Top 20 cool Nintendo Switch games in 2024

With the release of the Switch, it seems like Nintendo got a second wind. The console is breaking sales records, games consistently hit the top charts, and they are being bought in the millions. While rumors about a second version of the console remain mere speculation, new titles continue to be released for it.

In this article, we'll look at which projects from the big N are still great to play even in 2024, and find out which new releases in the first half of the year players should pay attention to.

The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

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"Game of the Year", "Best Adventure Game", "Best Visual Design" — all these awards were swept up by Breath of the Wild in 2016–2017. The new part of the massive franchise The Legends of Zelda was released on two Nintendo platforms — Wii U + Switch. While the Wii U was nearing its end, on the Switch, the title became a true phenomenon. In fact, for many, BotW "sold" the console.

There is much to praise here. For the first time in the series, we received a vast open world, where players can freely move without worrying about storyline constraints. You only need to complete the training on the Great Plateau, and then you can go in any direction. The user can even go fight Ganon immediately, armed with just a stick, a wooden shield.

In 2023, a narrative sequel to Breath of the Wild was released — Tears of the Kingdom. In TotK, the world expands even further: sky islands, caverns, and new game mechanics, such as combining weapons with monster horns or building various mechanisms, are added.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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This major hit from Nintendo was greatly helped by the pandemic. At a time when no one could leave their homes, many turned to gaming. While hardcore gamers were well accounted for, those who wanted to simply run around their little farm, collect apples discovered New Horizons.

In essence, Animal Crossing is a franchise that includes several titles on various Nintendo consoles. New Horizons is a Switch exclusive that was released in March 2020. The player is sent to a deserted island, which must be tidied up, populated with residents, and eventually turned into a real paradise.

The project has a factual storyline ending, but even after that, the player can continue to play. Many players clock in 500+ hours in ACNH, and that's not the limit!

Bayonetta 3

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The adventures of the most charming witch continue in the third part. Bayonetta 3 was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in 2022 and quickly soared to the top of the best games for the console.

Although it is a narrative continuation of the previous parts, the mechanics are new. For example, there is Demon Slave, which allows the summoning of demons from the witch's arsenal. Each summoned monster has its own powers and grants Bayonetta unique attacks + mechanics. There's also Demon Masquerade, during which the heroine merges with one of the demons, gains their magical powers.

Story-wise, it's still a slasher with monsters of various categories. This time, the enemies are Homunculi, and Bayonetta is aided by the witch-in-training Viola.

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

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Many have been eagerly awaiting this remake on the Nintendo Switch. Fans, critics consider Thousand-Year Door the best part of the Paper Mario series, and even the slightest rumors about it quickly spread across forums, groups. The original version was released on the GameCube in 2004. Finally, 20 years after its release, the game received a remake and was released on the Nintendo Switch in May 2024.

Genre-wise, it's an RPG with turn-based combat, where you travel through worlds styled as paper collages. The plot involves Princess Peach being kidnapped by aliens from the X-Nauts group. Mario must rescue her while also trying to find a mysterious treasure.

The title is praised for its good storyline, more "adult" narration, jokes compared to the usual adventures of the mustachioed plumber, and the detailed world, NPCs.

Princess Peach: Showtime!

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Back in 2005, a solo game about Peach — Super Princess Peach — was released on the Nintendo 3DS. In it, the heroine stepped out of the damsel in distress role, rescuing friends, fighting enemies herself. Nearly 20 years later, her adventures have reached a new level: now she is not only a princess but also a musketeer, ninja, baker, and even a detective.

The plot is quite simple: Peach goes to the theater to watch a performance, but an evil sorceress takes over the building, trapping all the guests. Now the heroine must save everyone. To do so, she must go through all the theatrical plays, assume 10 new roles.

The title received mixed reviews. Fans + critics praised the project for the variety of characters, abilities, as well as the gameplay, but criticized it for optimization and length. So, it is recommended to play in docked mode to fix the optimization issues.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

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Nintendo are true masters when it comes to family titles. In 2022, a new part of the pink puffball's adventures — Kirby and the Forgotten Land — was released on the Switch. This is the first full-fledged 3D game in the franchise, excluding various spin-offs.

