I was late on getting a Nintendo Switch – I didn’t get mine until the fall of 2021 and didn’t start playing it heavily until winter break of that year. From that point forward, I was obsessed and started spending way too much time playing various games; Therefore, it’s only fair for me to rank them and reminisce on the fun times.
These rankings aren’t based on the number of hours I put into a game, but rather how much I enjoyed them overall! For reference, I refer to the game “Breath of the Wild” throughout the article as ‘BOTW.’
10. “Splatoon 3”
I have spent a decent number of hours in this game, and while I enjoy playing it every time I pick it up, it’s not a game I can spend more than 30-60 minutes playing at a time. I love the Splatfest feature, but I feel as if they don’t do it enough, especially since you have to wait to do the tricolor battles until the end of them. I wish you could play the tricolor battles at any point. I also haven’t played any of the ‘ranked’ games, as I don’t see myself as a competitive or experienced enough player.
9. “Spyro Reignited Trilogy”
This is one of the first two games I purchased when I initially got my Switch. I grew up playing this game on the PlayStation, and when I actually took the time to get into it, I had a lot of fun playing 1 & 2. I haven’t yet started the third one on my Switch. This is such an easy game, but the revamped version is graphically intriguing. It’s just such a fun and lighthearted game to escape for a little bit. Bonus points for getting three titles in one.
8. “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy”
This is the other game that I first purchased when I got my Switch because I also played this growing up. I only played 1 and a little bit of 2, but as much as I love this game, it is ridiculously hard and stressful. This isn’t the type of game to play to relax, but one where you will get stressed out. However, it still draws you in and is so hard to put down, especially if you enjoyed playing this game when you were younger. Bonus points, again, for getting three titles in one.
7. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”
This game doesn’t need much of an explanation. I picked this up on New Year’s Eve, and for the first two months, I played it constantly, but I have barely opened the game since. After I stopped receiving goals or tasks, I found it to be not as fun or worthwhile to return to every day.
6. “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”
I picked this game up less than a week ago and am already about 15 hours in. Initially I was a bit hesitant because it seemed different from every other game I’ve played, but I was looking for some long lasting games to get me through winter break. Needless to say, I’m now obsessed with this game. I love the story – it was so easy to get into from the start and it has different levels of difficulties, so as someone who isn’t a heavy gamer, I’ve still been able to enjoy the game and get through battles without too much difficulty. Even though I’m still starting out, I have no doubt I will beat it before the new year.
5. “Skyward Sword”
I picked this up probably two months after beating BOTW – I simply needed more Zelda content and this game didn’t disappoint. I have put a lot of hours into this game and I think I am close to beating it, but I haven’t quite had the time to get fully back into it. It definitely satisfied the need for more Zelda content and I learned to love the art style. The controls are slightly weird for me personally, but it doesn’t take away from the game play except for the fact I find it really difficult to play in handheld mode.
4. “Pokémon Unite”
This is a free game on shop that I have spent well over 60 hours playing, putting it at my second or third most played game on my Switch. I don’t know what it is about the game, but I am constantly going back into it and getting drawn in. I haven’t put any money into this game and managed to get to a rather high level with a lot of playable Pokémon unlocked even though the complaint I hear about this and similar games is that they are ‘play to win.’ Even going into the new year, I know I will still be investing more time into this game and continue to play it competitively and aggressively.
3. “Danganronpa” 1 and 2
I am obsessed with these games. My friend introduced them to me over the summer and I beat the first two games in less than a month with around 30-40 hours in each of them. I feel like these may have more of a niche audience, but they are fairly cheap on the app store and I would recommend that everyone try them out. It’s very easy to get lost in the game after you get past the initial starting point because there is constantly something to look forward to. Whether it be the next killing, class trial, or what Monokuma has up his sleeve, the game keeps you anticipating what is next. I even went to Junko Enoshima for Halloween this year.
2. “Spiritfarer”
When I first downloaded this game, I had no idea it would have as big of an impact on me as it did. In this game, you are the newly appointed Spiritfarer and your task is to help spirits with their last wishes before they can cross over. Let me tell you, I binged this game – you truly can’t put it down with the number of tasks you have at any given time and the emotional connection you build with the spirits. I cried several times while playing this game and although I wasn’t a fan of the ending, I enjoyed every hour I put into it and all of the spirits I encountered. This game is also really cheap in the shop and it offers a demo for anyone interested in checking it out.
- “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild”
This game is my most played game on my Switch, nearing 100 hours of play time. I feel like this is another game where I don’t have to describe why it is on this list or why I was able to put so many hours into it. This is the game that made me love playing video games and love my Nintendo Switch. While there is still a lot for me to do in this game, it’s moreso busy work. After beating the main story line and all the major tasks, I haven’t felt the desire to go back into it. The sequel will be coming out soon though, so I might start a second run through to prepare.
While these were my top games, I also played a ton of other games this year. Here are the ones that didn’t make my list or ones I simply didn’t enjoy.
The games I enjoyed but didn’t play enough of:
- “Unpacking”: I haven’t played this game for too long, but it is a fun, cozy game to play when you just want to relax. I did hear it starts to get somewhat emotional the further you go.
- “Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time”: I just got this game and as such haven’t had much time to enjoy it, but I had been wanting it for months. I love the series and I love the developer who made this game. It has the same Crash Bandicoot features I love along with new ones that only make the gameplay better.
- “Persona 5 Royal”: This is the other game I got to play over winter break and even though I’m just starting, I’m really excited about the story line and the art style.
- “Super Mario Odyssey”: I played and beat this game with my partner not too long ago. I enjoyed the game, but felt as if some of the others I’ve played had a bigger impact on me, especially since the multiplayer in this game isn’t quite like normal multiplayer games.
- “Jackbox” Series: There are a lot of these games and they are always my go-to for events with friends. I’ve even brought my switch and set up Jackbox to play at some of our Her Campus meetings!
- “Mario Party” 1 and 2: These were released late this year as a part of the Nintendo Switch Online pass and I’ve had a great time playing these with friends and can’t wait for the third to be available.
- “What Comes After”: This was a great, emotional game, if you want to call it that even. However it is only about 1-2 hours of total playtime.
Games I played but wasn’t the biggest fan of:
- “The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening”: As much as I loved the other Zelda games for the Switch, I tried this game for three hours and just couldn’t get into it like I did the other games.
- Danganronpa 3: I beat the first two games in only a week so I might’ve just been a little burnt out because of that, but I haven’t been able to get into the story. Also, the characters aren’t nearly as likable as the ones in the previous installments and the characters are what makes these games.
- “Mario Party Superstars”: This might be controversial because I know some people love it, but to me it just didn’t compare to some of my other favorite games in the franchise, and now that the originals came out on Nintendo Switch Online, I tend to choose those over this title.
- “Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled”: I got this to try and be different instead of getting Mario Kart because everyone already has it and I love the Crash Bandicoot games, but the game is really slow to load everything and you need to play way too much to unlock more in-game content.
- “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity”: I got this simply because people have referred to it as a prequel for BOTW, however I didn’t enjoy the game mechanics and the achievements were a little confusing. The only aspects I enjoyed were that it was multiplayer and the clips that do a further dive into the storyline of BOTW.
- “Mind Scanners”: The controls were confusing and the game glitched out on me a little too much.
2023 has some amazing games in store and I’m excited to see how my preferences change after playing all these new games!