Tag: Switch Essentials
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 indie...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Racing Games
Feel the requirement for rapidity!
Now updated with Cruis'n Blast. Enjoy! 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...
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...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Collections And Compilation Games
Updated with Castlevania Advance Collection
Switch has become many a gamer's go-to console for revisiting retro classics, at home on the TV or wherever you happen to take the handheld hybrid. Squeezing in nostalgia trips between the big new releases has never been easier, and there have been a host of exceptional collections and compilation packages...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Graphics - The Most Beautiful Switch Games
Only skin-deep, but what skin!
Updated with new entries. While the Switch might not be able to compete with other platforms in pure processing terms, there's certainly no shortage of beautiful-looking games on the console. Switch may not output at a native 4K at 120 fps, but Nintendo diminutive little hybrid can still pack a punch for the...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Golf Games
Updated with Golf Club: Wasteland
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 loud trousers. We're also partial to video game...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Card Games, Board Games And Deck Builders
Updated with Voice of Cards
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 versions of household staples sit alongside entirely original offerings that serve up...
Guide Best Free Switch Games - Download And Play Right Now
Updated With Super Animal Royale
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 your console for...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Metroidvania Games
Or 'Castloid' if you prefer
The word 'Metroidvania' might rub some core gamers the wrong way, but it's a useful catch-all to describe a very specific type of game experience. Combining elements from both the Metroid series and Koji Igarashi-produced Castlevania titles, this broad platforming genre has you using an ever-growing skill set to open up...
Guide The Best Wholesome Games On Switch
Prepare to have your fuzzies warmed
What exactly makes a game wholesome? Is it the player's state of mind while playing? Is it an adherence to specific aesthetics or messages? Is it the inclusion of birds? Well, you might be forgiven for thinking it's the last one, because at least half of the games on this list are about birds specifically, but the...
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 Football Games
We mean Soccer, not that 'other' football
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 Switch, however, can be slightly confusing. Nintendo's...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Shmups
Shoot ‘em up, all of ‘em
Updated with Gynoug. 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 Monroe died and The Beatles recorded ‘Love Me Do’, some boffins at MIT were busy...
Guide Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games
Some of the best queer Switch games are also the best Switch games
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...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Sports Games
Be a sport
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 most goals or points or something, usually with a...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Survival Games
Prepare to die
Some people play games to relax and unwind; others play games where everything's trying to kill you, and you have to prevent them from doing so with nothing but a crude hammer and a bunch of edible flowers. To each their own, of course, and if you're one of the latter type of people, then have we got a list for you! We're here to...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Exclusives
Games you can only play on Nintendo Switch
Update: Now with 50% more Mario Party. Nintendo's Switch has become home to an almost overwhelming number of fantastic games since launching back in 2017. A great deal of them have appeared on other platforms — whether celebrated indie games or huge AAA releases getting a second wind on Nintendo's...
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 Point And Click Adventure Games For Nintendo Switch
For the clicks
In the years since launch, Nintendo Switch has hosted games from across the genres, including an array of old-school point and click adventure games, a genre which flourished on PCs in the old days and one which Nintendo's hybrid console offers a convenient way to play. The system's touchscreen makes it an ideal match for games which...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Couch Co-Op Games
Updates with even more Overcooked
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...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Music And Rhythm Games
Not rushing, not dragging
Whether you're a rhythm-gaming master or just enjoy getting down to the funky beat, there are a wealth of games available on Switch that cater to the musically inclined. From games that give you a full body workout to titles that test the timing of a single digit, we were surprised to see just how many excellent rhythm and...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch 2D Platformers
Updated with Aeon Drive
With so many excellent platformers available on Switch, picking something out from the overwhelming selection can be hard. The genre has a very strong pedigree on Nintendo systems going all the way back to the original Super Mario Bros. on NES (which you can find on Switch along with several of its celebrated sequels via the...
Feature Best Nintendo Switch Stealth Games
"!"
For all the gun-blazing, whip-cracking, all-out action and mayhem there is to enjoy in video games, sometimes a change of pace is needed. All that one-note violence can get boring, no? Why not eliminate that patrolling guard or spittle-covered demon in a more sophisticated manner; something more understated than a rocket launcher to the face?...
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 Games Of 2020
A great year for games, at least
2020 is all but over (good riddance!) and it's time to look back and survey the gaming battleground. Despite this year being a particularly ugly one for practically all of us, we've been lucky enough to enjoy some incredible games throughout the year which have helped to restore our spirits in our down time, enforced...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Local Wireless Multiplayer Games
Games best played with multiple Switches
The Switch's facility with local couch co-op games is one of the key selling points of the console. The ability to crack (read: carefully slide) off the Joy-Con and get involved in some same-screen multiplayer mayhem is super convenient, although the introduction in September 2019 of Switch Lite — the...
