RPGamer’s Favorite Switch RPGs
With the Nintendo Switch 2’s imminent worldwide launch, we at RPGamer wanted to celebrate its incredibly successful predecessor. A console’s success is only possible if it has the games to back it up, and since its launch back in 2017, the Nintendo Switch had them in spades. We asked our staff to pick some of the highlights from the Nintendo Switch’s library and tell us what made them special.
Given how many of its titles have been released on multiple platforms, we’ve restricted our feature to titles that were at least a Switch console exclusive at launch, with some exceptions to be permitted on a case-by-case basis if the writer is able to argue that the game is particularly noteworthy being on Switch. We hope you enjoy reading about our selections and invite our readers to let us know your favorite Switch titles.
Bravely Default II
After Bravely Default and Bravely Second went down as two of the Nintendo 3DS’s more notable RPGs, it wasn’t too surprising that Square Enix would return to the series on Nintendo Switch. Rather than being a direct sequel, Bravely Default II allows players to leap into a brand-new world, though many of its narrative elements remain strikingly similar to the original game. Its take on story of the four crystals works well, however; the main characters receive their own distinct personalities that come with discernible flaws for them to grow past, while the game’s sidequests do a nice job tying directly into the main story. It’s aided by an eclectic cast of foes for players to take on, who spring to life with their fantastic designs.
The stellar turn-based combat — with the Brave and Default systems allowing players to store up or unleash multiple actions in a single turn — remains the main draw here, and Bravely Default II continues where the series left off with another excellent implementation. The systems work brilliantly the with the game’s job system, where players obtain Asterisks from bosses that lets the party unlock new jobs. This provides some fantastic synergistic options as players combine main jobs and sub jobs across their party. The first game’s composer, Revo, returns to delight players once again with a superb score that makes full use of its instruments, while the series’ art style is upgraded to great effect on the Switch, making for a fine addition to anyone’s collection. — Alex Fuller
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Being the first console Fire Emblem game in twelve years, Intelligent Systems and Nintendo wanted Fire Emblem: Three Houses to be something special, and it’s one of the most ambitious games in the series. Player character Byleth can pick one of the three titular houses to become the new professor for, leading to one of four story paths. Although the story is largely the same for the first half of the game, a five-year time skip sees its paths diverge in drastically different ways. There is much political intrigue, history, and complex relationships among the three nations of the continent of Fódlan, as well as how they relate to the church and even to lands beyond Fódlan. It is excellent world-building, making the setting feel alive and realized, though certain plot points go unexplained depending on the path, necessitating multiple playthroughs to get the full scope of the story. In addition, Three Houses also has a fantastic cast of characters, particularly the students, with most of them being multifaceted and likable thanks to numerous support conversations. Even the Cindered Shadows DLC has a really good story, adding to not only Fódlan’s history but also to Byleth’s backstory, as well as introducing four excellent new characters that can join the main campaign.
Three Houses is no slouch in the gameplay department as well. Although it isn’t the first game to feature a hub area, it has two distinct phases to its gameplay. There is the school phase, in which Byleth instructs their students to improve their combat capabilities. This raises their stats and builds proficiency for combat aspects like wielded weapons or learned magic. Depending on their proficiency levels, they can then take a certification exam to change their classes. Although characters will display more proficiency for certain classes over others, with enough effort, it’s possible to make any character any class the player wants. During the school phase, Byleth can also engage in various side activities to raise support levels with other characters as well as enhance their own stats. The second phase is the battle phase, in which traditional Fire Emblem map battles are engaged. These include the major story battles at the end of each in-game month, plus various auxiliary and Paralogue battles throughout the rest of the month. Although its maps lack the complexity and varied win conditions of earlier Fire Emblem games, battles are still engaging and fun.
