As the third number of the Gregorian calendar year prepares to flip over from 1 to 2, it's the perfect time to look back over the past ten cycles and start calculating and compiling our picks for Nintendo Games of the Decade. Nintendo has really been on a rollercoaster over that time, beginning with the highs of the Wii and DS era, dipping with the 3DS' slow start and the general sales disappointments of the Wii U before banking up again sharply and climbing back with continued support for the growing 3DS family and latterly with Switch's incredible success.
Looking back, it's clear that throughout those ups and downs Nintendo has consistently put out great games, regardless of platform, and we'd like your help to assemble the 50 best Nintendo games of the past decade. Similar to our previous Nintendo Life reader-voted lists, this ranking will be governed by the games' User Ratings on the Nintendo Life games database.
In order to rate your favourites and 'vote', we've put together the tool below to save you having to click through umpteen game pages. If you know the game you're looking for, fantastic - simply punch the name into the Search bar and click on the star to rate it from 1-10 as it deserves. Alternatively, clicking one of the tabs at the top will allow you to peruse games by year.
By default games are sorted by Review Score in descending order, but typing "sort:title" (without the speech marks) into the Search bar will sort them alphabetically. Once you've voted we'll then assemble the results to create the Top 50 Nintendo Games of the Decade. Lovely!
If you've rated a game in the past, then you obviously needn't rate it again - but if there are games from previous years you haven't scored, use the tool above and help us compile the best Nintendo games from the last ten years.
We'll publish the results at the end of the year - in the meantime, thanks for voting! Let us know your predictions and how the decade isn't technically over until the end of next year below, and we'll see you after Christmas with the results.
Comments 114
Woah, this is cool. Interested to see the top 10.
Honestly I would say it has gotta be Breath of the Wild. They have done so much in the way of amazing games over the past decade, but BotW still stands out to me as the biggest and most ambitious game they have made in a decade.
@JayJ While keeping in mind everyone's tastes and experience, yeah, it really feels like it's between BOTW and SMO if we're talking about a combination of ambition, recognition, sales and legacy.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Most Definitely The Game of The Decade!!! It’s a perfect game!
I've been adding all my Switch games to my library and rating them as I play them but I don't want to mix older systems in (because then I'd feel the need to add every game) so sorry to all the Wii/DS/3DS (Wii U has none) 10/10-worthy games that miss out on my vote.
I honestly don't think I could pick what my favourite game is out of the lot. There are way too many worthy contenders.
The fact that Ogre Battle 64 has the potential to be on a best of the decade list with how high it is is great, if hilarious.
I am not going to bother the mediocre game know as Breath of the Wild is going to win I can almost guarantee it.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 blew my mind like Mario world did when I was a kid. Incredible
BotW! Followed closely by Super Mario Maker 1 & 2 (Mario Galaxy 2 or Mario Odyssey after those).
Such a great decade, it's hard to choose. My top 5 (Nintendo only) consists of BotW, Smash Ultimate, Sonic Mania, Xenoblade Chronicles, and Super Mario Maker 2
Pretty sure we all know BotW is going to win
It's worth mentioning that many games for the Wii and DS are likely to fall into the back of your mind due to them being made a very long time ago. A bunch of them are real gems, especially the final DS games (guess which one I picked).
Galaxy 2 and BOTW will probably be the top 2.
Sprinkling a few 10s on some hidden DS gems from the beginning of the decade, because we all know BotW has got the top spot covered.
@fadedcolors I'd probably expect to see Odyssey ahead of Galaxy 2, despite it being a much inferior game.
Pokemon HGSS came out this decade? Feels like this games are much older
Also how went GameFreak from creating one of the best Pokemon games to creating the worst in just 9 years?
My top 5 is:
1. Mario Galaxy 2
2. Breath of the Wild
3. Pokemon Black 2/White 2
4. Binding of Isaac Afterbirth +
5. Pokemon HGSS
I want Mario Galaxy 2 and Pikmin 3 to be at the top of the list. Those are two phenomenal games, IMO.
A lot of these games are cool and I bought a ton of them, but I keep returning to Tetris 99.
The best game has got to be Hollow Knight for me.
There's many great games that were released this decade (Stardew Valley, Mario Odyssey, Untitled Goose Game, Breath of the Wild, etc.), but Hollow Knight stood out the most to me for its unique artstyle and gameplay.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Great level designs. Great Ideas. Fantastic soundtrack.
