Best Games to Get For Your Brand New Nintendo Switch

We love Nintendo’s Switch, as it offers a fantastic way to play some of the big N’s best games alongside some high profile multi-platform games to boot. With the ability to play these games on the go as well as …

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We love Nintendo’s Switch, as it offers a fantastic way to play some of the big N’s best games alongside some high profile multi-platform games to boot. With the ability to play these games on the go as well as at home, the Switch really offers the whole package.

However, if you’re new to the platform, you may have no idea where to start when it comes to choosing games. Whether you bought the Switch for yourself or as a gift, we’ve put together a list of what we consider to be the absolute best games on the platform. We’ve also chosen an alternative for each game in case you’ve already got it or want something similar.

Best Games to Get For Your Brand New Nintendo Switch

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

Of course this was going to be our first recommendation, as it’s not only the best game on the Switch but one of the best games ever made. Breath of the Wild launched alongside the Switch over two years ago, and changed how we look at open world games.

The interactive nature of the world makes you truly believe anything is possible. You see a mountain on the horizon that looks impossible to scale but a little while later you’re looking at one of the most beautiful open worlds ever crafted from on top of it. It’s a feeling you rarely find in games.

Ditching the traditional Zelda formula, Breath of the Wild swaps the traditional dungeons for 120 shrines and four Divine Beasts. The smaller shrines are great for on-the-go play while the Divine Beasts are more like traditional Zelda dungeons, and are better suited to the big screen. That being said, Breath of the Wild loses nothing by playing it solely on handheld or TV, and that’s to Nintendo’s enormous credit.

Alternative: The Witcher 3: Wild hunt

If you already have it or, for some crazy reason, you don’t fancy Zelda, then The Witcher 3 also offers a beautiful open world to explore on your Switch. Although it’s not the best way to play it, the Switch version offers portability, which none of its rivals can boast, while maintaining the full package plus expansions. It performs relatively well considering how hard this must have been to port to the Switch, and offers another massive adventure to get stuck into at home and on the go.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart needs no introduction, as each iteration has been a staple purchase on every Nintendo system since the SNES. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no different. Having been initially released on the Wii U, Mario Kart 8 is, in our opinion, the best Mario Kart to date, sporting stunning graphics, fun gameplay, addictive multiplayer, and a ton of tracks and content – including all DLC from the Wii U version. The online play is some of the best on the system, which, admittedly, isn’t saying much given that Nintendo still trails behind the other consoles.

The bottom line is, a new Nintendo console should be married with a Mario Kart and with the love this franchise has from both hardcore and casual players its always a guaranteed blast and essential – even if its just for the multiplayer.

Alternative: Crash Team Racing Nitro Fuelled

Hotly debated to be the king of all kart racers, the original Crash Team Racing was a massive success back in the day, and the remake follows suit. The Switch port is also fantastic, holding a solid frame rate while maintaining its visual identity. It remains a beautiful game on Switch.

The courses are well designed and fun to play and the included story mode offers something a little different to the standard kart racing experience. The signature drift mechanics are easy to pick up and rewarding to master – even more so than the drifting found in Mario Kart 8. Crash Team Racing is certainly a worthy competitor to Mario Kart 8’s crown.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is yet another Wii U port on Nintendo Switch and it’s as fun as bananas. It was definitely one of the Wii U’s best games and survives the transition to Switch really well with the addition of a few extras, including an easier mode for those that found the original to be too challenging.

It’s incredibly beautiful with well-designed levels and funny characters, and it sticks solidly to its 60fps target. That’s a massive help, as it requires quick reflexes and precision jumps.

Alternative: Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker was a highly-requested port for the Switch. Nintendo went the extra mile though and released a brand new game that actually improved on the excellent original. Offering a vast array of new features and visual styles from previous Mario games, it even has a single player mode full of ready made levels to work your way through. That’s without mentioning the fact that there’s basically an infinite amount of fun to be had from making and designing your very own Mario levels.

You can even head online and take on some of the hardest user created levels that occasionally border on the ridiculous.

Super Mario Odyssey

Just like Mario Kart, a new Super Mario is an essential purchase alongside a new Nintendo console. Once again, Nintendo has killed it with Super Mario Odyssey. The game fits perfectly on Switch, and is perfect for both long and short playing sessions. No matter how long you have to play it always feels rewarding and fun.

The many worlds you explore feature bundles of character and secrets to find. You’ll pick it up for a five minute session, which will soon turn into five hours.

With your trusty sidekick Cappy you have the ability to control other creatures and enemies, which leads to some truly stand-out moments along your adventure to once again save Peach. The gameplay and controls are as tight as ever and it once again locks to it’s 60fps target. Nintendo just seems incapable of making a bad Super Mario game.

Alternative: Luigi’s Mansion 3

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is our favourite new Switch game of 2019. Everything comes together to deliver a game that we just couldn’t put down. Working our way through the beautiful hotel, having a blast hoovering up ghosts, and taking on some of the funniest and well-designed bosses we’ve played in a long, long time. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is up there with Odyssey as one of the Switch’s best. 

Pokémon Sword and Shield

Every nintendo handheld gets a new Pokémon game, and with the Switch developer Game Freak finally has a bit more power to play with in making a bigger, vaster Pokémon world. 

The Pokédex may not be complete but the amount of fun you’ll have exploring this new region and catching new Pokémon will soon have you forgetting. With a handful of new features to try out, coupled with more challenging gyms and combat overall, more than makes up for its shortcomings and it ends up ranking as one of the biggest and best Pokémon games.

Alternative: Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee! is a remake of the original  Game Boy classic that features a new lick of paint. It also draws heavily from Pokémon GO, swapping the random encounters for motion-controlled catching mechanics.

While it can feel fairly simple, it’s still fun to jump back into the world of the classic original and catch our favourite first generation Pokémon on our way to becoming a Pokémon master.