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The 10 best Nintendo Switch games ever

Here are the top-rated titles, according to Metacritic.

by Robin Bea
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
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Five years after launch, the Nintendo Switch is still going strong (sorry to anyone who was hoping for the Switch Pro by now). It’s amassed an incredible library in that time, with a few surprising titles among its best-rated games.

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Here are the 10 best Nintendo Switch games, according to Metacritic.

10. Celeste

Metascore: 92

Matt Makes Games

Nintendo may have a cheery reputation, but Switch players clearly have a thing for incredibly challenging games. Celeste is a tough-as-nails platformer (with generous difficulty tuning options) that rewards persistence with a moving story of self discovery.

Matt Makes Games
9. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Metascore: 93

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The gargantuan Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a celebration of Nintendo’s history, with characters and stages pulled from decades of the company’s games. It also happens to be one of the best multiplayer games on Switch.

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8. Undertale

Metascore: 93

Toby Fox

Surreal turn-based RPG Undertale has a massive cult following, but it’s still surprising to see it ranked among the Switch’s biggest games. Undertale is a hilarious, heartfelt adventure that overturns gaming tropes left and right.

Toby Fox
7. Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Metascore: 93

Moon Studios

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is one of the best platformers in years with a one-of-a-kind art style. With its sweeping score and tight controls, it’s a propulsive game that feels like an evolution of the genre that Nintendo’s earliest hits were built on.

Moon Studios
6 . Divinity: Original Sin II

Metascore: 93

Larian

Larian

Turn-based tactical RPGs are having a moment, with some of the best games in the genre at home on the Switch. Divinity: Original Sin II is one of the best and densest among them, with deep, interlocking combat mechanics and an epic fantasy story.

5. Hades

Metascore: 93

Supergiant

Supergiant

In 2020, the mythological roguelike Hades dominated gaming conversations. The Switch version’s portability made it even more enticing since you never really needed to put it down except to sleep.

4. Tetris Effect: Connected

Metascore: 94

Resonair

Resonair

A game must be doing something right if it still feels fresh this long after its initial release. Tetris Effect: Connected is the best Tetris yet, with psychedelic visuals and multiplayer modes that turn the puzzle game into a transcendent, social experience.

3. The House in Fata Morgana

Metascore: 96

HuneX

Probably the biggest surprise on the list is The House in Fata Morgana. This massive visual novel is a gothic tale of love and revenge that’s deeply moving, but often uncomfortable. More story than game, it fits well on the easy-to-pick-up Switch.

HuneX
2. Super Mario Odyssey

Metascore: 97

Nintendo

Nintendo

Where would Nintendo be without Mario? The high-jumping plumber put Nintendo on the map and the series is still innovating decades after the original. Super Mario Odyssey is Mario’s wildest journey yet and a must-have Switch game.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Metascore: 97

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What else was it going to be? Breath of the Wild broke all the rules of Nintendo’s best franchise and changed open-world games in the process. While you’re waiting patiently for the sequel, Breath of the Wild is just as good the second (or third, or fourth) time through.

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