The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2021

Best Overall: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Released just as people all over the world found themselves stuck at home, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out at a perfect time. It gives players a charming virtual world to shape and explore as well as a chance to experience it with others, all at a time when that felt less likely in real life.

It starts with your custom character flown to an initially deserted island, where you have the ability to guide the island's development, upgrade your home and furnishings, all while befriending colorful and quirky animal villagers. Our reviewer particularly liked the cute and high-quality graphics, which include seasonal changes.

The Animal Crossing series is known for a non-traditional type of gameplay that's not always for everyone, as it's very genteel compared to other games. However, that makes it immensely accessible as well as enjoyable for young and old, gamers and non-gamers alike. Dedicated players can find ways to grind out various aspects of New Horizons, while others can focus on the real-time, long-term experience it's designed for.

There are new things to do every day with new content regularly added. You can choose to gather fruits and resources to craft items, as well as catch fish and bugs for profit or to kit out your own museum. New furniture and apparel become available to purchase in-game each day too, plus there are opportunities to bring new visitors to your island. Limited-time events during holidays and different seasons enhance the vibrancy of the New Horizons world. 

Want to visit a friend's island? That's easily possible here with local and online multiplayer, giving you a chance to view friends' islands and houses, as well as meet their villagers or swap items. You can also generate one-time codes to invite over players you may have met via the online community. The only downside to New Horizons is 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}

Best Multiplayer: Nintendo Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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When it comes to fun multiplayer mayhem, it's tough to beat Mario Kart. It's no surprise that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe quickly became one of the best-selling games in history. The Switch version enhances the original Wii U game by including new characters, arenas, and battle modes. This means a selection of 48 diverse and dazzling racecourses are available from the start, with revamped tracks from previous Mario Kart games almost making this feel like the best kind of greatest hits collection. 

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is ideal for all age groups, being very simple to pick up and play. It's well balanced too, adding features such as smart steering and auto-accelerate to assist newcomers and young players. For the experienced Mario Kart player, there's a wealth of shortcuts and ways to speed up your lap times too.

Reinforcing its reputation as the ultimate multiplayer game, it's possible to play with friends through multiple routes. There's online, up to four-player split-screen on the same system, as well as through local wireless with multiple Switch consoles in handheld mode. A choice of conventional racing or Battle mode gives you plenty of variety with the latter proving particularly frantic.

_{ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 6.7GB}

Best Remake: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

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Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury may not be the sequel to Super Mario Odyssey that some hoped for, but it's a fantastic port of a much overlooked Wii U game and it adds plenty of new content too. Super Mario 3D World mashes up elements from Mario's 3D and 2D adventures with captivating results. It's a bit quirky and goofy at times but in an utterly charming way.

Alongside that is Bowser's Fury, a completely 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}

Best for Kids: Luigi's Mansion 3

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Despite the game's moody and mysterious atmosphere, Luigi's Mansion 3 is positively light-hearted in its attitude and it's an ideal game for the whole family. Centered around one of Nintendo's goofier characters, Luigi, the plumber must rescue his brother Mario and friends from a luxury hotel filled with ghosts. It sounds creepy but it's thoroughly charming. 

That's because Luigi's main tool is his trusty Poltergust vacuum cleaner, which sucks up ghosts as well as 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.

Luigi gains other tools along the way as he solves various puzzles and has to defeat tricky boss ghosts. The sweetest addition is Gooigi, a green, oozy clone that can be summoned at will. A single player can swap between the two characters, or a second player can choose to take control for drop-in co-op play. 

Other game modes include online and local multiplayer, allowing players to work together to clear floors or choose to go head-to-head in the ScreamPark mode.

_{ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 6.36GB}

Best RPG: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

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Much like the other best role-playing games for Switch, Fire Emblem: Three Houses immerses you in a sweeping story arc and never lets go. With over 150 hours worth of content and good reasons to replay it, it's a fantastic value for money, not least because it also offers a gripping experience every step of the way.

