International Basketball (Switch eShop)
International Basketball is far from being the MVP of its genre. It's certainly not a looker, and with reports of poor AI and controls, it doesn't give us much to get excited about. Still, at least it's on the cheaper side of the eShop, but with so many other options, there's better bang for your buck elsewhere. At least it has local multiplayer going for it!
Basketball Club Story (Switch eShop)
Basketball Club Story is a sports game for those who are not so keen on the sport. In this RPG, your skills on the court are not the be-all and end-all, with success instead coming from how well you can build your team and keep them happy. Combining some sweet GBA-style pixel art and a good range of activities from recruitment to facility construction, this is worth a try for those who want to get their basketball kicks away from the sim elements of NBA 2K.
Head Games (Switch eShop)
Head Games sees you playing as a head (with shoes on), knocking a ball from one pixel art goal to another. There are three disciplines on display here — basketball, football and volleyball — though each of them are mechanically the same: headbutt the ball in the right direction and don't let your opponent do the same. It's a format that has long appeared in web browser games and this one is no different. It's cheap fun, but we can't see a lot of longevity here.
Dunk Lords (Switch eShop)
A basketball beat-em-up doesn't sound like the most intuitive combination, does it? Well, Dunk Lords shows that it isn't. This 2-vs-2 brawler-baller will see you shooting hoops and throwing fists, with the two never particularly gelling into one game. There is fun to be had here, but things become a little too confusing for its own good at times.
NBA 2K22 (Switch)
NBA 2K22 is another fine entry in the franchise that continues the developer's habit of delivering satisfyingly solid ports of their basketball sims on Nintendo Switch. Yes, most of the modes don't try anything massively new — beyond MyCareer's revamped Neighbourhood setting — and the loading screens will have you pulling your hair out from time to time, but refined core gameplay and enough content to keep you playing until the end times make this one an easy recommendation for b-ball fans.
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NBA 2K23 (Switch)
NBA 2K23 makes the inevitable downgrades and cuts that we see every year with this franchise on Nintendo's console and, just like other last-gen versions of the game, it's also missing both The City and the brand-new MyNBA Eras. Loading times can be frustrating, and 30fps basketball feels noticeably stodgier than the 60fps found in other versions. However, if you can put up with these necessary downgrades and slight technical shortcomings, this is still a solid port of a superb basketball sim that's stuffed full of content to see fans through another season.
Desktop Basketball 2 (Switch eShop)
Desktop Basketball 2 is much the same as its predecessor, with identical game modes and controls. The visual style sees something of an upgrade here, substituting the old blocky sprites for ones that are capable of showing a little more movement, though the changes are pretty minimal overall. It is once again a very simple take on the sport but one that remains nowhere near the heights of NBA Jam's arcade fun.
NBA 2K24 (Switch)
NBA 2K24 is less a continuation of what made the series good on Switch and more a downgrade of what has come before it. Even with how smoothly this one plays on the console, with some clean animations and a sprinkling of improvements to MyTeam being the real MVPs, all of this is overshadowed by just how watered-down this year's entry feels. With none of the new game modes making the jump to Switch apart from the disappointing Mamba Moments, a severely lessened MyCareer and a model that continues to be plagued by microtransactions and long load times, the 2K franchise on Switch has never needed more of a boost. If you are after a basketball game on the go, last year's offering is a much better option.
RoboDunk (Switch eShop)
NBA Jam-style 2v2 basketball and randomised roguelite campaigns are not two genres that we initially would have put together, but RoboDunk does just that. This one brings ever-changing rules and high-flying action in droves all wrapped up in an art style that's vaguely reminiscent of a LEGO game. It's a lot, but that's not always a bad thing.
Basketball Arcade (Switch eShop)
The only way that Basketball Arcade could feel more like a mobile game would be if our play was interrupted by ads and drop-down notifications displaying a text from Dominos. You flick basketballs into a hoop. Sometimes the hoop moves. It's hardly the most innovative gameplay loop and one that can almost certainly be found for free on countless platforms.
Street Basketball Club: Sport Throw Simulator (Switch eShop)
Street Basketball Club: Sport Throw Simulator might be a basket full of keywords, but it's actually another pretty simple b-ball game, even if it's not the cream of the Switch eShop crop. This one will see you shooting hoops side on, following the line of an arc to ensure that things really are as easy as they can be. The backgrounds will change, but we wouldn't expect the gameplay loop to change with it. Again, you can do better, but it's a relatively cheap offering.
Never Be Afraid Slam Dunk (Switch eShop)
The gameplay loop of Never Be Afraid Slam Dunk is about as confusing as its name. Instead of a full-blown basketball sim with such complex mechanics as passing and shooting, NBASM (as we're sure everybody is calling it) is closer to American football... kind of. Your objective is to run the ball into the 'paint' whereupon your character (which inexplicably has the head of an animal) will perform an elaborate dunk animation. Run into your opponent to steal the ball, then avoid them as you head up the court.
Plus, you get to wear animal hats. Now that's true basketball.
Frequent Asked Questions
What Is The Best Basketball Game On Switch?
That's a rather subjective question, but if it was up to us, we'd have to say either NBA 2K19 or 2K20, both of which scored an impressive 9/10 in our reviews.