Due to its wild success, the Switch now enjoys a wide range of third-party games including top names like Zelda, Fire Emblem, and Astral Chain – not to mention the loads of classic Mario and Luigi games. When it comes to your favorite types of electronic games, there’s such a huge variety of games now for the Switch that you’ll be entertained for hours on end. Check out our top picks.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that revolves around building yourself a livable community on a deserted island. You are free to choose your character, home, decorations, and landscapes but you do have to collect materials to construct them from scratch. It is all about painting yourself that perfect getaway and to make it more real, the time of day, as well as the season, match real life. Apart from all that, you can connect with family and friends by visiting their island.

If you know about the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Game then you’ll surely gain a better understanding by learning its history as you play the Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. You’ll also see how familiar characters like Zelda, the four Champions, the King of Hyrule, and more evolve as you master their distinct attacks and combat styles. This prequel shows you Hyrule before the ruin and calamity Ganon brought upon the land.

The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe lets you play anytime and anywhere as you immerse yourself in the world of racing. This definitive version lets you play with up to four friends as much as you can challenge them when programmed to battle mode. The best part is that you won’t be missing out on the tracks or characters in the Wii U and DLC versions. There’s even a smart steering feature to help beginners ease into the game.

Nothing beats a classic and the Super Mario 3D All-Stars is simply living proof. This all-in-one game lets you experience three of Mario’s most memorable adventures while tuning into each of the 175 iconic tunes playing in the background. You can think of it as the upgraded version of the originals as you enjoy its HD resolution. Feel free to take this game along with you as it is available on both tabletop and handheld modes.

Breath of the Wild still seeks to innovate the series’ classic formula and bring Link’s adventures into the modern era. The lands of Hyrule have opened up, giving you the freedom to explore and complete quests as you please. Weapons and items now have temporary lifespans, meaning you will have to search for and craft items to assist you on your adventure.

The game’s physics — from Link’s movements to his weapons — has also received a drastic overhaul, so expect actions to have increased fluidity and realism. takes the series in a welcome new direction without shedding the iconic Zelda charm. It should be one of the first titles you pick up.

The Nintendo Switch game that could become your sole obsession, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a fighter so comprehensive, it’s worth buying a Switch for it alone. The latest universe-melding fighter features every single character ever included in the series’ nearly 20-year history, and more than 100 stages are available as soon as you boot it up for the first time.

Nostalgic for Nintendo of the past without seeming dated, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate plays with the speed of a competitive fighting game, but is easy enough for less-experienced players to enjoy, as well. The character roster has something for everyone, and newcomers like Incineroar and Simon Belmont feel perfect alongside classics like Mario and Jigglypuff. A hefty single-player campaign mode and new local multiplayer options are just icing on the cake.

The original Luigi’s Mansion for GameCube didn’t seem to understand what its best ideas were, but by the time Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon released more than a decade later, new developer Next Level Games had a firm grasp on what made the spooky adventure so charming. In Luigi’s Mansion 3, our titular anxious hero is tasked with rescuing his brother and friends from a haunted hotel, using his trusty Poltergust G-00 vacuum and new viscous pal Gooigi. Luigi’s Mansion 3 mixes environmental puzzles with creative combat against several different types of ghosts, and the themed floors vary from a botany-themed area to a medieval arena. All of them are hilarious, and the game’s self-referential jokes and zany animations only make it more entertaining.

PlatinumGames has established itself as one of the best action game studios in the world, with critical darlings like Bayonetta 2 and the existential Nier: Automata. Automata lead designer Takahisa Taura was given his first chance to direct with the Switch-exclusive Astral Chain, which doubles down on the insane action that PlatinumGames has prided itself on for the last decade. Rather than the post-apocalypse, you’re in a bustling city that is under attack by mysterious interdimensional forces, and it’s up to you to stop it.

You won’t work alone, however, as Astral Chain pairs the protagonist with several “Legion” characters who can attack in unison. This mix of direct and indirect combat is at the heart of the game, but you will also investigate mysteries and solve puzzles along the way. And you can pet the game’s dog-like Legion, so you know it’s good.

The first traditional entry in the series to hit Nintendo Switch, Fire Emblem: Three Houses manages to improve just about every element, ranging from combat to character development. Taking a page out of the Path of Radiance playbook, the game stars a mercenary-turned-professor rather than the endless number of princes we’ve seen in other games. It’s your responsibility to pick one of the titular three houses and train them, building relationships and learning about the situations that brought them to the game’s central monastery.

When things pop off, however, it is classic Fire Emblem goodness. Turn-based strategy combat has rarely been this polished, providing you with numerous options in how you approach any scenario based on the way you have developed your roster. Special “Combat Arts” and the new Battalion system are two more tools in your chest, and the normal difficulty strikes a balance between challenging and accessible.

The original Super Mario Maker was one of the best games on the Wii U, and practically defined the system before also making its move to the 3DS. With Super Mario Maker 2, Nintendo has improved the level-creating formula with new items and tricks like sloping platforms. Players have quickly embraced the game and have created some truly dastardly and innovative courses.

Though the Switch doesn’t include a stylus, you can purchase capacitive styluses for very little cash to make designing easier in handheld mode. If you’re more in the mood to play levels than make them, the new story mode is perfect. Filled with Nintendo-designed courses that are far weirder and more puzzle-based than traditional Mario levels, it’s the perfect opportunity to learn just what is possible in Super Mario Maker 2.

Not since Super Mario 64 came out more than two decades ago have we seen a Mario game as fun and whimsical as Super Mario Odyssey. Taking place across several unique kingdoms, Mario’s adventure to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser and his gang of wedding planners offers something unexpected at practically every turn. From zippers that open up to reveal secrets in walls to retro-style 2D platforming sections, the game is always only a few minutes away from amazing you with something.

Throwback Zelda with an overhauled art style, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is an exemplary remake of the 1993 Game Boy classic. As the weirdest game in the franchise, Link’s Awakening taps into its mysterious personality even more with the cutesy art style that makes everyone and everything look like toys in a playset.

Koholint Island remains the best setting not named Hyrule in franchise history thanks to fun characters and a mysterious story revolving around a giant egg. Nintendo thoroughly improved Link’s Awakening in the remake, tweaking the inventory system to make gameplay better, adding map pins for exploration, and significantly increasing the number of Heart Pieces, Secret Seashells, and other collectibles scattered across the island.

Link’s Awakening holds up remarkably well and is arguably the best top-down Zelda game ever made. Excellent dungeon design and a brilliantly conceived overworld make it an absolute joy to revisit more than 25 years after its initial launch.

The Nintendo Switch got its first Mario platforming game in 2017 with Super Mario Odyssey, but the system was lacking a classic 2D game that focused solely on timing jumps and collecting items. That changed in 2019 when the Wii U game New Super Mario Bros. U made the figurative jump to the Switch, complete with the New Super Luigi U expansion and extra characters aimed at younger players.

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to platforming, but New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe understands what had made the series so successful for so long. The stage design is excellent, testing every trick you’ve learned along the way, and there are enough secrets to keep even the most dedicated players busy for days. With cooperative play and multiple control options, it’s the perfect game for long car rides, too.

The Nintendo Switch is not only great for portable entertainment, you can also see that the variety and possibilities when it comes to its expansive library of video game options is almost overwhelming. Whatever your preferred type of gameplay is, the Switch has a game that’s perfect for you. Pick up your favorite game here today and jump into a world of entertainment.