Despite its advancing years, Nintendo's hybrid handheld showed that it wasn't going quietly into that good night in 2024, at least where great games were concerned.
Nintendo's first-party output was mainly helmed by partner studios in 2024. with plenty of HD remakes and remasters in the mix. However, Switch did play host to a solo extravaganza from Princess Toadstool, an unexpected new chapter in the Famicom Detective Club series, a shiny new Mario & Luigi entry, yet another Mario Party, and a brand-new top-down Zelda. Not bad for a system in its eighth year with a much-talked-about successor eyeing its throne.
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Throw in a trove of iconic indie and third-party gems and, even as studios making the games continue to struggle through uncertain times, anyone just playing the games had a pretty great year.
To celebrate the games, large and small, that moved us this year, we've compiled this list of the Top 50 best Switch games of 2024. So sit back, relax, and prepare to scroll through a bunch of the best, ranked for your pleasure.
50. Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure (Switch eShop)
Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure dares to be different, and it succeeds with aplomb. By interweaving a heartwarming and inclusive story with addictive gameplay, Furniture & Mattress teaches us that puzzle games can be more than just a vehicle for making the cogs in your brain turn.
If you’re looking for pure puzzling, then the game won’t be for you, but a simple story and simple gameplay loop are both elevated to new heights because of the thought and care that’s gone into them.
49. BAKERU (Switch)
Bakeru is a sweet, snappy, and satisfying linear 3D platformer that feels like a wonderful callback to a genre that doesn’t get a ton of representation these days.
It’s really easy (although the Western version ups the difficulty slightly) and has some performance problems, but the gameplay variety, snappy combat, oodles of collectibles, and gorgeous art style all come together to make for an adventure that you won’t want to miss out on.
48. Freedom Planet 2 (Switch eShop)
Freedom Planet 2 is an excellent achievement by GalaxyTrail, setting a high bar for quality that will be tough to beat if we’re ever lucky enough to get a 'Freedom Planet 3'. A compelling story, well-designed levels, tons of gameplay variety, and gorgeous visuals all come together to make this an absolute must-play for fans of high-speed platformers and a certain blue hedgehog. Freedom Planet 2 exudes quality and passion in just about every way imaginable.
47. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection (Switch eShop)
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is the last of the Ace Attorney Switch remakes, but certainly not the least of them. Just make sure you're up-to-date on Ace Attorney 1-3 first, or you'll miss out on half the fun.
The first game doesn't quite feel up to par with the series' best, but Investigations 2 certainly does, and might even be one of our favourites. We'll hold it! (heh) in our hearts forever.
46. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley (Switch eShop)
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley opens with a goodbye. As an outsider, Snufkin doesn’t hibernate with the Moomins and must wander lonelily through the ice. The prospect of a reunion in the spring sets up a bittersweet mood, sews a seed of hope that grows throughout the game, and kicks off a quest to restore everything to its rightful place. Accomplished gameplay design and magical sounds and visuals make the whole adventure a delight.
45. SaGa Emerald Beyond (Switch eShop)
SaGa Emerald Beyond has a deep and satisfying combat system that gets its hooks into you from the jump. There's a lot of narrative content across its five adventures, as well as a diverse collection of characters, but very little that truly grips the attention.
Still, as ever with SaGa, fans are bound to love this one, and the combat is so rewarding that if you love tinkering, you might just fall for it too.
44. Beyond Good & Evil: 20th Anniversary Edition (Switch eShop)
Nintendo has been getting heat for the pricing of its recent Switch remasters, so to see Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil so lovingly restored for a reasonable price is a true joy.
The 20th Anniversary Edition boasts some lovely visual and auditory upgrades, an excellent gallery feature, and a whole bunch of meaningful extras that make this journey back into Hillys well worth taking.
Granted, the 30fps performance on Switch is a bit of a bummer compared to other platforms, and there's no denying that the experience has aged considerably in certain areas, but the gameplay is so varied, and the world so unique, that you'd be remiss not to at least give it a shot. Welcome back, 'Yade'.