Game of the decade is impossible. Maybe Galaxy 2 it has to be Galaxy 2. Well at least to me
Mario Galaxy 2 and Hollow Knight!!!
I'm a huge Kirby fan but Epic Yarn was a snooze imo and never played it more than once. I feel like Planet Robobot is the best Kirby modern title but GAME OF THE DECADE? I'm biased but not that outrageous. It's definitely one of the best 3DS games tho.
Yah, Hollow Knight and Galaxy 2 for me. Galaxy 1 is also very good but I felt like Galaxy 2 was so full of ideas and constantly had me shifting and excited. It was joyride the whole way through.
Hollow Knight is just the best Metroidvania imo.
There’s been a serious lack of Metroid this decade 😤
Breath of the Wild will win.
My game of the decade was probably Kid Icarus Uprising
Ok I couldn’t make it through 2 pages without seeing at least a handful or two of 10s..... waaaaay too many amazing games in the list to even decide.... I’ll have to go through by year or something....
apart from the obvious galaxy 2, SMO and botw
I'd like to praise Stardew Valley, Hollow Knight and Steamworld Series. Thanks, devs
The HD ports of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are also great! I do miss using the game pad along with the TV.
Anyone in doubt that this is going to be BotW?
I'm going to go with Splatoon just b/c it was so out there and different. If you look at most of the other games on the list it's games they've been making literally for decades - Zelda, Mario, DK - but Splatoon was so different from them. A shooting game. Online. Multiplayer.
It's not easy to get that right. Just look how ARMS paled in comparison. And Splatoon got big and famous on Wii U, a console that only sold 13 million but everyone knows about Splatoon even before 2 released on Switch.
Sure, BotW is a better game, but they had what, 10 tries to get it right counting 2D and 3D, it should be good by now. Same for Mario Odyssey.
My thoughts on their Game of the decade for last decade was Pikmin, I like new when it's done right. Hopefully Switch will get both Pikmin 4 and Splatoon 3 before it's time is done.
1. Persona 5
2. Mass Effect 3
3. Fire Emblem Awakening
^ May be my top three generally. FE leads my Nintendo-only lists.
I really hope BOTW doesn't win. It was a solid, fun game. But it wasn't the best open world, much less the best game overall, that I played in the decade
Super Mario Odyssey for me, or BOTW. The thing about BOTW is the weapon degradation annoyed me. I know it’s an important mechanic of the game overall, but still...
I know what my number one game is and it's without hesitation that little old adventure game that, through its various reinventions, has continued to inspire our imagination. I'll never forget my first time paragliding off a cliff. Amazing game!!
Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Galaxy, Astral Chain, Octopath Traveller ❤️❤️🎄🎄
my list:
1-Zelda Skyward Sword
2-Zelda BOTW
3-Super Mario Odyssey
4-MarioKart 8
5-Donkey Kong Country Returns
We don't need this poll with all the bias with Switch obviously everyone it's gonna vote for BoTW and other Switch titles even forgetting games like Xenoblade, Monster Hunter Ultimate 4, Fire Emblem Awakening/Fates and more but I guess it's a way to see the rest of the top ten
I tried to vote for every game I have strong thoughts about, but 129 pages proved about 100 pages too much for me.
My problem when I rate games I love is i feel guilty for putting one behind the other! lol
So many games to rate, so many games I loved to bits. Awesome concept.
Unpopular opinion but BotW doesn't deserve best game despite the fact that it'll likely get it. Mario Odyssey, Three Houses and Mario Maker 2 though...10/10.
Could have done with a shortlist, too many games to go through really
Sorry BotW. Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii just pipped you to the post. Man, I can't WAIT for the new version!!!!
My Favorite was Fortune Street. Bowsers Inside Story was also great. And Pikmin.
I must be the only earthling left who still counts decades from 1 to 10 as with the standard count (especially since there is no year "0" between BC and AD), so it's always kinda confusing. Also, do we count Nintendo's first/second party creations alone or what they publish of third party games as well?
I say as well BoTW and BoTW2 whenever that comes out. This was what started the Switch and Lite success. And oh, Indie developers should be second here they couldn't done without Nintendo Digital and Nintendo couldn't have done what they done without Indie Developers. These should be the two biggest Historic time lines here.
