my MFGL!

Blue Fire
A Hat in Time

Both are must-plays for fans of this genre (Blue Fire far from a Nintendo product in terms of difficulty though)

@GrailUK no unfortunately

Love Kirby and the Forgotten Land!

@iLikeUrAttitude @brunojenso @Al_Godoy You're absolutely right. As a long-time Nintendo fan, specifically Mario and Zelda fan, Super Mario Odyssey is very bland in my opinion as a platformer so I don't know, it's like a default thing to say, that Mario is better in every aspect even when it's s not true at all. It also makes me think what reviews would have been if Breath of the Wild was not a The Legend of Zelda or Nintendo game even with the same gameplay features and graphics but different characters. It would have never got that ridiculous level of praise.

Z...axis...? Melee flashbacks

@Banjo- wow - this a while ago. Re-reading my comment, I’d mentioned i had not played Yooka Laylee at the time. I have now - and despite the mixed opinions I thought it was excellent! (The 3D one) and since this article we now have loads of good 3D platformers on Switch. 3D All Stars, 3D World + Browsers Fury Spyro Trilogy, New Super Lucky’s Tale, Poi, Toree 1 and 2, Hat in Time, Crash, and YL.

@brunojenso My reply was more about Crash Bandicoot N.sane Trilogy vs. Super Mario Odyssey 😅.

Can a game be a platformer without jumping? Captain Toad, while it's a good game, seems more like a puzzle game than a platformer, in large part because you can't jump between "platforms." But it suppose it has some things in common.

Not sure if I'd put "Yooka-Laylee" and "Best Switch 3D platformers" in the same sentence.

I felt it was more tedious than either Donkey Kong 64 or Banjo-Tooie, and I'm saying that as someone who recently sat down and 100%'d DK64 thrice around the same time (Wii U VC, N64 version and Japanese N64 version). It also doesn't help that it's not very explicit how to defeat the final boss after a certain phase, I had to youtube it and I still can't pull it off.

I do like the characters and the world in Yooka-Laylee but probably not as much as Banjo-Kazooie's, probably because I haven't invested much time to them, unlike the original Rare duo.

As for other Switch 3D platformers, I have Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Sonic Forces and Popeye (lol, does that one count?). Eventually I'll get New Super Lucky's Tale and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury.

I feel like these lists are just every game in X genre that is at least half decent.

@iLikeUrAttitude because it’s true.

Not long completed Blue Fire. Decent 3D platformer.

Yooka-Laylee I loved. Very underrated on the internet. Not quite as good as Banjo games though.

Never played Crash Bandicoot back in the day but picked up the n-sane trilogy. Only played the first and 100% it. Awesome game. I see it more as 2.5d than 3D though.

I might be remembering this wrong but I'm pretty sure that New Super Lucky's Tale is not a port of an Xbox One game. Super Lucky's Tale is not the same game, and New Super Lucky's Tale came out on the Switch befofe other platforms.

Because they are.

Well for one that is entirely subjective and two, I stated multiple times I my problems weren't with the actual score of the reviews it's moreso the fanboy remarks of this website, specifically their review of crash and the description here.
Theres nothing wrong with preferring one or the other but when you're constantly putting other games down and calling x better not only does that make you look like a huge fanboy it's also toxic.

Nintendo fans do this all the time with franchises even remotely similar to Zelda and Mario, it's like they only play two games or franchises and then proceed to call every platformer a Mario rip off or calling every open world game a Botw one.

So thanks for completely missing the point

@John_Deacon I bought it on release off the hype it had for how it controlled but I was disapointed still. Good idea but poor execution imo.

@Quarth Because they get a small amount of money from Amazon if somebody purchases the game after clicking the link.

What a short list. Personally I think banjo tooie is the better game of the two. Also the desert like hub with the eerie music in Glover always creeped me TF out 😱

@Gs69 Agreed about Captain Toad being amazing. It’s got all the polish and creativity you’d expect from a first party Nintendo title… just a shame so many seem uninterested. So charming and so much bigger and better than the little Captain Toad levels in 3D World. Interesting, challenging, and beautiful levels… buy the dlc and there’s more than enough content. (Still haven’t quite finished it.)

OK I’m done, but if you’re running low on great first party Nintendo Switch titles, grab this! (And Link’s Awakening too… that game is perfect.)

