The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2023

Best Overall

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

4.6

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched just as the world found itself stuck at home, and it continues to captivate. That's because it's simply so pleasant to play. You're taken to a charming deserted island that soon flourishes with life and activity thanks to how you guide its development. Controls are straightforward, so you can spend time talking to the cute animals that live nearby rather than figuring out the control system. 

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}

Best Multiplayer

Nintendo Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

4.8

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Often, multiplayer games run the risk of being unbalanced. Pit an experienced player against someone who's only just picked up a Switch Joy-Con controller, and things can turn unfair fast. That isn't the case with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It's a racing game that's designed for everyone. Due to some clever balancing features, those in the lead get weaker power-ups while those in the back often receive more powerful advantages such as speed-boosting mushrooms or a projectile that will take down opponents up ahead.

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}

Best Remake

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

4.5

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Previously a Wii U game, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a fantastic remake that combines Mario's 2D and 3D adventures. If you've ever played a Mario game before, you'll feel right at home here. Controls are simple; jump around and avoid (or stomp) on enemies along the way.

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}

Best for Kids

Luigi's Mansion 3

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A game that revolves around catching ghosts might not sound like a title for kids, but Luigi's Mansion 3 does it in a really cute way. 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's far from creepy and actually quite adorable at times.

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}

Best RPG

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

4.5

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Some RPGs (role-playing games) can be unwieldy to get into. They're generally far more intense than other games and can involve thinking about a lot of different things at once. Much like the other top Nintendo Switch role-playing games, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is incredibly vast. It has a massive storyline that can provide you with hundreds of hours of content. That might seem intimidating at first but you soon get into the swing of things.

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}

Best Platformer

Nintendo Super Mario Odyssey

5

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Super Mario Odyssey is sure to be a huge hit if you've previously loved Super Mario 64 or Super Mario Galaxy. Like those two games, players explore a vast world rather than negotiate specific routes like in 2D Mario games.

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}

Best Roguelike

Hades

4.8

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The roguelike game is a highly popular genre (under the role-playing umbrella), thanks to its repetitive nature. Any time you die in Hades, you come back and start over again with many of the same abilities that you had before. Starting out is very tough, but as you chip away, you soon become much better than before.

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}

Best Action RPG

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

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Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is different from other The Legend of Zelda games. It's a sort of spin-off, but it focuses on combat while taking a glimpse into the events that would set the Breath of the Wild (BOTW) 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 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}