The Best Shmups On Nintendo Switch
Image: Nintendo Life

Updated with Night Striker Gear. Enjoy!

The humble shoot ‘em up has been a staple genre ever since the very beginning of video games when Spacewar! laid down the basic groundwork in 1962. No, that is not a typo; in the year that Marilyn Monroe died and The Beatles recorded ‘Love Me Do’, some boffins at MIT were busy inventing video games. Of course, it wasn’t quite Space Invaders – that wouldn’t appear until 1978 – but the point is that the concept of using a little ship to blast enemies has been with us virtually as long as video games themselves.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube840k

Perhaps the STG’s close relationship with the origins of the medium is one of the reasons for its extremely dedicated, hardcore following. Shmups require dedication to master and inspire a special sort of feeling, encouraging the player to achieve a flow state – to simply react rather than think too much – and that can be a significant barrier to entry if your brain is intent on parsing all the visual information in the busiest bullet hells. The trend of more forgiving mechanics found in modern games makes the hardcore shoot ‘em up genre ever more niche, but for those willing and able to invest the time and effort, there’s nothing quite like ‘em.

The genre is a vast one with many offshoots and blends, be it fixed shooter, tube shooter, rail, vertical or horizontal scrolling, multi-directional twin-stick, isometric, bullet hell – there’s a different shmup for every day of the week and Switch has become a natural home for them, for several reasons. For one, it’s a powerful little handheld with a good-sized screen that can handle all the classics as well as new entries in the genre with aplomb. Secondly, the ability to undock means it’s arguably easier to dedicate the necessary time to conquering some of these games.

Flip Grip
We like to tate. We like, we like to tate... — Image: Nintendo Life

However, it’s probably the console’s natural facility with Tate mode that makes it a favourite with shmup fans. ‘Tate’ – often in CAPS – is Japanese for ‘vertical’ and correctly pronounced tah-tay, although enough people rhyme it with ‘hate’ for the debate to have become a jif versus gif-style internet-based clusterbomb.

Regardless, many arcade shoot ‘em ups were designed for an upended monitor in the cabinet and playing these vertical shooters on conventional TVs means either turning your TV 90° onto its side for portrait mode or enduring a much smaller picture with borders either side of your landscape screen. The former option was easier with a big chunky CRT in the ‘90s, but most modern paper-thin OLEDs wouldn’t survive the rotation.

Fortunately, Switch 1 and 2's form factor provides the perfect handheld solution. The release of Flip Grip, a third-party ‘cradle’ that enables you to attach the screen and Joy-Con to each other in a vertical configuration, makes the Switch an ideal option for vertical shmup enthusiasts and those looking to dip their toe into a genre that can seem overwhelming and impenetrable to the outsider.

Below we’ve rounded up a taste of the best shoot ‘em ups on Switch, presented in alphabetical order. We’ll keep an eye on new releases and add to this selection. So, are you ready? Let’s go…

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Squadron (Switch eShop)

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Squadron provides plenty of action as you do the standard thing of shooting anything onscreen while avoiding getting hit yourself, and variety is provided by Squadron's various troubles and the optional side missions.

It's fairly easy to begin with, but the challenge steadily increases as you progress without being too difficult - as long as you keep upgrading your skills, that is. Two additional difficulty settings provide a tougher challenge, and fun boss battles add to the enjoyment.

With support for up to four players, this is a good pick for those seeking multiplayer shmup action.

Aero Fighters 2 (Neo Geo)

Aero Fighters 2 is an easy recommendation thanks to its varied locales, multiple piloting options, large roster of enemies, entertaining boss battles, and multiple endings. Throw in two-player and the usual Hi-Score and Caravan modes and what's not to like?

The sequel is also available, although with its fixed pairings for two-player mode, we'd download Aero Fighters 2 first and go from there.

Akai Katana Shin (Switch)

Import-only at the time of writing, Akai Katana is one hell of a game. Black sheep it may be, but in our opinion its thrill factor and scoring satisfaction is superior to the likes of Deathsmiles, making it another shooting game favourite among an already long list. It’s soft enough to encourage rookies and deep enough to send the hardcore into a digit mining frenzy.

At the same time, it’s absolutely beautiful-looking; a stunning panorama that fuses the historical and futuristic into a bombastic theatre of war. Whether soaring over snowy mountain ranges, hillside forests, sunset-bathed railways, or across the ocean floor, it’s a feast.

With three superb modes, years of depth, and an incredibly satisfying scoring apparatus, Akai Katana is not just Shinobu Yagawa’s most accessible shooting game, but also one of Cave’s best horizontal efforts.

Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.

Aleste Collection (Switch)

This is unlikely to be the Aleste collection anyone wanted. Those interested in the early days of Aleste will quickly notice the lack of the MSX2 games and the omission of Musha, Dennin (AKA: Robo), and Super Aleste will disappoint those fond of the most popular entries in the series.

