Just a reminder that we'll be publishing our 2025 GOTYs soon — both yours and ours! If you haven't rated the Switch 1 & 2 games you've played yet (or if you've played something new in the last couple of weeks), feel free to read on and have your say.
And if you've rated them already? Nicely done, lovely person! As you were.
We're into December now, and while there are still late-coming games showing up, it's time to start looking back at the goodies the last 12 months have brought us. Yes, it's GOTY time.
2025 has been a bumper one across the board, with brilliant games big and small — indie, are-they-indie?, and absolutely-definitely-not-indie — launching every single month. This is the year that Silksong finally came out, for heaven's sake! Oh, and Nintendo launched a whole new platform. Just looking at the software, the quality in 2025 has been top-shelf.
If you've joined us only recently, we here at Nintendo Life have our own staff GOTY list encompassing all of our personal top fives, but top GOTY billing goes to our community-ranked Top 50 Switch games of the year - this year featuring Switch 2, too.
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We've got one for every year of the Switch's life so far, each ordered according to the corresponding games' User Rating in our database.
These real-time lists, based on the User Ratings in our database, are a living ranking of each year's finest video games. Looking back over the Switch generation, here are the winners from the previous eight(!) years:
- 2017 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- 2018 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- 2019 | Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
- 2020 | Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
- 2021 | Metroid Dread
- 2022 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3
- 2023 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- 2024 | Unicorn Overlord
- 2025 | That's up to you lovely people...
Not a bad octet, is it? So, it's time to start looking through the gems we've played in the last 12 months.
Below you'll find every Switch game we've reviewed in 2025 awarded a 6/10 or higher. To rate any games you've played, registered users can click the star next to the corresponding title and give them a score out of 10. We encourage you to use the search bar, but otherwise you can browse at your leisure.
IMPORTANT: All Switch 1 and 2 games released in 2025 are eligible and available to rate in our database. We've limited the ones shown below to cull endless pages of shovelware, but if there's something we didn't review (or just didn't enjoy as much as you), find it by heading to the search bar at the very top of the page and going directly to that game's page.
We'll go live with the results later in the month, and due to the real-time nature of the list, games launched between now and the end of the year still have every chance of showing up in the Top 50, too. No one's left behind!
Thanks for 'voting'! Our database should contain every game released in 2025, but please let us know below if anything is missing and we'll get it added. Happy rating!





Comments 98
It's gonna get real interesting in here if a Switch 2 Edition rerelease ends up taking GOTY...
Only the games which got a 6/10?? What about the other almost 3,000 games which came out in the eShop this year 😝 Joking aside, there are definitely some un-reviewed games in my top 10.
Bananza is my highest rated game of the year though. Hello Kitty Island Adventure is up there also.
Exciting times. I like finding out what Game Of The Year is.
Voted for the ones I've already played to at least some extent (wish GotY in general happened after the year has actually finished, but still) - looking forward to both the Nintendo Life staff's picks and the community's top 50!
Switch 2 award has to go to Bananza, but it's not a wash. DK is a solid 8/10, but not quite a 9; the missing point is available in the form of full price DLC unfortunately.
It's hard to look past welcome tour
Ball X Pit is my winner
I know what I'm voting for.
Silksong is my game of the year hands down. Bananza would be my runner up
For me it's Bananza. I don't particularly have anything amazing to say but it's the original game that made me feel the best during the year.
@FishyS You get my commentor of the year award.
Since Expedition 33 isn't on Switch, Silksong is the only right answer. It's not only a game of the year, it's a game of the decade.
Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter was my game of the year.
@FishyS Monster Train 2 is in at minimum my top three games of this year on any platform but it never got a review here (neither did the first game).
Hundred Line fans, let's go.
Between the switch 1 + 2 I've only played 7 games in 2025, only 4 of which released this year and only two which I've completed so far. So I don't really have a large enough coverage to judge properly.
Silksong would be my goty though, one of the games I haven't finished yet 😅 Gotta make it last until Fire Emblem.
