Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch)
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was a real hidden gem of the Wii U era, which is amazing when you consider that it was almost created by accident. The original concept for Captain Toad existed inside Super Mario 3D World, which featured a few minigame-like levels in which you had to help Captain Toad navigate a bunch of tiny cube-shaped levels, avoiding enemies and collecting stars and coins.
This is a wonderful and gorgeous puzzler fit for all ages, and one which you should definitely experience if you're yet to.
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New Pokémon Snap (Switch)
New Pokémon Snap brings back almost everything that made the original special and fleshes it out into a much more elaborate game. This is something you can sink some serious time into and while there are some minor frustrations and pacing issues in the story, playing freely at your own pace is a pure joy. The original has gone down in history possibly as Pokémon's greatest spinoff, and it may have just been dethroned.
![New Pokémon Snap [Download Code - UK/EU]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/18467/100x100.png)
![New Pokémon Snap Standard - Switch [Digital Code]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/20864/100x100.jpg)
Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)
The unholy lovechild of Tekken and Pokémon, Pokkén Tournament caused quite a stir when it was first announced. Given that almost all Pokémon games focus on monster-on-monster combat, it's surprising that it took so long for a game of this type to appear, but the wait was more than worth it. Pokkén is comfortably one of the the best fighting games on the Switch, and offers surprising depth, stunning presentation, brilliant offline and online multiplayer modes and bags of replayability.
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (Switch eShop)
After being mostly confined to the MOBA for years, things like the new Arcane show, an impending MMO, and some spinoff games are starting to bring the rich universe of Runeterra to audiences that aren’t reached by the main title.
Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, is one of those spinoff games, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is some half-hearted throwaway advert to get more people to play League. Riot knew what it was doing when it handed this project to Airship Syndicate — of Battle Chasers: Nightwar fame — and we’re happy to report that Ruined King has turned out to be a tremendously well-designed RPG. Featuring a memorable cast of characters, incredibly deep gameplay and an attractive art style, this is perhaps one of the most surprising must-have releases of the year.
River City Girls (Switch eShop)
The Kunio-kun series has been around for more than three decades in Japan, delivering a steady stream of quality titles mostly featuring its trademark art style: chunky characters with big heads. Some of the games made it to the west under various guises – Renegade, Super Dodge Ball, Crash ‘n The Boys, Nintendo World Cup and the like – but arguably the most notable entry made it to our shores as Street Gangs in Europe, and River City Ransom in North America. As the name suggests, River City Girls is a spin-off of that game, and it’s absolutely superb.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion (Switch)
One of the most memorable PSP titles was Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, a prequel to one of the greatest games Square’s ever managed to produce. Mixing fast-paced hack ‘n’ slash combat with a story that was just as endearing and heartbreaking as the original Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core quickly built a strong reputation for itself. Square remade the spin-off in late 2022, aiming it at audiences looking to catch up ahead of the launch of FF7: Rebirth, and we’re pleased to report that this remake has been a resounding success; Crisis Core was always a great game and now it looks and plays better than ever.
Mighty Gunvolt Burst (Switch eShop)
Mighty Gunvolt Burst is a worthy successor to the classic Mega Man series, perfectly transplanting that classic run ‘n’ gun gameplay while adding a wealth of new additions and elements to keep you engaged for a long time. Though these new elements are a little rough around the edges, they nonetheless add a lot of value to the package and the flexible nature of the game allows you to completely ignore them if you so choose. We certainly give Mighty Gunvolt Burst a strong recommendation; for anyone looking for a meaty and high-quality retro title, look no further than this.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch)
With the success of the likes of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Persona 5 Strikers and, of course, 2017's Fire Emblem Warriors on Nintendo Switch, it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that Omega Force, the developer behind the long-running Warriors franchise, is intent on continuing to serve up more zany crossovers that mix its spectacular Musou mayhem with aspects of whichever series it happens to be teaming up with this time around.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a thoroughly entertaining mash-up of fighting, strategy and relationship-building aspects that should more than satisfy fans of both the franchises involved here.
![Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes [Download Code - UK/EU]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/18752/100x100.png)
Persona 5 Tactica (Switch)
Persona 5 Tactica is a thrillingly varied tactical RPG that fans of the Phantom Thieves and the genre should take note of. It's a little on the easy side, but the varied gameplay, excellent soundtrack, striking visuals, and lovable characters all make for a very easy recommendation here. We’d especially suggest you pick this up if you really enjoyed the original Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, as we noticed a lot of parallels that can be drawn between the two. It remains to be seen if this is the last time we’ll be seeing the Phantom Thieves don their masks, but if this does turn out to be their finale, Persona 5 Tactica is a massively enjoyable sendoff for the beloved crew.
If you've got your own suggestions for this list, why don't you...spin off into the comments and give us your thoughts? Or better yet... tell us what spin-offs/crossovers you'd like to see in games! Mario X Zelda? Pikmin X Animal Crossing? Give us your most unholy combinations!
This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.
Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!
If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.
Comments 27
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition >>> Age of Calamity >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Cadence of Hyrule
"The inclusion of those Fire Emblem characters and the occasional burst of the familiar Fire Emblem theme is about as far as the game goes in terms of representing Nintendo and Intelligent Systems’ series"
Weapon triangle that facilitates sessions even in the absence of appropriate elemental exploits: "Am I a joke to you?"
A rich list overall, though.Here's to seeing it updated with a new Project X Zone someday.🍻 Until then, the local crossover crown arguably belongs to Smash Bro- hol' up, is it me or it's nowhere in this article at all?😳
Looking forward to Metal Slug Tactics. And Hyrule or Skyrim Snowrunner. And Untitled Mighty Goose Game. And House of the Zombie Army Dead War Overkill. And Super Smash Wreckfest Rocket League Bros with visuals like the actual Mario Strikers artwork.
All right, all of those except for the first one aren't really happening.
Mario+Rabbids is definitely my stand-out on this list. Such a great game.
I never would have thought of gunvolt as a spinoff since it's a whole pretty hefty series of its own (there are at least 8 games).
captain toad I hope they make into a whole series someday (similar to Yoshi games), but I agree it's a fun spinoff for now. Mario + Rabbids is a more extreme spinoff and also fun.
All the dragon quest spinoffs seem bizarrely good.
monster hunter stories I personally like much more than the normal monster hunter games.
Ooh, and I wouldn't call mario maker 2 a spinoff. The story mode campaign is as long as a shorter mainline game and the player-built levels use the same characters and game-genre of normal Mario.
It will be interesting to see if the Bayonetta Origins storybook prequel gets counted as a spinoff since it is a different genre but still part of the same character story timeline.
Good list, I can't think of any games missing besides ones that are arguable if they count as spinoffs or seperate series.
Pokken DX is such an underrated and often overlooked gem. I love it.
Of the three Warriors games I've owned and dozen others I've demoed, the original Hyrule Warriors is the only one I can actually call fun. And the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is still my favorite Pokemon spin-off, with the remake bringing in an awesome new art style and soundtrack, so that definitely deserves a mention.
It's probably not worth bringing up, but I still feel like Breath of the Wild should be considered a spin-off, mainly because I'm vainly hoping we'll go back to the regular 3D Zelda formula some day.
Dragon Quest Builders 2
I gave it score 96/100 but for PS4 version.
@DjinnFighter
Oh dear... I might actually be someone sitting with the opposite order
Great list but I feel Smash Ultimate has to be included here.
Could've sworn I briefly saw an article on this yesterday, but it vanished for some reason.... /shrug
It's served as a reminder that I need to dig into the Dragon Quest Builders 2 demo at some point. That said, this is a pretty solid list.
