Best Nintendo Switch Management And Tycoon Games

RAILGRADE (Switch eShop)

There is something deeply appealing about playing with trains. They go exactly where you tell them to, yet can still behave in unexpected ways to keep things interesting. Railgrade from developer Minakata Dynamics is a great railway management sim game with some fun quirks. While it doesn’t go as deep into its mechanics as other games in the genre, it manages to be entertaining throughout its lengthy campaign.

Railgrade doesn’t try to recreate the railway management sim game, but it polishes and bolsters what is there to become one of the better examples of this niche genre.

Urban Flow (Switch eShop)

Traffic is stressful. A game about directing traffic should be stressful. Urban Flow isn't. If anything, it's quite a zen experience; more so with each additional player you bring into the game. It's a game that anyone can play, with a premise that can be explained to anyone in a matter of seconds. This is a tremendous strength.

Urban Flow's title isn't a misnomer; the gameplay is as smooth as the graphics and once the pieces are in place you shouldn't have any trouble getting your head around it. Accessibility has been rather masterfully welded to a relatively complex, punishing task, here. We dare say it might be difficult to think of your own ventures out into the city centre the same way again. After all, Urban Flow will quickly make you an expert at directing traffic.

Mini Metro (Switch eShop)

Have you ever looked at the metro map in [insert large city here] and thought, "Pah, I could do a better job than that"? Step over here and check out Mini Metro, an extremely casual, minimalistic puzzle game that lets you do exactly that.

Take on the task of creating the metro systems for real cities across the world, but with a catch — you'll be creating the lines in real-time, as you attempt to streamline the commutes of abstracted passengers as they're happening.

Mini Motorways (Switch eShop)

Have you ever been stuck in traffic, and thought, "Pah, I could improve this system somewhat"? Well, then you might enjoy Mini Motorways, the pseudo-sequel to Mini Metro that does exactly what it says on the tin.

If you've played Cities Skylines and found yourself really enjoying the parts where you get to design the infrastructure of your bustling metropolis, drawing lines to connect housing to offices, schools, and amusement parks, then you'll find a lot to love about Mini Motorways, which is... only that. And none of the other stressful city-management stuff.

Do Not Feed the Monkeys (Switch eShop)

In Do Not Feed the Monkeys, your task is to observe unwitting subjects through a series of cameras, and report back to a mysterious HQ. Reporting back on your findings gets you paid, and getting paid allows you to buy more cameras to spy on more "monkeys". Voyeurism is addictive, though, and you'll need to pay attention to your overall health, hunger and fatigue levels.

Balancing your life while making sure you have enough money for rent, food and additional cameras are the fundamentals of the gameplay, and things get complex quickly. The subjects' stories play out in front of you, which stokes the fire of curiosity until you may feel compelled to intervene, but that's not a great idea – the clue's in the title. Indeed, "feeding the monkeys" could result in your camera being discovered and destroyed, a stern warning from HQ sent to your inbox, and the promise of "expulsion"; an ambiguous fate, loaded with menace.

Parkasaurus (Switch eShop)

This Jurassic Park and Zoo Tycoon mashup from Washbear Studio — probably the cutest studio name we've ever seen — puts you in charge of a dinosaur park. Not only do you have to encourage the park's visitors to spend money, but you also have to ensure that your little (big?) dino friends are happy.

Parkasaurus' low poly visuals do a ton to add to the game's charm, too, making it a real irresistible package for anyone who loves sim management-type games.

Wilmot's Warehouse (Switch eShop)

This, perhaps, is the most literal management game you'll find on this list. You play a small helpy square in a large, legally-distinct-from-Amazon-but-only-just warehouse full of items, although it's not always clear what each item is. You will get requests for said items: "Three cherries and one traffic cone", perhaps, or "eight piles of poop, eight lightning bolts". As Wilmot, the fetcher of things, you will go grab those items, and deliver them, and then more requests will roll in.

The true joy of Wilmot's Warehouse is, therefore, in the organisation system you come up with to find items easily. Will you stack them by type — the cherries go with the pineapples, the traffic cones with the thing that looks a bit like a stop sign — or by colour? Or something else entirely? If you're a fan of inventory management, it doesn't get better than this.

Football Manager 2021 Touch (Switch eShop)

You really can't go too wrong with any of the Football Manager games, which have all been brought to Switch with touch controls, thank goodness — we dread to imagine navigating all that UI with naught but Joy-Con controls — but we're picking the one we liked best.

Stick with FM21's (admittedly still awkward) controls, and you'll end up with one of the best handheld football management games ever, thanks to its enhanced matchday options and its improved stats. It's the Robert Pires of football games: it eventually becomes sensational, you just have to give it a season or so before it properly settles.

(Be sure to check out Football Manager 19, Football Manager 20, Football Manager 22, and Football Manager 23 if you just can't get enough of Football Managers — they're all on Switch, too, and they're all quite good!)

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic (Switch eShop)

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic maintains its crown as the lord of all theme park management sims. Despite not supporting touchscreen inputs at all for some bizarre reason, and sudden performance dips when zooming out, the move to Nintendo Switch is a great one.

With smartly designed controls and that timeless RCT gameplay (vertical) loop (right) completely intact, the best way to play this classic in your living room TV might, ironically, be Nintendo’s handheld hybrid.

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