The Nintendo Switch has had a lot of success in the many years since its release. The console-handheld hybrid has been on the market since 2017, and a slew of fantastic games from first- and third-party developers have launched over the course of the system’s life cycle.
Heavy hitters such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder make the console a must-play while stellar indies and third-party ports fill out the roster. And some of the best games from previous Nintendo systems are available on Nintendo Switch Online.
The Switch is entering its filler era at the end of its lifecycle with the focus now on upcoming Switch 2 games, but there are still plenty of exciting upcoming Switch games on the way in 2025.
There are plenty of incredible games to enjoy on the Switch right now. But which ones should you check out? These are the best Nintendo Switch games (including free-to-play titles) for 2025. Plus, since the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, these games are even better on the new hardware.
Those looking for a throwback RPG more similar to Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG than to Baldur’s Gate 3, Dragon Age: Origins, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will love Sea of Stars. A prequel story set in The Messenger’s universe, it tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is a re-release of the original game that adds as much new content as Persona 5 Royal did for its base game. SMT is notably harder than Persona games, and this one is no exception. It is lighter on social elements but has the same level of quality in both graphics and turn-based battles that you expect from Atlus. If you held off or skipped the original, Vengeance is your reward.
Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged, the eagerly awaited sequel to the 2021 arcade racer sensation, takes the thrill of toy car racing to new heights. This installment enhances its predecessor with exciting new mechanics, featuring exhilarating boosts like jumping and strafing, along with the innovative Waypoint mode that unleashes players in expansive environments, including a dinosaur museum. While not the most intricate or challenging racer, it boasts a whimsical story mode and car-unlocking mechanics that may feel akin to games of chance. Nevertheless, the game’s key additions result in a faster and more entertaining racing experience that’s perfect for both kids and the young at heart.
Everyone was nervous about how Nintendo was going to follow-up Breath of the Wild, but Tears of the Kingdom delivered an evolution of that game’s open world and mechanics that made the previous entry feel like a beta. Not only do players have two new open worlds to explore with the Sky Islands and underground Depths, but systems like Fuse and Ultrahand ask players to embrace their creativity to solve puzzles and traverse around the open world.
Cocoon, crafted by the designer behind Limbo and Inside, invites players into a mesmerizing realm of insect-like creatures navigating worlds within worlds. This puzzle game, deceptively simple, yet profoundly unique, showcases director Jeppe Carlsen’s talent for intricately designed challenges. It offers an experience both grand and intimate, teleporting players into the minds of these enigmatic insects. Cocoon is a striking journey, celebrating the remarkable efficiency of Earth’s tiny creatures. While occasionally routine, it beckons players to fathom the instinctive intelligence of bugs.
Jesse Lennox covers all things gaming but has a specific interest in all things PlayStation, JRPGs, and experimental indies. Jesse has been writing about games for over 10 years, starting off as a volunteer and eventually finding his way into doing it full-time. He is constantly striving to push his boundaries in what he covers and finds thought-provoking and important angles to highlight within the games industry.
Originally double-majoring in English and Education, Jesse came into games media as a profession by accident. After an unfortunate layoff, he took his passion for writing about games seriously and was lucky enough to find Digital Trends and other outlets such as Pocket-Lint, Classic Nerd, and Gamepur to write for. He has held numerous writing positions, as well as several editing roles, and is always on the hunt for new opportunities to grow his skillset.
Based in Colorado, Jesse spends at least two hours every morning training in the gym to set his mind straight before a full day of writing and gaming.
The Call of Duty franchise has held a special place in my heart ever since I played my first Black Ops game back in 2010. That game's campaign was something else, with twists and turns that culminated in a mind-blowing finale. We can all admit that compared to those older campaigns, the recent CODs have been lackluster at best, and a complete and utter disappointment at worst. The reboot of Modern Warfare did give me some hope, as the first two installments were actually quite good, but the third game left such a bad taste in my mouth that I wasn’t exactly expecting much from Modern Warfare 4.
After recently finishing the campaign, I can say that this installment is nothing like the recent releases and instead feels closer to the franchise’s roots. For the first time in a long while, the campaign comes across as well-crafted rather than rushed to hit a release date. It arrives three years after MW3, and you can see exactly where all that time went. It seems the studio finally made listening to player feedback a priority.
Epic Games has just announced the 2026 Epic AI MegaJam, which is looking to see how much game development can be squeezed into a very short window. This is running from November 12 through November 15.
Participants can work alone or in teams of up to five people, build in Unreal Engine or Unreal Editor for Fortnite, and bring along “as many AI agents as you want.” Epic explicitly encourages coding agents, AI-generated assets, audio tools, writing tools, and other AI systems. The official event page literally says "Vibe your way to $50k.”
It’s turning into a pretty good time to be a Monster Hunter fan who plays on a phone. Capcom has confirmed that Monster Hunter Outlanders will launch on Android and iOS on October 29, giving the series a new mobile-first game just as Monster Hunter Rise is also preparing to make the jump to smartphones through Netflix.
Outlanders is being developed by Tencent subsidiary TiMi Studio Group under license and supervision from Capcom. Unlike Rise, which appears to be the full console and PC game adapted for mobile, Outlanders is a free-to-play survival hunting game made specifically for phones.