Best First-Party Nintendo Switch Games

Nintendo

has uplifting, light-hearted games that appeal to a wide demographic. Someone doesn’t have to be a kid to appreciate first-party Nintendo Switch games, and these titles are generally the main reason to pick up the console.

The Nintendo company is continually pushing innovation. The graphics aren’t as good on paper as gaming juggernauts like Xbox and PlayStation, yet polished art design makes these games relevant. The Nintendo Switch has accumulated numerous first-party games during its active years. Let’s take a close look at which ones ranked the best.

Along with in-house projects, games developed by studios that are Nintendo partners will also be considered. An argument could be made these are second-party releases, but that term is barely used, so these projects will be included here.

However, games published by Nintendo but developed by third-party studios will be omitted; consequently,

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

,

Fire Emblem Warriors

,

Shin Megami Tensei 5

, and

Bayonetta 3

will be left out.

Pokemon

will also be ignored since Game Freak is an independent developer.

19


Ring Fit Adventure

If someone is a fan of

Wii Fit,


Ring Fit Adventure

has got them covered. In

Ring Fit Adventure

, players must defeat the bodybuilding dragon and his numerous minions by completing exercises. Movements in the game are controlled with the Ring-Con, which attaches to your Joy-Con.

Players will perform exercises like jogging, high knee raises, and numerous other exercises while leveling up. However, if you’re merely looking for a workout,

Ring Fit Adventure

has you covered. One can create customizable workout routines for an unparalleled experience.

18


Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

The 3D platform genre is growing rapidly thanks to the addition of games like

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Originally released for the Wii U in 2014,

Treasure Tracker

is a puzzle game packed with a massive collection of levels for players to complete.

In the Switch version, players will visit various locations, including a couple of new levels inspired by


Super Mario

Odyssey

. This game was also released on the Nintendo 3DS, but undoubtedly,

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

is best played on the Nintendo Switch.

17


WarioWare: Get It Together!

It’s always tough to balance a party game. Too far on one side and the adults have zero interest in playing. Too far on the other side and the kids are perplexed by the controls. Getting that balance right takes just a perfect amount of tinkering.

WarioWare: Get It Together!

does this perfectly with a magnificent cast of characters and minigames that are short, memorable, and rapid-fire. Anybody who attends a party where this is going on, of any age, is in for a treat and will be talking about it after going

home

.

16


Super

Mario

Maker 2

Garnering universal praise when it debuted,

Super Mario Maker 2

faded into the backdrop oddly quickly. Perhaps the game just did not feel different enough from the first entry to have staying power, at least in terms of attracting mainstream attention.

That said,

Super Mario Maker 2

is still a must-own for anyone who loves 2D Mario, particularly if they enjoy creating levels. Those who do not want to take part in that process can enjoy a few pre-installed stages and creations crafted by other users.

15


Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Another Wii U game that was ported to the Switch,

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

is not only a phenomenal platformer by any metric but also one of the best entries in Nintendo’s legendary franchise. Retro Studios, a Nintendo subsidiary, handled the game’s development, building nicely on its work on 2010’s

Donkey Kong Country Returns

.

Tropical Freeze

controls incredibly well, although it does feel fairly different from most other platformers on the market; consequently, newcomers to the series should be prepared for a learning curve.

The Switch version does not add too much to the vanilla iteration, which has been largely par for the course for this type of rerelease. That said, it is the definitive way to experience this title, and the console’s library is enhanced with

Tropical Freeze

‘s inclusion.

14


Luigi’s Mansion 3

Technically,

Luigi’s Mansion 3

was not a first-party game when it came out since it was developed by Next Level Games. However, as the studio has been working exclusively with Nintendo for years and, in 2021, was purchased by the latter,

Luigi’s Mansion 3

is essentially a first-party title.

Once again, Mario’s brother finds himself exploring a spooky hotel filled with Boos and terrors waiting around every corner. While not as creepy as GameCube classic,

Luigi’s Mansion 3

is creative, charming, and gorgeous.

