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Looking back over the last 12 months, it’s been an incredibly fruitful year for gamers, and Switch has enjoyed an excellent seventh year on store shelves.
Industry-wide layoffs in the latter half of the year made for a sobering counterpoint to the glut of great games, and at times the pandemic-related backlog of projects which flushed through in 2023 made it difficult to keep tabs on everything we would have liked to, but it’s been a good year for anyone just playing video games.
While the future is uncertain in many respects, it’s impossible to deny the quality and quantity of software that launched across all platforms in 2023, as our (and we’re sure your) backlogs can attest. Here at Nintendo Life, once again we have compiled your selections of the best games of the year –as governed by each game’s User Rating in our games database — into a dynamic community-ranked Top 50 Switch games of the year: 2023 Edition.
The year started out quiet, with little of note on Nintendo’s announced first-party release list beyond January’s Fire Emblem Engage and the tentpole TOTK, but the calendar soon fleshed out with the long-awaited Advance Wars 1+2, the excellent Pikmin 4, and the delightful Super Mario Bros. Wonder — the first for brand-new 2D Mario for over a decade. Add some surprise ports like Quake II and Vampire Survivors, third-party classics like Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and Persona 5 Tactica, and indie gems like Sea of Stars and Blasphemous 2, and 2023 was bursting at the seams with incredible Switch games.
But where do they stack up against each other? We asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the games this year, and the list below is the result. Please note: The order can and likely will change, even after publication, subject to those fluctuating User Ratings. This means that it’s not too late to rate your collection and influence the list, even as you’re reading this. Just click on the star icon and score the game from 1-10.
Can’t see your favourite? Use the search bar below to find what you’re looking for and rate the game(s) accordingly. Note. To become eligible, a game needs to have been rated by a minimum of 30 users.
Looking for Team Nintendo Life’s personal picks? Check them out in Staff Awards round-up below. Otherwise, let’s take a look at the 50 best Switch games of 2023, as ranked by you…
Publisher: Gameloft / Developer: Gameloft Barcelona
Disney Speedstorm delivers solid karting action with fantastic handling and clearly spends a lot of care and attention on its characters and courses. Its performance on Switch lets it down, though, especially on handheld where it’s a blurry, stuttery mess, and those not interested in the live service setup will struggle to get along with it. Still, it went free to play in September 2023, so with the barrier to entry so low, it’s certainly worth giving a try.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Creatures
Series spin-off Detective Pikachu Returns serves up more of what delighted us first time around on 3DS, with an endearing and exciting story packed full of fun and light-hearted silliness. We really do enjoy this gruff, coffee-addled take on Pikachu, he never fails to raise a smile when he goes off on one, and the game successfully straddles a very thin line in giving us an adventure aimed at younger players that long-time Pokémon fans and ancient gamers such as ourselves can also enjoy. If you can handle the inherent repetitiveness of most of the core gameplay, alongside some rather drab visuals, you’ll enjoy this one.
Publisher: WB Games / Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Rocksteady’s phenomenal Arkham series needs no introduction at this stage — three of the finest superhero games you’ll ever play with a top-notch cast and writing, and sublime gameplay that put you right into the bat-boots of the Dark Knight. Asylum is an all-timer, City still stands up as one of the best open-world games we’ve ever played and Knight, although slightly less successful, is still a strong final chapter. It’s a shame that Knight is completely unplayable on Switch. Very little TLC has been shown to any of these games and better decisions weren’t made when it became clear just how poorly one of the games here ran on Nintendo’s console. If you only have a Switch and have never played the first two games, Batman: Arkham Trilogy is still a decent way to play those two titles, at least.
Publisher: SEGA / Developer: Arzest
We had a few issues with Sonic Superstars — the local co-op could have greatly benefited from split-screen support, and the online Battle Mode feels incredibly shallow and tacked on — but this is the first original 2D Sonic game that feels truly authentic to the Genesis titles without aping the classic pixel-art style, and for a lot of longtime fans, that’s frankly an absolute miracle. Zipping through the 12 zones in the excellent campaign made us feel like kids again, but it will also prove a great entry point for new players looking to see what all the fuss is about. Developer Arzest’s reputation has taken a beating in recent years, but this is a triumphant effort from the studio and a great return for ‘2D’ Sonic.
Publisher: Electronic Arts / Developer: EA
After years of lazy, half-hearted Legacy Editions, EA Sports has finally delivered a football game on the Switch that offers full feature parity with other consoles. A much-needed engine upgrade trades frame rate for fidelity, but with EA Sports FC 24 Switch owners finally have a port they can be proud of, rather than feeling like an afterthought.
Publisher: Bandai Namco / Developer: Bandai Namco
We’re a little mixed on Tales of Symphonia Remastered. Though the story is compelling, the character building is satisfying, and there’s lots of content to experience, Bandai Namco’s near-nonexistent efforts to sand off the rough edges of this older game definitely hold it back from greatness. Things like the stiff combat, dated visuals, and awkward writing limit the appeal here, which makes this remaster feel like a missed opportunity. It’s easier to recommend this to those who have nostalgia for the original and want to relive those memories, but it’s tough to say whether newcomers should pick it up. This is far from the best action RPG on Switch, and it’s arguably not even the best Tales game on the Switch. Its positives do just about outweigh its negatives — having this game easily accessible on a modern console is a boon — but this remaster could have been so much more.
Publisher: Disney Games / Developer: Dlala Studios
While you could certainly argue that Disney Illusion Island is perhaps more of a Metroidvania than it is a straight-up 2D platformer, we reckon it strikes a wonderful balance between the two genres that it could honestly fall into either category. Its focus on combat-free exploration makes this an excellent gateway into the genre for younger audiences, and its ability to support up to four players via local co-op means that it’s an excellent option for families who want to spend a bit of time with some of the most iconic Disney characters imaginable. You can also hug each other to regain health. What more could you ask for?
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
WarioWare: Move It! is another great entry in this long-running franchise that brings back the motion-controlled mayhem whilst giving you plenty of ways to enjoy its loony fun with family and friends. There are lots of fun modes to dig into and unlock here, the microgames are as daft and colourful as ever, and, as long as you can make peace with things not being quite as fun solo, it’s really hard to knock the chaotically silly vibe of this most excellent party game.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
If you’ve never played any of the Metal Gear Solid titles before, or indeed their MSX2 ancestors, then the Master Collection Vol. 1 on Switch is a perfectly fine way to experience some of the most iconic games of all time. That said, Switch owners have undoubtedly been stung by Konami’s decision to cut MGS 2 and 3’s frame rate down to 30, and although moment-to-moment gameplay still feels satisfying, it’s a frustrating approach that we’re hopeful will be patched at a later date. As for the overall package, there’s a lot here that will keep you entertained, but the way it’s been presented feels less than ideal. Still, it’s a compilation well worth investigating if you’re itching to play (or replay) the Metal Gear Solid saga.
Publisher: Konami / Developer: Konami
Rarely has there ever been such a drastic improvement regarding visuals and gameplay than with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It boasts a wide range of optional mechanics that, while certainly a bit fiddly for newcomers, result in a stellar gameplay experience. The story hits many of the same beats as the original PS1 classic, yet still manages to be original and engaging, with frighteningly prescient commentary on the dangers of AI. The major downside with this release on Switch is the 30fps performance, which may feel fine in practice but is still immensely disappointing in principle.