So in the End I can't really vote in favor or one or the other.
Games I gave 10/10 would be xenoblade X and 2, ZombiU, fire emblem awakening and 3 houses, resident evil 4. Zelda Wind Waker, the last story, fantasy life, anything with Phoenix Wright.
For my personal Top 5... I’d have to say; in descending order: FE: Three Houses, Zelda BOTW, (SM Odyssey, Smash Ultimate Interchangeable) and... hm... like, a three-way tie between SMM/SMM2, Fe: Awakening, and M&L: BIS+BJJ. I know, that last one... but hear me out. BJJ’s story has among the best writing I’ve ever seen in a game. It sold so horribly... I wish more people could’ve experienced it. I include it only for how much I enjoyed it.
Xenoblade Chronicles.. This is too tiresome to search.. i gave up.
Galaxy 2, 3D World, BoTW, Odissey, Country Returns, HG/SS and DQXIS should be in the Top10. I also loved MGS3 for 3DS but I understand it's only a port, so...
Fav games of the decade are Collection of Mana and Toejam And Earl Back in The Groove Both have clocked up over 80-100 hours each!
Two under appreciated Nintendo gems I hope get some love: Mario Golf World Tour, and Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball. Both are smashing!
As much as I wish it won't come to pass, we all know BOTW will be number 1. The game was good. I sunk hours into it. I have very little desire to play a second round. That lack of replayability is what's most important in an investment of $60.
If I had to look back at the game that had me truly hyped, truly happy on launch day, truly happy while playing, and truly happy after all is said and done (not to mention leaving behind a legacy to an even better sequel), I'd absolutely go with Super Mario Maker Wii U. The amount of hours I poured not only into playing, but watching streamers play (shoutout to Syun), definitely my decade game hands down.
I tend to rate the games I've played on here as I A. Complete them or B. Feel like I've played them enough to properly judge them. I make extensive use of the database here already to somewhat organize my Nintendo collection.
I'd like to participate but the list is missing:
I know Bejeweled has no chance but hey.
Master of the Cards is the best yugioh game on Wii, the gameplay is very accurate, has online play, and the card collection is quite lengthy.
Also why do you guys have Frogger Returns for DSiWare but not WiiWare? I had no idea it was also on the DS, that's interesting.
Does 1 star mean "1st" place or does it mean "it only gets a 1 out of 10 (last place)"?
Botw All the way.Such an amazing game it would be ashame if it lost to a game like SMO or DKTF....
Maybe even Undertale will be on the top ten.Definitely Minecraft but I think it’s overrated.Terraria has a chance with its amazing adventure gameplay(I love that game and still play it to this day).
Dance Dance Revolution Arcade is my 100/100.
As long as Xenoblade Chronicles makes it to at least top 5, it's all good haha. But for reals, like the guy up top said, the highly overrated botw is most likely gonna be 1.
@Ainz None of those games got NEARLY enough love and attention as botw did.They all lasted about a month or 2 except for SMO.Super Mario odyssey will probably be a close second on the list tho.Maybe even MKDeluxe will get on the list
BotW is definitely going to win, but my game of the decade is probably Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Good times...
The best seller...?
Got to be Mario Kart 8/Deluxe
Hint: Make MK8 number 1.
@SnesSwitch
Nope, it's not 60fps
Mario 3D World
@mist that doesn’t mean anything! If I wanted a game with perfect fps, I’d play games on PC (120fps)!
@SnesSwitch yet none of those games will come to PC regardless. PC fps is a myth it struggles on 120 even with SLI/CF rigs.
This won't even be close and I'm kind of on the fence about remake/ports being on the list but we all know what game will win. Not the game YOU want but the game that will easily win.
@Anti-Matter LOL
@ShankyMcSpanky It should win unless people just start trying to be funny, hip, flippant, or whatever the new word this week is for that.
@UmbreonsPapa I have no doubt that's the true game of the decade for Nintendo but seeing some of these comments like Dance Dance Chicago or some stupid crap like that, you do have to wonder what people are thinking. I really think they are just trying to be coy.
@nintendophilia You think Skyward Sword deserves game of the decade over BOTW? Interesting. I also really liked both but I don't think they are even in the same league.