In the story, the main character is peacefully strolling through Dream Land and having a great time when suddenly a dark vortex appears in the sky, consuming everything in its path. Caught in the vortex, our pink puffball ends up in the Forgotten Land, which resembles an abandoned Earth.

The game carries over the main mechanics from previous parts: the character can inhale objects, enemies to gain new abilities and solve puzzles. But there are also improvements. For example, Mouthful Mode, where the protagonist inhales a large object (a car, vending machine, or traffic cone) and can use new abilities to break walls, ground.

Super Mario Odyssey

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When talking about games on the Switch, Super Mario Odyssey cannot be left out. The Mario franchise is one of Nintendo's flagships, along with The Legends of Zelda. In Odyssey, we embark on a journey through a vast, nearly entirely open world with diverse locations and challenges.

The unique feature is Mario's new companion — Cappy. This hat ghost possesses the protagonist's cap, giving him new powers. For example, you can throw Cappy at enemies to incapacitate or control them. This allows you to possess a frog or even a dinosaur.

The plot is classic for the series — Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach to marry her. We must stop him, defeating several of the villain's minions along the way.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

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The much-troubled Prince of Persia series finally sees some development after 14 years since the release of The Sands of Time. The Lost Crown is a 2.5D platformer that shifts the focus to a new hero.

We play as Sargon, a young warrior from the Immortals clan, who must reach Mount Qaf, save Prince Ghassan. Along the way, you'll cut down hundreds of enemies, solve numerous puzzles, and explore every corner of the map.

Despite deviating from the main series, The Lost Crown received positive reviews from critics, players. It is praised for its gameplay and compared to the first Prince of Persia, released in 1989.

Metroid Dread

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This game was originally developed in 2000 for the Nintendo DS. However, the technical capabilities of the time did not match the creators' ambitions, so the project was temporarily shelved. 21 years later, Metroid Dread finally released as a Switch exclusive.

The story continues from Metroid Fusion in 2002, where Samus destroyed the X parasite along with planet SR388. 

The Galactic Federation receives information that the X parasites are still alive, so they send a team of robots to the unknown planet ZDR, but they lose contact. To investigate and deal with the remaining parasites, Samus heads to ZDR.

Little Kitty, Big City

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Games about furry, fluffy creatures always hold a special place in players' hearts. Take Stray, which was everywhere in 2022 and continued to be popular in 2023. But that was a sad project about a cat in a post-apocalyptic world. If you're looking for fun adventures, there's Little Kitty, Big City.

You play as a mischievous black cat. While relaxing in the sun, the animal falls from a high-rise to the city streets and must now wander around, collect shiny objects, eat fish to gain the strength needed to climb back up. The game is full of simple funny jokes, many cute moments. It's a great option if you want to relax and be a cat for a while.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

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Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is not a new title per se but a re-release of the original with improvements, additions. This may seem dubious, especially for fans who already own the fifth game (some even have the collector's edition), but so be it.

The re-release adds a new storyline campaign — Canon of Vengeance, featuring a new map area + quests. The first half resembles the original Shin Megami Tensei V storyline, followed by some new choices, a cool twist. Additionally, the game introduces 270 new demons, an updated soundtrack, and improvements to various systems — from crafting to fusion.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

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A small club of fans of various relaxing titles has formed around the Nintendo Switch. These are characterized as Cozy Games and usually include different leisurely walking simulators with cute graphics, farm simulators, and various simple indie projects where you can relax. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley fits right in.

This is a small, calm project about Snufkin from Moomintroll. During the protagonist's travels, strange changes occur: various prohibition signs appear, and construction begins everywhere. We need to restore the valley to its normal state, using Snufkin's hands + musical instruments.

Balatro

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Many may have heard of this game. Balatro quickly climbed to the top of sales on various platforms and garnered many views on YouTube. It received excellent reviews from critics, players and much praise for its replayability.

