Advance Wars finally gets a deserved appearance on Switch! This package is ideal for both newcomers to turn-based strategy and experienced players. There are endless hours of brain-stimulating entertainment here, with army units as perfectly pitched as chess pieces.

Unique and beautiful, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon isn’t afraid to mix elements from different genres to explore the somewhat unique concept of a ‘co-op game that you play alone’. The best part being that it executes that idea in an almost flawless manner.

Vernal Edge is an engaging Metroidvania with a compelling protagonist, an intriguing story, and fantastic gameplay and combat mechanics that will make you forget you’ve been playing for hours.

Zapling Bygone is a fun and challenging Metroidvania that will keep you entertained for hours. With fantastic comic book artwork telling the story, completionists will be in heaven… or Valhalla using the skulls of their enemies to collect every last item.

Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a wonderful example of another great Nintendo remake. The price may be steep, but, if you are a fan of Kirby, or simply played the original, this is a great wholesome family-friendly game to fall back on.

Metroid Prime Remastered marks one of Nintendo’s best efforts at revitalising an old classic. The updated controls, pristine visuals, and atmospheric soundtrack all work alongside gameplay that remains stellar to this day to create an unforgettable experience.

Lucy Dreaming is a refreshing new entry in the point-and-click genre, full of laughs and style. The bleak tone only strengthens the game’s core narrative, and though it’s an easy ride, it’s nonetheless one worth taking.

Fire Emblem Engage delivers fan-service and new ideas in equal measure, creating a game well worth your time even if you’re not a Fire Emblem fan. Despite some story and dialogue missteps, it’s another solid entry in the long-running franchise.

A Space for the Unbound is an incredibly touching story that will keep you guessing until the very end. With beautiful pixel art and a fantastic soundtrack, this is a game you don’t want to miss.

Persona 4 Golden is an incredible RPG that is both wacky and intense. The twist in the different genres helps to keep you engrossed, and the story will keep you playing hours after the sun has gone down. This is the Persona game to play.

Minimal Move is a fantastic puzzler. Intriguing right until the very end, with a story and mechanics that keep you focused without drawing attention away from what matters, mind-bending puzzles.

Lil Gator Game is a shining example of a game with a brilliant premise realised to its fullest extent. Full of heart, humour, and heaps of fun, this quality release simply cannot be missed.

Swordship is fresh in concept and design, a thrilling ride that has been crafted with real attention to detail. It’s certainly a challenge, but nevertheless a rewarding one, with an addictive grip that is hard to resist.

A worthy sequel in every regard, Rogue Legacy 2 improves almost every single element that made the original Cellar Door Games title so appealing. Even its slow progression system is easy to stomach when everything along the way is so fun and entertaining.

Astronite is a 1-bit Metriodvania with a touch of inspiration from the Souls franchise. The pairing of the simple controls with the difficult gameplay create a delightful 2D challenge that will keep you going at it until the bitter end.

Bigger is not always better, but Bayonetta 3 does more right than wrong when trying to surpass everything that has been done with the series before. It is a bold game that is thrilling to play, and a truly wild ride from start to finish.

Return to Monkey Island feels like a greatest hits of Monkey Islands past. The overwhelming sense of familiarity is both a blessing and a curse, but ultimately if you’re a series fan, you’re going to enjoy swashbuckling with Guybrush once again.

Wylde Flowers takes a tried and somewhat tired formula and sprinkles its magic over it for an experience that really sticks with you. Its blending of two genres is a challenge, but one that pays off entirely.

With a beautiful pixel-art presentation, Shovel Knight Dig reinterprets the moveset of the blue knight with a bigger focus on vertical traversal, as well as an entirely new rogue-like structure that is as enjoyable as it is challenging.

Splatoon 3 has something to offer everybody, regardless of what type of games you usually play. It excludes no one and keeps on giving long after the credits have rolled on its chaotic shooter action.

All in all, Haiku, the Robot is a truly delightful experience that doesn’t come around that often. The Metroidvania formula is utilised in the best possible way. Anyone, not just fans of the genre, should pick this one up. It’s well worth spending your hard-earned spare parts on.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is as close to gaming perfection as you’ll get on the Nintendo Switch. If the story doesn’t grip you, the combat, landscapes, mechanics, or soundtrack surely will. Monolith Soft, take a bow!

Islets marries classic Metroidvania elements with innovative tweaks and a gorgeous illustrative style. It may be on the easier end of the scale, but there’s enough depth and variety to keep everyone occupied, from beginners to completionists.

Ooblets is a fantastic farming simulation game that also combines cute-creature-collection and a deck-building/card battling system all in one handy-dandy game. It looks, sounds, and runs well on the Switch, and is entirely worth your money.