With its terrific characters and setting, good story, beautiful visuals with distinctive character designs, deep character building with an engaging battle system, and excellent voice acting and music, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is overall a fantastic game. It’s arguably both one of the best entries in the Fire Emblem series and one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch. — Cassandra Ramos
Fire Emblem Engage
Following up a game like Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a difficult task, and Intelligent Systems made a smart decision of avoiding more direct comparisons by pivoting to a game that more resembles a “traditional” Fire Emblem game and celebrating the series’ past in Fire Emblem Engage. The return of a linear, non-branching narrative campaign, a blue-haired Lord (though now with a bit more than a dash of red) and a much lighter tone comparatively are all welcome changes that help cater to those fans who might not have appreciated Three Houses’s twists on the formula.
As a fan of the series, and of Fire Emblem: Awakening especially, the way it handled the returning characters as “Emblems” was my favorite part by far. Fire Emblem games have a way of having multiple darkest hours during their runtime, and the earliest in Engage is a direct reference to where the franchise was before Awakening released and helped save the series. Lucina’s presence in this moment made me feel emotions I didn’t realize the franchise was capable of, and moments such as this are peppered throughout the game. While not without its faults, Engage did an amazing job of celebrating the series. — Ezra Kinnell
Harvestella
Harvestella came at a curious time of Square Enix’s output at the end of 2022, when the publisher released a group of smaller profile, more experimental titles. While it was great to see such titles bringing new ideas, Square Enix bizarrely decided to release them all in quick succession, meaning none of them really garnered their time in the sun. This is a shame, as Harvestella is a great title and well deserving of being a notable entry on the Switch.
While a part of the ever-expanding farming sim genre, Harvestella does a superb job standing out through its narrative ambition. The story is Harvestella’s driving force, and it is all the better for it, but the game also makes sure to generate a highly enjoyable gameplay loop combining its farming sim, action combat, and exploration elements. The twists and turns of the story are readily comparable with those of the bigger JRPGs of the current era, and the game impressively holds attention in its narrative while also being able to stick the landing in its ending. Even for those who generally aren’t interested in farming sims, Harvestella’s ambition and execution make it well worth a place in RPGamers’ library. — Alex Fuller
Live A Live Remake
The Live A Live Remake is the perfect encapsulation of what made the Nintendo Switch a great console. It seemed for a time that everything was getting a release on the console, making it the go-to for collecting and preserving everything one could want in one place. That this is also be true of classics from prior Nintendo consoles is just the cherry on the ice cream sundae that is the massive Switch library. For its part, Square Enix preserved everything timeless about the classic RPG and added in remixed music and enhanced visuals to give it a chance to stand out among contemporary modern RPGs as well. Fifteen years ago, Live A Live was near the top of everyone’s lists of wished games to see a worldwide release, and the marketability of the Nintendo Switch made that possible.
The Live A Live Remake takes the best aspects of video games as a medium and refreshes them with modern technology. The way that it integrates gameplay with storytelling is still something rarely accomplished in the medium, as every single one of the isolated stories factors in a brand-new way to look at the combat system. The upgraded visuals and remixed soundtrack make it feel like it is new again, and hopefully this brilliant title inspires more creators and fans alike for another generation. — Ryan Costa
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Considering Nintendo’s well-established protectiveness toward its legacy characters, it was somewhat surprising to hear about the Ubisoft-developed Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle prior to its 2017 release. A tactical RPG starring the wacky and whacked-in-the-head Rabbids already seemed pretty far out of left field, but to have the buck-toothed baddies join forces with (and badly impersonate) iconic characters from Nintendo’s flagship franchise was a recipe to create something wholly unique and unexpected. What’s even more surprising is that it absolutely works.