@DjinnFighter Age of Calamity fulfilled the story mode Breath of the Wild never had. Plus the music was masterful. But gameplay-wise, that's a respectable order, but all three were equally fantastic in my opinion.
I dig these lists. And Captain Toad rules.
Tried Dragon Quest Builders 2 when it was available as a Free Trial on Nintendo Switch Online. I'll definitely try to get t down the line, as well as the first Builders.
Eventually I'll get Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, but will be the Wii U version before I play it on Switch.
Best spinoffs for Switch:
Best crossovers for Switch:
I'd say Persona 5 Strikers is just a direct sequel to Persons 5 story wise.
Cadence of Hyrule that game looks awesome I did not play that.
You've included Persona 5 Scramble(Strikers) and Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales on this list, but... You haven't included Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes there?! It is not only a good game, but a good spin-off game as well! It's even better than the 3rd mainline game of the series! Soundtrack is awesome, plot is interesting. There's 4 playable characters in the game. Co-op. And you don't need to have a pair of Joy-Cons to play the game in co-op! Despite dialogues in the game are not fully voiced, the ones that are voiced are good. Sad that there is no in-game music player, though... Oh! And Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Overdrive deserves a place on this list as well! It's also one of the best beat 'em ups available on Switch!
@Anachronism Disagree about the Warriors game (except for the original Hyrule Warriors being awesome), but couldn't agree more about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (although I quite liked the other ones I've played, too)!
Still have to play the remake, but I'll definitely do so at some point since I've already got a copy and it's absolutely gorgeous!
Great list, I've either played and loved or eventually want to play almost all the games in it!
Luigi's Mansion 3 says hi
@msvt I have to agree, I wouldn't mind seeing a Pokken Tournament 2 come out. Speaking of spin-offs and Pokemon games, I'm still waiting for Detective Pikachu 2.
@Lony85
Pokemon Puzzle League 2 would be great too!
@Serpenterror «Best crossovers for Switch:
... BLAZBLUE CROSS TAG BATTLE»
...Seriously? BBTAG is one of the most disappointing fighting games and crossover fighting games of the recent years. Barebones single player content(Story Mode, VS Mode, Survival Mode). Story Mode is disappointing. Even for a crossover game. Dialogues in the Story Mode are poorly written, boring, unfunny, and stupid. From the 2nd chapter I've begun skipping almost all of the dialogues... Because of some glitch it's impossible to complete the game on all endings. I've got only 1st and 3rd endings. There are no new dialogue options that will lead me to 2nd and True Endings. I've replayed Story Mode for a few times! Not once and not twice! And yet, there are no dialogues that will lead me to the 2nd and True Endings... There is no Arcade Mode in the game! And no Time Attack Mode, Score Attack Mode, Abyss Mode... No rollback netcode(exclusive to PC and PS4) and crossplay support. Delay-based netcode in the game is below average. There is almost no difference between characters' playstyle(!). Requirements for Astral Finish execution are horrible and that's almost impossible to execute Astral Finish. More than half of the characters are locked behind DLC. That's impossible to change announcer's voice to the characters' voices. Announcer mispronounce characters' names. Dialogues in Episode 2.0 Story are not fully voiced(Yuzuriha is not fully-voiced in JP, for example). That's impossible to collect all lobby avatars without playing Online Mode. I think that I've said enough. There are a lot of good crossover fighting games - Tatsunoko vs. CAPCOM, Aquapazza, DENGEKI BUNKO FIGHTING CLIMAX, Marvel vs. CAPCOM 2, Nitroplus Blasterz: Heroines Infinite Duel, and others. And BBTAG is not among them.
The Persona games (now on Switch) are great spinoffs from Shin Megami Tensei. They really belong on this list.
@Vyacheslav333 If you look at my list it says best crossover game, not best BlazBlue game. You're expecting too many BlazBlue stuffs on what is essentially just a crossover game with the BlazBlue's brand slapped on it.
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