The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games to Buy in 2018

Zelda games have always been acclaimed as some of the best ever created, and it’s no surprise that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild takes the cake for best overall Nintendo Switch Game. Nintendo’s flagship masterpiece offers a rich and immersive open world of exploration filled with surprises.

Adventure waits in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Filled with lush green planes, ancient crumbling ruins and momentous mountains, players are encouraged to explore without obligation. Sometimes you’ll encounter pig-men relaxing by a campfire, and by impulse, you’ll shoot the beehive in the tree next to them – now you’ve angered both the pig-men and the bees, and must defend yourself with swipes of your sword. Every item you collect has a story to tell and dungeons await you whenever you’re ready to save the world.

Possibly the best racing game of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe brings the best of Mario Kart 8 with all previous DLC, including extra courses and characters. It’s an ideal game for multiplayer, where friends can race against each other in multiple breathtaking courses or engage in a classic balloon battle with multiple items.

Mario Kart 8 is a fast-paced item-collecting-friendship-destroying racing game. The ported Wii U title comes to the Nintendo Switch with full 1080p HD and makes for a great addition to the system’s library. New characters from other Nintendo games join the fray along with new courses that pay tribute to the previous Mario Kart games. The Switch’s handheld mode makes Mario Kart 8 an ideal portable game that other Switch owners can play alongside with.

Splatoon 2 is a major upgrade from its predecessor, thanks to an improved single-player experience and multitude of online game modes for all skill levels. It’s the best shooter on the Nintendo Switch, offering a charm and E rating that normally doesn’t come with the genre.

Nintendo managed to make a shooter game without the violence, and it’s one of the most fun ones to play. Splatoon 2 offers a split-screen local and online multiplayer option where players compete head-to-head in four vs. four battles. The objective based game focuses on players splatting ink in an entire area, covering as much territory as possible, all while avoiding being blasted by opponents. Splatoon 2 is set for future relevancy with another year or more of promised updates like new game modes and events, so there will always be something to play.

Puyo Puyo Tetris is a throwback to the pinnacle puzzle games in the golden years of gaming with the universally known Tetris and less known (but just as addicting and fun) Puyo Puyo. The best Nintendo Switch Puzzle game is just as intense and heart pounding as any other competitive game on the list, requiring quick-thinking players to make order from chaos and organize pieces together.

Puyo Puyo Tetris offers a ton of various arcade modes for one to four players, including versus, an online challenge mode and a fusion mode where both games can be played. In Puyo Puyo, players race to connect four or more ​slime-ball creatures (called Puyos) together to pop. Puyos drop from the sky, much like Tetris, and can be connected horizontally and vertically. The game encourages chain links to build combos and unleash devastating attacks against other players. This is the best game to get if you like heart-pounding brainteasers.​

Snipperclips makes for the best Nintendo Switch Kids' Game that doesn’t demand too much gaming skill, but cooperation and critical thinking. Snipperclips is a unique addition to the Nintendo Switch game catalog – a puzzle game that requires you and a friend to cut each other into the right shapes and figures to overcome tricky obstacles.

With up to four players, you and a few friends can compete head-to-head in two versus two battles to see who can complete each puzzle stage the fastest. Players have to work together in cutting each other out into different shapes like needles to pop balloons or cogs to turn wheels in order to progress. The game encourages imagination and logic in order to complete at each of its stages and isn’t just bound to one method in order to succeed. The game includes an expansive single-player World mode as well.

Sonic Mania is the long-awaited Sonic game that finally returns to the former glory of its groundbreaking predecessors in the 90s. The side-scrolling, platform-based game brings back the magic with its old-school gameplay and jazzy R&B house style soundtrack, which is all packaged in an updated high definition delivery.

Running at 60FPS with stunning HD retro-style graphics, Sonic Mania is a callback to what made Sonic The Hedgehog once a more popular icon than Mario. Players can choose between classic characters like Tails and Knuckles, using their unique abilities like flying and brute strength for different level play styles. Younger players who missed out on the 1990s Sonic explosion era can enjoy it now, playing new twists on classic zones while fighting against former foes like Dr. Robotnik and his evil robot army. Players can even go head-to-head in a competition mode or play the main game in a co-op mode with a friend.

The classic fighting game that put this genre on the map is back with Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers. The game is filled with all the classic characters you’d find in the original Street Fighter II, plus a load of new content and updates like a retro mode.

By now, most gamers are familiar with Street Fighter and its many iterations over the years. Ultra Street Fighter II: The Final Challengers resurrects the 1990s hit game and allows players to choose between classic pixel-art graphics for a nostalgia trip or a refined modern updated look. Players can team up with friends in an exciting new co-op story mode and utilize synchronized attacks against CPU players. The game features its classic offline multiplayer versus mode, as well as online Ranked and Casual matches. There’s also a 250+ digital art book with over 1,500 illustrations showcasing the 30 years of Street Fighter’s history.

Super Mario Odyssey is unlike any other Mario game in history, as our favorite plumber sets out to explore various dimensional worlds with unique physiques and graphics where he’s able to possess objects and living things.

The 3D platform sandbox game is a staple to the Nintendo Switch library and has been well received by critics who claim it’s one of the best Mario games ever created. The gameplay is similar to previous Mario games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine and introduces a new Mario power where he can control almost everything by throwing his hat on it. Players are able to use this power to possess everything from businessmen and dogs to electricity and tanks in order to complete levels. There are some pretty cool cheat codes, too. Bowser is set on marrying Princess Peach, and it’s up to you to stop him in this new humongous creative dynamic Mario adventure.

Super Bomberman R is by far the perfect party game for the Nintendo Switch because of its simplicity and large multiplayer option. With up to eight players, the easy-to-follow battle royale game has you planting bombs and constantly escaping explosions.

Sure, it may look like a cute game, but Super Bomberman R will have your heart pumping with its intense battle modes and dangerous gameplay. You and everyone else will be dropped in a brick-filled maze until the last person standing is declared the winner. Along the way, you’ll blast through walls, collect power-ups (and power-downs) like increased bomb output, explosion range and speed, so you can have a leg up in the competition. It’s not all bomb-lust: Players can work together in saving the universe in the game’s story mode filled with 50 different stages.