It’s not wrong to think of Mario + Rabbids as “Mario X-COM”. The core gameplay loop consists of tactical skirmishes that employ many of the same elements as the long-standing tactical RPG powerhouse, though with a decidedly more kid-friendly bent to its proceedings. Anybody who has ever touched a tactical RPG will feel right at home with the turn-based tactical combat, and the bright and colorful presentation is at once charming and inviting in equal measure. The genre’s more notorious, stressful elements like permadeath, base-building, and countdown timers have also been removed, giving way to world exploration between combat scenarios. Levels themselves are whimsical and full of humor, with puzzles, references, and secrets galore to discover. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle is a relaxing take on an otherwise grim and stressful genre, and a treat to experience, and it even received a sequel five years later. — Pascal Tekaia
Octopath Traveler II
The first title in this small series could just have easily gone here, as it was my primary reason for even purchasing a Switch, but the priority for praise must rest on the near flawless masterpiece that is Octopath Traveler II. As it was, this was the title that just barely edged out many fan favorites for RPGamer’s Game of the Year in 2023. Like its predecessor, the game features eight protagonists that each embark on emotional, important journeys over the course of their chapters that range from the seriously bizarre and horrific to the most wholesome or economically capitalist storylines. Unlike its predecessor, these storylines have some slight narrative crossovers and a concluding storyline that follows through in the end, answering those criticisms of the original game.
Much like a beloved episode of Quantum Leap, Octopath Traveler II strives to put right what once went wrong, while simultaneously continuing to do all the amazing things its predecessor did wonderfully. The turn-based combat, complete with character classes and subclasses, returns and again nails it on every level, while even adding awesome latent powers to the mix. Similarly, the exploration and path actions available to players are improved and doubled with the addition of the day/night mechanic, which also leads to a doubling of the awesome assortment of music available in many areas as well. No discussion of Octopath Traveler II can be complete without discussion of the breathtaking HD-2D graphics, which may be more widespread these days but will always be synonymous for me with the series. The sequel stands beside its predecessor as one visually stunning JRPG. — Matt Masem
Paper Mario: The Origami King
For the Switch’s first outing into the Paper Mario universe, developer Intelligent Systems gave players a game that offered all the charm of the long-running franchise while also folding in new layers when it came to world exploration and combat, resulting in a game that blended styles from several genres into a surprisingly fun and cohesive whole. Paper Mario: The Origami King is a creative take on expanding the established formula without foregoing what made previous entries in the series work.
The Origami King slots neatly into the established papercraft franchise– and the Mario canon as a whole — by giving gamers another excuse to visit an embattled Mushroom Kingdom. This time around, both good and bad guys alike are in trouble, having been turned into origami versions of themselves by a mysterious new antagonist. To save the kingdom and all of its denizens, Mario and Luigi must explore its farthest corners, battling new adversaries and office supply menaces alike. However, combat and exploration are anything but two-dimensional, with a ring-based system that turns combat encounters into turn-based puzzle showdowns, and the “1000-Fold Arms” ability that allows players to peek behind the curtains of the paper world and see the secrets hidden beyond. Paper Mario: The Origami King moved the series to the next console generation while injecting enough innovation into its roots to give it a wholly unique flavor. — Pascal Tekaia
Phantasy Star (Sega Ages)
I spent a lot of my childhood stuck on the first map of Phantasy Star. I would find random dungeons, die, restart, wander around Camineet to the world map, and promptly die again. I never finished the game, nor did I have the patience for it. In 2018, a surprise ended up on the Nintendo Switch — the Sega Ages edition of Phantasy Star. What made this edition so special? It was a revised version of the Master System classic, featuring a dungeon display map. While some may argue this is an odd thing to be excited about, I have to say I was over the moon. Having the map displayed made the experience so much easier, from navigating the first-person view dungeons to seeing where I had gone, where I needed to go, and what unique elements I encountered, such as treasure.