@Kwehst It's good but i don't know if captured the same broad audience. I 100% agree with your first paragraph. This was over before it started.
@mist :/
StreetPass Mii Plaza isnt on the list and would be in my top 10 (Im going by most time played / fondest memories)
@ShankyMcSpanky it's fine to feel that way but for me BotW fails as a Zelda title. They tried something new and for me it didn't work. As a more general open world adventure game though it's fantastic. Mario Odyssey though is near perfect for me. Honestly it's sad that there was no DLC for it.
The Sequel to BotW though could be my favorite Zelda if they take the best aspects of BotW and actually throw in the old elements that people loved from the standard Zelda formula.
I hope Zelda: Breath of the Wild wins it 😁
My game of the decade last decade was Majora's Mask. Previous decade was Ocarina of Time. This decade will probably be Breath of the Wild but I'll have to reflect on it.
EDIT: nvm my Game of the Decade is definately Xenoblade Chronicles on the wii.
Breath of the Wild, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fire Emblem Three Houses and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are all strong contenders for me. It's hard to pick one... but thankfully I don't have to since I can just rate all of them a 10.
I am not mentally prepared for this undertaking.
This seems like way too much work. Just give it to BOTW now and be done with it.
@DazzyG Both Mario Galaxy games are phenomenal. The first one is still my favorite of the two, mostly because it came first and the sequel expanded on it. But yeah, SMG2 is near GOAT status
Well I enjoyed the 3ds era most (though lots of outliers). my favs were prob fantasy life, fossil fighters champions, ever oasis, LoZ Link between worlds, Yonder cloud catcher chronicles, and Pokémon Black and White (dont judge me)
Wow what a year 2013 was. A link between worlds, super Mario 3D world, wind waker HD, fire emblem awakening, animal crossing new leaf and Pikmin 3!
Breath of the Wild is probably my second favorite Nintendo game of all time after Super Mario Galaxy. Easily my Game of the Decade. It was a revolution in open world game design that breathed new life into the genre for me.
Third party-wise, it's between Etrian Odyssey IV, SMT IV: Apocalypse, and Virtue's Last Reward. There were so many great games on the 3DS.
Man oh man, what a tough decision. It's been another great decade of Nintendo games. I'm having a tough time deciding between the following for what #1 would be:
Pokemon HG/SS
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Zelda: Skyward Sword
Xenoblade Chronicles
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Super Mario 3D World
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
You could tell me any one of those games was the best and I wouldn't be able to disagree with you.
Man Pokemon went downhill this decade. From 10/10 Heartgold to the 3/10 Sword. ARMS is the worst game this decade. Galaxy 2 should win but won't win to BOTW or Odyssey which done't deserve number 1 or 2.
Is there a way to filter by what I have already rated so I can see the list or filter out ones I have already rated?
A lot of my favorite games ever came out these past 10 years. Makes me look forward to the next 10!
Xenoblade 2 is mine. It won't win of course.
It’s between Galaxy 2 and BoTW. Choosing one of those two is a task I can’t imagine myself to overcome.
I'm on page 70. Can't take it no more. How many till the end???
For me, it's
Breath of the Wild
Splatoon
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Splatoon 2 is better than the original in every way but Splatoon was the original so I have to go with that. If the original Galaxy released in the last decade, I'd have went with that instead of 2.
Xenoblade Chronicles, not only game of the decade, but my favorite game of all time, it inspired and changed my life in ways that no other media, or even people did, here waiting for the remake!
@JayJ it also helps that Breath of the wild is high on the list on first page..Its a sure winner imo
122 pages of games. I honestly didn't realize most of these existed.
Game of the decade.Breath of the wild come to mine. It was innovative. I did check all the right boxes.Let me look at the comments first before I replied with a statement. I would have to give it to Xenoblade Chronicles. It clearly had a different combat mode. The story was so complex and immaculate that it captured hearts and made you capture hearts. It change the way we looked at JRPG’s.
Man, this list just reminds me of how many games I've missed, after not gaming since Wii Sports until the Switch came out!
Tough one. Adding my weird list:
1. Valkyria Chronicles
2. Valkyria Chronicles 4
3. BOTW
4. SM Odyssey
5. Skyrim
6. SM 3D Land
7. Mario Kart 7
8. SM Galaxy 2
I mean, is there even any point voting for anything that's not Breath of the Wild?