Frogun draws you in with all the strength of the titular tongue-hooking grapple gun, combining 90’s low-poly nostalgic presentation with a fresh, novel gameplay premise. It’s a fairly short expedition, but well worth it when you factor in extra modes and collectibles.

Two Point Campus is a shining example of how to make a management sim and all its deep gameplay systems engaging and enjoyable. It can still feel overwhelming, but its charm far outweighs any flaws.

Live A Live is well deserving of the remake treatment. Its concise and effective stories, combined with a battle system that is surprisingly complex, result in a game that works as a gold standard for the genre.

Part top-down action game, part management simulator, Cult of the Lamb is a game that perfectly blends multiple genres, and does so in such a great manner that not even some nasty bugs can take away its shine.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is fresh but familiar, offering plenty of opportunity to hone your hunting skills against new, more challenging monsters in delightfully detailed locations. It’s the very best way to hunt monsters on the Switch.

The Delicious Last Course is everything Cuphead fans could have wanted from a DLC. It’s just as great as the original game, and just as gruelling to complete. As always, the animation work shines, and the gameplay is stellar too.

Wreckfest on the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic technical achievement. It’s an absolute delight of a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet still offers enough depth and longevity for avid racing fans.

Calling Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes a Musou almost feels like a disservice. It is a game that recontextualizes the most interesting elements from the Fire Emblem series into a new experience that is equal parts familiar and unique.

DotEmu are the absolute dons of beat ’em ups, and the collaboration with Tribute Games is a match made in heaven. Whether your persuasion is TMNT or Streets of Rage, you can rest assured that the results from this partnership are best in class.

Card Shark is an intriguing title that tells an engaging story while hitting you with a constant barrage of mechanics. This can start to feel overwhelming, but persevere and you’ll be sucked into a truly wondrous world.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong is a fantastic visual novel but is difficult to get into in many other ways. It’s not easy for players to tackle if they can’t handle big text dumps or seek out the story themselves.

Overall, Citizen Sleeper is a fantastic game, with many quirky characters to meet and interesting stories to get engrossed in. If you are into tabletop RPGs and are looking for an easy-to-play substitute, this is the game for you.

With its gentle ambient sounds and pastel colour palette, Mini Motorways presents an enjoyable and addictive city management challenge. It’s a particularly immersive treat when played in handheld mode, featuring a steady difficulty curve that lures you back for more.

Combining nuanced storytelling with engaging and addictive gameplay, Bugsnax is a real treat through and through. Some technical stumbles aside, this is a title that any fan of games needs to experience for themselves.

The experience of The Stanley Parable is as fresh and unique now as it was almost ten years ago. To make things even better, the new content included with this Ultra Deluxe edition expands the game in new and interesting ways, making it well-worthy of a (re)visit.

Archvale is an engrossing title that you never really stop thinking about. It’s got everything a soulslike or Zelda fan could need, but twists the gameplay just enough to keep it feeling fresh, even when you’re grinding out levels to take on a boss.

Rebellion have done a commendable job of remaining true to all that makes for a decent zombie horde shooter whilst also ensuring that Zombie Army 4 delivers an enjoyable and engaging game either alone or with friends.

Tormented Souls is a fabulous return to classic survival horror, the likes of which haven’t been seen for years. Even horror novices will gel with it because it updates the genre just enough to be accessible in 2022.

Nobody Saves the World is a quirky and engaging little action RPG. With smooth controls, awesome art and sound, plenty of customization options, and fantastic multiplayer; you should definitely consider adding this one to your Switch library.

Neon Splash is a masterfully crafted sequel that takes the very best elements of the original highly stylized 3D platformer that Demon Turf is. By ditching the problematic combat, it offers a pure platforming experience that, while brief, is stellar.

Dawn of the Monsters isn’t reinventing anything, but that lets it focus on what counts – punching big monsters in the mouth. If that sounds like fun to you, then you won’t be disappointed.

Boasting a unique premise that stands out from anything else in the genre, Toodee and Topdee is a challenging delight to play. Brimming with charm and with clear potential to build on its slight shortcomings, Toodee and Topdee are a duo I’d happily see again.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a colourful, magical, platforming-adventure delight with a cute factor that is out of this world! The game isn’t very difficult, but the upgraded copy abilities, mouthful mode, and fantastic level design make it a worthy addition to any Switch collection.

Triangle Strategy is one of the most polished strategy RPGs out there. Although it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it refines its mechanics to a point of near perfection, wrapping them within a riveting story that just takes a little while to get going.

FAR: Changing Tides is an emotionally charged voyage that revels in the thrill of exploring the unknown, proving that the journey is more important than the destination. Painstakingly crafted and beautifully presented, this is an essential experience.

Playing PowerSlave: Exhumed today, it’s clear that the game is deserving of more critical and commercial success than it achieved in the 90s. It’s a lot of fun; a retro FPS that feels entirely relevant on the Switch. Highly recommended.