The other unique feature came in the form of “Ages Mode,” which allowed for a decrease in the game’s challenge level, offering more money and experience points to players, which meant less time fighting the game’s awful encounter rate, and being able to explore areas with less interruption. This mode and the map display took a game from my childhood that I could never complete, and turned it into an experience I could enjoy. I am sad the other mainline Phantasy Star games have not gotten this treatment, but I would have never been able to finish this classic otherwise, and I am grateful for it being on the Switch. — Sam Wachter
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon Legends: Arceus is unique among Pokémon titles. It’s actually a prequel of sorts to Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum and their remakes, as it takes place in what appears to be the Pokémon world’s equivalent of Japan’s Meiji period. Early on, the player is whisked away from the Sinnoh’s modern era back to when the region was called by its old name, Hisui. There, they are tasked by the eponymous Arceus to meet all of the Pokémon in the region, and then come and find them. The player goes to the only major settlement in Hisui, Jubilife Village, and joins the Survey Corps of the Galaxy Expedition Team in order to complete the region’s first Pokédex. To do so, they need to traverse across the various biomes of Hisui to encounter freely roaming Pokémon.
While it may not appeal to fans whose favorite aspect of Pokémon is the battles, the focus on capturing and observing Pokémon is quite fun. Players are encouraged to sneak up on Pokémon and hit them with a Poké Ball or use items to make them easier to capture. There are more involved boss fights as well; rather than just battling Noble Pokémon with their own monsters, players have to dodge their attacks and throw balms at them to calm them down. They can then be stunned and battled with. Players can use ride Pokémon to cross bodies of water, climb mountains, and glide to find Pokémon and materials for crafting. It is so much fun to explore the wilds of Hisui. Even battles have a creative spin to them. While still turn-based, Pokémon moves can be performed either as normal; in Agile Style, which is weaker but allows Pokémon to attack multiple times in a row; or in Strong Style, which is more powerful but usually allows the opponent to get multiple turns. This adds an extra layer of strategy to battles. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is also a fascinating look at the history of the Pokémon world. Although Pokémon are beloved companions in the modern era, they were feared in old Hisui, and it’s amusing to see people even afraid of something as innocuous as a Starly. All of this originality is what makes Pokémon Legends: Arceus one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch. — Cassandra Ramos
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
For many, Pokémon’s catchphrase of “Gotta Catch ’em All” is marching orders for every title that releases. However, for the past twenty years, I’ve rolled credits and barely given the phrase a passing thought. Then along came Pokémon Scarlet & Violet on the Nintendo Switch. While much was made of the technical shortcomings of this first open-world Pokémon adventure, the game sparked something in me that hadn’t been there since Game Boy Advance days, and I caught them all! Perhaps it was having a son the perfect age to play alongside with, perhaps it was having the Pokémon 100% visible outside of combat in the overworld, or perhaps it was a happy confluence of these two events, but Pokémon Scarlet & Violet were my monster collecting jam on the Switch.
The game plays out quite differently than most mainline Pokémon adventures, with a trio of narrative goals intertwining with gym battles, the search for herbs, and the scholastically naughty Team Star storylines, with each having some fun aspects to them. This creates a different experience and one that pulled me in far deeper than previous titles. The open-world transversal mechanics offered with Koraidon in Scarlet and Miraidon in Violet are quite excellent too. Sprinting, gliding, swimming, and climbing into every possible location on the map make for a completely fulfilling adventure. While I’ve enjoyed each Pokémon title I’ve played for a variety of reasons, this one on the Switch stands out as a personally excellent gaming experience. — Matt Masem
Ring Fit Adventure
Nintendo has never shied away from a gimmick or two — including consoles largely based around them — and with motion-based controls becoming an ever-bigger focus, exercise-based games have become staples of their repertoire. With Ring Fit Adventure, Nintendo continued pushing peripheral-based exercise into gamers’ living rooms, with said peripheral this time being the eponymous Ring-Con. However, thinking of the game as nothing more than a flashy way to sell some software and a piece of plastic would be doing the title a huge disservice, as Ring Fit Adventure more than does the job of getting players off the couch and moving in all the right ways, with lots of options to tailor the experience and an ever-evolving difficulty curve to keep the sweat dripping.
