Here's The Top 50 Switch Games, As Voted For By Your Good Selves

Yeah number 1 was expected.

How did 1-2-Switch get in here?

Woo, Shantae made the list!

...I own over sixty games and there's a good handful I don't have... um, wut?

Xenoblade 2 should be number one. Such a great game.

My Top 3 so far:
1. Portal Knights (105+ hours)
2. ARMS (45+ hours)
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (20+ hours)

Correct answer

Nevermind 1-2-Switch: Sonic Forces is on that list?!

Also I own only 8 games out of these, with 2 more on Steam instead.

This list makes sense, except for 1-2-Switch! being #24, and not #51.

Makes you wonder how much Nintendo fudged it. Arms at 7? I see lot more [removed] about the game than praise.

Wait what, Sonic Forces before Snake Pass, Wonder Boy, I Am Setsuna and Oxenfree (and a lot more I haven't played)... ?

For whoever thinks 1-2-Switch is Blah, i was SOLD by that game.
Thanks to JustJess for her funny video.

1-2 Switch deserves to be popular. It shows off the capabilities of the console. It's a really accessible and fun party game. It's a great advert for non-gamers having fun with something very Nintendo. This is the kind of experience many people buy a console for. Not everyone wants to spend 200 hours on Zelda.

Just the well-known ones making it towards the top then. No Sexy Brutale, Piczle Lines DX.

Plus these results are turd, it's based on how many people have played them. The better selling the game is, the more likely that game will rank higher because people have actually got an opinion of it. I mean Owlboy is at #45 and it's a masterpiece. Mummy Demastered is amazing and yet doesn't feature in the top 50 list despite critical acclaim. Same with Slime San and Inversus Deluxe. There weren't many games on on Metacritics end of year top rated games that averaged over 80 but Slime San did. You're telling me that Bomberman is better?

@Scottwood101 I think you'll find ARMs has a very solid fanbase.

@chardir COD has a solid fanbase but it doesn't mean it's any good.

@chardir I enjoyed Arms, it was fun to begin with but grew tiresome quickly. Maybe I traded it in too soon before all the big updates. I might pick it up again one day.

Not one Neo Geo game, which is a bit of an oversight, but I guess it's hard to pick just one standout from such a massive library. My favourite game not on the list would be Toki Tori 2+, but that came out too recently to make it, I guess.

I just bought Axiom Verge Multiverse Edition for Switch.
It went straight to my top 5.
Not even on the list.
Must be a fair few misprints in that list.

@Freek Axiom Verge is at #42!

That’s fair I think

@Krull
Thanks.
Didn't see it through the huge pile of garbage in front of it.

I kid.
Sort of.

I have 7 of these games. The rest are Hamster & Zerodiv which sadly did not make the list.

Thumper is top 15 switch games, easily.

It's pretty obvious this is the "best-selling" list with a couple of outliers. Makes sense, you can't vote for a game you haven't played.

@Anti-Matter @chardir I think the main problem with that game is that it is sold separately from the Switch. It should have been packed with it at launch. Either it or Snipperclips.

Switch has no game.

Stop [removed] about your favourite nitpick not being on the list. Different ppl from you have different opinions, it's how life works. I personally don't give a crap about 1-2 Switch but i totally get why it's in there.

@SmaggTheSmug I saw a comment a while back that it's better not to be a pack-in so that the Switch is not defined by it, which I think I agree with. This way the Switch can be the console of Zelda, or the console of Mario Kart, or the Console of 1-2 Switch. Whereas people basically think of the Wii as the console of Wii Sports.

Wow! From the first 10 I just do not have Splatoon 2, Sonic Mania and Rockt League (not my thing).

My picks made it except Batman The Tell tale series, Worms WMD and Wulverblade. Would have been interesting to see where they placed. Not a terrible list though

@NewAdvent Just picked up ETG from the Russian eShop (£3.50!!!). What a game. So so much that I don't understand like the altars and shrines etc, how to find secret rooms etc but I love every playthrough and can feel myself getting better. I finally, finally defeated the 2nd floor boss the other night. Currently trying to fix the elevator to the 2nd floor as well as defeat 200 Bullet Kins.

I own 8 of the top 10. I miss having money.

@NewAdvent The snake- Ammoconda. The only thing I find frustrating with the game is that you can't see your stats from previous play throughs. I like the info displayed once you die but it would be nice to flick back through the book to see what you did on old missions. Either that or let me see my total number of kills, favourite weapon etc etc.

After playing attack on titan 2 id say this is by far favourite game on system, portal knights to!

I have 34/50. The highest entry I don't have is Minecraft.

Despite loving Zelda, I do think Odyssey is a better game.

