The Nintendo Switch has been home to an almost overwhelming number of great games since its launch in 2017. Many of them have appeared on other platforms – even standalone titles. Popular setups or huge AAA releases are taking the second storm on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid — but the console is also home to a host of fantastic exclusive titles.
We’ve put together the best exclusive Switch games, in no particular order, for your review below. If you don’t care about exclusivity, see Best Nintendo Switch game A guide to the top 50 best games on the platform, period.
All games below are available only on Nintendo Switch and can’t currently be found on PC or any other platform. This meant we had to say goodbye to some entries like Octopath’s Traveler and Monster Hunter Rise (and the Nintendo console also counts, oops Breath of the Wild and Super Mario World 3D – though definitely check out Switch-exclusive Bowser’s Fury bit). As exclusive experiences not found elsewhere, these games form the basis of the Switch’s software library. Naturally, you will find a lot of first-party titles.
Regardless of who made them, the following represent our picks for the best Switch exclusives.
Please note that some of the external links on this page are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and make a purchase, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read ours Disclosure of FTC for more information.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Nintendo
Super Mario Odyssey arguably Nintendo’s best hour on Nintendo Switch to date, returning Mario to the sandbox-style environment of Super Mario 64. The pure creativity and inventiveness on display is astounding, thanks in large part to the introduction of Cappy, Mario’s signature hat that he can use to make moves. Crazy and possess enemies to solve puzzles. If the feature isn’t on your Switch yet, what are you waiting for?
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Nintendo
Splatoon 3 more similar, but fine-tuned to mechanical perfection. It’s the most fun we’ve had with an online shooter in years, and for series veterans, it creates Splatoon 2 feels completely redundant for all but its unique single-player content. Looks like the dev team took care of every single issue the Splatoon community was worried about, and then fixed some other issues that we didn’t even realize were issues until they were fixed. There’s nothing revolutionary about it compared to its predecessors, and it’s probably missing a Big New Idea you might expect in five years, but Splatoon 3 is the pinnacle of the series and the culmination of the series. Shooting game on Switch.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New Horizons take the series and not only drag it back to the home console, but improve in every conceivable aspect. Much to do, much to see, much to change, much to mold, and much to love; fans and first-timers will find themselves spending hours and hours gathering materials, creating new furniture, and making their island undeniably their. Every moment is a thing of shameless happiness, with brilliantly written characters that feel truly alive and an island paradise that offers a multitude of uses. Come back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf hit shelves years ago and spawned a whole new generation of fans, many of whom wondered how Nintendo could top it, but here we have the answer. This is a masterpiece worth buying a Switch (or two) to play with.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Nintendo
Speaking of creativity and cutting things out, Nintendo has gone and reinvented itself twice in a single generation with the introduction of Nintendo Labo. This solves the problem of all those plastic peripherals you have lying around the house from previous Nintendo consoles by making the peripherals out of cardboard. That doesn’t take away from the magic, though – you can play the piano, ride a motorcycle and make friends with a small pet inside a toy house. All in cardboard and your Nintendo Switch.
The Labo Toy Con 04: VR Kit even lets you explore the world of VR with just your Switch, a pair of lenticular plastic goggles and a bunch of rubber bands and plastic O-rings. And, of course, cardboard. It’s awesome and it also allows you to experience some other titles including Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and even Super Smash Bros. in special VR modes.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Arika
Exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, Tetris 99 offers a truly unique way to play the tried and tested classic, even if the overall package feels a bit light. Basically, a battle royale that takes Tetris, plays it live against 98 other people is chaotic, and the action feels fast, accurate, and amazingly addictive. It’s also very difficult – we want to have a chance in Fortnite on any given day – and we were impressed with the fact that it forced us to play the game with a completely different approach from our usual slow and steady. Signing up for Nintendo Switch Online just to play this game can take some time, but if you’re already a member, what are you waiting for? It’s ‘free’ and it will probably become your next favorite time sink.
Publishing company: Shin’en Multimedia / Developers: Shin’en Multimedia
While Nintendo fans are begging themselves for a new one F-Zero (Seriously Ninth, it’s time), the people at Shin’en Multimedia weren’t in the mood to beg. Instead, the developer just goes and does Fast franchise on the Nintendo platform. You have a wide variety of vehicles, tracks and an unparalleled sense of speed. Unrivaled, that is, until Nintendo pulled its finger out. F-Zero is actually quite different, but until that comes out, Fast RMX is filling the anti-grav speed racing void admirably.
Publishing company: Ubisoft / Developers: Ubisoft
Mario Kingdom Battle + Rabbids surprised us all when it came out. Who would have thought that a XCOMCan Ubisoft’s compelling strategy RPG featuring Mario and Rabbids be as good?! So good, in fact, that it remains one of the best Nintendo Switch exclusives to this day.
Publishing company: Sidebar game / Developers: Sidebar game
Golf Story like a spiritual successor to Mario plays golf on Game Boy Color, where it combines RPG gameplay with golf. It’s an odd combination, perhaps more exotic, that works really well. You’ll explore eight unique environments, solving the world’s problems (and your own!) by hitting them with a golf ball.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Soft monolith
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is the sequel to arguably the best JRPG on the Nintendo Wii (Now available on Switch) and very, very good game, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a genuine masterpiece and the highlight of Monolith Soft’s amazing series to date. There’s a surprisingly emotional and edgy epic to get stuck here, a sprawling and wildly engaging story with an unforgettable cast of characters backed by some of the best battles we’ve come to love. happy to have captured this genre so far. More than 100 hours into this one, we’re as hooked now as we were when we first started it and it’s more than just delivering every bit of adventure, emotion and action that the artist has. Its main technique promises to have. Aionios awaits, it’s time to seize the future.
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Koei Tecmo
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order not a groundbreaking, narrative-heavy reimagining of the comic book characters you know and love, but then again, neither are the first two games. In that respect, it’s a very honest sequel, tapping into the huge roster of characters from the comics while including plenty of nods to the current state of the more modern Marvel Cinematic Universe. While it doesn’t do anything particularly new or outstanding, it delivers the brainless fun of fiery battle with gusto and it’s at its best when played with a super team. player-controlled. Wonderful!
Publishing company: Nintendo / Developers: Nintendo
We love ARM and we won’t hear a single bad word about it. Nintendo doesn’t just make a game in a genre, it fits that genre into it – we’ve seen that with Splatoon, reinvented the competitive online shooter and now with ARMS. In many ways, this is a puzzle game as much as it is an action fighter. Given that you’re often fighting enemies from range and your punches take time to land, you really have to try to catch your opponent off guard.
