Alternatively, one of the best things about the Nintendo Switch and the Switch Lite is that it’s incredibly varied. With a strong games lineup, players can return to childhood favorites like Mario or Zelda while also discovering newer experiences like Hades or Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Thanks to the majority of games providing simple-to-learn controls, it’s the ideal console for those new to gaming as well as old hands. Find your next favorite from our picks for the best Nintendo Switch games. Befriending the animals leads to receiving gifts, but you can also make your own way in the world by catching bugs, fishing, or digging up treasures. It’s a slow-paced game, which means there’s always something new to do each day, including seasonal events. Its casual pace makes it ideal for anyone who needs more time to think about their plans, but even hardened players will still adore what they can accomplish here. There’s something addictive about seeing what new furniture or clothing you can acquire or simply completing your bug catalog.  It’s also possible to visit a friend’s island to see what they’ve done with the place, before swapping items. Just bear in mind that while multiple players can build homes and play together on the same island, you’ll need separate consoles (and game cards) to have separate islands. ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 6.2GB As a result, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is terrific fun and often very closely battled. Other features like smart steering and auto-accelerate help even more inexperienced players too. Thanks to being pitched so well, it doesn’t take long to learn how to be better at the game, spotting shortcuts along the charmingly unrealistic race tracks. Besides supporting play with up to four players split-screen on the same system, there’s local wireless multiplayer with multiple Switch consoles in handheld mode, along with online multiplayer too. Not every one of the 48 varied tracks is available to play through all these modes, but it’s nice to have so much flexibility. A Battle mode rounds things off nicely, feeling suitably frantic but—again—not hard to learn. ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 6.7GB If you’ve never played a Mario game before, it takes seconds to learn here. Best of all, if you continue to struggle with a level, you’re given a special suit that makes you far more powerful and able to negotiate difficult platforming sequences more easily. There’s no need to use it if you don’t want to, but the suit helps everyone see everything the game has to offer. Alongside the standard Mario experience is Bowser’s Fury, a new 3D Mario mini-campaign that drops you into an open world of islands as you take on cat-themed challenges. As the name suggests, these endeavors are all in a bid to take on a super-sized and extra-angry Bowser. The open-world nature of the game is an exciting new twist on the franchise and potentially a suggestion of a new direction for future Mario games. Combined, it’s a must-play experience. ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 2.9GB In part, that’s because Luigi’s main tool to stop ghosts is a vacuum cleaner: a Poltergust vacuum cleaner that sucks up ghosts and any other objects he sees. Combined with highly interactive and destructible environments, it’s a (sometimes literal) blast figuring out what to do as you traverse the 15+ floors of the hotel. Being able to destroy so much in a playful manner is immediately endearing for kids who love to experiment. Along the way, they gain new abilities and tools too. To further help matters, it’s also possible for two players to play at once via Gooigi, a green oozy clone that you can summon at will to help out. It’s certainly useful when you reach the game’s trickier moments. It helps to have some prior gaming experience, but it’s still fairly accessible. ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 6.36GB An officer’s academy calls on your main player character to pick from one of three houses to teach. From there, you have branching paths, multiple endings, and so many reasons to replay the game, thanks to your decisions affecting what happens. Free updates and paid downloadable content that expands on what’s already there gives you even more to do. Combat comes in a turn-based manner, so it plays out kind of like a game of Chess. Players can command units around the grid, choosing to move, attack enemies, or support one another. Stick the game on casual mode, and you’ll rarely fail. But those after a challenge will appreciate classic mode, which means once a character dies, they die permanently. Combat isn’t all you can do here either with plenty of other activities such as teaching classes, farming, or simply talking to other characters to learn more about them. ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 10.9GB The twist here is that Mario has a magic hat called Cappy which means he can borrow the skills of any creature (or object) he flings the hat at. It’s not quite as open-ended as it sounds, but it still gives you the chance to play as a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex or even control a smiling bullet to destroy blocks nearby. Using your imagination is everything here, and Super Mario Odyssey is a lot of fun. It can get tough, though if you’re keen to collect all the bonus Moons scattered around the game, leading to some frustration. Still, it’s so charming that you’ll forgive it. It’s simple to play and only requires some excellent timing occasionally. ESRB: Everyone 10+ | Install Size: 5.7GB The beauty here is that Hades is incredibly easy to learn but offers a lot of depth. You only need to use a handful of buttons to attack in different ways, but there’s a lot of strategy underneath the surface. You can choose one of six primary weapons, each offering a different style of play with no one weapon proving to be the best for everyone. It’s also possible to earn items to further enhance your experience during each new run. While this format might sound potentially tedious, it’s far from it. That’s thanks to the storyline. You’re an immortal prince, Zagreus, who has connections to Greek mythology. By returning to an area full of gods and heroes, you get to know them all bit by bit, learning more about Zeus, Ares, Athena, Achilles, and more. By gaining their trust, you also gain their powers and support, with a little more of the story unlocked along the way. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once the game grabs your attention, it won’t let you go—even if the playing experience lacks variety for hours upon hours. ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 5.8GB Players must capture outposts and meet objectives by mostly button-mashing their way through hordes of enemies and fearsome bosses. It takes seconds to learn. Mostly every button inflicts some form of attack, so any age group can figure it out. Play can get a little repetitive at times, but tougher foes require some more strategic thinking, which helps with each The Legend of Zelda character offering a specialty move to help you out. For instance, Link has his trusty sword and bow and can also paraglide like in BOTW, while Zelda can use Sheikh Slate runes to fight back. However, keep the difficulty low, and pretty much anyone can negotiate what’s going on here. It might be repetitive, but it’s also weirdly enjoyable and definitely great for stress relief. For those looking for a little more depth, you can always collect resources, level up, and loot chests for better equipment too. ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 10.9GB Controls are complex compared to other games here, but they’re also intuitive. A bit of practice will soon set you up nicely. How you use your magic abilities makes sense, too, with ice magic allowing you to create ice blocks, for instance, while magnetic magic has you moving things around. Elsewhere, you can catch fish, pick apples, craft equipment or catch a wild horse. Crafting equipment is particularly vital as your weaponry can fail over time. This process can become frustrating, but the well-designed fighting helps beginners get the hang of things. It makes up for losing a great weapon once in a while. If you need structure, this isn’t the game for you, but if you want to lose yourself in a fantastical land, this will set you up for months to come. ESRB: Everyone 10+︱Install Size: 13.4GB