Players will need to look elsewhere for a gripping plot and world-building, though that’s hardly a revelation. The fact is that Ring Fit Adventure does include a story mode where players train their bodies to square off against a buff, gym-bod adversary in increasingly taxing athletic events. Along the way, there are plenty of challenges to put the Ring-Con (as well as the second, leg-mounted Joy-Con) through their paces, from running to squats, from knee bends to jumping jacks, and from archery to yoga. Rhythm-based music challenges, customizable workout routines, even the ability to take the Ring-Con to the office and have extra workout time sync up with the game back at home make the title even more versatile. For offering a worthwhile reason to get up and get active in an otherwise rather sedentary hobby and for doing so in a fun and stylish way that actually kicks your butt, Ring Fit Adventure makes our list for wholly unique reasons that set it apart from all the other entries. — Pascal Tekaia
Shin Megami Tensei V
While the Persona spin-off series may have eclipsed it in popularity, there’s always excitement for a new mainline Shin Megami Tensei title. Following in the footsteps of Shin Megami Tensei IV on Nintendo 3DS, Shin Megami Tensei V made its debut on Nintendo Switch in 2021, and while not universally beloved, it did more than enough to ensure the series’ passionate following was on full display.
Shin Megami Tensei V makes fine use of its setting in a Tokyo ruined by conflict between the forces of Heaven and Hell. Thrust into this new reality and their new form as the Nahobino, players are made to explore in wonder at its haunting world that crosses from desertified wastes to more modern and surreal locales with plenty to discover. The roster of demons is looking at their best, with excellent attention paid to their models and animations that really helps bring the mainline series forward, Additionally, the Press Turn system returns for another iteration, with a significant further degree of polish. With its striking design and rock-solid gameplay, Shin Megami Tensei V has a ton to offer players. Atlus certainly felt the game worthy or more attention, with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance following a few years after to bring the game to more platforms, while also adding a whole new story route to follow. — Alex Fuller
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild made sure that the Nintendo Switch era started with a bang, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom went all out on really demonstrating everything that made the system so beloved. Far from resting on its laurels, Nintendo used lessons learned to be able to add multiple new layers on top of its predecessor to create an incredibly engaging experience.
The introduction of the sky islands and the depths ensure that there are whole new levels of exploration and sights to see above and below Hyrule. Meanwhile, Link’s new abilities add an incredible amount of gameplay options and player experimentation that makes interacting with everything it has to offer a delight. The design throughout is second to none and makes sure that players are encouraged to find their own approaches towards puzzles, with almost of all them having multiple ways of being solved. Tears of the Kingdom is a textbook showcase of Nintendo’s ability to come up with new ideas and execute them superbly. — Alex Fuller
Triangle Strategy
Released in 2022, Square Enix’s tactical RPG Triangle Strategy made an immediate splash with its gorgeous 2.5D visuals and tightly crafted narrative. Triangle Strategy serves as an excellent starting point for players that are new to tactical RPGs, with a number of features to make the experience more accessible, including numerous difficulty settings and retention of experience upon losing a battle. However, battling can also become a brutal grind on the higher difficulty settings, which will please tactics junkies.
Additionally, Triangle Strategy has a straightforward job system which further serves to make the game more accessible to less experienced players while keeping a decent amount of depth for veterans. There are lengthy cutscenes between each battle, which provide substantial development to the plot. Difficult choices are integrated into critical points in the narrative, contributing to the final outcome which can be one of four possible endings. The presence of distinct story resolutions gives players an incentive to engage in multiple playthroughs. Triangle Strategy may be considered a relatively straightforward strategy JRPG that doesn’t try to push the boat out too far with its combat, but it has sharpened its gameplay and narrative to a razor’s edge and is a “can’t miss title” on the Switch. — Jesse Proctor
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
With the entire Xenoblade series finally on Switch, including several games and expansions designed specifically for the console, it can be easy to think that the one that started it all would have lost its touch by now. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, and that’s because Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition refines the original Wii-era gem to perfection by smoothing out the rough edges and polishing it to a blinding brilliance. Quality-of-life changes range from simple to game-changing, while redone visuals and music give an even better form to its vision. Additional difficulty options and a Time Attack mode also throw some spice into the mix, but the real kicker is the brand-new epilogue that ties into the rest of the series.