Hades 2. Haven’t played Silksong yet, but it was almost everything I wanted from a sequel.
Expedition 33 is the best game this year, BY FAR.
On Switch 1 / Switch 2: Cyberpunk 2077, BY FAR.
Capcom Fighting Collection 2 for sure. So much goodness in that collection.
Well that took all of one second
DKB.
Its definitely Donkey Kong Bananza for me for Switch consoles. I'd listen to an argument for Mario Kart World, and maybe even Cyberpunk 2077 has a case too, but DKB 100% in my opinion deserves it.
Kirby & the Forgotten Land is my Switch 2 GOTY so far. Unless Metroid Prime 4 manages to topple it, which is possible, but it’s still way too early to know.
When I first saw 'Welcome Tour's, I knew it had GOTY potential.🥹 But seriously, Cronos is my personal GOTY. It really surprised me with how good it turned out and I love it.
I honestly think “Switch 2 editions” of Switch 1 games should be omitted unless they released on both consoles simultaneously. I mean, BotW and TotK are so obviously fantastic, of course, but do either of them really need the nod just because they’re already better performing versions of two of the best games ever made? It’s not like I want to downvote either of them either because they’re both so perfect.
But seriously, on Switch, my personal pick is Silksong with an honorable mention to Donkey Kong Bananza. Two absolutely incredible games. Curious how I’ll feel about Prime 4 as I complete it.
Easiest game of the year vote for me personally; it's UFO 50, which was also my GotY last year for PC.
Never stopped to notice how different the User GOTY is from most, even Nintendo based exitorial GOTY. Judging how it tends to be a Japanese game with a core fanbase…maybe its The Hundred Line’s year?
I think mine is probably Fantasy Life i. Started playing a few weeks ago, and it's utterly brilliant. Rune Factory, Donkey Kong, Kunitsu-Gami and Pokemon are runner ups.
Bananza was fantastic, but nothing beats BOTW for me. So my GOTY 2025 is just a 2017 game in 4K/60fps.
Bananza and it's not even close. Game is a masterpiece, and I can't wait to restart it and play through again.
Bananza is definitely winning this
With the exception of my in progress playthrough of Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake, I've mostly played games from my backlog this year. Several are relatively recent releases, but not from 2025. I would like to get to Ys Memoire: The Oath In Felghana before 2026 crashes in, but it's not likely by this point.
I gotta go with Absolum.
But I haven't played Metroid, yet.
If we're talking about Switch 2 only it has to be DK Bananza. The game is just pure fun and I loved every minute of it.
Cyberpunk deserves a shout-out since it runs impressively well on Switch 2.
Deek Banza, Small X Pit, Ambasol
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma, I think.
Dragon Quest 1 & 2 maybe, but I haven’t finished yet.
Well Deltarune is more of an update than a full game, so my GOTY is, in spite of its flaws, Pokemon Legends: Z-A
I've only gotten through Mario Kart World, Fast Fusion, and Silksong, and I've put them all dead even at 8/10. They're games with some really cool aspects to them, but also with some disappointments that prevented them from blowing me away. I think I'll be rooting for DK Bananza to win game of the year because it's still the one I most want to play.
Ooh, I forgot Dragon Quest XI S won the game of the year in 2019. Good times! Here's hoping DQ1&2 HD-2D ends up in the top 10!
Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders are both excellent 9 out of 10 games, but both crumble before Donkey Kong Bananza. I know Bananza isn’t perfect with its terrible performance during certain major boss battles and the DLC, while a good, fun challenge with lots of fan service, is an overpriced add-on that should’ve been in there from the start. In spite of that, it’s still a 10 out of 10 for me just for the experience alone, especially as a DK fan. It’s exactly the kind of game you wish you could forget just to experience it fresh all over again.
