If 2023 turns out to be the last year that the Nintendo Switch rules the market before its successor debuts, it will do so in style. With over 122.55 units sold, the hybrid portable console has surpassed the PlayStation 4 and Game Boy to rank third among all gaming consoles.
Nintendo Switch Online now includes Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games. The two companies have a 10-year agreement under which Call of Duty will be ported to future Nintendo consoles if Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved. Here are the ten best Switch games you can play while Call of Duty fans waits for the initial wave of ports.
You may notice a tweet that, if Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved, the two companies have a 10-year deal under which Call of Duty will be transferred to upcoming Nintendo platforms:
We want the record to be clear and address any misunderstandings. I’m delighted to repost below this statement and affirm Microsoft’s strong commitment to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo’s customers if our acquisition of Activision Blizzard is approved by regulators. pic.twitter.com/AlsIjwAGEU
— Brad Smith (@BradSmi) February 24, 2023
The IGN content team as a whole, including our resident Nintendo experts from the NVC podcast crew, put together this list of what we believe are the top games for the Switch right now, whether you’re buying one for the first time or have been a platform lover since day one. Here are our top 10 Nintendo Switch games selections without further ado.
The Top 10 Switch Games
10. Hollow Knight
One of the best contemporary Metroidvanias is Hollow Knight, which uses all the elements that made the genre so famous in the first place without feeling cloned from anything that had come before.
There are many pathways to discover, bosses to face off against, and mysteries to unearth on the meticulously created map that is the kingdom of Hallownest.
All of that is depicted in a gloomy but expressive visual style that gives the cute bug people who live their lives and have their own stories to tell. It can be a complex and demanding game, but the reward you receive will be worth far more than the effort you put in.
Hollow Knight: Silksong, the sequel, is currently under construction. It appears to be coming out before June 2023.
9. Celeste
A delightful masterwork is Celeste. It has some of the best and most difficult 2D platforming since Super Meat Boy, with levels that are equally difficult to understand as they are enjoyable to accomplish.
Celeste’s best-in-class jumping and sprinting, a meaningful and heartfelt story and a fantastic soundtrack make it a genuinely emotional game, even when your feet are securely on the ground. This is the game’s most outstanding achievement.
Earthblade, a “2D explore-action game in a seamless pixel art environment,” will be released in 2024.
8. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Along with returning favorites like Balloon Fight and Bob-omb Blast, Mario Kart 8’s reprise on the Nintendo Switch also adds a brand-new “cops and thieves” team game called Renegade Roundup, all of the fantastic DLC levels, and even some Splatoon universe guests.
Even if the game isn’t brand-new, it deserves to be played by more people immediately on the Switch. With over 48 million copies sold thus far and more to come, it is the most popular Switch game to date: By the end of 2023, the Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass will have added 48 new courses to the game.
7. Hades
Although roguelikes aren’t always popular, Hades has managed to convert even the most adamant opponents. The Greek underworld is a brutal and challenging place to escape, but every failure is rewarded in an exhilarating way.
The breaks between each run allow you to learn more about Hades’ endearing companions and develop a closer relationship with them, in addition to advancing the skills and armor of the prince of the underworld.
This prevents you from adding up each defeat and going on to the next. Hades is as delicious as Ambrosia because of its well-balanced advancement, endlessly repeating escape attempts, and superb writing, art, and action.
6. Luigi’s Mansion 3
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a FrankenLuigistein’s monster of the original two games—a combination of both that offers the ultimate Luigi’s Mansion adventure. The 17 levels of charming, cunning, and breathtakingly beautiful Luigi’s Mansion are pure ghost-hunting bliss.
Making your way through each of the haunted hotels won’t be very difficult, but the inventive boss battles and cunningly placed collectibles will keep you occupied for at least a dozen hours.
In addition, the game starts with Toad operating a bus, so the thrill of reaching a new level only to see its theme (TV Studio! Sewer Maze! Egypt!) is well worth the admission fee. Priceless.
5. Metroid Dread
When Metroid Dread was revealed as a Switch game at E3 2021, it had almost reached mythic status as a rumored DS title that had never been released. Expectations were extremely high, given the last updated 2D Metroid was released about 20 years ago. Thankfully for fans, Dread exceeded anticipations for what a contemporary 2D Metroid game could achieve.
The Flash Shift alone makes Dread feel completely new. It’s undoubtedly the smoothest game in the series, running at a silky 60 frames per second and incorporating several new weapons and abilities the series can’t live without.
Mercury Steam blew Metroid Dread out of the water. It brought the series back into Nintendo’s orbit with excellent production standards, a unique game design that gently guides the player through ZDR’s maze-like passageways, and the most unyielding Samus we’ve seen.
The upgraded port of the original Metroid Prime game for the Nintendo GameCube from 2002 is now available.
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, published right before a global pandemic, gave many people a much-needed respite and has since sold approximately 34 million copies.
Planning the ideal layout for your island, making friends (or enemies) with your villagers, and inviting your pals to your little utopia to trade goods and secrets all play equally vital roles in the game.
It is masterful in motivating players to complete tasks, remodel and reshape vast plots of land, or spend countless hours trying to catch rare fish or locate every seasonal item.
It is excellent in its simplicity. It certainly helps that every piece of writing is hilarious and that, even after countless hours, you can still giggle at a random remark or find real inspiration in the unlikeliest places.
While Animal Crossing New Horizons does little to revolutionize the genre totally, it does make a fantastic series even more approachable, thrilling, and lovely than it has ever been by taking inspiration from several of Nintendo’s Switch adaptations of its long-running titles.
In Japan, New Horizons is the game that has sold the most copies overall. With the Happy Home Paradise DLC, Animal Crossing gamers may receive even more from the competition. According to our reviewer Taylor Lyles, base game owners “must have” the expansion.
3. Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is a masterwork of 3D platforming that skillfully combines the best features of almost every Mario game with a wide range of new gameplay techniques to produce a work that is at once brave and nostalgic.
While experienced veterans will stick beyond the credits to unlock the hundreds of challenges that await their skill and talent, new players will appreciate stomping around the colorful and expansive new realms.
Told, Super Mario Odyssey is one of the best Super Mario games ever created and is pure, divine bliss. On March 9, a unique Nintendo Direct will feature the final teaser for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
2. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
It is true to say that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the pinnacle iteration of Nintendo’s brawler series, which has been around for 20 years. It’s a celebration of Smash Bros., crammed to the gills with over 1000 more characters from various gaming genres and featuring more combatants and levels than ever.
Nintendo has impressively backed up the slogan “Everyone is here!” even though it was initially another tagline. As a result, Ultimate has become the standard-bearer for Smash Bros. games for a very long time.
It’s simple to get lost in Ultimate because it has a 20+ hour single-player mode with intense boss battles and expansive globe layouts. With that moniker, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate had a lot to live up to, but it indeed succeeded.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the ultimate Best Nintendo Switch Game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gives an unmatched sense of freedom and size in the palm of your hand, and let’s face it, the Zelda franchise was long overdue for a significant update.
Breath of the Wild, now regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made, follows an epic tale as you glide, cook, and fight across a gorgeously depopulated version of Hyrule.
It quickly catapulted The Legend of Zelda to the top spot on our list and in our hearts by revitalizing it in a way that fans had only imagined.
The top spot on our most recent ranking of the top 100 video games ever went to Breath of the Wild. The much-awaited sequel, the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, debuts on May 12.
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