Tag: Switch Essentials
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Golf Games
Spoil your walk with Switch
Updated with Cursed to Golf and Easy Come Easy Golf. Enjoy! When it comes to golf, we're down for almost anything. Crazy golf, mini golf, putt-putt, or any other variant; we're always up for a round. We'll even play normal, proper, ‘big‘ golf. After all, nothing beats walloping a tiny ball around the countryside in...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives
Games you can only play on Nintendo Switch
Update: Now with 100% more Splatoon 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Live A Live, Mario Strikers: Battle League, and Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Enjoy! Nintendo's Switch has become home to an almost overwhelming number of fantastic games since launching back in 2017. A great
Guide The Hardest Games On Nintendo Switch
How many have you beaten?
Despite Nintendo's family-friendly image, anyone who's played much the company's output can tell you that, while Nintendo games might start out all fluffy and colourful and welcoming, you'll need all the hugs and fluff you can get as you enter the endgame, with the challenge ramping up considerably in the last quarter,...
Guide Best Sandbox Games On Nintendo Switch
Grab your bucket and spade!
When you were a kid, "sandbox" meant "small plastic box, usually full of sand and ants, which lets you pretend you're at the beach even though you're in a nursery down the road from your parents' workplace". As an adult, "sandbox" either means "a game that lets you choose most of your goals" or "ant-filled nightmare that...
Guide Best Switch Games... That Don't Fit In Other Lists Of Best Switch Games
Celebrating the games that defy genre
We make a lot of lists here at Nintendo Life, you may have noticed. Why? Because we've all been that person who really wants a game that's like another game they really enjoyed, and they want some more recommendations. It's easy to lump games together by genre to answer that query — but what about all the...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Beat 'Em Ups
Take the fight to the mean streets
Updated with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. Enjoy! Beat 'em ups have been a staple of gaming since the mid-1980s when Kung Fu Master birthed the genre in the arcades. It was arguably 1987’s Double Dragon which kicked off the golden age of the side-scrolling brawler, though, and some of our...
Guide Best Free Switch Games - Download And Play Right Now
Free as a bird
Updated with Fall Guys. Enjoy! How times change! It used to be that you went to your local video game emporium, took your chosen game to the counter, handed over cold hard cash and raced home to pop it in your console. Not only has digital distribution removed the need to even leave the house, but many games can be downloaded to...
Guide Best Switch Games For Short Play Sessions
Perfect for busy people
It used to be that we'd take our 3DSes with us on holiday, public transit, and to hospital waiting rooms, because it was easy to pick up and put down a game on this tiny little handheld, and to put it into sleep mode whenever your attention was needed. These days, we're more likely to take a Nintendo Switch with us whenever...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Puzzle Games
Piecing it together
Updated with the rather excellent Portal: Companion Collection. Enjoy! From the very beginning, Nintendo handhelds have been a powerhouse in the puzzle genre, championing games that might have been lost in the bombastic, graphics-obsessed arena of home consoles. Switch’s bridging of the portable/home console divide means it...
Guide Best Space And Sci-Fi Games On The Nintendo Switch
The answer to the Ultimate Question
Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the — sorry, er, these are the best space and science fiction games that can be found on the Nintendo Switch, despite the fact that none of the developers in this list has actually been to space. What makes a good space game? Well, first it has to take place...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Football Games
We mean Soccer, not that 'other' football
Updated with Mario Strikers: Battle League. Enjoy! Football is the world's most popular sport, from the elite level of child-like millionaires with dazzling skills and impressive diving techniques, to actual children on playgrounds using jumpers for goalposts. Being a football / soccer fan that owns a...
