Despite the rumours of a successor on the horizon, the Nintendo Switch continued to excel throughout 2023 with several excellent new releases. The system’s catalogue has grown impressively large with tons of titles to enjoy, and the list will likely continue to grow over the next year.
Last year, I ranked the top ten Nintendo Switch exclusives in 2023, but since so many great games were released in the meantime, I feel like this list is in need of an update.
Like last year, this list will only feature first- and second-party titles, which means that they must be either developed internally within Nintendo or published in cooperation with the company. For example, even though Pokémon titles are developed by Game Freak, they’re still eligible to appear on the list (spoiler alert: they won’t).
Something important to note is that anything featured on last year’s list is automatically disqualified from appearing on this one. It just keeps things more interesting! If you have a favourite game and it doesn’t appear on this list, consider checking out last year’s edition – there’s a good chance it was listed there.
Now let’s get into it: here are my top ten Nintendo Switch exclusives!
As popular as it might be, the Mario Party franchise has been in a bit of a rut since NDcube took over development of the series starting with Mario Party 9. The series, which once brimmed with personality and charm, became another cookie-cutter Mario experience with flawed mechanics and a lack of interesting ideas.
Even NDcube’s attempt to return to form with 2018’s Super Mario Party was lacklustre. It was a step in the right direction for the franchise but couldn’t live up to the heights of its predecessors.
It was then that NDcube seemingly realized they didn’t have to fix what was never broken, and the best way to return the series to its former glory would be to remake the original experience for a new generation. That’s what Mario Party Superstars is: a “superstar” collection of some of the series’ original game boards remade in glorious high definition.
If you’re hoping to scratch that old-school Mario Party itch, look no further. All of that excitement, laughter and infuriation is here, and it feels like the series has finally started to find its footing again.
The only major concern with Mario Party Superstars isn’t in its quality; it’s the quantity that’s an issue. The game only contains five boards, which does not quite line up with the six to eight boards each game would get in the series’ heyday. The boards are replayable and each one has a lot to love, but it would have been nice to get another board or two to increase the amount of content in the package.
If you can look past the limited amount of content, there’s still tons of fun to be had in the series’ best entry in years. Just be warned: your friendships need to be pretty strong to survive a round of Mario Party – just like the good old days.
9) Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a remake of the original 2011 Wii classic, and it’s just as good as ever. The original game was a return to form for the Kirby series after several years of spinoffs and side games, and it’s lauded as one of the best games in the series.
After playing Deluxe, it’s not hard to see why. This is Kirby goodness in its fullest form: a bouncy, cheery, light adventure that brings out the best in the franchise and allows players to experience the world with four-person multiplayer.
The level design here is fantastic, and there’s quite a bit more content than in Kirby’s previous 2D outing, Kirby Star Allies. There’s also a brand-new epilogue starring Magolor, an intergalactic traveller Kirby meets on his journey. It’s a short side story, but its unique gameplay complements the main game experience.
Those who are interested in this game should be advised that, much like most Kirby titles, the game is on the easier side. It’s not hard to breeze through this journey, so those looking for a challenge should probably look elsewhere. Regardless of the difficulty, however, there’s a lot to love about this adventure, even if it’s not your first time returning to Dream Land.
This spiritual successor to Wii Fit attempts to throw fitness gaming back into the spotlight, and while it might never recapture the same feeling as playing on the Wii Balance Board, it comes pretty darn close.
The game’s equivalent to the Balance Board is the all-new Ring-Con, a large plastic ring that the player controls by squeezing and stretching. Unlike Wii Fit, which contains a series of independent minigames, Ring Fit Adventure has a story mode where the player defeats monsters using their Ring-Con.
If it sounds easy, think again: the game provides a legitimate workout that will get you sweating even harder than Wii Fit. It’s a great experience that successfully integrates fitness into a fun story mode, and it’s worth trying for anyone who has fond memories of Wii Fit.
As a fitness game, it’s definitely not for everyone – but if you’re hoping to get a good workout and have fun while doing it, maybe it’s time to put a Ring on it.