Infernax is everything I want from a retro-inspired 8-bit platformer. It looks fantastic, offers challenging gameplay, glorious bosses, and banging tunes. If that’s your bag, don’t waste any time diving in here. It’s a beauty.

With bold decisions and a focus on freedom of movement, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is a much-needed new direction in a mostly stagnant series. It’s a fresh new type of Pokémon adventure where the seamless gameplay loop totally makes up for some technical drawbacks.

Windjammers 2 is addictive, vibrant, and intense. With gameplay as fun as this you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy it to some degree, but the lack of tutorials and the rather limited modes hold it back a little.

With its imaginative premise and simple gameplay design, Headland is an enjoyable title for all. Some performance flaws aside, this is a brilliant example of how to bring a game from mobile to Switch, for an arguably improved experience.

NBA 2K22 is an actual upgrade in relation to the previous version. The game is more realistic, immersive, and full of quality of life upgrades, boasting several different modes to play and a beefy story in the Career mode, all making it a decent addition for anyone who needs a sports game with plenty to do.

Grapple Dog is everything a good 2D platforming game should be: smooth gameplay, amazing artwork, and a soundtrack easy to groove to. With a cast of cute characters and a quaint story full of comedy, you won’t want to miss this one.

Rarely has skateboarding in a game felt so creative and accessible as it does in OlliOlli World. It’s very much more of the grind-based platforming that long-time fans will know, just with even more tricks and challenges primed to keep you coming back for more.

Okinawa Rush blends rewarding action gameplay with rich and detailed graphics to worthy effect. The gorgeous pixel art breathes life into a vibrant world with plenty of hidden content that will have you rushing through again and again.

With an extremely well-polished repertoire of challenges and a stellar asynchronous multiplayer component, Brain vs. Brain makes for quite the return on Nintendo Switch to the Big Brain Academy, and at an enticing price point.

Overall, Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon is one of the best puzzle and rogue-lites I’ve had the pleasure of playing. Though it’s not without a few faults, this is a must-play for any Shovel Knight fan.

Part roguelike, part card battler, and part turn-based RPG, Loop Hero is an addictive medieval descent where your lack of control actually adds to the sense of adventure. It takes a while to hit its stride but is worth it in the end.

Chicory: A Colorful Tale is an engrossing adventure that you won’t put down. The main story is enough to pull you in, but it’s the world that you’ll crave more of in the moments you’re unable to play, which is why it’s a good thing this game is finally on Switch.

Death’s Door feeds a nostalgia for Zelda-like adventures while sprucing up nearly every aspect. Graphics, sound, and—not least—combat mechanics are polished to near perfection. Despite some very minor flaws, the final experience is an extremely rewarding challenge.

If you’re a fan of Megami Tensei or just a RPG fan in general, you can’t and won’t go wrong with Shin Megami Tensei V. It offers players so much without the ‘heavy’ feeling that usually comes with many RPGs.

Kathy Rain Director’s Cut is a short but sweet point-and-click adventure game that provides attitude and challenge in equal measure, without either wearing on you so much that they become annoying.

A substantial addition that expands on the best gameplay elements of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s a blast getting to just design for fun, and the addition of new customisation tools and brand new items open up the game even further.

Demon Turf reinforces the 3D platformer genre with an experience that is familiar, yet unique; challenging, yet rewarding; complex, yet engaging. With a distinct art style and superb level design, it is a blast to play — even if the combat is not up to those same standards.

Haven Park is the kind of game that will completely absorb you until several hours have passed and, suddenly, you’ve beaten the game! The story is warm and fuzzy and bittersweet, and if you’re a fan of a quaint, relaxing game don’t hesitate to put this one in your collection.

Mario Party Superstars is N64 nostalgia remastered. Collect stars, stickers, and achievements while messing with your friends! With five updated game boards, and minigames from the N64 and GameCube eras, fans will be able to squeeze plenty of fun out of this one.

Dying Light: Platinum Edition remains one of the better examples of an open-world zombie game done right. It stands head-and-shoulders above other genre entries thanks to unique traversal and weapon creativity.

With a fascinating, grisly, and grimy world to explore, Disco Elysium offers an engrossing world and captivating characters in every moment of gameplay. Unveiling that story and interrogating citizens is an unforgettable adventure, but it’s sadly held back significantly by long load times and performance issues.

Step aside multiplayer sports games! With an abundance of multiplayer games clogging up the virtual pipes these days, A Little Golf Journey is an introvert’s breath of fresh, solo-play, air. An arcade puzzle game with golf as the centerpiece. Take a nice, deep breath, but try not to inhale the golf ball.

White Rabbit should be commended for the approach to Death’s Gambit: Afterlife. With an unwavering commitment to excellence, a fantastic Souls-like Metroidvania has been born. It deserves to be played for this alone, but thankfully it stands on its own merits too.

