Best Nintendo Switch Games 2023

Whether you own the standard Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, or Switch OLED model, you’ll want to know the best games to own and play.

Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place – in this guide, we’ll detail all the must-have Switch titles to consider adding to your library.

The Pocket-lint team is constantly testing the latest Switch games for review, which means we’re able to provide a comprehensive list of the very best available right now.

Super Mario Odyssey

1. Best Overall

The best corner

Nintendo’s mascot returns in this beautiful and spirited game.

Benefits

• It looks so good
• Amazing platform
• Endless replay options

One of the best 3D platformers ever made, Nintendo’s great Mario game on Switch is an absolute masterpiece, with gorgeous levels and an all-pervading sense of fun.

There are countless moons to find, and when you finish the game you will realize how much there is left to do if you feel like it.

Nintendo / Pocket plushies

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

2. Best open world

Breathtaking Freedom

Somehow improving on Breath of the Wild, there’s nothing else quite like Tears of the Kingdom.

Benefits

• unreal freedom
• beautiful world
• poignant story
• So so much to do

Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to the amazing Breath of the Wild and somehow improves on the near perfection of that game. This time around the world is denser and full of life and characters to meet, and the powers you exercise are all the more free and extensive.

Pushing the Switch to its technical limit, it’s a game that puts more powerful consoles to shame, and a must-have game for Switch owners.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

3. Best Runner

Race without equal

A jam-packed holiday classic, Mario Kart 8 feels like pure racing mayhem from the comfort of your couch.

Benefits

• Incredible go-karting
• Perfect for parties
• Simple but awesome

The inconvenients

• Some tracks require a paid pass

The most iconic racing game has become a massive hit on the Switch, despite technically being a re-release of the underplayed Wii U version. This kart racer looks brilliant and feels just fantastic to play, with old-school driving and item mayhem.

It’s the perfect game for a party, with furious last-second overtaking and incredible losses guaranteed.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

4. Best Board Game

fantasy brawler

One of the most complete fighting games ever released, and huge loads of fun too.

Benefits

• Perfect combat mechanics
• Goofy items
• Many trainees and observers

A roster of fighters so huge that ultimate is really the only word – Smash Bros has been adding to its lineup for years and it was only recently that it was all cut short by adding Sora, its newest fighter. Still, there’s so much fun to be had here, especially in an expanded single-player mode.

Play it competitively, even if only against your friends, and you’ll truly see the power of Smash Bros, though, with mechanics that are easy to learn but have a staggering stratospheric skill ceiling.

underworld

5. Better replayability

amazing roguelike

A near-perfect roguelike that lets you unfold a story through time.

Benefits

• beautiful art
• Great voice cast
• Addictive game

The inconvenients

• Starts a little difficult

A stunner of an indie release, Hades is one of the best roguelike games ever released. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, and must try again and again to escape the underworld. As you go, you’ll get random boosts and attacks so each run is different from the last.

It’s brilliant and addictive, but a wonderfully told story is what really ties it all together, showing empathy to a wide range of characters you’ll come to know and love over time.

hollow knight

6. Better Side Scrolling

Superb exploration

A little party game that we loved exploring.

Benefits

• great art
• so atmospheric
• High Skill Cap

The inconvenients

• Solid difficulty to face

One of the best Metroidvania games ever made, this hand-drawn sidescroller is simply lavish, with a mysterious and melancholic world to explore underground.

It’s challenging and doesn’t hold your hand too much, but it’s one of the most rewarding games we’ve played in ages.

Metroid Dread

7. Great for strains

Difficult action

$47 $50 Save $3

A challenging but very rewarding platform game.

Benefits

• big map
• interesting powers
• Moments of tension

Metroid itself is doing well, however, with the surprise arrival of a new 2D platformer in 2021, in the form of the proper Metroid title Dread. This is a great reimagining of the series’ formula and legacy. You play as Samus Aran again, but this time you are less powerful than ever.

With plenty of occasions where all you can do is run, it’s a frenetic affair, but hugely rewarding as you progress.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

8. Best Strategy

Strategy Jewel

A brilliant strategy game with a fun social simulation to complement.

Benefits

• Incredible battles
• Fun cast
• Strategic depth

A superb RPG, Three Houses brings Fire Emblem into the current generation of consoles with aplomb. You’ll encounter a wide array of likable characters in this combat strategy game, but you won’t be able to save them all and tough choices will come your way quickly.

Three Houses tells a gripping story and has some really good strategic puzzles to solve, and it’s only playable on Switch, so we highly recommend giving it a try.

nintendo

Metroid Prime Remastered

9. Best shooter

brain shooter

A nice new coat of paint revitalizes this essential shooter – it now works like a dream on the Switch and deserves a revisit.

Benefits

• Incredible atmosphere
• Great New Controls
• Looks great
• Fantastic soundtrack

The Metroid renaissance continued in 2023 with this beautiful remaster of the first Metroid Prime game, which looks brand new on the Switch and plays like a dream.

It feels just as intuitive and groundbreaking now as it did when it was first released for the Game Cube, with interesting exploration and bonuses to find. Its brooding and melancholic tone is the perfect garnish for its engrossing shooter gameplay.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

10. Best Family Game

Open world fun

$50 $60 Save $10

This fun open-world revolution for Pokémon feels like a real step forward for the series, with some technical issues along the way.

Benefits

• Excellent open world
• Great New Monsters
• Engaging Co-op

The inconvenients

• very slippery
• Visually disappointing

We weren’t sure at launch when there were a lot of bugs, but the reality is that Scarlet and Violet deliver the closest thing we’ve tried to a brand new Pokemon game. Their open world is truly liberating, even if it’s not as tightly edited as those that came before it.

It’s got some lovely new monsters to find and catch, a decent co-op system to make playing together very doable, and some really fun areas to explore, all without too many constraints.