April 2, 2025

Well folks, today is the day! By the time this post hits, we’ll all officially be in the age of the Nintendo Switch 2! With my hype at an all time high, I wanted to take some time to look back and reflect on my experiences with this new console’s predecessor. The Nintendo Switch is one of my favorite consoles of all time and some of its games rank among my favorites. The console’s incredible lineup of games has grown to an insane degree over the years, and as my collection and experiences with the console continue to grow even to this day, let me gush over my top ten favorite switch titles.

Now, for clarity and fairness, all of these games will be first-party, Nintendo Switch exclusives. This means that even games that I love that launched on the Switch (like Travis Strikes Again, No More Heroes III, and Shin Megami Tensei V) and games that I have the most experience with on the Switch (like Hollow Knight) will not be included. With that said, let’s get to it!

10. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

This is a slight cheat since this is a remake of a title available on other titles. However, this Switch exclusive version presents a new experience that instantly captivated me on its release. Of course, this game’s art style is likely the element that will stand out to players the most. It is simply adorable and adds so much to the already cozy nature of the game.

I’m not the biggest cozy game fan, but games like this really make me feel like one. Link’s Awakening is so cozy, while still presenting engaging combat and puzzles that will appeal to people that aren’t really in to cozier titles. Everything about this game is so charming and fun. Anytime I’m looking for a chill, engaging time, I pop in Link’s Awakening. It never fails to disappoint.

9. Splatoon 3

I love the Splatoon games. While I’m far from an expert in them competitively, I had a blast playing the original on Wii U. I didn’t play Splatoon 2 nearly as much, but by the time Splatoon 3 came around, I was ready to dive back in. Splatoon 3 is not only my most played Splatoon titled, but one of my most played Switch titles in general.

This game took over my life for a little while. Having Salmon Run available all the time was huge, plus this game features my favorite base game campaign out of the trilogy. The only reason I have this game so low is because I haven’t played it as much recently (my online game focus is elsewhere). But this game is a blast and the single-player offerings alone make this a game worth coming back to, especially after DLC.

8. Super Mario Party

Speaking of my most played game in a franchise…

Super Mario Party is my most played Mario Party game by a long shot. This game is straight to the point – it may not have the biggest stage counts or character rosters in the franchise, but it makes up for that by presenting a simple, fun Mario Party experience.

Some of my fondest experiences with friends on the platform come from this game! It’s hectic, competitive, and random, but in the best ways possible. There are so many little things that make me enjoy this game more, too. From the little gimmicks of using more than one Switch console to the team cheer mechanic, this game is tons of fun and genuinely means a lot to me!

7. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

From this point on, all of these games are nearly interchangeable in terms of how much I enjoy them. Because wow, I adore this game. It is such a triumphant, beautiful, and creative breath of fresh air.

Coming after years of receptive New Super Mario Bros. levels and game design, the incredible art design alone would have been enough for this to invigorate the Super Mario Bros. series. But on top of that, the developers decided to completely reinvent what a Super Mario Bros. game could be, with non-linear levels, a huge cast of characters, strange new mechanics, and so much more. This game is simply a triumph. I’ll really never forget the joy I felt obsessing over its trailers and finally playing it for the first time.

6. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby and the Forgotten Land did for the entire Kirby franchise what Super Mario Bros. Wonder did for the Super Mario Bros. series. This is an instant classic of both 3D platforming and family-friendly adventure titles.

I adore so many ideas here – Kirby’s mouthful mode transformation, the post-apocalyptic world, fun hubworld mini-games. All of the ideas are so rich and they come together to make such an enjoyable experience. I’m very excited to see where 3D Kirby goes from here.

5. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

I’ve always been a fan of Super Mario 3D World. With the pitch of this game essentially being a faster, better, portable version of a game I already enjoyed with an expansion that pushes the 3D Mario formula forward… I was bound to love it.

And I do! This updated version of Super Mario 3D World is an absolute treat. The speed increase from the original version to the Switch version was an unnecessary change, but it’s so perfect that I can’t imagine the game speed being any slower. And Bowser’s Fury is really just the icing on top!

4. Super Mario Odyssey

The top four games of my list are all mind-blowing titles that could very well be some of my favorite games of all time. Super Mario Odyssey is a magical experience from start to finish. It is insanely polished; genuinely, this may be the best feeling game you’ll ever play in terms of movement and responsiveness.

A lot of great Switch games feel like they push boundaries by introducing multiple big ideas, whereas lesser games would only focus on one. Odyssey is packed full of so many different ideas and each one feels so fully fleshed out. I love the capture mechanic, and even if this is the only game that features it, I feel like it was really pushed to its limits.

3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super. Smash. Brothers. Ultimate. What else can you even say about this game? The buildup to release and DLC speculation for this game was magical. Genuinely some of the most excitement I’ve felt towards a game came from Ultimate.

Maybe the gameplay isn’t the most exciting competitively post-DLC, but this is still fun for me to play to this day with by myself or with friends. And having a game with content from Kingdom Hearts, Undertale, No More Heroes, Persona, and so many other series that I love in one place is unreal. This is an unforgettable game.

2. Metroid Dread

A great Metroid-vania game is one I want to replay over and over again on increasingly harder difficulties. And this game certainly had that effect on me.

Metroid Dread has some of the best gameplay in any modern Metroid-vania. I absolutely adore the movement and action in Dread. All of Samus’ abilities work together so well and open up possibilities in the world that feel impossible at points. And the well-made movement and selection of abilities is made even better by a great selection of platforming challenges and bosses to take on.

There’s just so much I love about this game. Samus’ new suits look awesome. The final boss is fantastic. And the atmosphere (at points) is some of the best in the Metroid series. This is a phenomenal game.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I really went back and forth on the top few choices in this list. But, after further reflection, I think there is no better game to top this list than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’ve used this word for a few games on this list so far, but truly, this game is magic.

The first time I played this game on the undocked Switch is a moment I will never forget. It’s beautiful, vast, innovative, and, above all, fun. I’d love to do a full review of this game one day, but to avoid writing too much and covering topics that have been covered to death, I’ll end this by saying that Breath of the Wild is my favorite Nintendo Switch game.