This is the Coolest Article/Thread of the Decade! For Nintendo related news anyway.
Here's my List.
1. World End Syndrome (Great Story and Dialogue)
2. Root Letter (Great Story and Visuals/Art)
3. Pokemon Sword and Shield( good story, fun and great visuals)
4. Pokemon SUMO (Love the story and best breeding mechanics)
5. Pokemon USUM ( Killing Rainbow Rocket was fun)
6. Pokemon ORAS ( great game, love the ability to fly around)
7. Pokemon XY (My first Pokemon game, enough said)
8. Mario Party 9 on Wii
9. Mario Party 100 on 3DS ( 100 games! enough said)
10. Raging Loop.
@OorWullie My Top 3 looks very similar, except I still think I’d go for Splat2 over 1, because it’s the first competitive game I’ve really invested myself in and fallen in love with. But Splat 1 was the reason I bought a Wii U, and laid the groundwork for one of Nintendo’s greatest triumphs of the decade.
If I were to turn it into a Top 5, HGSS would definitely be in there, along with either Super Mario Maker or Animal Crossing.
I think I’d go the original SMM over the sequel for the same reasons you did with Splat. The impact at the time was phenomenal, and the fact that the Wii U was so sparse on games at the time meant that practically every active Wii U owner sunk themselves wholeheartedly into it and creates an incredibly vibrant community.
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) is the best game this decade and it's not close. Going through and rating Wii U games also made me realize that Nintendo Land is the best experience I had on that console.
@Vicki_S Could be much worse
It might have been a mixed time for Nintendo hardware but an incredible decade for their software. Personal Top 10 (First Party):-
1. BOTW
2. Mario Galaxy 2
3. MK8D
4. Pikmin 3
5. Mario Odyssey
6. Luigis Mansion 3
7. Mario 3D World
8. Smash Ultimate
9. DKC:TF
10. Yoshis Crafted World
There is something wrong with your 'Nintendo games list'. There are plenty of non-Nintendo games on the list. 🤔
Either way, I voted for 'Zelda-Breath of the Wild'
Easier to just show BOTW
Great initiative, this will be fun!
Also:
I don't think The Unlikely Legend of Rusty Pup ever actually came out on Wii U in 2016.
And neither did Road Redemption. ;D
For personally it has got to be Xenoblade Chronicles - it's not only the game of the decade for me, but my alltime favorite game overall. No other game has resonated so well with me and I wouldn't be surprised if the Definitive Edition for the Switch ended up being my game of the next decade as well. Endless love for Monolith Soft.
There is an issue with the database. I can’t find the game ‘Zelda: Journey of the Tower Activator and Destroyer of Ridiculously Brittle Weapons’.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is my favorite game on Switch but without a doubt BotW is the most important game on Switch and probably the most important Nintendo game since Ocarina of Time. Skyward Sword is still my favorite Zelda game because of the music, dungeons and story but if I had to choose best game since 2010 it will be BotW because of how important, ambitious and epic it was.
@tseliot BOTW would be my nintendo game of the decade if had dungeons and final bosses at the end of each dungeon. Hope with next Zelda they will fix this.
Don't forget about Code Name S.T.E.A.M. everyone. Henry Fleming, Fox, Tom, and the rest of the team are counting on you. And don't forget Honest Abe and his giant 50 ft mech! Find it in the search bar and give it the 8's and 9's it deserves!
If you need inspiration, click here--> https://youtu.be/HpcTwOHXdqw
The way this game got panned for not having an overhead map and the length of the enemy turns was a bummer. If you watched the enemy turns (instead of just wishing you could skip them) you got a sense of where the enemies were located and what their strategy was. That mechanic and the lack of the map ID'ing the location of every enemy on the stage, made for one of my favorite tactical/strategy games ever. A great combination of stealth, positioning, and planning when to go all in with your special attacks. The characters and world building are a ton of fun, too. So many of these stages and battles are etched in my memory.
I dream of a sequel on the switch. . .
Golf Story.
All other answers are wrong.
Why does everyone think the decade is over just because the tens digit flips over?! That's not how it works! Just as the 21st Century is from 2001-2100, the New Tens decade is from 2011-2020. Save the decade awards for after next year!
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