Video 21 Best Switch Games for Under $5
Good games, happy wallet
Video games can be an expensive hobby and you never know how long it's going to take for one to go on sale. With the holidays right around the corner, there's no better time to ease off and give some cheaper games your attention. We haven't just selected any ol' random games, we've ensured all the titles here are actually...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Flight Sim And Space Combat Games
Choose your wingman
It's taken a while, but as with most other genres since Switch launched back in 2017, Nintendo's console has steadily built a good library of flight combat games. Whether you're shooting bogeys and blasting your way though the clouds or the cosmos, there's a host of quality dogfighting games available. All the games here lean...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Run And Gun Games
Mega Men, Mugmen and more
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 up with all the releases coming to the Switch eShop on a weekly basis can be a challenge, but what a fantastic problem to have! We've...
Guide Games To Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Attack of the (Zelda) Clones
In the tears since we first ventured out onto the great plains of a truly open Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we’ve found all the shrines, defeated Calamity Ganon and scoured the kingdom for every last item and Korok seed. We’ve seen it all–and we went back to see it again in
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Fighting Games
Final Round. Fight!
It's ironic that one of the most violent video game genres is also one which has pulled millions of people together; ever since the early days of Fatal Fury and Street Fighter II, the humble 'fighting game' genre has created (and arguably ended) countless friendships. This style of game is perfect for social multiplayer malarkey...
Guide Best TATE Mode Nintendo Switch Games
Turn your world sideways with these amazing games
TATE mode – or 'portrait' mode if you prefer – is just one of the features that make the Nintendo Switch such an attractive system for players. While TATE games are, by and large, found in the shmup genre, there are a few notable exceptions on Switch which use the thinner-yet-taller aspect ratio...
Guide Best Retro 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 Hidden Gems On Nintendo Switch eShop
Find these buried treasures on the Switch eShop
The term ‘hidden gem’ gets bandied around a lot, and often erroneously; an occasionally overlooked entry in a long-running, celebrated franchise isn't a hidden gem. Of course, sometimes the game in question truly went unnoticed and unloved by the masses and is worth digging up, but more often than...
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 Every ACA Neo Geo Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
A complete list of Hamster's ACA Neo Geo Switch titles
Much like Hamster's Arcade Archives series, the company's line of Neo Geo titles - which goes by the bespoke title 'ACA NEOGEO' to separate it from the rest - has been a regular fixture of the weekly Nintendo Switch eShop download lists. With over a hundred releases under the ACA banner, Hamster...
Guide Every Arcade Archives Game On Nintendo Switch, Plus Our Top Picks
A complete list of Hamster's Arcade Archives Switch titles
Since 2017 we've seen a steady supply of Hamster's Arcade Archives releases bringing arcade classics to the Switch eShop. What's more, the series includes previously unreleased or hard-to-find arcade games from Nintendo itself. Having been so well acquainted with many of the NES versions,...
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 Online Multiplayer Games
The best online games available for Switch right now
Nintendo Switch is the perfect console for local multiplayer — simply crack off those Joy-Con and start having fun with whoever happens to be in the room with you. However, the console has built up a solid portfolio of online multiplayer games since launch, too, and we've picked out a handful...
Guide Best Switch Ports - The Most Impressive Ports On Nintendo Switch
Port city
Few could have predicted just how successful Nintendo's hybrid console would be prior to launch back in March 2017. For the preceding decade or so, third-party publishers tended to overlook Nintendo's hardware for a variety of reasons, but Switch has attracted a huge number of the world's premier developers back to Nintendo hardware, some...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch 'Walking Simulators' And Narrative Games
These boots were made for environmental storytelling
While the terminology around these games might cause some confusion, the (first-person) adventure or narrative-focused 'walking simulator' has made its mark on the gaming landscape over the past decade or so. The 'walking simulator' term, originally a pejorative descriptor of a genre where 'you...
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 Party Games
Maximum fun, minimum fuss
So, you're having a party — possibly on a rooftop — dancing to the music and all that jazz, but suddenly there's a lull. Fear not because we've got just the thing to get the party started again! Nintendo Switch has a whole host of crowd-pleasing co-op and competitive party games, whether you're hosting a birthday party...
Guide Relaxing Switch Games - Chill Games For Nintendo Switch
Switch and chill
Had a tough day? When it comes to getting your pulse racing and adrenaline coursing, there are more than enough video games that fit the bill. Whether battling to recover your humanity in Dark Souls, making it to the final two in Fortnite or going up against a rock-hard retro classic, there are plenty of Switch games to get you...
Guide Best Nintendo Switch Puzzle Games
Updated with Tetris Effect: Connected
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 upholds that proud puzzling tradition and gives...
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 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...