Tetris Effect: Connected is the puzzler as you’ve never seen it before. The whole experience is amped to the max, producing a game that dazzles not only the brain but the eyes and ears as well.

Overall, Epistory – Typing Chronicles is a beautiful and touching experience that also doubles up as a way to improve your typing skills. Though it can be played with Joy-Con, keyboard is absolutely the way to go.

Castlevania Advance Collection is exactly the jolt of excitement Konami’s classic series of gothic action-platformers needs to succeed. All games featured look and play great, with newly installed quality-of-life features making them more accessible.

While the nineteen-year hiatus was a difficult one, Metroid Dread delivers what fans have waited for and more, building a familiar yet unique experience with brand new ideas to help push the genre forward.

With a combination of classic adventure gameplay and a unique battle system, Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a refreshing game with a deep message. Its thoughtfulness making for an incredibly wholesome and affecting experience.

While perhaps sacrificing a little of the series’ identity, WarioWare: Get it Together! goes in a bold new direction on Switch that largely pays off. It’s great, clean, wacky fun.

Rush Rally Origins demands a place in your Switch starting line-up. It’s second only to its Rush Rally counterpart, and is far and away the best racing game to release on the Switch in the last couple of years.

Button City is an adorable little adventure-arcade game that is both lighthearted and heartfelt, with an amazing soundtrack, a lovable cast of characters, and a story with all the feels. It’s a worthy addition to any Switch library.

Monster Train First Class earns its seat as one of the best card battlers on Nintendo Switch. Its complex mix of mechanics and systems are initially overwhelming, I’ll admit, yet seeing it all come together can be absolute bliss.

A wealth of complex systems can be overwhelming, but Samurai Warriors 5 combines an engaging gameplay loop with exciting mechanics to deliver an action-packed game that provides countless hours of fun.

Eastward may not be perfect, but it doesn’t need to be. The creativity on display is fantastic, and the gameplay is fun and varied. It’s an adventure you won’t be quick to forget.

TOEM is one of the many wholesome games available on Switch, but it is one that stands out thanks to its unique hand-drawn art style and enjoyable perspective mechanics. A short but sweet, frame-by-frame adventure.

Axiom Verge 2 doesn’t quite deliver the same thrill and nuance of its predecessor. There are great ideas at play and an engaging story if you can commit to it. But be prepared to come away slightly underwhelmed.

Garden Story is such a wholesome game and the more time you put into it, the more you will get out. Its adorable cast of characters and varied gameplay makes for a great ‘relaxation’ game, if that’s what you’re looking for.

Boyfriend Dungeon‘s unlikely mix of dating sim and dungeon crawler charms more than it irks, letting you romance your way through many a dungeon. Is it over too quickly? Yes, but this heartfelt summer vacation is fun while it lasts.

A Monster’s Expedition shakes up the puzzling genre with an enormous map, combining tiny individual puzzles with an empowering sense of exploration. Gorgeous graphics and witty writing mean it mostly succeeds, let down only slightly when its ambitious scale becomes daunting.

It has its flaws, but there is absolutely no reason not to get on board with No More Heroes 3. It’s explosive, it’s sexy, it’s absurd, and it’s all created with a passion rarely seen outside of small-scale indie game development.

Ayo The Clown offers platforming antics by numbers, and it’s a crowded genre with some big jumping shoes for company. But there are enough fresh ideas to warrant a deviation from the well-worn first-party platforming path.

Anna’s Quest manages to take the small child in scary world theme and keep it fresh and entertaining: great characters, excellent voice acting, and an intriguing story make this adventure game a worthy Switch purchase.

Super Cable Boy is a wonderful collection of contradictions: experimental yet familiar, accessible but challenging, linear with masses of choice. The game marries old and new elements of 2D platforming to near-perfection. A triumph stylistically, conceptually, and in execution.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: The Wings of Ruin is a delightful addition to the Monster Hunter franchise. A compelling story, colourful cast of characters, and a cacophony of cute, cuddly, customizable monsties to befriend make this game a must-have for any Switch collection.

Cris Tales is a fantastic JRPG that blends enough traditional mechanics with new ideas to keep it feeling fresh and innovative. It features an engrossing world you’ll long for more hours to explore and absorb.

King of Seas is an ambitious and peaceful game. It’s perfect for pick up and play gameplay, let down only by numerous glitches and lack of voice acting. If you want to be a pirate on Switch, this is the game.

Motion control-fearing players finally have a way to satisfyingly play one of Link’s most misunderstood adventures. A few design elements can annoy and now feel archaic, sure, but Skyward Sword HD is well worth another stab on Nintendo Switch.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is well worth your time, offering one of the most compelling stories on the Switch. It’s refined, charming, and engaging, and a great experience for newcomers and fans of the Ace Attorney franchise alike.