The story is a fun, twisty journey that makes me want multiple playthroughs in the years to come. The finale is nothing short of spectacular with one my favorite final boss battles ever. DK controls like a total powerhouse, unsurprisingly, but a flexible one. It’s impressive how many moves I can pull from DK’s skill tree. Breaking rocks and digging through dirt and more makes you feel like a kid in a sandbox again. The game looks fantastic with good attention to detail, like DK’s footprints being left on top of Banandium gold he walks over. DK and Pauline prove to be a better dynamic duo than I was expecting. I’ve always liked Pauline, but even though this was back when she was a kid, this game has pretty much made me a new fan of her.
I could go on and on, but Bananza more than lives up to its punny name. Between getting a new character design and a grand game like Bananza, this year simply belongs to DK. This fan couldn’t be prouder!
Oh wow, I didn't really play a lot of games this year. I dunno, it's a toss up between Xenoblade Chronicles X and Pokémon Legends Z-A for me.
In terms of Switch related games, Hades 2, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Silksong are my top choices. As for an overall pick, Clair Obscur is my GOTY.
Gotta be hundred line for me. If for no reason besides the fact that I have been playing it for the entirety of the year.
I gave Z-A Switch a 4 and Z-A Switch 2 a three!
An enhanced edition is supposed to fix flaws. Not make them more obvious! ESPECIALLY if it is a Paid Upgrade!
I upgraded both Breath and Tears from a 4 to a 6.
I had never heard of the game of 2024, Unicorn Overlord...
Please don't let Mario Kart World win GOTY.
I guess as far as Switch 2 goes Bananza was the first stand out on it and probably the game with the widest appeal and least amount of drawbacks, so I'll go with that...
I like Air Riders more though.
Rating Mario Kart World is tricky. Purely in terms of how much I've enjoyed it, it's a 10. But, the missing modes, the dull open world, the online nonsense, the annoying idiosyncrasies...honestly, I could see someone giving this a much lower score based on all the problems surrounding the core game. Anyway, I gave it an 8.
@Potimarron A lot of people haven't, it's a pretty niche game. It was my GOTY last year but I assume the only reason it made the NL list is because there was basically nothing else of note released on the Switch in 2024. Save for Emio the Smiling Man, but nobody played that either lol
For me it really is between Silksong, Hades2, Absolum and probably Prime 4 but I have only played about an hour...
I submitted all my ratings, only thing is I wish I could rate Sonic Crossworlds Switch 2 edition because it would get an extra point above the switch edition for me.
On this site, my guess is it'll be a battle between DK Bananza and Silksong
Ive not been quite as entralled so far, I felt both MKW and DKB were great but just didn't hook me like past games. P-ZA didn't quite diliver like Arceus and again, not hooked me. Silksong was and is fantastic and probably my no1.
Easy donkey Kong for me.
That may change by the time I’ve finished prime 4 though!
DK Bananza comes close but I gotta go with UFO 50. Mario Kart, DQ1&2, KARs and Shinobi were great too.
I reckon Claire will snub it. It is a real good game but my vote is Donkey Kong Bananza.
One of the best kept secret Switch2 GPU that can now be in with the big leagues and get AAA games that were traditionally on for Ubber console powerhouse GPU system. Gamewise it's still got legs to stretch...
DKB, MKW biggest hitters
OctoPath0, CyberPunk2077 with mouse, AC, MP4....
Okay, best to worst and filtering out ports, let's go.
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
No Sleep for Kaname Date
Shuten Order
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds
Detective Instinct: Farewell, My Beloved
Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar
Donkey Kong Bananza
Iwakura Aria (speaking of you don't seem to have an entry for that one, wasn't coming up searching for it)
Mario Kart World
Sure there's a lot worse out there than MKW but it is the one I liked the least of what I played.
@bones I reckon Claire will snub it. It is a real good game but my vote is Donkey Kong Bananza.
They will do this at their own perils though as FF is coming to Switch2 they shoot themselves in the foot by doing so. Another will come to fill that for Switch2 and they will be forgotten as a missed opportunity.
Besides MKW there is another switch 2 game?
@KingChiliPepper Hundred Line. Enough said.