At its core, the MMORPG-esque combat remains a treat through its focus on positioning, tension, and party composition, while its story is more in line with a traditional JRPG than its successors, making it the ideal starting point for newcomers. Even for RPG sceptics, the open-world exploration — a precursor to Monolith Soft’s work on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of The Kingdom — is worth the price of admission on its own due to its vast, varied landscapes that blend the organic and the artificial in a reflection of the story’s conflict of man vs. machine. While it might not have the freedom of X, the cast of 2, and the drama of 3, the original Xenoblade Chronicles is the all-rounder that has a good bit of everything. It is that consistency that makes it both my favorite game of all time and a must-play for any RPGamer, and with the Definitive Edition readily available on the hybrid handheld, there’s no longer any excuse for those who’ve missed out on it until now. — Amaan Bhimani
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a one-of-a-kind RPG for a lot of reasons, but perhaps its most iconic element outside of its incredibly popular characters is its complexity. The game is unimaginably deep, so much so that to some it can be impenetrable. But for those willing to do the work (and perhaps watch some short guides), combat in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 becomes one of the most satisfying loops in modern JRPG history. Every character has their own role, and even within those roles, characters often greatly vary between each other. Progression being tied to objectives rather than simply grinding enemies is a great touch and encourages seeing as much of the game’s content as possible.
What really makes the game for me, though, are the antagonists. Jin and Malos are arguably the series’ greatest antagonists. Jin especially is an excellent foil to Rex, forcing the protagonist to grow while also undergoing his own character arc. It also helps that Jin has a “cool” factor only matched by the likes of Vergil and Sephiroth, befitting of a villain designed by Tetsuya Nomura himself. Malos, while admittedly on the simpler side, has some amazing dialogue with his counterparts in Pyra and Mythra about the nature of their creation and why they exist. Finally, the worldbuilding of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is stellar, and Tetsuya Takahashi’s vision shines through in the final acts of the game. — Ezra Kinnell
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
When Xenoblade Chronicles 3 launched, it felt like the culmination of everything Monolith Soft had refined over the series. I spent the early pandemic playing through Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and both were major reasons I bought a Switch, but the third entry took everything further.
Class swapping is integrated into the core progression, letting every party member experiment with over twenty unlockable classes, including favorites like Flash Fencer and Soulhacker. The Ouroboros mechanic adds a dramatic new layer to combat, fusing pairs of characters into giant forms with distinct skill trees and cooldown systems. Chain Attacks are overhauled to be more readable and satisfying, with clear stat bonuses and stylish animations that make them worth using every time. Navigating Aionios feels smoother too, with streamlined quest tracking, a detailed world map, and faster load times than the previous games.
The narrative also strikes a completely different tone. Life in Keves and Agnus revolves around Flame Clocks and the constant pressure to fill them by killing enemies, making the world feel oppressive and desperate from the start. Noah and Mio, as off-seers, give the early game a uniquely sombre rhythm, their flute performances memorializing fallen soldiers with real emotional weight. The music reflects this, with custom flutes constructed for the soundtrack that underscore quiet moments just as powerfully as battles. The visuals push the Switch harder than any other RPG I’ve played, with cutscenes choreographed like actual film sequences and environments like the Syra Hovering Reefs and the Fornis Region looking incredible despite the hardware’s limitations. Meanwhile, the final DLC, Future Redeemed, brings the entire Xenoblade series story full circle. — Jervon Perkins
We hoped you enjoyed reading about our selection of favourite Switch RPGs. Please let us know your favourites from its extensive library, and feel free to ignore our restrictions!
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