I have 16 of the top 50 and 8 of the top 10.

NBA 2k18 should have made the list. Despite the early wobbles, its a good game.

... And Picross S missed out! I put 40 hours into that game.

I cannot for the life of me understand how or why Blossom Tales isn’t here.

Since owning my Switch there have been two games that I've become obsessional over. Breath of the Wild and Stardew Valley.

Well deserved no.1! BOTW is legit one of the best video games ever

Those too 5 are must haves, with the addition of Arms in my opinion. Great games

I was most surprised by ARMS being in the top 10, I hope that game gets some sort of story expansion as single player is its biggest weakness.

@JamesR True. It definitely deserves some praise. Probably the best current gen port.

Here's how I voted, and where they ended up. (Incidentally Tweeting my Top 10 won me £50 of eShop credit! Yayy!)

1. Super Mario Odyssey (2)
2. The Legend of Zelda: BotW (1)
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (3)
4. Disgaea 5 Complete (44)
5. Sonic Mania (9)
6. The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (39)
7. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (5)
8. Golf Story (25)
9. Enter the Gungeon (31)
10. Mutant Mudds Collection (Did Not Chart)

ARMS placed higher than I honestly thought it would. Go ARMS!!

Not surprised at all at the top 3 or top 10 for that matter

@Scottwood101 arms is really good, you should try it

I own every game in the top 20 except for Arms

A bit surprised Wonder Boy was placed ahead of Shantae. I like both but when I tell friends that I own Wonder Boy the response is often "What's that?"

@Scottwood101 We have 22 switch games yet my son has over 200 hours of Arms. He plays it none stop. For those that like it, it really racks up the hours

I’d just add Nba 2k18 in there after the fixes the game is a must for any basketball fan

Complainers, a lot of this list is about marketing, & sales. They asked Twitter so a lot of kids and a lot of people that only know the games they own

Fire Emblem and Xenoblade ftw!

The top 20 is pretty much what I expected, but I too am puzzled just how well Sonic Forces placed compared to other quality titles in the list. I never did pick up 1-2 Switch, but I suspect it was one of the first titles many picked up, played for a few hours then subsequently left gathering dust; it was probably fun for a short time with family / friends & people have good memories of the first & only play throughs. To me it didn't even look like it would come close to offering the fun found in Nintendoland.

Glad to see Sonic Mania in the top 10

I guess it speaks VERY well of the Switch library that one of my top games isn't even in the top 50...Ittle Dew 2+ was excellent.

The top 3 games are the only games people really care about in every generation of Nintendo console. Switch is following N64 footsteps with Mario, MarioKart and Zelda out in the first year, but unlike N64 it is no longer competing with Sony so it is safe.

Great to see the modern classic that is MARIO + RABBIDS: KINGDOM BATTLE come in 5th. I would have had it higher but still impressive ranking and well deserved.

On Switch we own 2, 7, 27, 29 and 50.

Own 1, and most of 3, 12, 13, 17 and most of 14, on Wii U.

Own 10 and 40 on PS4.

Wii U wins. 😆

@NewAdvent A second list for "Switch year 2" could be interesting. Only include games from March 3 2018 to March 3 2019 and we'll see how it compares to launch year.

Wow great list only I don’t see any retro classics in there - I find that strange since we all talk about how much we love them!! 🤔

Shantae Half Genie Hero is a masterpiece.

@sikthvash
Psst...
Try Telephone mini game from 1-2-Switch.
It is so addicted once you tried.

I fully understand 1-2-Switch being on the list, because, with it being a glorified tech demo, it is the only game to really show off all of the impressive capabilities of the system. And with the right group of people, it can be fun. That being said, it is just a tech demo, so should automatically be at #50.

Quick takeaways:
Axiom Verge should be a little higher
Steamworld Dig 2 should be higher
Steamworld Heist should be on the list
Puyo Puyo Tetris should be lower
Golf Story definitely deserves the love
Surprised Owlboy is so low
Surprised ARMS is so high, given the backlash (though I like the game)
Surprised Bomberman is as high as it is

Looks about right. There will always be some subtle changes depending on taste.

I own 14 of these. Pretty good list all things considered. Glad Enter the Gungeon is on there, but feel it could've placed higher.

I totally missed this poll, would have been fun to vote. It was certainly an incredible gaming year. I just counted what I own on the list and it's 24. Good god... I don't know if that's awesome or just plain sad.

Also, 1-2 Switch is oddly high on the list.

Correct title: The 50 good games that are buried someone in the Eshop amongst the insane amount of clone games and very very bad indie games.

@DarkSim01

In reference to Owlboy, it's probably low cause it hasn't been out that long, and isn't a high profile release like Kirby was. Even people who want to play it (myself included) may not have gotten a chance yet. So yeah, probably too low, but it's likely just a victim of timing.

