Switch OLED Games To Replay

It's an odd phenomenon when new hardware comes along which makes you delve into your back catalogue for gems you might have missed, or perhaps just revisit classic titles to see how they look and perform on your shiny new system. It's something that PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers have encountered over the last year, with a slim selection of brand new, bespoke titles prompting players to revisit their existing library on the new consoles and see how the classics look on the new machine.

While Switch OLED might not have any performance benefits over its normal LCD-screened siblings, we're still itching to replay our favourite games on the new console and see how they look on that gorgeous new screen — to enjoy the richer, deeper blacks and popping colours the new screen will offer. Some of us are, in fact, putting off collecting Korok seeds or starting something new from our back catalogue just so we get to play on the new Switch when it finally arrives.

So, below you'll find a non-exhaustive list of just some of the games we're looking forward to diving right back into on Switch OLED. Not all the video games — mainly because there isn't space — but some prime examples that we think will sing on Switch OLED...

Staff key: Thomas Whitehouse (TW), Kate Gray (KG), Gavin Lane (GL)

Okami HD (Switch eShop)

Okami is a beautiful game, in pretty much every way. Its watercolour-inspired art style came across beautifully in its HD iteration, which thankfully has a very good Switch port. A huge favourite of mine, I'm looking forward to seeing how it pops on a new screen. TW

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Astral Chain (Switch)

Astral Chain — or ASTRAL CHAIN as PlatinumGames prefers — is fantastic, and it's also a very accomplished technical effort. It's quite complicated visually and does a great job in bringing its sci-fi world to life — I loved my first playthrough. It's definitely time to re-visit and take on the absurdly difficult final boss all over again. TW

Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Right, so... I don't really know how different the OLED will look, since pandemic reasons means I've never actually seen the thing, but if there's one game that's going to look good no matter what, it's Super Mario Odyssey. Plus, it would be nice to replay it for a good reason.

And, since we're talking about the new features of the Switch OLED, that kickstand's going to make it really easy to play games at my desk. For, erm, work research, of course. KG

Resident Evil 4 (Switch eShop)

Well, I play Resident Evil 4 every Halloween. I'm not kidding, every October I complete a playthrough, and as the Switch port doesn't have gyro controls (c'mon Capcom, that's not good enough) I'll probably enjoy it in portable mode on the new system. Games with ageing visuals often come across better on the smaller screen, looking deceptively sharp, and this one's no different. TW

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle (Switch)

One from the backlog which I put only an hour or two into before getting distracted by all the other video games. I remember this being incredibly colourful and, as Tom mentions above about Mario Kart 8, I'd imagine it's going to really pop on the new screen. The perfect excuse to dive back in. GL

Luigi's Mansion 3 (Switch)

Another Game Voucher purchase that seemed vital at the time, but quickly got buried in the backlog, Luigi's Mansion 3 is one of the prettiest games on Switch, and with Halloween approaching again (it seems to do so on an annual basis — weird, that), it'll likely look particularly lovely on the new system. GL

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

This racer, which continues to sell in such numbers that Nintendo seemingly is in no hurry to make a sequel, was a looker on Wii U. It's always been great on the eyes on Switch, too, and is a pleasing example of a game that seems to make no sacrifices at all (after the drop to 720p) in visuals. It also happens to be one of Nintendo's most colourful games, so is perfect for testing out the new model's screen. TW

Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)

Another Gav pick, and another game he redeemed a Game Voucher for before barely touching it. The small text of this one will benefit from the bigger screen on the OLED model, for sure.

Not sure exactly how the OLED model is going to magically create extra hours in the day to let me go back to all these gems, though. Perhaps that's a hidden feature of the new model, like the mysterious 'enhanced audio' (which I'm not convinced isn't just 'bigger speaker holes on the bottom'). GL

Minecraft (Switch)

I'll never have the hardware (or the money) to be able to witness Minecraft with ray tracing, but I bet it looks right pretty on an OLED. Although, isn't one of the things with an OLED that it makes the dark bits really dark? Minecraft's Creeper-infested nighttimes are already scary enough. KG

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

I've played this game all the way through three times, which is a lot for a game this size. I have to see how it looks on the improved screen though; it's the most stunning 'world' Nintendo has ever created, after all. TW

I have around 60 Korok seeds still to find, and I'm using a Breath of the Wild app to tick them off one by one. The other night I found myself stopping, though, just so I'd have a few left to find in a month's time. I should really get a pre-order in, shouldn't I? I walked into a department store and got a Switch on launch day, and now I'm confident I can pull off the same feat again. GL

Cuphead (Switch eShop)

This looks incredible on the base model Switch and Switch Lite, but revisiting Cuphead's vintage style on a screen that shows off its painstaking animation to the absolute fullest will be a real treat. GL


And here are a handful of upcoming Switch games we're most looking forward to seeing on that 7-inch OLED beauty...

Metroid Dread (Switch)

Back when the OLED was revealed, there was a sneaking suspicion that it had been held back from E3 after all of the tedious / inaccurate 'Pro' rumours. The white Joy-Con, and the E.M.M.I colour scheme made us wonder if it was supposed to be announced alongside Metroid Dread. That theory aside, I can't wait for this game, so the fact it lands alongside the new hardware is perfect. TW

Tetris Effect: Connected (Switch eShop)

Of course, Metroid Dread is the big tie-in, but Tetris Effect: Connected seems like just the ticket for when barreling away from stalking E.M.M.I.s gets a bit too much to bear. This one will also be the perfect game to test just how 'enhanced' the new speakers are (if that's what they are exactly). GL

OXENFREE II: Lost Signals (Switch eShop)

Oxenfree was such a gorgeous game, with a red-green colour palette that managed to be spooky and unsettling, but not at all Christmassy. That's hard to get right! I'm assuming that Oxenfree II — with more experience and the funds from Oxenfree — will be even better, and I can't wait to find out how. KG


Those are some of our picks, but what about you? Let us know which of the games above you're most looking forward to sampling on Switch OLED in the poll below, and feel free to tell us others in your Switch library that you can't wait to replay in the comments below.

What Switch games are you looking forward to (re)playing on Switch OLED?

(You can select up to 3 answers)