13


Splatoon 3

Splatoon 2

and

3

are both among the best multiplayer experiences on the Nintendo Switch, but the latter’s recency gives it the nod over its precursor. In comparison to its predecessor, which earned criticism for sticking too close to the first game’s formula,

Splatoon 3

offers a more substantial upgrade on what came before.

While the multiplayer modes are still the main focus,

Splatoon 3

incorporates single-player content as well, so players do not have to jump online to enjoy this third-person shooter.

12


Nintendo Labo

The concept of a controller is one that Nintendo challenges. As the world settles in on one way of charging their controllers or button locations, Nintendo questions why catching a

fish

with a rod and reel shouldn’t feel the same way.

Nintendo Labo

is fun for all ages and is as simple or complex as the player’s own imagination. By setting up the controllers in various bits of cardboard, players get a level of immersion they’d ordinarily need VR to harness.

11


Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

Strange as it might be to describe any

Mario

game as “underrated,”

Super Mario 3D World

comes very close to fitting that bill and it is frequently in the running for the best game on the system. Released on the underperforming Wii U,

Super Mario 3D World

is the brilliant sequel to

Super Mario 3D Land

. While staged like the classic platformers, these games add another dimension, basically serving as a link between

Mario

‘s 2D and 3D eras.

Bowser’s Fury

takes a page from

Super Mario Odyssey

, dropping the plumber in a large open space filled with things to collect and challenges to compete. In terms of gameplay, it might just be the most unrestricted in the franchise, although Bowser does show up frequently to distract Mario.

10


Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

was inescapable when it debuted. The game came out at the perfect time as a large percentage of the world was stuck indoors; removed from that context,

New Horizons

is a charming social sim that enjoyed roughly two years of frequent updates.

Now, the game did launch with a fair few missing features that were included in previous entries, so it certainly wasn’t (and still isn’t) perfect. Be that as it may,

New Horizons

still provided millions of people with an island escape when they needed it the most.

9


Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The racing sensation

Mario Kart

is still as enjoyable as it was on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System way back in 1992. The graphics have improved, and features like motion control have revolutionized the series.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

is a remastered version of the Wii U game. It contains a new Battle Mode, gameplay tweaks, new characters, and all the game’s DLC.

Mario Kart


9

couldn’t come soon enough, but at least we have games like

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

for the time being.

8


Super Mario Bros. Wonder

It took a while to happen, but in

2023

, the Nintendo Switch finally received a brand-new traditional 2D

Mario

game.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

finds the legendary mascot heading to the Flower Kingdom on an adventure that blends the familiar with the novel. At its core,

Wonder

delivers the type of magical

Mario

experience that fans have been appreciating for decades; however, unlike the

New Super Mario Bros.

series, the Switch release is far more willing to throw out surprises and twists in the formula. The result is a warm blanket of a game that lives up to its name.

New power-ups, enemy types, and Wonder Flowers await the former plumber, or a few of his friends since

Wonder

features a plethora of playable characters. The game also supports co-op, and it is a perfect option for parents easing their young children into the world of gaming. Nintendo rarely misses when it comes to mainline

Mario

releases, and this

first-party Switch game

is no exception.

7


Pikmin 4

All the numbered

Pikmin

games are available on the Nintendo Switch, and they are all great in their own right. The fourth entry was in the works for quite a long time, debuting almost exactly a decade after its mainline predecessor. This time gap resulted in weighty expectations that could have sunk even a decent follow-up, but

Pikmin 4

ended up being far more than just that.

At its core, the 2023 release offers the same accessible strategy goodness that defines the license, to the point that veterans should feel right at home. However, that’s not to say

Pikmin 4

takes no risks or chances, as the game implements its fair share of unique features beyond a vastly different art style. Newcomers to the series can just start with this entry.

6


Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The Nintendo Switch has two “normal”

Fire Emblem

games, although that term only loosely fits

Three Houses

. If someone is looking for a traditional

Fire Emblem

package that prioritizes combat over everything else, they should go with

Engage

. Polarizing story aside, the 2023 game is pretty great. Conversely,

Three Houses

is quite a unique entry in the series as it heavily incorporates social sim elements into its story and gameplay.

