Here’s the best games I have reviewed so far on the Nintendo Switch 2, from best to worst, and sorted by their exclusivity level. Note: If multiple games have the same score, they will be sorted alphabetically.
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Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusives
| Game | Genre | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Donkey Kong Bananza | 3D Platformer | A++ |
tl;drDonkey Kong Bananza is the long-awaited return of Donkey Kong in a massive family-friendly 3D Platformer that is one of the best games the genre has ever received, giving players the freedom to go almost anywhere and destroy almost everything, yet this destruction is harnessed with exemplary level design and wonderful gameplay, with a gorgeous presentation that is a showpiece for what the Nintendo Switch 2 can do. This game ain’t perfect – it has a slow start and the performance briefly struggles in places. However, none of this changes that this is an absolute must-have game on Nintendo Switch 2, and a reason to buy the console. | ||
| Fast Fusion | Futuristic Racing | A |
tl;drFast Fusion is a Futuristic Racing game that has an absolutely phenomenal presentation, truly excellent gameplay that improves upon an already great series, and a shockingly low $15 price tag that makes this game an absolute steal. It’s slim on content and the online multiplayer seems limited, but even with these flaws I think this is absolutely a game that should be in your Nintendo Switch 2 library. | ||
| Mario Kart World | Open World Kart Racer | A- |
tl;drMario Kart World is Nintendo’s premier major family-friendly game to kick off the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch, and while it doesn’t make great use of the Open World format, and isn’t as impressive a leap over Mario Kart 8 as players may hope for… and oof, that $80 price tag is nasty… but despite these flaws, it is still a wildly-creative, extremely well-crafted, delightfully varied, and immensely fun Kart Racer. As long as you can get it at an affordable price, I highly recommend it. | ||
| Dear Me, I Was … | Visual Novel | B- |
tl;drDear Me, I Was… is a Visual Novel without words following the life of a girl and exploring her connections to art, food, and other people. This game can be completed within 45 minutes, but the $8 price tag helps to mitigate this issue. And the lack of narration and dialogue obscures the story’s details in disappointing ways, but I feel like the absolutely gorgeous artwork and soundtrack help to make up for this flaw. If you’re okay with a game that’s short and beautiful but not something likely to stay with you long after it’s over, this is definitely worth a look. | ||
| Drag X Drive | Sports (Basketball) | B- |
tl;drDrag X Drive is a 3v3 wheelchair Basketball game where players must use a pair of Joy-Con 2 controllers in mouse mode to steer their wheelchairs. It’s a truly unique concept that more or less works here, but this game is woefully lacking in content, and dreadfully dull in its art design. The $20 price tag does help to mitigate some of the emptiness within this game, but it’s still disappointing that players aren’t given more game modes, options, and content to keep things varied and interesting. Still, for Sports fans looking for something unique, this is worth a look. | ||
| Kirby Air Riders | Racing / Misc. | B- |
tl;drKirby Air Riders is a Racing Game that’s a bit like a Kart Racer, but is largely unlike anything else out there, thanks largely to its odd one-button (or two-button, for a few things) control scheme. Unfortunately, it is the game’s stubborn adherence to these overly-simple controls that takes what would otherwise be a spectacular game with a gorgeous presentation and tons of content and leaves it feeling like a flawed shadow of what it could have been. | ||
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Nintendo Platform Exclusives
| Game | Genre | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Open-World Action-RPG | A++ |
tl;drThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an Open-World Action-RPG that remains one of the greatest games of all-time, and this release is absolutely the best version of this game ever made. It isn’t without its flaws, and many of its new features are superfluous and don’t add much, but even just the improvements to graphics and performance are enough to put this game well beyond the original release of the game. Unless you feel like you already got your fill of the original release, this is an absolute must-have. | ||
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Open-World Action-RPG | A++ |
tl;drThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an Open-World Action-RPG that remains one of the greatest games of all-time, and this release is absolutely the best version of this game ever made. It isn’t without its flaws, and many of its new features are superfluous and don’t add much, but even just the improvements to graphics and performance are enough to put this game well beyond the original release of the game. Unless you feel like you already got your fill of the original release, this is an absolute must-have. | ||
| Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World | 3D Platformer | A+ |
tl;drKirby and the Forgotten Land is a family-friendly 3D Platformer that marks Kirby’s first fully-fledged 3D adventure, and it is an outstanding game that is one of the best titles in the Kirby franchise. While I have a few complaints about the relatively easy difficulty level, overall this game is an absolute blast to play, full of personality and originality, all while drawing inspiration from some of the best Mario and Donkey Kong games, as well as Kirby’s own 2D adventures. What’s more, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition doubles the framerate and adds a collection of excellent new levels to play through. If you enjoy Platformers, you should absolutely get this game. | ||
| Metroid Prime 4: Beyond – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Open-World First-Person Shooter / Metroidvania | A- |
tl;drMetroid Prime 4 is a First-Person Shooter and Metroidvania with Open-World sections, and it is an audiovisual tour de force on Nintendo Switch 2 that is a showcase for the platform’s capabilities, with a gorgeous world, incredible puzzle design, and some clever gameplay elements. It also disappoints with its underwhelming Metroidvania elements, its half-baked Open World elements, and some truly baffling design choices. The result is a game that, while still outstanding, is a bit underwhelming given the 18 years it took for us to finally see this game release. | ||
| Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV | Party Game / Minigame Collection | B |
tl;drSuper Mario Party Jamboree is, in my opinion, the absolute best that the Mario Party series of family-friendly Party Game and Minigame Collection titles has ever had to offer, and this is still true on Nintendo Switch 2. Unfortunately, just about every “upgrade” the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition has to offer is either a mixed bag or an absolute flop, from negligible graphical upgrades that don’t extend to the original game’s content, a terrible lack of new minigames, camera minigames that just don’t work right, and poorly-conceived mic minigames. At the very least the mouse mode minigames are quite good, but there’s only 14 of them, and to play them you have to ditch the original Mario Party Jamboree’s excellent Pro mode. Overall, this paid expansion is a major disappointment, and the fact that the original game is still truly outstanding is the only reason this is still being rated as highly as it is. | ||
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Console Exclusives
| Game | Genre | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Hades II – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Action / Roguelike | A |
tl;drHades II is an excellent follow-up to its predecessor, a fine Action Roguelike with an absolute ton of content, and that follows in the footsteps of its predecessor while changing things enough that this feels like a very different sort of game while still fitting in with the original. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game is a free upgrade if you own the Nintendo Switch version, and the improvements to graphics and performance are absolutely noticeable. If you’re looking to play a truly excellent Action game on the go, this is well worth picking up. | ||
| Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition | Action-RPG / Management Simulation | B |
tl;drRune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is an Action-RPG and “Farming RPG” Management Simulation that brings the long-running series in a new direction with a traditional Japanese-inspired aesthetic, and evolves both the combat and the farming gameplay in mostly-excellent new ways. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game improves the performance and adds mouse mode support to the town building parts of the game, making for a decent but not massive improvement to the game. Overall this is a solid new entry in this series and well worth a look for fans of its respective genres. | ||
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Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusive Features
| Game | Genre | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| The Touryst Deluxe | Action-RPG | B+ |
tl;drThe Touryst is an Action-RPG similar to the classic Zelda games, minus the combat, where players play a tourist exploring a series of islands and solving puzzles. There’s a lot of variety and creativity here, but it frequently lacks depth, and occasionally has tedious backtracking. There’s also absolutely terrible platforming with a horrible, uncooperative camera. There’s a lot to love in this game, but a lot to be frustrated with as well. Overall it’s still worth playing, despite its glaring imperfections. Also, if you own the Nintendo Switch version of the game, you can get the Nintendo Switch 2 version for only $5, which is a nice bonus. | ||
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