After several increasingly boring iterations of the “New Super Mario Bros.” series, Wonder is exactly the kind of re-invention that the series needed. The game creates all sorts of unique and unexpected moments for the player and the new art style allows characters to be much more expressive and interesting.
The game embraces its weirdness, most notably through the new “Wonder Flower,” one of which appears in every level and creates a unique effect to alter the level.
Upon touching a Wonder Flower, stars might rain down from the sky, pipes might come to life or Mario could even transform into a Goomba. There’s a near-limitless amount of creativity on display here, almost as though the developers knew they needed to bounce back after the monotonous days of New Super Mario Bros.
Like Kirby, the game is a bit easy, although there are some challenges when going for 100% completion. It’s unfortunate, however, that the challenge isn’t a bit more consistent throughout the journey.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder has a surprise around every corner, and the only consistent thing about the entire experience is its inconsistency. This might sound like a bad thing, but it’s exactly what the series needed, and it shows that the future of 2D Mario is more wonderful than ever.
Metroid Dread is the first original 2D Metroid game in almost 20 years, and the series really returned with a bang. The game sees the intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran trying to escape Planet ZDR, where she finds mysterious new threats and areas to explore.
The game retains the series’ original Metroidvania gameplay, but thanks to the increased processing power of the Nintendo Switch, the areas are more eerie and atmospheric than ever. The sights and sounds of Planet ZDR create a moody, creepy feeling as you navigate this strange world, and there’s a constantly unsettling feeling as you try to escape to the planet’s surface.
The best moments of the game are the areas where the Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifier robots – or E.M.M.I.s – are present. In these contained areas, Samus must quietly navigate the E.M.M.I.’s territory as it hunts for unapproved lifeforms. E.M.M.I.s are terrifying technological beasts that can hear Samus when she’s nearby and will rapidly chase her if she is detected. Worst of all, if an E.M.M.I. captures Samus, it will instantly kill her regardless of her current health (unless the player manages to complete a perfectly timed button input, which is incredibly difficult to pull off).
These areas are genuinely terrifying, and even when the E.M.M.I. is off-screen or in a different room, there’s an unnerving feeling knowing that it’s on the prowl, always hunting you down. The game is incredibly effective at making the player genuinely feel uncomfortable, and its ability to do so secures Metroid Dread as one of the best games on Nintendo Switch.
I hesitated to include two 2D Mario games on the same list, but they’re both so good that it’d be wrong to exclude either of them.
Super Mario Maker 2 is an evolution of its predecessor on Wii U, and it allows players to create their own 2D Mario levels using a variety of tools. These levels can then be uploaded online for others to enjoy, meaning there is essentially an infinite supply of Mario levels to enjoy in this package.
Whether you love to create or you just like to play, there’s excellent value in this game. Since anyone can create a level, that means there are some really terribly designed ones out there, but there are just as many brilliant levels that make use of people’s creativity and love of the franchise. It’s a game that can basically go on forever, and while not every level is a winner, there’s no way to complain about the amount of great content on display here.
4) Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
This is a port of the Wii U’s already fantastic Super Mario 3D World, but this version is better in just about every way.
As the name implies, this is a 3D Mario adventure, but it’s not an open sandbox like Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Odyssey. The game is much more linear, but don’t be dismayed: there’s a lot of creativity and smart level design to enjoy here, and similar to Super Mario Bros. Wonder, there are tons of surprises to keep players on their toes.
There are tons of levels to enjoy here with eight main worlds, four postgame worlds, and plenty of collectables in each stage. Anyone can start playing the game and have fun going through its levels, but you’ll have to be an expert if you want to beat the postgame, creating a very satisfying level of difficulty.
As if that wasn’t enough, the game also comes with the all-new “Bowser’s Fury” side story, which is an open-world environment containing several islands and more collectables to find. It’s not the longest, but its mechanics do a fantastic job complementing the main game, and it’s a phenomenal addition to the Wii U classic.
With four-player local and online multiplayer, there’s tons to enjoy here. It might not be the most famous Super Mario game, but it’d be a crime not to include it on this list anyway.