It is a card-based roguelike with pixel graphics, based on poker matches. To win, the player must win three rounds by collecting the required number of chips. There are 8 antes in total, each one more difficult than the last. You can upgrade your deck with various game items and replay the levels.

Celeste

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Another interesting platformer that was released on the Switch. In the year of its release, the game received many different awards and earned recognition from critics, players. Many note that the title is suitable for users of any skill level, with an emotional storyline that conveys many important ideas.

The story unfolds in the vicinity of Mount Celeste, which possesses mysterious power. The main character, Madeline, aims to reach the mountain's summit. As she climbs, she visits many interesting places and meets various characters — both good, bad. Celeste sends various challenges to the girl. To reach the top, she must overcome her inner demons.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

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Another Switch exclusive. This is part of the popular Fire Emblem franchise, which includes 20 games, including various spin-offs. Three Houses is the sixteenth part in the series.

In this tactical RPG, we take on the role of Byleth, a former mercenary with a dark past, who becomes a professor at the Garreg Mach Monastery academy. Players can choose the class to mentor and lead it into battle. In addition to regular combat skirmishes, players will experience relationships between characters and various school activities.

Hades

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Roguelikes of various formats look great on the Switch. The key is that they usually aren't very demanding, and the console's portability combined with the repetitive gameplay allows you to take the game with you on the go or to work/school to brighten up breaks.

Hades' plot is based on the conflict of Greek gods. The main character, Zagreus, is Hades’ son, who tries to leave the underworld and reach Olympus. Along the way, different gods send him gifts to help. Meanwhile, various inhabitants of the underworld oppose him.

Each playthrough offers a unique combination of rooms with enemies and rewards. Some rewards can disappear upon death, so players must be cautious not to lose their loot.

Dead Cells

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Warning! This game might make you want to break the console over knee — we warned! But if you enjoy hardcore challenges, you can confidently dive into Dead Cells.

Essentially, it's a mix of a roguelike + metroidvania, where the player takes on the role of a nameless prisoner trying to escape a labyrinth. Levels are procedurally generated, creating unique combinations of enemies and rewards. Since it has roguelike elements, after death, the player must start over and explore a completely new map.

Fortunately, some abilities carry over, so the game isn't entirely punishing. Dead Cells will appeal to souls-like fans because players will constantly learn from their mistakes.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

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Classic side-scrolling Mario platformers return with the release of Wonder. In this 3D platformer, you can play not only as the main hero but also as his friends: Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Yellow Toad, Blue Toad, Toadette, Green, Red, Yellow, Light-Blue Yoshi, Nabbit.

The heroes travel to the Flower Kingdom to attend a festival. However, Bowser kidnaps the Wonder Flower, disrupting the ceremony. The player must stop the villain and return the flower to restore peace to the kingdom.

Splatoon 3

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The main issue with consoles is shooters, which are often awkward to play. Developers usually add auto-aiming to help with control. In Splatoon 3, things are simpler — it's a paint-based shooter where you don't need precise aiming for headshots: just cover the enemy in paint.

The main characters, Inklings, are unique creatures that transform into squids and move quickly through their own paint. In the third part, the user can also play as Octolings, based on octopuses.

There is a story mode with missions, cooperative battles. The goal is simple — cover as much of the field in your paint as possible, sink opponents.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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We conclude our selection with one of the must-haves for the Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a competitive racing game that can be played in story mode, in competitive mode with friends, or online with other players.

It's an improved version of the Wii U game, including all original DLCs and several changes such as graphical enhancements, accessories for racers. You can play not only as Mario and his friends but also as Inklings from Splatoon, Link from The Legend of Zelda, Wario, Isabelle from Animal Crossing, and many other characters.

Before each race, the player chooses a track, a racer, their kart, a glider. By combining different accessories, players can gain more bonuses or points. There are various modes, so even if you are not a fan of classic races, there's plenty to keep you entertained.

As we can see, even seven years after its release, the Nintendo Switch continues to surprise users with its new releases and exclusives. We look forward to seeing what surprises the big N has in store for us in the next version of the console!

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