43. Slay The Princess - The Pristine Cut (Switch eShop)
Slay The Princess - The Pristine Cut is an inverted fairy tale that shatters conventions and questions heroism, opting to pull you into a narrative odyssey that leans into metaphysical themes more than it initially lets on.
While its presentation is distinct and superbly executed, extended play sessions can’t help but feel somewhat repetitive due to its recurrent structure. That said, there’s no denying the depth and breadth of storytelling on offer.
42. Pepper Grinder (Switch eShop)
Pepper Grinder is a wonderfully inventive and fun platformer. Channelling the spirits of several retro dig-based games, it may have a runtime that feels a little too short, but this is ultimately a deeply enjoyable, challenging, and highly replayable game with lots of personality.
If any of that sounds interesting, we’d suggest you pick up Pepper Grinder at the next opportunity - and there's even a downloadable demo if you're on the fence.
41. Megaton Musashi W: Wired (Switch eShop)
Megaton Musashi W: Wired proves to be a strong return to form for Level-5, offering up an addictive mech-battling action experience that feels like the most slept-on release of the year.
Its heartfelt story, dumb-but-fun combat missions, and in-depth character progression offer up an experience that’s tough to put down, even if some elements—like the lacklustre online—drag it down a bit.
If you’re at all a fan of action RPGs or that distinct Level-5 charm you can find in all the beloved company’s games, we’d encourage you to pick up Megaton Musashi W as soon as possible.
40. Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island (Switch)
It may have taken over ten years to finally come out, but Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island is a new high-water mark for the storied roguelike franchise.
Its masterful blend of uncompromising difficulty with a wealth of content to overcome makes for a game that’ll easily keep you satisfied for dozens of hours as you learn its tricks. Combine that with some cool online features and a charming art style, and you’ve got a game that’s an easy recommendation for any roguelike fans out there. This is a tough nut to crack, but the experience is well worth it.
39. Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! (Switch eShop)
Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! does not come to Switch with a swathe of bells and whistles or make a host of changes to Game Freak's weirdest mash-up. It's a simple port of the Apple Arcade version — which, in itself, made very few changes to the 3DS original — but with a game this great, that's no bad thing.
Sure, not much has changed since 2016 (even less since 2023), but this charming hybrid card-racer is absolutely worth taking for a ride wherever you can. Giddyap.
38. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown Deluxe Edition (Switch)
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown is the absolute pinnacle of the series and despite coming to Switch over five years after other platforms, this 'impossible' Switch conversion does very little to degrade the experience. Long-time franchise players and military aviation enthusiasts will be overwhelmed by the fan service at every turn, from craters on the ground to airplanes, liveries, callsigns, and emblems shouting out to previous entries.
We understand the genre is uniquely niche, but if this is your first foray into the franchise, this conversion is a perfect gateway into this rich, revered series. You get tons of content and an epic single-player campaign wrapped up in triple-A presentation that delivers the most comprehensive portable experience ever from Project Aces.
37. Monster Hunter Stories (Switch eShop)
Monster Hunter Stories, like its sequel on Switch, has some issues on the hardware; in this case, the problems are more related to 3DS-era design hangovers and simplistic porting. Yet when you put these issues to the side, we still have a charming, enjoyable experience either for young gamers or young-at-heart RPG / Monster Hunter fans.
You can take or leave all that classic MH depth, and it won't take long to master the battle mechanics, but this is a game with enough silliness and earnest storytelling to deserve its second chance.
36. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster (Switch eShop)
Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster brings back this 1995 'Doom clone' in style — another resounding success for Nightdive Studios (who also handled the excellent Quake and Quake II remasters, among others). It returns LucasArts' curious, nostalgia-laced FPS with loads of new bells and whistles, including enhanced gameplay, revamped visuals, and a wealth of accessibility options.
This is easily the best way to experience Dark Forces and revisit an oft-forgotten era of Star Wars before the prequel trilogy - and before the sequel trilogy booted the Expanded Universe out the 'Legends' airlock.
35. Pizza Tower (Switch eShop)
Pizza Tower is the rare sort of game that improves on its inspiration in nearly every way, building upon many of Nintendo’s Wario Land ideas with impressive results. This is an incredibly satisfying, creative, and addictive platformer that’ll keep you busy for a long time if you want to 100% it.
