Yes, it's that time of year to look back and knock up your personal Top 3s, 5s and 10s as Game of the Year 2019 looms large. It's been a great twelve months for Switch owners, with more games than we've had time to play, so whittling down just a few will be a hard task indeed.
Here at Nintendo Life, in addition to our staff selection which will go live in due course, we're leaving it to you lovely readers to rate your favourite games and decide our Top 50 Switch games of 2019. You can use the tool below to search for your favourites, or alternatively head into our games database directly and peruse our library of Switch games for 2019.
To rate a game, simply click on the star below next to the corresponding title and give it a star score out of 10. We'll when calculate all your ratings into a fluid, malleable list that is still influenced by User Ratings even once it's live, meaning it's an ever-changing reflection of Nintendo Life readers' cumulative reckonings - and if something released between Christmas and the end of the year happens to be awesome, it still has the opportunity to feature. Nice.
So, feel free to get cracking reviewing the gems you've played this year. And remember to look back at the games released at the start of the year and give them the appropriate love! With the imminent arrival of 2020, we're also asking for your votes for Nintendo Game of the Decade, so there's no end of opportunities to stamp stuff with your own personal mark of approval.
Thanks for 'voting'! We'll reveal the results on Christmas Day, but until then we hope you're enjoying the holidays. Happy gaming!
Comments 80
I love to smashhhhh(SSBU) always be the game of the year for me regardless.
1. Astral chain
2. Luigis mansion 3
3. Fire emblem 3houses.
@dartmonkey GOATY? I think you mean GOTY.
Team Sonic Racing, Yoshi's Crafted World, Crash Team Racing (played it for the first time the other day), Tokyo School Life and Asphalt 9 all get my vote. This has been a good year of games for me at least, these five are my favorite Switch games from this year.
Devil May Cry 3 wasn't released this year. It'll be released next year.
1. Luigi's Mansion 3
2. Steamworld Quest
3. Pokémon Sword/Shield.
Voted accordingly.
@TossedLlama
Agree
Luigi’s Mansion
Grid Autosport
WItcher3
This isn't a 2019 game per se, but I'm really loving A Hat In Time for Nintendo Switch. Astral Chain I haven't played much of, but now that I got some free time on my hands I can't wait to continue playing that game.
My top 3 Switch games for 2019
1. Luigi's Mansion 3
2. The Witcher 3
3. Dragon Quest 11 S
Dragon Quest XI S on top, best RPG on Switch!
Dragon Quest XI S was amazing, one of the best games I've played in years!
@SpiderSquid Unless you're voting for Goat Simulator
Definitely Fire Emblem Three Houses for me!
I didn’t have a ton of time to game this year with starting full-time work and other major lifestyle changes, but here’s my top 3:
1. Link’s Awakening
2. Luigi’s Mansion 3
3. Fire Emblem 3 Houses
Really good year, can’t wait for Animal Crossing I’m 2020!
Waiting for Animal Crossing has been my favorite game of 2019.
3. Final Fantasy X HD
2. Zelda: Link's Awakening
1. Astral Chain
Special shoutout to DQXI, which I played this year, but on PS4.
Dragon quest xis and Fire emblem three houses are my top games of the year
Astral Chain and Luigi's Mansion get my vote.
I’m surprised Bloodstained isn’t anywhere near the top. That game is good.
Astral chain, links awakening, Mario Maker 2 or cadence of Hyrule for me
My top 3 are
Astral Chain
Luigi's Mansion 3
Grid Autosport
@SpiderSquid Greatest of All Time, Yo. You know, for the year.
too many games, my top favourite Nintendo games this year are Fire Emblem Three Houses, Dragon Quest 11 S, Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario Maker 2 and Persona Q2
Astral Chain
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Luigi's Mansion 3
Super Mario Maker 2
Dragon Quest XI S
Link's Awakening
All 10/10 for me.
As much as I love having the Witcher 3 and Divinity OS2 on Switch, I can’t give GOTY to ports.
My vote goes to...
Luigi’s Mansion 3
Don’t mess with the man in green!!
https://youtu.be/PpxDuNFBVj8
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are, far and away, my favorite releases this year. Although I'm excited to finally dig into AI: The Somnium Files soon.