However, even without those, M2's Aleste Collection still contains five great shmups and represents excellent value for money, especially when you consider this package costs much less than some second-hand cart-only auctions do for single games contained within it – and that's before you even consider GG Aleste 3's very welcome addition.

Angel at Dusk (Switch eShop)

Angel at Dusk is wonderful, weird, and built on a foundation of deep understanding of the genre, and an intelligence and self-awareness that elevates its potential to delight.

Not all will take to its theme, but it presents a deeply authentic hardcore bullet hell experience, a dazzling wit, and a suite of game systems that are a joy to explore.

And the fact it welcomes a wide range of players to an authentic shmup? It’s one 2024’s most enticing genre contributions.

AngerForce: Reloaded (Switch eShop)

While it lacks the arcade pedigree that makes other Switch-based shmups so popular, AngerForce: Reloaded has clearly been put together by a team that understands what makes this long-established genre so appealing.

It offers tight gameplay, fantastic visuals and a stern challenge, but the addition of a rich Campaign mode – which rewards repeat play via a series of unlockable upgrades and abilities – extends the game's lifespan considerably.

Genre fans should ignore the lack of a big-name IP and pick this up as soon as possible, while newcomers can be assured that the gently scaling challenge of the story mode offers a perfect introduction.

Aperion Cyberstorm (Switch eShop)

As a solo experience, this indie shmup won’t win many over with its familiar twin-stick formula, but as a couchplay experience it’s one of the most fun spins on the genre we've played on Nintendo Switch. Whether in two-player or with five folks involved, Aperion Cyberstorm is another confident slice of shooter fun from Britain’s burgeoning indie dev scene.

Aqua Kitty UDX (Switch eShop)

Aqua Kitty UDX is a simple, satisfying arcade shooter that looks as great as it plays. It takes one concept, offers a few different angles on it, and ensures it fulfils all that it sets out to do. It's a bit of a one trick pony, though, which means that those of you that aren’t big on score chasing games may want to steer clear.

Even so, Aqua Kitty UDX is a game that exemplifies the concept of less is more; we’d encourage you to give this one a look.

Arcade Archives In The Hunt (Switch eShop)

In the Hunt is an excellent shoot-'em-up and a great fit for the Switch. It offers something comfortingly familiar in the genre but shockingly, joyously different in execution. It stands out as a high-quality deep cut in the Arcade Archives catalogue of retro classics.

Blazing Star (Neo Geo)

Like so many Neo Geo games, there's little doubt that some of Blazing Star's appeal lies in the fact that, at one point in time, it was almost totally unobtainable unless you were comfortably rich.

Even so, Yumekobo's esteemed shooter has enough quality to entertain even when stripped of its lofty status as a collector's item; the action is fast and challenging, while the controls are tight and responsive. The three shot types add tactical depth to the gameplay and some of the boss encounters will have you sat on the edge of your seat.

Our biggest complaints are the rather inconsistent pre-rendered graphics and the way in which the difficulty level smashes through the roof in the latter stages of the game, but these are minor issues when you consider how downright enjoyable Blazing Star is. One of the most famous Neo Geo shooters is an essential purchase on your Switch, especially at this price.

Cotton Fantasy (Switch eShop)

While staying true to the series that it extends, Cotton Rock ‘n’ Roll / Fantasy brings so many different experiences in a single shmup that it may as well be a compilation release — and unlike the arcade versions, it is all presented in English language. The more time you give it, the more the replay value snowballs.

The faults to be found are few and far between, while sharp level design and a joyful, even mischievous personality define this. Simply put, Cotton Fantasy has a lot of fun to give.

Cotton Reboot! (Switch)

Bewitching in both incarnations, Cotton Reboot! is a fanfare of zany ghouls and ghosts, inventive and inimitable bosses, and a superbly catchy soundtrack in both original and remixed forms. Never being released in the West, and prohibitively expensive today, it’s something of a blessing for retro gamers to be able to dip their toes in Cotton’s enduringly impressive X68000 outing on Switch.

Of all the "cute 'em ups" out there, it remains one of the best, while the new Arrange mode — with its impressive overhauls and remixed ideas — has cast a rare spell of resurrection.

Crimzon Clover - World EXplosion (Switch eShop)

While Crimzon Clover does owe a tremendous debt to many arcade shooters through the 1990s and 2000s, it's clear that Yotsubane has a great love and understanding of them.

It’s not only a homage (look at the default high score table for some familiar initials) but also brings some mechanical brilliance that makes it stand out against most of its doujin shoot-em-up peers, and enough to hang with the genre greats. It’s flashy, it’s exciting, it’s addictive, and it’s an essential purchase for genre fans.