I guess Klonoa is 2d but it does show some depth to it. Pac-Man world repac is decent.

Pumpkin Jack looks great. Thanks for putting it on my radar.

no mail mole, what even is this list?

I should play PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC. The first minutes I watched looked fun.

Spyro is my favourite specifically riptos rage / gateway to glimmer but I love them all & I'm hoping for a spyro 4 announcement

@FishyS one is a cute 5$ platformer and the other is a massive company and a 60$ game. But to be fair, I prefer the old school pixel graphic pokemon. I feel like the new Pokémon run clunky and look terrible.

Crash is just like Mario, both are utterly enjoyable and pose a mild to average difficulty levels.

Glad to see Lunistice here, it was tons of fun

Lol what is sonic doing in the thumbnail

PAC-Man World Re-PAC deserves to be on this list! Classic game and great 3D platform.

@Fazermint Sonic Colors, which is on this list, is an excellent platformer.

I have played & enjoyed ALL those bar poi and pumpkin jack. Maybe the odd one I wouldn't call a 3D plaformer, but cool list o' games. Fin times aplenty

I must not have read this in 2019, because I'm sure I'd have wondered then what I'm wondering now: who's Vanessa Williams?

Calling Fe a platformer is kinda whack.

Wow cool Snake Pass is Only $150 on Amazon according to this! What a bargain!

Where's Sonic Frontiers at?

As a Sonic fan I hate that Colors is the worst title on this list, there's hardly any 3D gameplay in it and when there is it's the most basic thing you can imagine. Terrible Sonic game.

Overall, the Switch is a bad platform for Sonic it seems. With Mania being the highlight, but I mean even the original 3DS could probably run it and that's saying something.

@FroZtedFlake
while i personally had a blast with frontiers it seems it didnt review well on the site so i can see why its not on the list.

I havent played colours on the switch in a while so i dont know it things have improved, i think some of the bugs were fixed but from what i remember the games load times were longer than the ones on wii which made a difference considering how the stages are short.

Have played Lunistice lately after seeing the review and it was great, while its short (about as long as a 16 bit era platformer like sonic 1) i did enjoy replaying it a lot.

(would have loved to have seen the Banjo kazooie and tooie remasters on switch)

Tinykin should 100% be on this list. That and Bowser's Fury are the most fun I've had with a 3D platformer on Switch.

Despite appearances, Tinykin is NOT a Pikmin-like. It is very much a classic 3D platformer.

For anyone looking for a fun 3D platformer for a younger crowd, I'd back New Super Lucky's Tale. Tried it on gamepass when it caught my daughter's eye. She liked watching me play and it was a chill, fun time. The levels after the story get hard, but the rest was a fun stroll with some good creativity. Some 2d levels, puzzles, and auto-run levels are sprinkled in as well.

@FishyS
I like how this simple low budget indie game with a retro aesthetic is annoying both Sonic and Pokémon diehards who wanna play whataboutisms with it.

Where's the legendary platformer that is Balan Wonderworld?

Colors ultimate is pretty good, but the switch version..?

Disagree with Hat in Time. Felt messy with poor controls and a terrible camera and could not get into it for the life of me.

I will give De Blob a try. The Switch MetaCritic score turned me off, but seeing that it is a top 100 Wii game on that site piqued my interest.

What about Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild', 'Pokemon Legends: Arceus', 'Ary and the Secret of Seasons' and 'Immortals Fenyx Rising?' Are those not 3D Platformer games? I might be in the minority here but I actually enjoyed 'Yooka Laylee' despite its faults and I am glad they are making a second 3D game because if they listen to some of the criticisms about the first one and make improvements it could be even better this time and I loved Captain Toad and wish they would make a sequel to that too.

If only we could get a Rayman trilogy similar to the Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot trilogies. Rayman 2: The Great Escape is one of my all time favourite 3D Platformer games and deserves to be re-released imo so younger gamers can have a chance at playing it too without having to get an old console to play it and it is disappointing Ubisoft don't make Rayman games anymore.

Pac-Man World:Re-Pac and Kao the Kangaroo should be added to this list imo

Tinykin should be added to the list, just finished it and it's great. Came here because the game was a bit short and I wanted to play some more games like it and got surprised It wasn't ranked. Maybe the list is a bit outdated