Guide Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games
Play with pride
The games industry has not always been good at portraying LGBTQ+ relationships and identities, but thanks to the efforts of small studios, indie developers, and LGBTQ+ creators, that's beginning to change. Not only do we have enough games with strong LGBTQ+ themes on the Nintendo Switch that we can actually make a list, but all of...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Sports Games
Be a sport
Updated with Mario Strikers: Battle League. Enjoy! Since the dawn of humankind we homo sapiens have sought to prove ourselves with competitive feats of skill, dexterity or sheer strength. This has taken many forms, but usually involves performing some task in the quickest time, besting your opponent(s) in a physical bout, or scoring the...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Shmups
Shoot ‘em up, all of ‘em
Updated with Layer Section & Galactic Attack S-Tribute and Toaplan Arcade Garage: Hishou Same! Same! Same! 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...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Puzzle Platformers
For a slightly more cerebral platforming experience
Updated with Toodee and Topdee. Enjoy! The Switch has a lot of platformers, and a lot of puzzle games, and that extends to puzzle platformers. If you're raising your eyebrows and saying "what are you on about, you can't just combine them like they're ice cream flavours", then stick with us. It's...
Guide Best Funny Games On Switch - Games That'll Make You Wii Yourself
Urine for a treat
Updated with everyone's favourite meta-comedy game, The Stanley Parable, which is out now on Switch. What does it mean to be funny? Merriam-Webster defines funny as "affording light mirth and laughter", and in these dark times, don't we all need a little bit of Light Mirth? Well, do we have the mirth-inducing games for you! From...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Single Player Games
Player 2 has left the game
Since launching back in 2017, Switch's success has arguably been down to its chameleon-like ability to suit any gamer's preferred style of play. You can play it where you want and how you want. The ability to crack off the Joy-Con for impromptu multiplayer sessions on the TV (or on-the-go) makes it the go-to console for...
Guide Best Twin Stick Shooters On Nintendo Switch
Opposable thumbs required
Twin-stick shooters are ruddy good fun, right? It's a genre that allows you to just switch off your brain for a few minutes at a time while you blast enemies into the abyss. All you need is a couple of analogue sticks and a thirst for destruction and you're ready to go! We've already got a list for the best shmup games on...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games For Kids
The best Switch games for your little ones
Nintendo Switch is a console with brilliant software for gamers young and old. Nintendo's wholesome, family-friendly image is well-earned, and with characters like Mario, Luigi and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom gang, Switch games to cater to the young and the young-at-heart alike. With its excellent...
Every Nintendo Switch LEGO game, as ranked by you
It's perhaps surprising to see just how many games based on a Danish plastic brick system (habitually melded to another juicy licence) have graced Nintendo's hybrid system since launch. Looking back, we've had Switch ports of older Lego games, all-new releases, and even a couple that weren't a port...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Couch Co-Op Games
Teamwork makes the dream work
While there's a huge variety of gaming experiences available on Switch, there's a good chance that couch co-op games were a big part of the reason you bought Nintendo's hybrid console. After all, the Switch is tailor-made for those experiences thanks to its Joy-Con controllers, which double up as two separate pads when...
Guide Best Remakes And Remasters On Nintendo Switch
Remake you feel my love
It used to be the case that, if you missed out on a particular game, your only way to catch up was to buy the original console and the original game. Then, thanks to services like the Virtual Console, you could emulate those old games without having to own any old consoles, for much more affordable prices than the ones you...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Life Sims And Farming Games
Life comes at you slow
If you're looking for a change of pace and some welcome distraction from your everyday life, few mediums offer such engrossing, ongoing escapism as video games. Even the best books have an ending, but some games can go on almost indefinitely and come to form a calming part of our daily routines. If you're looking for just...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch 3D Platformers
Workin' the Z-axis
Ah, the 3D platformer. Ever since Super Mario 64 landed and showed everyone just how good three-dimensional platforming could be there have been developers hoping to capture just a smidgen of that game’s magic. It was a tough act to follow, even for the plumber himself, but his bespoke Switch outing finds him at the very top of...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Soundtracks
Er, Part 1?
Video game music is a topic we're passionate about here at Nintendo Life, and we're certainly not alone. We ran an entire season of interviews and features on the topic last year, and it's one of the subjects always sure to fire up enthusiasm at the office. It's not surprising really. Great music wherever you find it has a way of...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Kart Racers - Every Kart Racing Game Ranked
Who could possibly be in pole position?