1 Super Mario maker 2
2 Cuphead
3 Asphault 9
Honourable mentions:
Daggerhood, Brothers a tale of two sons, Trials rising, Mechstermination force, Olli olli switch stance, Forager, Super crate box, Mighty switch force collection, Aggelos
I've been exploring the Switch's game library, but there really isn't that much for someone who came from PC. So those are my top 8:
#1 Assassin's Creed - the Rebel Collection aka Black Flag
#2 Witcher 3
#3 Torchlight 2
#4 Resident Evil 2
#5 GRID
#6 Alien: Isolation
#7 Sniper Elite 3
#8 Saints Row - the Third
#1 Physical Releases
#2 Witcher 3
#3 Sniper Elite 3/2
I think getting Games getting a Physical release would be my decider.
So much to choose from this year. Luigis Mansion 3 my clear favourite but Fire Emblem, Yoshi, Goose Game, Wargroove, Mario Maker 2, DQ XI S and Tetris 99 have taken up lots of my time as well, along with a healthy stack of Retro purchases.
@rdlf4
Hahaha real games. Not seen that one for a while.
Goatee- type of beard
GOAT- Greatest of all Time
GOTY- Game of the Year
My GOTY has to be Blaster Master Zero 2. I’m still hoping LRG will do those physical releases they announced.
@TossedLlama did you play it this year?
Shadows of Adam
Timespinner
Collection of Mana
1. AI: The Somnium Files
2. Steins;Gate Elite
3. Groove Coaster Wai Wai Party!!!!
Most of my 10/10s this year are remakes/ports of some kind so gotta give it to AI: The Somnium Files for being the best brand new game.
Super Mario Maker 2
Astral Chain
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Super Mario Maker 2
Me:
1.Witcher 3
2.Dragon quest XI S
3.Mario Maker 2
4.Fire Emblem three houses
5.Links Awakening
6.Astral Chain
1. Astral Chain
2. Witcher 3
3. Tetris 99
4. Luigi's Mansion 3
5. Cuphead
I also love having Super nintendo games online as well.
@rdlf4 arrogance personified..
@rdlf4 define what a "real" game is
My list of the top games I got this year (TGIGTY)is:
1. Mario Kart Tour
2. Super Mario 3D Land
3. Mario Kart 7
4. New Super Mario Bros 2
5. Dr. Mario
(I have limited buying power)
@BenAV Glad someone else is showing AI: The Somnium Files some love, I feel like that game was mostly forgotten by a lot of people but I think people should give it a shot if they enjoyed the storytelling of the Zero Escape series.
For me, my top 5 are probably
1. Shovel Knight: King of Cards
2. Dragon Quest XI S
3. Zelda: Link's Awakening
4. AI: The Somnium Files
5. Dragon Quest Builders 2
Honorable mentions to Tales of Vesperia: Dinfinitive Edition, A Hat in Time, and Luigi's Mansion 3. Overall this year wasn't the strongest for first party releases in my opinion, but there were still some very solid third party games.
1. Witcher 3.
2. Grid Autosport.
3. Astral Chain.
4. Tetris 99.
5. Crash Team Racing
@rdlf4 you've rated Alien Isolation 7/10 and Grid 5/10. But you've put Grid one spot higher on your list. Well done!
I see a giant reminder of all the games I’ve yet to try out!
My favorites this year for Switch are:
Wolfenstein Youngblood
Luigi’s Mansion
Katana Zero
Not in any particular order and there were other great games so it’s hard to choose.
1. Super Smash Bros Ultimate
2. Legend of Zelda links awakening
3. Pokemon Sword
4. Luigis Mansion
@rdlf4 resident evil 2 is not on the switch dummy
@rdlf4 why are you on here you idiot'?
1. Witcher 3
2. Link's Awakening
3. Astral Chain
4. Dragon's Dogma
5. Castlevania Anniversary Collection
6. Dragon Quest 11S
7. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
8. Cuphead
9. Ni No Kuni
10. Daemon X Machina
I can't speak to Luigi's Mansion 3 or Pokemon as I haven't played them.
