Top Nintendo Switch Games 2023

”’Platform: Nintendo DS”’

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an admirable RPG and an admirable building game which seems in most cases to have gotten the best bits of both of its parent genres. Clunky, overly straightforward combat and unintuitive controls drag it down a little bit, but it still manages to soar above all of the less ambitious Minecraft clones we’ve seen over the years. Even with the main story behind me, I’m still itching to spend time exploring its excellent environments and make them my own.

The Nintendo Labo VR Kit turns your Switch into a simple VR headset for playing a variety of mini games, including ones you can create yourself.

Two Point Hospital revitalizes the business management genre with flair, character, and enthusiasm. Easily understandable tips and icons make it relatively stress-free to get a working urgent care center running smoothly, while the potential for deep optimization through tweaking building layout and making wise hiring and training decisions leave plenty to munch on for the micromanagement lovers among us. If we’re on the verge of another classic genre renaissance, this is a great first foot forward.

Overcooked is one of the freshest couch co-op games I’ve ever played. It’s a perfect blend of strategy and chaos, asking you and your teammates to think on your feet as its smart and strange levels do everything they possibly can to make sure you are shouting at each other. The Switch port has some framerate and rumble issues that keep it from matching the best versions available, but for local multiplayer fun it’s hard to beat.

There’s a lot to love in Nintendo’s second iteration of its quirky shooter, especially the way Splatoon 2 emphasizes splatting the ground just as much as it does inking your opponents. The new additions to its single-player campaign and multiplayer modes are a step in the right direction, but it still has some work to do to make joining online games and voice chat less of a hassle. Still, with an addicting new Salmon Run co-op mode and the promise of free updates like the ones that helped the original Splatoon come into its own, I expect Splatoon 2 to keep me hooked.

Dragon Quest Builders is totally, thoroughly engaging. Its gameplay is accessible to kids while its dialogue offers enough sly references to keep Dad or Mom amused. Collecting, crafting, and building all sounds familiar, but this package encapsulates so much of the best parts of this creative process and wraps it in light roleplaying progression and storytelling. It doesn’t matter that there isn’t a multiplayer component, because it wouldn’t have contributed to the world. So that means this is a gold-standard RPG for the non-connected gamer to flex all their cerebral muscles wherever they want it to go.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a frenetic musou game with all the mechanics that make the core series enjoyable. It has something for newbies and veterans alike.

Lego Star Wars: The SkyWalker Saga doesn’t really break the mold, and is a recognisably Lego videogame. But the new features and mechanics keep things fresh and interesting, so even longtime Lego Star Wars fans have plenty to enjoy.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is an updated version of the 2011 Wii game, which launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 16th.