Length

Sure, a 100-hour JRPG (Japanese role-playing game) might seem like a great value proposition, but if you’re a busy professional, you might get more fun out of a short linear shooter game (and more satisfaction when you’re able to finish it). There are also a growing number of games-as-a-service that offer a continually evolving suite of systems and gameplay that you can dip into whenever you like, often for one flat fee. While many of these titles have yet to make their way to a Nintendo platform, more and more of them are popping up as developers realize what a long tail the Switch has.

Narrative

If you’re the sort of gamer that loves a rich story and a fully developed, immersive world, you may take as much (or more) satisfaction from an adventure game or visual novel as from the latest Activision FPS. On the other hand, if you get your story kicks from books, films, and/or TV, maybe an addictive little puzzle game or a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) is the best gaming investment for you.

About Our Trusted Experts

Jennifer Allen has been writing about technology and gaming since 2010. She specializes in iOS and Apple technology, as well as wearable technology and smart home devices. She’s been a regular tech columnist for Paste Magazine, written for Wareable, TechRadar, Mashable, and PC World, as well as more diverse outlets including Playboy and ​Eurogamer. Kelsey Simon works as both a tech writer and as a technology rep for her library. She combines her love of writing and video games in her game reviews, including testing out several Nintendo Switch games for Lifewire. Andrew Hayward is a Chicago-based writer who’s been covering video games and tech since 2006. He’s previously been published by TechRadar, Stuff, Polygon, and Macworld. Emily Ramirez has a degree in Comparative Media Studies (Game Design) from MIT and is always playing, making, or writing about video games. Her Lifewire reviews have covered a variety of games and other consumer electronics. Sandra Stafford has been writing for Lifewire since 2019, and a casual gamer for much longer. She enjoys a variety of PC and Nintendo Switch games.