Donkey Kong Bananza is the game of the year for me across all platforms. The Super Mario Odyssey team hit another one out of the park.
Its gotta go to Dk Banaza. If you get a switch 2 its the one must own game for the system
My favorite is easily dk bananza. I loved persona 3 reload when I played it on ps5 and Kirby air riders is fun too.
Funnily enough I think Cronos The New Dawn is my GOTY, I’ve replayed it twice and I’ve found myself thinking about the story a lot.
I liked DK Bananza a lot, but I just haven’t felt the need to replay it endlessly like I did with Odyssey. Mario Kart World just isn’t fast enough for me, I’ll give it another chance if they ever add 200cc.
Definitely not MKW or Metroid
@BulkSlash MKW I don't think we'll ever feel fast because of the stupid track designed comment. It is way too wide and way too boring compared to 8.
As much as I wanted to pick a shiny new AAA Switch 2 release, Hades 2 stole all my time (and heart) and is my undisputed game of the year 2025.
It's quite possibly Prime 4 for me, but not sure yet.
All this list highlights is how many 2025 games are in my backlog.
Bananza. Emerald Rush would easily be in my top 5. The number of hours I have in the whole package is about to eclipse BOTW…
My top 3 was Hades 2, DK Bananza and Pokemon ZA. I've got to say that Inazuma Eleven changed that quite a lot! Now it would be Inazuma Eleven, Hades 2 and DK Bananza. It is such a great game! It is packed with content and the most crazy part about it is that they'll keep adding some! It is one of the most "complete" game I ever played. A true love letter to the series.
Donkey Kong Bananza is easily my Switch 2 GOTY.
I haven't played that many Switch 1 games this year.
But I'd have to go with Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 for Switch 1 GOTY.
WHAT AM I VOTING FOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRR?!
I've played a lot of games this year! ...But only four that were actually released in 2025 haha. And so I shall rank those: 1. Hades II, 2. Donkey Kong Bananza, 3. Kirby Air Riders, 4. Fast Fusion. All great games!
I actually played 5 of my top 9 games ever during 2025 (yes, I keep a spreadsheet and list). So if I was to rank my top 5 games played since January they would be: 1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3, 2. Persona 5 Royal, 3. Octopath Traveler 2, 4. Hades II, 5. Celeste. Been a heck of a gaming year!
@BenAV same here! Monster Train 2 is definitely my most played switch game of the year, maybe my favorite too. A perfect game for the switch and the thing that scratches the roguelike itch while we wait for slay the spire 2.
@Bck101 I've been playing it on Steam Deck with trackpads which has been pretty chill. I have over 250 hours in it and think I've still only beaten Cov10+Titans with barely over half the combos haha. Love how unique and different each run feels.
Hades 2 all the way.
My Game of the Year 2025 for every platform I own that got a new game this year:
Switch: Ninja Gaiden Ragebound
Switch Lite: Hollow Knight: Silksong
Switch OLED: Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
Switch 2: Donkey Kong Bananza
Steam: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Steam Deck: Hades II
PlayStation 4: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Super NES: Top Racer CrossRoads (though the collection released in 2024, the actual Super NES game wasn't available separately until 2025)
Sega Genesis: Earthion
Game Boy Color: OutRun GB
Game Boy Advance: Shantae Advance: Risky's Revolution
NeoGeo CD: Golden Axe
Hades 2 is definitely my pick
Okay, so I just finally got Hyrule Warriors 3.
It's okay, not as good, yet, as the second one.
Game of the year : Pokemon Legends Z-A
Blood: Refreshed Supply should be on here, I am honestly not so sure though. Most of this last year has been on PS5 and Retroid 5.
Nothing, probably. CAPCOM FIGHTING COLLECTION 2 was a close one, tho.
@Dalamar hopefully there’s a shadow drop at the game awards next week!
I really want to play expedition but I’m patiently waiting and holding off getting it on another platform
It’s only just came out but Metroid prime 4 is mentally good definitely my game of the year. The graphics are breathtaking! The gameplay is fun annd exciting. And running at 60fps solidly!