@earthinheritor

Still no RCMADIAX though, so that's a win for the eshop in its own right.

@Hikingguy Porting games back then was a lot more complicated. As was making them for that matter.

my top 5 most played games are:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2. Disgaea 5 Complete
3. Dragon Quest Builders
4. Super Mario Odyssey
5. Puyo Puyo Tetris

@Hikingguy Yes, and consoles launched with like 5 titles.
Also it's actually untrue that porting wasn't rampant back then – a lot of classic NES titles were ports of arcade games.

SNES launched with only 3 titles: Super Mario World, F-Zero and Pilot Wings. PS3 had 12 games at launch and still was mocked for "no games", but it had quadruple of what SNES had when it was released. It had only 8 games total between 1991 and 1992.

So yeah, complaining about having more than 50 good games in a year and comparing it to SNES is kinda silly, even if a lot of those games are ports.

@SmaggTheSmug "SNES launched with only 3 titles: Super Mario World, F-Zero and Pilot Wings."

I thought it also launched with All-Star, which was another 4 games.

@Thisismycomment All-Star was released in 1993. Also it's ironic you'd bring it up considering it was a collection of ports from NES.

@Hikingguy 8 games between 1991 and 1992. It's not just "8 new games" – it's 8 games total.

Times have changed – for the better.

Wow! What an awful list!

First off, where is Thimbleweed Park? Even if it is somewhat of a niche genre, it's heads and shoulders above Just Dance 2018, I Am Setsuna, 1-2, Switch, and Bomberman R!

Secondly (lastly).....what is garbage like 1-2, Switch even doing on this list? Hahaha!

@Scottwood101
I think probably people who like games are most often happy to like them silently, and because they are happy and there is usually little positive feedback online, they don't often seek out public forums to discuss their love of the game.

In contrast, it seems that people who dislike a game like to moan and whine about it publicly because it makes them feel superior to something/someone and others agree and pile on I guess because they are seeking some similar satisfaction they aren't getting in life.

The spoiling of comments just further dissuades people with positive opinions to get involved. Pity parties don't look inviting from the outside.

That's not a hard and fast rule but just an observation over time. It applies to all sorts of public anonymous communication about all sorts of things.

Nintendo Life comments have had their deplorable moments, but there is room for people passionate about games to "gush" and share their enjoyment. This leads to comment threads where people actually dig a little deeper sometimes. It's why I come back — that, and connections with reasonable, interesting, and entertaining people.

For example, if you look through past Nintendo Life articles on ARMS I think you'll find plenty of positive discussion about it.

I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

The overall order is a bit bonkers, but at least I can agree with which games are in the top 5.
I would move Axiom Verge to #7, and Shovel Knight to #6.

What a load of crap... Mujo is nowhere to be seen.

@Scottwood101 ARMS is just wonderful. I currently have over 135 hours in it.

@SmaggTheSmug I wasn't the one complaining about ports, so I don't see the irony. Anyway, I just looked it up and SNES came out two years prior. However, I do not remember seeing a single commercial on TV for it until All-Star, that's why I assumed it was a launch title. I remember the commercial said buy a Super Nintendo and it included an order form you could mail in to get a free copy of All-Star.

My top 3 are actually

3. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Disgaea 5 Complete
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

But this list makes total sense

Fifa????? 🤣🤣🤣

@Anti-Matter Will do! I think my Daughter & will enjoy; will hopefully pick it up in a future sale ^_^

@NewAdvent very true - top 10 will be interesting a year or two after a new Metroid, Smash, hopefully a new AC & an update to classic Wii Music heh!

Why dont we come up with our own community based list? Make it happen Nintendolife!

Sonic Mania definitely deserves to be where it’s at. I can’t disagree with the top ten.

I would have Axiom Verge in my top 3.

I only have 21/50.
Must try harder.

1-2 Switch was such a disappointment and a waste of money. When I got my Switch on launch, my friend's wife said that she saw the commercials and wanted to play it, so we went out that night and bought it. Our group went through every game in it that night, and then never had a desire to play it again.
So now if we are ever deciding what to do, it's become a joke to suggest 1-2 Switch.

Doom is under rated it rocked my world.

Zelda was good but it wouldn't be in my top 3 on the system (or even top 5 of Zelda games), poor story, no dungeons and poor DLC but it did have some fantastic elements to it and did keep me entertained for a long time. Mario Odyssey would be number 1 as arguably the best 3D Mario game or at least up there with 64 and then the sublime Mario Kart 8 in second place, with the wonderful return to form that is Sonic Mania 3rd, also a special mention to Doom and if it was able to run as well as the other versions I'd probably put this second overall.

