The Nintendo Switch is rife with high-quality titles. It’s the best console on the market, and has the best first-party developer in the gaming industry in Nintendo. It’s hard to boil down the Nintendo Switch’s best software into just five games, and we admit, our own biases come into play here; it is not a definitive list, merely our opinion. There are too many incredible titles to count, and doing anything other than a top 5 would be bloated. The Nintendo Switch has it all; action-adventure titles, visual novels, RPGs, hack and slash games, shooters; you name it, Nintendo has it. They have incredible first-party and third-party games on the system. For simplicity’s sake, we’re going to stick with first-party games, as they’re the best on the market. Here are our top 5 Nintendo Switch games.
Breath of the Wild
Breath of the Wild may be overrated, but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the best experiences that the Nintendo Switch has to offer. Hyrule is vast, and there’s so much to do. It has endless replayability value, especially given Master Mode, where the game is even harder than normal mode and no small feat to play through. The story may be lacking, and the dungeons may be somewhat bland, but the sheer amount to explore throughout Hyrule makes up for it. It’s a must-play game for anyone who owns a Nintendo Switch.
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is one of, if not the best 3D Mario game, rivaling Super Mario Galaxy for the top spot. It has innovative gameplay mechanics, excellent level design, and a killer soundtrack. Each world is unique in its own way too, creating a level of diversity that is uncommon in games today. Super Mario Odyssey also has more stars in the game than you know what to do with; it takes a lot of time and hard work to collect them all, but ultimately it’s extremely rewarding. The boss fights are a lot of fun, and while the game has the same story as almost every other Mario game, it doesn’t take away from the experience. Super Mario Odyssey is by far one of the best games on Switch and is a must-play.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
You can’t talk about the top 5 Nintendo Switch games without mentioning Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Ultimate isn’t just the best Super Smash Bros. game, but arguably the best fighting game of all-time. This is no joke. With so many characters, stages, game modes, and content available, it surpasses all other Smash Bros. games, including every other fighting game on the market. It may not be a traditional fighting game, but that doesn’t take away from the experience; in fact, it enhances it. Each Smash Bros. game brings something different to the table, but Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of the best experiences on the Nintendo Switch and the greatest fighting game of all-time. That’s quite the accomplishment.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
The Nintendo Switch is ripe with RPGs, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is arguably the best on the system. It has unique gameplay mechanics, an incredible story, excellent characters, and is a lot of fun. It’s also a very long game with tons of content, even after you beat the game. The English voice acting is a bit off, so it’s best to play with the original Japanese voices, but that’s the only complaint I can come up with. The game is that good. As an RPG, it’s a part of the best franchise of the modern era, Xenoblade. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a charming, heartwarming RPG that can be essentially summed up as “boy meets girl.” The gameplay mechanics with using Blades in battles is also something not seen in gaming, and shows the depth of the gameplay and the innovation in its mechanics. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is definitely one of the top 5 games on the Nintendo Switch.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
There’s so much that can be said about Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. While it’s technically a remake (it’s not just a port), it still deserves to be among the top Nintendo Switch games. It’s the best RPG on the system, and it took the remake to make me realize how good the game really is. Originally on the Nintendo Wii, the game was revolutionary and had a massive world, but graphically looked horrible and its inventory system was incredibly unorganized. This has all been fixed in the Definitive Edition. The game redefined what an RPG can be, with unique gameplay mechanics, an incredible story, interesting characters, and wonderful music. It’s not an easy game either, and it’s rather long; my first playthrough clocked in at about 90 hours. There’s so much replayability in this game it’s not even funny, and the Definitive Edition even comes with a brand new epilogue episode that lasts roughly 15 hours. The entire experience defines the quintessential RPG experience, and that’s why it’s among the top 5 games on the Nintendo Switch.