The Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2022

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – December 31, 2022

Which Nintendo Switch games impressed professional reviewers the most during the past year? We rank the best-reviewed Switch games released between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 by Metascore. Games must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible for inclusion. (All scores listed here are from December 29, 2022.)

5 of 14 photo by Sega/Atlus

88 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

(#9) Originally released for the PS4 in 2020 but ported to the Switch in the spring of 2022, 13 Sentinels blends a 2D side-scrolling adventure with real-time strategic battles and RPG elements. The titular sentinels are mecha-equipped Japanese high school students in the 1980s who find themselves caught in a war with a group of Kaiju. Though the content is identical, the Switch version actually scored a bit higher than the original release thanks to its portability.

“Vanillaware takes many risks with 13 Sentinels, and nearly all of them pay off — few titles can boast a story as strong, a cast as memorable, or a world as stylish as this one. [...] 13 Sentinels is a love letter to storytelling no one should miss.” —RPG Fan

Where To Buy