The campaign is split into grid-based battles built on a combat system that is relatively typical for the franchise and sections that encourage players to build relationships with the rest of the cast. Even though these sides of the equation are quite different from each other, they add up to create a package that is more than the sum of its parts.

5


Xenoblade Chronicles 3

In 2007, Nintendo bought Monolith Soft, and the developer continues to repay that gesture by consistently crafting outstanding JRPGs. The Switch does not have all that many first-party role-playing games, but

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

has the quality and quantity to carry the entire genre on its shoulders.

Offering a deep combat system, an active and lengthy campaign, and an impressive massive open-world considering the hardware’s specifications, the 2022 release is a masterpiece that pushes the Switch beyond its limits. Compared to previous entries in the series,

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

is relatively accessible, even if it still needs roughly 20 hours to teach all of its battle mechanics.

4


Super Mario Odyssey

A modern Nintendo console is not complete without a proper 3D

Mario

game, a Wii U mistake the Switch did not repeat.

Super Mario Odyssey

is about as perfect of a platformer as they come, in the sense that it does not have any significant flaws. Sure, its kingdoms might be largely predictable, outside a few exceptions, but they are all expertly designed, unique from each other, and a lot of fun to traverse.

In a franchise known for its excellent movement,

Super Mario Odyssey

stands out as being particularly amazing. Mario has never felt this good to control, and players who master his moveset will be able to pull off stunts that might seem impossible to newcomers. Cappy, a hat that allows Mario to take control of enemies, adds a welcome wrinkle to the gameplay that sets

Odyssey

apart from previous 3D

Mario

projects.

3


Metroid Dread

Influential as its early games were,

Metroid

does not get as much attention from Nintendo as some of its other flagship properties. During the 2010s, the franchise only produced one home console entry, the divisive

Metroid: Other M

, and that came out right at the start of the decade; thankfully, the 2020s have been kinder to the series.

Rather than a continuation of the first-person

Prime

era,

Metroid Dread

returns to the franchise’s side-scrolling roots, a decision that pays off beautifully. The 2021 game is punishingly difficult, gorgeous, and plays like a dream. Filled with secrets, power-ups, and unforgettable boss encounters,

Metroid Dread

marked a splendid return to form for the grandfather of the Metroidvania genre.

Metroid Prime Remastered

is also on the Nintendo Switch.

2


The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

At the Switch’s launch, only one game mattered:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

. During its first few months, the console was jokingly called a

BOTW

machine; while this was partially due to a lack of other worthwhile options, it was mainly a reflection of the game’s quality. The first proper open-world

Zelda

project,

BOTW

represents sandbox gaming at its best, granting players a massive playground where they can craft a tailored but still unique adventure.

While lacking some of the franchise’s classic tropes like lengthy dungeons, the 2017 game makes up for it through an addictive gameplay loop that rewards creativity and a willingness to explore. Right out of the gate,

BOTW

pushed the Switch to its limits and made the console a must-own device. The title set a standard that almost no subsequent Switch game could hope to reach, and it is a testament to Nintendo’s first-party quality control that a few titles managed to come close.

1


The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Very little separates

Breath of the Wild

and its sequel,

Tears of the Kingdom

. In fact, at launch, the former was undoubtedly a fresher experience since its successor does not deviate too far from its predecessor’s ideas.

TOTK

provides a very similar adventure to

BOTW

, albeit one that introduces enough twists to justify a return visit to Hyrule.

Arguably the sequel’s biggest addition is the fantastic Fuse ability, which opens up a range of traversal and combat possibilities.

TOTK

‘s sandbox is an absolute marvel that encourages players to experiment with the tools at their disposal, even more so than

BOTW

. Ultimately, the 2023 game emphasizes its predecessor’s strengths, all the while refining controversial mechanics like weapon degradation. If someone is looking for a traditional

Zelda

experience, they will only get it in spurts in

TOTK

; however, if a Switch owner wants

BOTW

but more, the sequel delivers.

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