3) Pikmin 4
Here we have Pikmin 4, the undeniable pinnacle of the Pikmin franchise.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Pikmin games see the protagonist explore an oversized planet with the help of tiny creatures called Pikmin, whom the player can command to lift large objects and break open passages.
The game operates on a timer, meaning you must strategize to use your Pikmin efficiently during every in-game day and collect them before nightfall, when uncollected Pikmin will be lost to predators in the night. It is a wonderful experience that requires smart thinking in real-time, and it’s perfect for anyone who enjoys testing their mental skills with puzzles or strategy.
Pikmin 4 comes with a slew of new features such as “Dandori challenges,” which really put your strategy skills to the test; and nighttime exploration, which flips the gameplay into something akin to a tower defence game. Every bit of the game’s design is brilliant, and it’s constantly engaging through the many hours of content available.
Over the course of the game, you will become attached to your Pikmin, and it will pain you every time you lose one to the dangers of the mysterious planet, but that’s all part of the experience. This game requires quick thinking and smart strategizing, but for those who are up to the challenge, there are many hours of Dandori fun to be had here.
Last year, I wrote that 2023’s Fire Emblem Engage surprised me as one of the best games on Switch, and one year later I can firmly say that its predecessor, 2019’s Three Houses, is even better.
Three Houses retains the classic Fire Emblem gameplay, which is as compelling and satisfying as ever. The game makes use of several complex systems and stats, but once you’ve mastered these aspects, you’ll feel like a genius as you command your units across the battlefield.
Three Houses goes a step above Engage with its storytelling. The game has one of the smartest stories I’ve ever seen in a Nintendo game, and it will leave you wondering who to trust and whether you’ve made the right decisions along the way.
Speaking of decisions, your choices are incredibly important here – more so than any other Nintendo game I’ve ever played. The game has a few moments in which you must make key choices to progress the story, and your decisions impact who you fight for and the ultimate outcome of the story. It’s a case where your choices hold legitimate weight, and as such, the game can be replayed several times to experience every story route and it’s just as engaging every time.
The game can take anywhere from 30 to 50 hours to beat on an average playthrough, but that’s just to beat one story route. If you want to complete every path, you can expect to spend 150 to 200 hours exploring the land of Fódlan.
Fire Emblem games can be intimidating, especially to newcomers, but those who devote themselves to understanding the game’s mechanics and story will have a wonderful time experiencing this massive journey.
1) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Here it is: the best game on Nintendo Switch.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an evolution of its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, which revolutionized open-world games through the freedom it allowed the player. That game took the first-place slot on last year’s list, and it’s unsurprising that its successor would end up doing the same.
Tears of the Kingdom builds on its predecessor in every imaginable way, extending the explorable area high into the skies and deep underground. Link’s new abilities allow him to traverse the world more creatively than ever before, meaning the world of Hyrule truly becomes a massive playground for the imagination.
The game’s central focus is Link’s new ability Ultrahand, which allows him to freely move objects at will and attach them together to create unique contraptions and machines. Many tools can be attached to machines such as wheels, fans and lasers, which ingeniously work together to create fully-fledged vehicles and machines based on the way the player attaches the objects.
This is nothing less than an incredible feat in game design, and it encourages the player to be creative in a way no other Nintendo game has. Essentially, Tears of the Kingdom’s ethos is that the world is a giant sandbox filled with toys to play with, and it’s up to the player how they choose to experience it.
Tears of the Kingdom might not be as revolutionary as Breath of the Wild once was, but it is undeniably a masterclass in game design that puts player freedom at the forefront of the experience. It is a must-play game, and I feel comfortable calling this not just the grandest Switch game ever released, but the grandest Nintendo game of all time.
—
Remember that this list is solely made up of my opinions, and mine alone. You might completely disagree with my rankings, but that’s the beauty of art: there’s nothing objective about it, but it can create wonderful discussions and celebrations when two people don’t see eye to eye. Regardless, I hope this list gives you some ideas of what to pick up next – even if a next-generation system is right around the corner.