When it comes to kart racers, there's one undisputed king of the crop on Nintendo systems, and we're not talking Crash Bandicoot. Let's not kid ourselves here — we all know what's sitting at number one on the list below of the best (and worst) kart racers on Nintendo Switch. With a record like Schumacher in...
Guide Best Detective Games On Nintendo Switch
Grab your trilby and trench coat
Everyone loves a good mystery, and even more so if they're the one who gets to solve it. The detective genre has evolved a great deal since its point-and-click adventure game roots, and this list proves how much things have changed. In fact, the games that we're including in this list range from typical noir...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Strategy Games
The best RTS, 4X, strategy and tactics games on Switch
Strategy and tactics games by their very nature require deep thought and careful consideration, and many gamers these days often find it hard to embark on epic multi-hour campaigns in a single sitting. Planning a multi-turn offensive in a 4X game like Civilization or outfitting your party with...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Ever - The Best Switch Games 2022
The very best Switch games ever (so far)
Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge amount of great games since the console launched back in 2017. Of course, this abundance of riches leaves us in something of a pickle — too much software, not enough time to play it all. In fairness, it's a lovely problem to have. Help! There are too many excellent games...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch FPS Games
Lock and load
Nintendo Switch's bulging catalogue of games covers practically every genre, and First-Person Shooters are no exception. It's a welcome change because Nintendo systems have historically lagged a little behind other consoles in the FPS field despite hosting some classics. After all, GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark helped define the FPS...
Guide Best Retro Throwback Nintendo Switch Games - Modern Games With Old-School Style
Scratch that nostalgia itch with these Switch neo-classics
Ah nostalgia — it's a tricksy thing. How many times have we gone back to revisit a treasured classic only to find that modern games have spoiled it for us? For all the brilliant aspects of retro games, the mod cons and performance we're used to now are pretty fantastic, too, and sometimes...
Guide Best Cheap Nintendo Switch Games
20 games under 20 bucks
The huge library of games available on Nintendo Switch can be a little overwhelming sometimes, with quite literally hundreds of incredible titles to choose from on the Switch eShop. There's always something to tempt you — always something worth purchasing some eShop credit for, whether there's a big sale on or not. In...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Card Games, Board Games And Deck Builders
Play your cards right
Updated with SNK VS. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash and Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel. Enjoy! You'd be forgiven for thinking that physical tabletop gaming might have trouble surviving in this digital and ever-mobile age, but collectible card games and traditional board games are arguably more popular than ever. Excellent digital...
Guide What To Spend Your Nintendo eShop Credit On - Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50
Money is such a burden, isn't it
So: It's your birthday or a gift-giving holiday, and you've just been presented with a shiny piece of plastic with Mario and a number on it. Alternatively, an alphanumeric code has been printed or scrawled in a card. You ask your parents/significant other/gift-giving human what you're supposed to do with this, and...
Guide Best Feel-Good Nintendo Switch Games
I see a ship in the harbour
Blue Monday. No, not just a kick-ass New Order song, but the name coined by marketers for the third Monday in January — purportedly the 'most depressing day of the year'. While the genesis and questionable 'science' behind this dreary moniker is smirk-worthy, looking after your mental health is something everyone should...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Fitness And Exercise Games
Get in shape with these Switch games
Cooped up at home and need something to keep you active? Looking to get in shape this year but find the lure of gaming too hard to resist? Worry not, because with Switch it's easy to mix your favourite pastime with a little cardiovascular exercise to get your blood pumping. Below we've collected our picks of the...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Open World Games
You see that mountain?...