1-2 Switch shouldn't be anywhere near this list as it's just plain c**p and I have to say I Am Setsuna was a huge disappointment, trying to ape classic 16/32 bit jrpg's whilst getting nowhere near the quality of the best of them

@MasterGraveheart There's no games on switch dontchaknow...

I will say I'm replaying Zelda (master mode) and while I adored the game the first go round knowing the story before hand just makes it click and I can take in the details more now. Such a great game.

Very glad that DOOM is up in the ranks. Good news for the release of future grown-up games.

Batman could be up there too if you ask me.

@antster1983. From who? Nintendo?

Yeah it's sad to see all the garbage in the Switch and the ports. Garbage games is what Nintendo originally blocked with their seal of quality.

@Trajan Yes, Nintendo UK to be precise.

I would have put Disgaea 5 in the top 10, but otherwise I am pretty in agreement with this list. Though Xenoblade would have been number 1 for me I figure the top 10 are all popular enough that it comes down to person preference, rather than actual quality.

@antster1983

Wow that's neat.

Probably because you put Odyssey in 1st. Lol

@carlos82
"1-2 Switch shouldn't be anywhere near this list as it's just plain c**p"

Really ?
I'm SOLD with that game.
Not bad for Demo Tech mini games compilation.
And you know ?
Telephone.....
So addicted....

I have no complaints with the top 20, but Sonic Forces should not be on this list at all.

25. Golf Story
24. 1-2-Switch

What blasphemy is this?

I have 39/50, not too shabby.

@Anti-Matter there could and should have had 5 times as many games on that, it just felt like a massively stripped down version of Warioware for the Wii. I'm happy some have had fun with it, I did myself for half an hour or so but it's not for me and I'll just wait for Warioware unless they do something stupid like make it for the 3ds..... 🤔

@Trajan 49 others also got £50 eShop credit. A luckier (or unluckier, depending on peoples’ experiences of using it) ten got £100 credit for Nintendo UK’s online store. They must have listed 1, 2, Switch as their favourite game 😆

I am just glad Human Fall Flat made the list. Frustrating but definitely good fun, especially with a friend.

@MadJay1664 Think DOOM would be worth a double dip even though I owned the Xbox One version?

@Dpullam I honestly think it's one or the other mate but it depends if you think you'll actually play it on the fly. The DLC is included free with the switch version if that makes a difference for ya. Other than those 2 things and the motion controls it's pretty much the same game. I got it first on switch so only thing I feel like I missed out on is the prettier graphics.

Have about half of them in some form (not necessarily on Switch).
There are also some other games that have a special place, like Thimbleweed Park, Count Lucanor, World of Goo, Cave Story,... But that might also be because of nostalgia, beautiful collector's editions, and/or full colour manuals.

@Dpullam I'd say wait for a price drop maybe. Doom is currently on sale in the eshop (at least in Europe, 33% off, but at that price I managed to get a physical copy a while ago). The new gyro aiming and portability (both optional) really did it for me. Never tried online though.

Somewhat embarrassed to say I own 28 of the list... but that includes the entire Top 10. It's all the indie games being dangled in front of you on the eShop...!

I'm surprised that 1 2 Switch is so high although it is my kids favorite game.

Out of the list I own 7 games, with another 7 that are not on it (make that 8 as I just bought Thimbleweed Park as it was 50% off).

@Shambo Ok cool thanks. By the way, I have been really intrigued by The Count Lucanor. Is it any good?

@MadJay1664 I just hardly get to play my Xbox One anymore so perhaps double dipping would be best for me then. At a good discount though, preferably retail!

Pretty good list. Sad to not see Neon Chrome up there at all, though. Underrated title. Over 50 hours on it for me, so far. A lot of fun with a pretty good amount of replayability, thanks in part to the (seemingly infinite) difficulty scaling.

@Dpullam it's not without its flaws, but if it intrigues you in any way, I'd say you'll probably like it. The characters, the setting, the story, everything about it is well designed, beautifully brought and animated (in a very nostalgia-inspiring way), and uneasy to utterly disturbing. It has several very different endings too.

My partner happened to catch a glimpse while I was playing, and she followed all the way through. It's not that long from start to finish, but it's one of those games that stayed with me after finishing it.

@SmaggTheSmug

Rigged the vote perhaps, would do better to pretend it does not exist and give us a new switch sports instead

@JamesR I'm glad it's not, as good as it plays and looks, I think the half game physical half download should not be rewarded. And 5gb for a save file is ridiculous. I own it but for shame take 2 for shame

"I think the half game physical half download should not be rewarded"

I agree, that's a terrible practice.