Honorable Mentions: God Eater 3 and Alien Isolation.
@rdlf4
Nintendo games are real games. They are games for all ages as in adults and children can play them. You are thinking of hardcore games. Also, why are you on a Nintendo forum if you don't like Nintendo games?
@rdlf4
Judging by your "real gamer" attitude, I see you've been in hibernation for at least 10 years or so!
We are now in the eighth generation of video games with the PS4, XB1 Switch being the most popular consoles right now . Games no longer have to be brown to appeal to "true gamers", Keji Inafune's westernization of Capcom failed and he is, Dante is no longer some edgy skinny emo, Bomberman is back to being cute, Sonic has given up on the real world thing and Alone in the Dark has had two edgy reboots... with both failing.
But you're right...
Luigi's Mansion 3 would be better if Luigi had a gun and Splatoon 2 would be better if the Inklings said f*** every 15 seconds so that it can appeal to the angsty, foul mouthed, mature 5 years olds who play COD, right?
Is it only me or is this list kind of impractical to begin with? Who scrolls through 15 pages worth of games and maybe rate 10-20 out of those? Nintendo life could have selected 30-50 for us and then the voting would have made much more sense.
@rdlf4 If Nintendo games are not your forte, why are you even bothering about the Switch? All the games you listed are available in some form or the other on PC, so why the extra purchase? Is it for the portability?
@rdlf4 Please don't come onto a Nintendo site to say how much you dislike Nintendo games.
@Matthew010 @kingbk @fancypants @electrolite77 Chill out. It's a free country, and I may publish my OPINION about the games in the article as I will. You don't have to like it and if that's the case, just move on to the next comment. I have said Nintendo games are for kids and that's the idea they give me. There was not a moment I said they are bad games or that I dislike them. You think I'm "trolling"? That's your opinion. You think I'm an idiot for saying the things I said? That's also your opinion. BTW, no need to call me names like others did, we're all grown up people who can respect other gamers' opinions, right? Good. I thought so.
@San_D I do care about portability, yeah. I'm a gamer at my core and I also run a branch of a company in my city. I don't have the privilege of sitting down and having a good time in front of the big screen, but I do some gaming in my journeys, when possible. Those old PC games being brought to the Switch are like new to me because I never played them before, so I do welcome them here.
And lemme tell you something, @Toy_Link , having fun with an "older-gen" game isn't a crime, and it certainly isn't ground for judging someone as a real gamer or not.
@kingbk I define a real game as the software that:
@blockfight I stand by my rating. Alien Isolation can get very tense but even so I do get that input-delay but it's a lot more forgiving than Grid, which does an OK job - as it does in Alien: Isolation. The reason I voted it poorly is because when playing it in battery saving mode, input-delay gets even worse when there are a lot of cars and you need to do a sharp curve, not to mention the physics are much less forgiving in harder difficulties. Still, I'm a big racing fan, and I let that show by putting Grid one spot higher than Alien: Isolation on my list.
@rdlf4 Answer me this: I completely respect your opinion, but why are you on a Nintendo fan site if you dislike anything Nintendo makes?
@Matthew010 Answer me this: why don't you work on your text interpretation skills?
@rdlf4
You’re perfectly entitled to hate every single game Nintendo have put out. However make out you’re some kind of arbiter of what a ‘real game’ is, with the implication that others who play different games somehow aren’t playing ‘real games’, and you will get roundly mocked. And deservedly so.
@rdlf4 Let me make this clear - I'm a moderator here. I see a comment that has made a lot of people angry, I try and calm down the argument. That's what a moderator is meant to do. If I see a comment on a Nintendo fan site that states Nintendo games are not real games, I can see that's going to cause problems and I really hope you can too.
@rdlf4 I completely understand and respect your opinion about the Switch's portability being great for all kinds of gamers. Heck, it brought me back into gaming. I can also respect your choice of games, but your choice of words was really poor. You may dislike Nintendo's IP, but that does not make those any less "real" in gaming terms. Much or the "real" gaming happening now is indebted to Nintendo in one way or the other, and you can't really expect to not rattle a community tied together primarily because of their love of Nintendo's games when you say Nintendo games are not real games.
