We're a few days into 2023 now, but many places are still looking back at last year's biggest and best games. And review aggregate site Metacritic is joining in, compiling multiple lists based on compiled reviews from multiple publications.
Today, the site has revealed the Switch's best-reviewed games of 2022. The top 40 has some real big hitters like Triangle Strategy, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Splatoon 3, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and there's a real juicy mix of indies too like Beacon Pines (which one of us in particular really loved and wrote about), Infernax, and Citizen Sleeper.
But the top ten, in particular, is an interesting blend of long-awaited ports and indie darlings, with only one Nintendo Switch exclusive making the cut and only two games scoring above 90 — both ports.
So, without further ado, here are the ten highest-rated Nintendo Switch games of 2022 based on Metacritic (with their aggregate score in brackets):
10. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (87)
9. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (88)
8. Cuphead - The Delicious Last Course (88)
7. Tunic (88)
6. Neon White (88)
5. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (89)
4. NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition (89)
3. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (89)
2. Persona 5 Royal (94)
1. Portal: Companion Collection (96)
All fantastic games — which multiple critics all agreed on, hence the high overall scores! You can check out the full top 40 list on Metacritic.
Do you agree with the list? Let us know in the comments!
[source metacritic.com]
Comments 42
To be honest I agree with Portal taking the top spot, those game are amazing even if it's an old port.
Wish this would push Valve to make Portal a physical, as I do love both games
Tunic made the list!
Tunic was my indie game of the year, didn’t even know what the Metacritic score was. I’m still thinking about the game months later, couldn’t recommend it enough.
It's so awesome to see Xenoblade Chronicles 3 on this list. What an amazing game with great gameplay and an emotional and heartwarming story. So incredible to see this epic and awesome series finally getting the recognition and appeal that it deserves.
Played so many great 1st and 2nd party games on the switch last year, but a bit disappointing for only one exclusive in the top 10.
Wild, only one first party game. That probably doesn't happen too often.
Love xenoblade 3 but it had quite abit of plotholes issues hopefully the new dlc story which is suppose to conclude the klaus arc will bring in characters from 1 and 2 besides melia and nya which they will team up with noah and his friends against the true threat thats behind it all.
Almost none of them are even exclusives though. Unless we're counting reviews of the switch versions only
I don't agree with or find the list useful for helping me pick out what games I'll buy, but I'm glad others do.
At the same time, I wish there was a review site that reflected my interest in Nintendo. I feel like what makes Nintendo different has been getting more and more lost over the years since Iwata passed away.
Is this list of games any different than the types of games you find on other consoles?
For me:
I loved Kirby & Switch Sports this year and am still playing Switch Sports online weekly. I played a lot of the new DLC for Mario Kart.
My son and I played through Rogue Heroes.
My kids an I continued our 4+ year play of Spelunker Party.
My kids and wife kept Animal Crossing going.
Beyond that?
Portal and STanley Parable need physical editions. Hopefully we see them in Limited Run's E3 show. (I would say Tunic too but that surely has one planned. Surely.)
13 Sentinels and Nier are gonna be on my radar for a while but I’m really interested in both of them.
I didn’t realize Nier and Atari 50 were so well reviewed.
Surprised Atari 50 scored so highly, sounded like a nice historical review of the era, but with limited gameplay appeal.
Nevertheless, everything on that Top 10 is either in my collection or on my 'buy physical as and when available at my price' list.
Am I missing out by not playing Persona? I know it gets rave reviews but I'm just not feeling another super-anime 100+ hr JRPG involving teens/young adults. Ironic that I say that considering I spent most of my time last year playing XC3 and it was my GOTY for 2022. For now, I'm chilling with a first run in Hollow Knight before Zelda TOTK and Silksong come out.
I'm definitely getting Atari 50 soon, I just had to find a good price for it.
Portal for Switch should really include the DLC that was designed specifically for PS Move... it was called Portal 2 In Motion.
Should work great with JoyCon.
13 Sentinels is a brilliant game. Absolutely fantastic story with a better than expected simple RTS element. Blew my mind when I played it on the PS4 and it's a game I'd love to forget to play again for the first time.
@jump And this version in particular is the best as it runs better than it did on any console and motion aiming makes a HUGE difference in gameplay making it way more fun (at least for me).
Wasn’t the best or the worst year for me and switchy.
Nothing jumped out at me, nothing really in house spectacular. Kirby and Splatoon 3 were cool as was Bayonetta 3. New MK8 tracks are a nice addition.
But I still miss my first two years of Switch, which I doubt will get repeated. Maybe this year 2023 with Zelda and Pikmin 4, if they added a new AAA Mario or DK platform to that and maybe a remaster of the first Metroid then that would make 2023 a very Nintendo special year.
Just have a that feeling their in house are at the new Switch 2 console game stage over the last two years.
I am playing Persona 5 Royal now. Great game. The others are all great too. I haven't gotten the Cuphead DLC yet.