Makes me wonder why some 3rd party games can only run at 30!!
Behind this it’s donkey kong bananza that games so fun!
@gamepadnomad probably put more hours into this than anything else on switch 2 tbh 🤣
My only legitimate 10/10 game is Mario Kart World, and even then, as much as I'm addicted to the new Knockout Mode and the many brilliant new courses, that is to elevate MKW above others. As a Metroid fanatic, I scored 10 for Metroid Prime 4 because I'm absolutely loving everything experienced so far and as a slap to the irrational rage over interactive secondary characters in the game. At worst, some dialogue could be a little cringe. Do they unravel the very fabric of Metroid and set repercussions that could potentially destroy the universe? Not even close!
The Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 package also got a 10, for obvious reasons. Individually they are close to a 10, so, as a package, they must be a 10. Mind you, I don't think compilations like this should even count. The award is Game of the Year, not Package of the Year or Release of the Year. I'm also dubious about updated games like Switch 2 Editions and non exclusive Nintendo games, even if they are outstanding ports of older titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws. In say that, Outlaws remains an absolute highlight. I'm also still enjoying Street Fighter 6, Fast Fusion and Kirby Air Riders.
DK Bonanza, the third marquee Nintendo game of the year (with MKW and MP4), I scored 8. Fun, different and interesting? Yes. A stellar, superb game to rival the best of Nintendo? Not even close.
I would say Trails deserves the award more than every other game, but there are so many excellent choices. Trails definitely has my highest playtime of the year probably followed by Bananza, but Final Fantasy Tactics is on my wishlist, but not until after I've finished Trails.
I'm liking Kirby Air Riders at the moment. There's tons to do and I like how differently all the vehicles play.
I give it a 10.
Pokemon ZA was good but a bit short and I've got nothing to do in it at the moment. The whole being set in one city didn't bother me as much as I thought it would since new wild zones opened as you play and new pokemon became available that way.
I give it a 10.
Mario Kart World is okay but I like the older ones a bit better. Unlocking the characters with Kamek was annoying and the race to other courses were a bit boring.
I give it an 8.
Haven't played Metroid Prime 4 yet but I'm expecting it to be good.
Donkey Kong Bananza started off okay but got boring and repetative real fast. It was so bad that I didn't bother with the DLC. It's probably my biggest disappointment this year.
I give it a 2.
Zelda TotK, and it’s not even close
I can’t comment until I’ve finished Prime 4 Beyond, which I am loving.
@somnambulance Agreed. But I'm also trying to figure out while Final Fantasy Tactics: Ivalice Chronicles has a Switch 2 version on the list but not the Switch version.
Hades 2 was my favorite, easily. But a Zelda resolution upgrade will probably win this 😅
Expelled by Inkle came out in 2025, didn't it? Not on the list though.
Is Red Dead Redemption (resolution and framerate bump) a contender? Most enjoyment I’ve had on my switch 2 so far!
MKW is meh
Bananza gave me ADHD and sore thumbs
I found cyberpunk confusing and complicated and like I was only half assing everything so I stopped playing.
The best Switch 1/2 games I've played this year are listed below. I'll also name drop a few honorable mentions.
NSW1
NSW2
Honorable Mentions
I also think Cyberpunk 2077 was a phenomenal game, as was Street Fighter 6, and the NSW2 Editions for Zelda Breath of the Wild, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda Link's Awakening, Zelda Echoes of Wisdom, and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet were game-changers, as they fixed the framerate issues and gave us better versions with flawless performance.
Donkey Kong Bananza, easily. It's not quite Mario Odyssey/Breath of the Wild-tier, but it's pretty close.
It's my favorite release this year. Even moreso than Expedition 33.
For me its Hundred Line. Honestly the past year had some real good games like Silksong and Bananza. But... Hundred Line just stayed with me even after beating i kept thinking about it for months now.
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