Luigi's Mansion 3 is game of the year and it's not even close.
@Ghost-Piece Agreed, but without some curation, the list becomes a mirror of the eShop, and everyone knows eShop is the best storefront in the world. ;-D And anyway, I don't think anyone will have the knowledge of most of the games in the list, and the votes will invariably skew towards the top 20/30, thereby rendering the lower ranks (say 50 - 60) getting 2-3 votes each.
Tiny Metal: Full Metal Rumble. Tough as nails and fun as hell.
Until I get to play Advance Wars on my Switch.
The first Tiny Metal was good, but the sequel takes it to the next level. Military vehicles are a big part of that Advance Wars-feeling for me, so it has to be Tiny Metal that scratches that itch.
I even love how you can fly around in a helicopter on the map were you choose the next level. Fly over to the shiny points on the map to collect goodies. The map even have some nice Xenoblade-lite background music as you fly around.
Ni No Kuni. Shovel Knight: King of Cards. That is all.
1. Super Mario Maker 2
2. Witcher 3
3. Luigi’s Mansion 3
4. Astral Chain
5. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
1. DragonQuestXI 😍
2. Fire Emblem Three Houses
3. The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening
For me it was The Ninja Saviors
I didn't keep any game released in 2019. I bought most of the AAA titles but ended up selling them on eBay. Nothing has so far reached the quality of 2017s Zelda, Odyssey and Mario kart 8 deluxe.
I even bought the Switch Lite but due to lack of any vibration that went on eBay too!
I hope 2020 will be a better year from Nintendo.
@Matthew010 firstly that guys comment was just silly, but It’s hilarious that your the only one triggered! You just wrote you saw all these angry posts?? Where? All I saw was smart rebuttles, and even then none of their tones were angry. So as a moderator you shouldn’t be so emotional and let people say what they like, if he was using bad language or was offensive I understand but your making yourself look silly over someone who doesn’t “like your Nintendo games” and that’s coming from a Nintendo fan.
@Deathwalka I'm definitely not triggered but if I see a comment that could make people angry, I'll respond. I was using 'angry' as an example but realistically I also try to stop comments that could start an argument. I hope you understand.
Anyway. Dragon Quest XI S. Best game I’ve played since Breath of the Wild. To say you get your money’s worth out of this game is an understatement. It reminds me of being hooked to a great tv series.
@rdlf4
LOL, when did I say you weren’t a true gamer because you play last gen games, if I said that I would be a hypocrite myself. I”m more or less mocking a general attitude from the 6th and 7th gen. that brought us Shadow the Hedgehog and the Bionic Commando reboot.
There were plenty of good games during those generations,, but there were plenty of bad games that came from those particular trends. Not unusual at all for any generation to have at least one overused trend.
Honestly, I don’t see enough love for CROSSNIQ+. It’s one of my games of the year, but it flew under almost everyone’s radar. If you like puzzle games and/or retro aesthetics, check it out.
Most time I put into Nintendo games this year. Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening, Astral Chain(and I'm not usually into these types of games) Mario Bros. U Deluxe(with family) and Untitled Goose Game of course. So those would be my Nintendo games of the year. Many others on other consoles/PC of course.
I hate that Astral Chain is really getting slept on this year. Nothing else like it released this year and it almost barely gets a mention
@Ghost-Piece aha that sounds better! By the way, both Impossible Lair and Touryst are on my wishlist - I want those so badly but want Obra Dinn and Divinity as well, and I have a lot in my backlog. ;-(
Lets see: I played many games, but only for a hour of 2. There are only a few games that I played completely through. Yoshi's crafted world, but that was pretty boring. Link's awakening remake, but that's just a remake. Crash team racing was awesome though. And I recently played the awesome and very hard Splasher. But I guess my game of the year is Luigi's mansion 3: What a game!
On a sidenote: I still haven't played Astral chain, though I have it in my collection. Might have been my game of the year, if I had already played it. I know, its a sin.
Yes, I know Crash team racing is also a remake. But a remake to a game we Nintendo-players never got. Same as with the Spyro games, and I am also very enjoying them so far.
Witcher 3 for life!
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