XC3 is my fav.
I don't even recognize some of the top 40, and I'm the type to check through the eshop's new releases page at least once a week. Guess they just really appeal to their niche.
Wow last time I see on metacritc the list of best game of 2022 I remember I have see a game whit a score of 90 for switch but that game now is not in the list 👏👏👏👏👏
@Enriesto I keep hearing so many good things! It already looked like something up my alley, but after everyone raving in convinced to get it sooner!
Not surprised, the quality of 1st party games wasn't great in 2022. I'm a bit surprised Pokemon Legends Arceus and Kirby and the Forgotten Land aren't higher, but that's about it.
I got the Atari 50 collection and it's very good in many ways, but there are still flaws to it.
1. Nothing from Atari Games post split. Yes, I get it, Warner Bros. owns those games, but couldn't you cut a deal with them for these games? This is a HUGE part of Atari's history and games like Marble Madness, Paperboy and Gauntlet are up there with there best titles ever, so leaving them out or acting like they never existed is a lie.
2. No Star Wars, the Arcade Game. Probably a licensing issue, but likely one of the top 5 arcade games of all time and still a blast to play today.
3. No Activision Atari 2600 titles.
4. The selection of games for the other consoles sans Atari 2600 is questionable.
5. Great to hear from Howard Scott Warshaw, Al Alcorn, Nolan Bushnell and Tod Frye, but where is Mark Cerny? Ed Logg? Owen Rubin? Dona Bailey? David Theurer? Mike Hally? So many big names came out of Atari, and to not hear anything from them is sad. Instead, we hear about Atari Pinball (?), a division that lasted a mere two years from Eugene Jarvis, a man better known for his success at Williams (Defender, Robotron 2089, pinball, Cruisin'). Some of the choices were head scratching.
6. Atari had success in the arcades and with the 2600, yet a lot of focus is on failed consoles. It would have been nice to have a bit more stuff on the arcade games.
That’s a good list, lots of good games and lots of variety. Nintendo had a very solid year and third parties kept a flood of games coming.
Wow people really like Persona, it's 5 points higher than Xenoblade 3.
Maybe cause it has a lot less reviews. (115 - 25)
@iLikeUrAttitude The original release sits on 93 with 98 reviews on PlayStation.
Persona 5 Royal was always going to be less reviewed given that it’s a re-release of a near 7 year old game with some additional content for a platform that it’s main audience is not on.
But yeah Persona 5 is the best traditional JRPG I have played in my near 25 years of gaming.
Removed - inappropriate language
No Pokémon game on the list , ah yeah I forgot that was a game full of bugs ,broken and not worth my money . In your face Nintendo for publishing a lazy work of crap. But congratulations to all the dev who ported games like portal , and the guys who made Neon white and my goty Xenoblade Chronicles 3 . That’s what we want good games well made and launched when they are ready to launch.
Seeing Portal there just makes me hope for Half-Life games on the Switch. Even Black Mesa.
@Kyloctopus Atari 50 is definitely one of my top ten games of last year and that completely caught me by surprise
@locky-mavo
No! You have to be more specific with your wishes! Otherwise we'll get 'Hunt down the Freeman'!
@Type_Trubbish it obviously only counts Switch reviews, yes.
I only play third party games on my Switch and own Portal: Companion Collection, Persona 5 Royal and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim so I agree with the list. Too bad Corpse Factory isn't on it though because that was my GOTY.
@cyrus_zuo definitely feels like something has changed. The games are still strong but the platform feels weaker. I was just downloading a 3DS game and I forgot how delightful the UI is.
@iLikeUrAttitude if you like turn based jrpgs… Persona is pretty fantastic.
@Axecon You have to be really into the genre. I put 80 hours into Persona 5 Royal on PS4 but I had to play on Safety. I'm NOT putting 150+ hours into a game like that. It's insanely hard and unbalanced unless you grind constantly. I'm terrible at JRPGs but love their worlds, stories, and characters, so I usually always play on the easiest setting.
@cyrus_zuo It hasn't been lost. And it was this way even during Iwata's tenure. You seem to just want to play casual Nintendo games. Over half of their library is considered less casual to hardcore. NintendoLife is obviously catered towards Nintendo. You're probably just better off sticking to Nintendo developed games. Games take longer to develop these days and don't release as fast as they used to.
@koffing Nothing's been lost. Nintendo's exclusively developed games still feel the same and have more frequent releases than on 3DS. The 3DS is a much weaker system library-wise than the original DS, but some of that can be attributed to longer development times for more advanced 3D games and graphics etc.
@iLikeUrAttitude It's a bit overrated, to be honest. It's this generation's Final Fantasy VII. If you really love anime and that genre you're going to think it's amazing. It's one of those love it or hate it type of things like with Elden Ring. You can appreciate a lot of it from a distance, but it may just not be your thing.
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