The best Nintendo Switch game is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which shares the platform’s highest Metacritic score of 97 with Super Mario Odyssey. Its sequel Tears of the Kingdom and the remaster of Metroid Prime round out the top tier. Whether you want an open-world epic, a party racer or a portable RPG, the top pick for each is below.
Below are the best Switch games ranked by Metacritic score, with release year and genre. Every game here plays on the original Switch, Switch Lite and OLED, and carries forward to the new Switch 2 through backward compatibility.
The best Nintendo Switch games, ranked
Ranked by Metacritic as of 2026. Year is the Switch release; genre marks the style of game.
| # | Game | Year | Genre | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 2017 | Open-world action | 97 |
| 2 | Super Mario Odyssey | 2017 | Platformer | 97 |
| 3 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 2023 | Open-world action | 96 |
| 4 | Metroid Prime Remastered | 2023 | Action-adventure | 94 |
| 5 | Persona 5 Royal | 2022 | JRPG | 94 |
| 6 | Hades | 2020 | Roguelike | 93 |
| 7 | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | 2018 | Fighting | 93 |
| 8 | Divinity: Original Sin 2 | 2019 | CRPG | 93 |
| 9 | Super Mario Bros. Wonder | 2023 | Platformer | 92 |
| 10 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | 2017 | Kart racer | 92 |
| 11 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons | 2020 | Life sim | 90 |
| 12 | Fire Emblem: Three Houses | 2019 | Strategy RPG | 89 |
| 13 | Xenoblade Chronicles 3 | 2022 | JRPG | 89 |
| 14 | Metroid Dread | 2021 | Metroidvania | 88 |
| 15 | Bayonetta 3 | 2022 | Action | 87 |
| 16 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 2019 | Open-world RPG | 84 |
| 17 | Pokémon Legends: Arceus | 2022 | Action RPG | 83 |
| 18 | Splatoon 3 | 2022 | Shooter | 83 |
Why the Switch library is so deep
The Switch launched with Breath of the Wild and never let up. Nintendo stacked it with first-party classics — Odyssey, Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Smash Ultimate, Mario Wonder — while its handheld form made it the home for indies and ports like Hades, Divinity: Original Sin 2 and The Witcher 3. That mix of exclusives and portability is why it became one of the best-selling consoles ever, and why the library carries straight over to Switch 2.
The essential Switch games
Four games no Switch owner should miss.
Both Zelda games headline our best open-world games ranking, and the Switch’s deep RPG lineup, led by Persona 5 Royal, features in our best RPGs list. Mario Kart and Smash are also couch-co-op staples from our best co-op games guide.
Best Switch game by type
Straight to the top pick for what you want to play.
| Type | Best pick |
|---|---|
| Open-world action | Breath of the Wild |
| Platformer | Super Mario Odyssey |
| Party / kart | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| Fighting | Super Smash Bros. Ultimate |
| RPG | Persona 5 Royal / Xenoblade Chronicles 3 |
| Relaxing | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| Best indie | Hades |
Many of these are among the biggest sellers ever made — see where they land on our best-selling video games of all time ranking.