Anyone who loved the old Wario Land games will adore this, as will anyone who’s looking for something new with a high skill ceiling and lots of technical depth. Pizza Tower has definitely got it where it counts - platformers don’t get much better than this.
34. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics (Switch)
With Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, there's a decade of gaming evolution here, including what is arguably the pinnacle of Capcom's fighting game craft. Perfectly preserved and presented, everything is beautifully formed and wonderful to play.
Assembled with real clarity, Capcom has thoroughly delivered the goods, from its ton of bonus features to its rollback netcode, with years' worth of combative nuance to explore, learn, and exact in the online arena. Oh, and don't just get it for Marvel vs. Capcom 2; everything is excellent here, but The Punisher, in particular, is awesome.
33. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club (Switch)
Pre-launch, Emio - The Smiling Man was hyped up a little too much in terms of how dark in tone the whole thing is. This is still silly, kooky stuff, just like its Famicom Detective Club predecessors. The sometimes frustrating core mechanics also haven't seen any refinement this time around, which is a shame.
And so it's left to some top-notch writing to save the day, which it just about does. Once this troubling and intriguing story has its hooks in you (remember there are three demos to try if you're unsure), it's hard to put down. And that, at the end of the day, is all Tantei Club fans will be looking for.
32. Library of Ruina (Switch eShop)
We wish we liked Library of Ruina more than we do; its world and characters touch on clever themes and storytelling devices, but slapdash pacing coupled with sluggish, nerve-wracking menus makes playing on Switch an exercise in courting digital whiplash as you cycle between tight story beats and glacially-paced menus.
Unforgivable porting choices and grating performance issues make the most minuscule complaints much more severe thanks to the game’s long runtime and, in turn, kneecap a story that has so much going for it.
If this unending deluge of compounding problems somehow doesn’t bother you, Library of Ruina presents a spectacularly well-realised world and a memorable story whose characters will likely stick with you after the credits roll.
31. Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Switch)
Mario & Luigi: Brothership takes this long-running RPG series to new heights in a high-seas adventure that's packed full of top-notch combat, inventive variety, a positive and thoughtful story, and lots of signature comedy from the dynamic duo themselves.
This is a big game, packed full of surprises and fun, and the all-new Battle Plug system, alongside lots of flashy specials, a fittingly emotive art style, and a world that's brimming with puzzles and challenges, make for a must-play in our book. We hope this series is back for good with this one.
30. Thank Goodness You're Here! (Switch eShop)
Thank Goodness You’re Here! is a brief but oh-so-sweet romp into a world that simultaneously makes no sense and yet perfect sense to those familiar with British culture. Bursting with excellent humour, beautiful artwork, and fantastic animation, it’s a wonder the devs managed to pack as much as they did into its short runtime.
Performance may not be 100% perfect on Switch, and if you’ve no funny bone in your body, you’ll wonder what the point of it all is, but it’s still some of the best and most intense fun we’ve had in years. Our faces hurt from laughing so much, and we don’t think there’s much greater praise than that.
29. Little Kitty, Big City (Switch eShop)
Little Kitty, Big City is an adorable adventure that will almost certainly turn you into a cat lover, if you're not one already. It oozes charm and the realistic cat animations are simply incredible, although for as fun as it is to wander about the city, the game leans heavily on fetch quests and gathering up collectibles, which can lead to repetition.
If you're someone who thrives on that kind of gameplay, however, then you'll have an absolute blast with this one.
28. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Switch eShop)
Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is one of the most unique-looking games you'll see on the Switch, and it's got the substance to back up the style. Channelling Nouvelle Vague cinematic inspiration into a surreal, disturbing adventure which sees the titular protagonist visit a padlock-and-puzzle-filled hotel, this game has a wicked sense of humour to go with its avant-garde stylings and brain-tickling conundrums.
Following on from developer Simogo's excellent Sayonara Wild Hearts, Lorelei's heavy emphasis on puzzles and its refusal to throw players a bone when they need help (it flags upfront that you'll need a pen and paper, and it isn't lying) may not be to everyone's tastes, but anyone up for a mental challenge in what's essentially an elaborate escape room will love it.