Updated with new additions. Enjoy! You see that mountain on the horizon? You can go there! That old gaming chestnut has been around for a long time now, but for old-school gamers who remember the compartmentalised kingdoms of yore, there's a special magic still to be derived from being able to trek your way to a distant...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Family Games
Fun for the whole family
Nintendo's Switch is the perfect console for co-op multiplayer gaming and certainly goes down a treat at a party, but if you want to play games with your young kids and granny and granddad, it can be tough to find games that are genuinely fun for everyone involved. We know from personal experience the delicate balance of...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Camera Games - Photo Modes And Photography In Switch Games
Say cheese
Photo modes are so hot these days! But, well, not so much on Switch. Search "Best Photo Modes" and you'll get a bevy of PlayStation and Xbox games, probably — like The Last of Us, God of War, or Death Stranding. And sure, those games are lovely and pretty and photorealistic... But you don't need a fancy 4K game console to take good...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Short Games
Blast through these games in a single sitting
The Switch is the perfect console if you travel a lot, for work or pleasure. The console's portability makes it the perfect choice if you're spending any time at all in planes, trains and automobiles. Of course, you may choose to pass the time playing a trusted standby, or grinding through your...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Games Of 2021
The finest Switch games of the year, as ranked by you
More of a March madness fan? This video of ours differs from the list below as it looks at the best games that came out between the 3rd March 2021 and the 3rd March 2022. Ooo! 2021 has come and gone (almost) and despite a quiet start to the year, Switch owners have seen some real gems launch...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Run And Gun Games
Mega Men, Mugmen and more
Updated for 2021. Feel free to let us know in the comments if there's something missing that you think deserves a spot. Otherwise, enjoy! The library of games on Nintendo Switch has expanded rapidly since the console launched back in 2017 and it now boasts a huge number of great games in practically every genre. Keeping...
Guide Best Visual Novels For Nintendo Switch
Reader’s digest
The portability of Nintendo Switch makes it a great system to play a wide variety of genres, and while visual novels can be enjoyed perfectly well on your TV, there's something about playing them on a handheld which just feels 'right'. Since launch, the console has accrued some great examples of the genre, and the catalogue of...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Soulslike Games - Games To Play If You Like Dark Souls
Git gud games
When Dark Souls launched back in 2011, it ushered in a new era of lore-filled and inscrutable combat-focused games that gave players the freedom to follow their own path and play style, but steadfastly refused to 'go easy' on them. Every encounter in FromSoftware's series, no matter how minor, has the potential to end in tears; if you...
Guide Best Tabletop Mode Games For Nintendo Switch
Kick back and enjoy
Look, it's not often like the Nintendo adverts when it comes to tabletop mode gaming on Nintendo Switch. We don't all have the photogenic smiles and make a racket playing in a trendy coffee shop, but there are times and games that really do suit a bit of tabletop play. Whether solo or with friends, there is certainly an appeal to...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Horror Games
Pack a spare pair of underpants
Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectre or ghost? If the answer is "no"... you obviously haven't been playing any of the excellent horror games available on Nintendo Switch. There's...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites And Run-Based Games
Like Rogue?
When it comes to modern video games, there are few more polarising terms than 'roguelike'. That divisive descriptor draws some players like moths to a flame, while others run a mile at the mere whisper of it. These days, it often feels like 'roguelike' — which refers to dungeon crawler Rogue from 1980 — is attached to every other...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Racing Games
Feel the requirement for rapidity!
While the Nintendo Switch lacks the raw processing grunt of the Xbox One and PS4, petrol heads have been increasingly well served on the hybrid console, with a steadily growing catalogue of fantastic racers that offer plenty of arcade thrills and spills — and you can do it on the move. Give it a try on your next...
Guide 25 Games That Are Better On Switch OLED
Games at their very best on Switch OLED
Nintendo released its first major Switch iteration in over two years back in October 2021 with the Switch OLED model. It has a few benefits, like an improved kickstand, a bump in portable audio quality, double the internal storage and a LAN connector on the dock, but the main feature is in the name. Yep, it's...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch RPGs
The finest traditional-style Switch RPGs available to humanity
Nintendo Switch has amassed a huge number of quality titles across almost every category since launching back in 2017, and the RPG genre is certainly no exception. Below you'll find our picks for the console's essential role-playing games, in no particular order. This selection will...
