Over a year in, the Switch 2’s software lineup could scarcely be looking healthier. Although it’s still lacking the biggest of big hitters from Nintendo’s own stable — there’s been no Zelda or Mario platformer yet — the platform holder has kept up a consistent stream of interesting second-tier titles like Splatoon Raiders, Switch 2 Editions of past classics like the Xenoblade series, and even Nintendo 64 remakes like Star Fox. (There’s another one of those coming soon…)
That’s in addition to stellar third-party support, with almost unanimous buy-in from indies and several big publishers going all-in on porting their biggest titles to Switch 2 — notably Square Enix, with the Final Fantasy 7 series, and Capcom, with Resident Evil, Onimusha, Pragmata, and more coming.
Switch 2 players shouldn’t forget they also have access to the entire Switch library, playable under backward compatibility on Switch 2. You can check out our list of the best Switch games for inspiration — but at the foot of this article, we’ve also included a quick list of our recommendations of Switch games that, while not considered full-blown Switch 2 Editions, have received worthwhile free updates on the new console.
Our latest update to this list, on Sept. 15, added Splatoon Raiders, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Big Walk, and Orbitals.
How we pick the best games on Switch 2
The Polygon staff plays a lot of video games, and everything in this list comes personally recommended by at least one of us. We determined what should be on our list of the best Switch 2 games by looking at the quality of each title, but also with an eye for breadth and variety — so you should find something on the list you’ll enjoy, no matter what genres of game you like, how much time you have, or what vibe you are after.
1
Splatoon Raiders
Splatoon Raiders first seemed to be a minor co-op spinoff of Nintendo’s winning competitive paintball series, like an extended take on Splatoon 2‘s Octo Expansion campaign. And Raiders is that, but it’s also so much more: Improbably, it’s Nintendo’s first full-blown looter shooter, an ebullient action-RPG of surprising depth that can hold its own alongside Borderlands and Diablo. What begins as a simple level-based action game turns into a wildly escalating war of attrition, especially once you clock the campaign and get stuck into the massive and murderously hard endgame. —Oli Welsh
Read Giovanni Colantonio’s full review of Splatoon Raiders.
2
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Square Enix has been positively sprinting to bring its Final Fantasy remake series to Switch 2; Remake came out in January, Rebirth in June, and final chapter Revelation will come to Nintendo’s console on day one in April next year. The version of Remake was impressive, but Rebirth is even more amazing considering it’s based on a PS5 game of absolutely vast scale. Honestly, it’s almost too much — stuffed with sidequests and activities, Rebirth can be overwhelming at times — but it’s a wonderfully lavish and charismatic adventure. —OW
Read Todd Harper’s full review of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
3
Big Walk
Big Walk is a completely unique co-op puzzle adventure by Australian studio House House, which made Untitled Goose Game. Broadly, you could call it an elevated example of the friendslop genre: the anarchic, physics-based hangout games which do so well on Steam. It’s like that, but made with more artistry and mystery as well as plentiful opportunities for mischief; it’s an exploration game, a puzzle game, and a beautiful journey through the wilderness you can take with your family and friends. —OW
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