Your main player character is pulled into an officer's academy where they need 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 downloadable content (DLC) further enhance the replayability. 

While the graphics aren't anything groundbreaking, they capture the anime style of the game well, and the fully animated action cutscenes look lavish. That's all backed up by impeccable voice acting, too. 

The core gameplay will be familiar to anyone who's played one of the 15 previous Fire Emblem games, or any other turn-based tactical RPG before. You command your deployed units around a grid-based battlefield, choosing to move, attack foes, or support one another. Further flexibility comes from the ability to wield multiple types of weapons or magic, as well as use extensive skills. A choice of difficulty modes ranging from casual to the perma-death infused classic mode offer plenty of challenge. 

Outside of combat, Three Houses has several simulation-game elements new to the series, with players able to spend time teaching classes, farming, and establishing relationships with students at the school. It all forms together to make a more fresh and rounded experience than other RPGs like it.

_{ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 10.9GB}

Best Platformer: Super Mario Maker 2

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More than just your standard side-scrolling platform game, Super Mario Maker 2 provides you with the freedom to create and edit as well as share 2D course creations of your own, much like Super Mario Maker for Wii U. That means you can place parts such as terrain, traps, blocks, baddies, and power-ups, creating levels just like stages you've seen in Mario's 2D adventures of the past.

You can even change up the background, add sound effects, adjust the scroll speed, and a lot more. Once created, simply upload them to the online community where up to four players can play them together locally or online, before rating their experience. 

As well as that, there's a story mode which has you gradually rebuilding Princess Peach's castle by using coins that you earn from jobs assigned by Toad and other characters. Through it, you can enjoy numerous 2D platforming levels which offer a distinct twist on a past game, ranging from the original Super Mario Bros. right up to the more "2.5D" style of New Super Mario Bros.

Returning to the Maker side of the game, a World Maker feature allows you to create world maps with up to five of your custom courses in each, with a Super World containing eight of those world maps. It's a rich set of features that offer a never-ending experience.

_{ESRB: E (Everyone) | Install Size: 2.8GB}

Best Roguelike: Hades

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A roguelike game is one that is defined by procedurally generated levels where if your character dies, you start over again. In Hades for the Nintendo Switch, you're an immortal prince, Zagreus, so dying is very much part of the story without permanent repercussions. Each death brings you back with new skills along with upgrades and abilities that will help you eventually battle your way out of the underworld.

It's possible to wield one of six primary weapons, choosing from a selection of blades and bows that allow you to try out noticeably different styles of play. It's also possible to earn items that can further enhance your experience during each new run.  Sandra noted that beating the game on your first run is pretty much impossible, but that it didn't stop her from trying.

Where things get most interesting is how you encounter Gods and heroes from Greek mythology, such as 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.

Each character is voice acted and it's fascinating seeing how their backstories open up. It's an addictive process seeing how the story unfolds bit by bit, with the characters remembering a little about their past and making new comments each time. You'll find yourself returning again and again.

_{ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 5.8GB}

Best Action RPG: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

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Originally on the Wii U and ported across to the Switch with some added elements, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity takes its inspiration from the long-running Dynasty Warriors franchise, adding characters and settings from the Legend of Zelda's history timeline. The game serves as a spin-off/prequel to the Switch's acclaimed Breath of the Wild (BotW). It's not the same sort of open-world experience but it still captures the distinctive visual look and feel. It’s possible to take a glimpse into the events that would set BotW's story into motion 100 years later. 

Players must capture outposts and meet objectives by mostly button-mashing their way through hordes of enemies and fearsome bosses. It can get a little repetitive at times but tougher foes require some more strategic thinking, which helps with each 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.

It's all wonderfully in keeping with the franchise's past and it's fun to see how each character fights differently. Familiar RPG progression mechanics including leveling up, looting chests, and collecting resources keep you coming back for more.

_{ESRB: T (Teen) | Install Size: 10.9GB}