2021 has come and gone (almost) and despite a quiet start to the year, Switch owners have seen some real gems launch over the past 12 months. We've seen big releases (admittedly re-releases or remakes in several cases) of most of Nintendo's biggest franchises, with some big anniversaries popping up, too.
We got a Mario, a Zelda, a couple of Pokémon, a Metroid(!) and, perhaps most excitingly, a Big Brain Academy. Hey, it's a fun little game! Throw in WarioWare, another Mario Party and a host of brilliant third-party and indie titles — plus a sexy new SKU in the Switch OLED model — and it's tough to deny that Nintendo's console ended up having a strong software showing throughout 2021.
As such, we asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the Top 50 Switch games of 2021, and the ranking below is the result, as governed by the User Ratings associated with every 2021 Switch game released according to our games database. As with many of our reader-ranked Best Games round-ups, the ranking will change even after publication to reflect those User Ratings — and that means it's never too late to rate your collection and influence the list.
To score your favourites, simply click score the games below by clicking on their respective stars and rating them out of 10. Can't see your favourite? Head to our library of Switch games to find what you're looking for. To become eligible, a game needs to have been rated by a minimum of 40 users.
So, let's take a look back at 2021AD and the best Switch games of the year.
50. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning (Switch)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning is a rather barebones revamp of a cult classic action-RPG that's really beginning to show its age in many respects. The core combat here is still strong stuff, crunchy hack-and-slash action with plenty of flexibility and variety in how you go about decking out your character, but it's also surrounded by a world and story that are very much of their time. Fans of the original game will no doubt enjoy what is a mostly fine Switch port, but there so many other, more modern RPG experiences available at this point on Nintendo's console that everyone else should perhaps approach this with a measure of caution.
49. Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania (Switch)
It may not be saying much but Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania is the best the series has been in almost two decades and newcomers are bound to find a lot to love. It wears its heart on its sleeve and clearly the team has true passion for the franchise. It's packed full of content, new ways to play and there are so many extras and improvements that never existed in the original. Unfortunately, the engine beneath it all isn't quite up to the job. What they've achieved with Unity simply isn't on par with the originals and while the main game is still enjoyable, many of the party games are severely hindered. Until Monkey Target returns to its former glory, we cannot truly say Super Monkey Ball is back.
48. Overcooked! All You Can Eat (Switch)
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is an absolute must-buy for anybody looking for a fantastic party game to play with friends. The wacky visuals and chaotic gameplay make it an ideal game for local co-op, and there’s plenty of content to work through with the entirety of Overcooked and Overcooked 2 to feast on. Across the entire series so far, Team17 and Ghost Town Games have explored a lot of cool ideas via DLC content, and ensured that each expansion had unique theming and gameplay mechanics. Considering that all of this is offered in addition to the stellar base campaign, this buffet really stands as a no-brainer. The only downside is that those who have already dipped into either title (or both) won't find a massive amount of new stuff here, outside of the exclusive "Peckish Rises" expansion. Still, very tasty.
47. Blaster Master Zero 3 (Switch eShop)
As the conclusion to the modern take on the Blaster Master saga, Blaster Master Zero 3 hits all the notes to deliver a high octane and satisfying retro platforming experience. The dark world mechanic adds a nice extra layer to the overall design, while the familiar aspects of gameplay are as polished as they’ve ever been. Inti Creates certainly could’ve stopped with the original Blaster Master Zero and that would’ve been enough, but what it’s delivered here with its third take on the franchise is nothing short of excellent. Whenever you next get a chance, be sure to add this one to your library, although we’d say so with the caveat that you should first play the preceding two entries. Really, these games are just that good.
46. Legend of Mana (Switch eShop)
It’s easy to see why this was such a polarizing title upon release. There’s a lot to love here, but Legend of Mana can be tiring in how much it likes to play ‘hard to get’. All the ingredients and individual pieces of a strong, impressively innovative RPG are present, but it feels like the developers simply tossed all these ideas in a bag and shook it vigorously, rather than taking the time to lay out all those ideas in a coherent and curated fashion. We'd recommended this for genre fans, specifically those who prefer more experimental titles. If that doesn’t describe you, there’s still a good chance you’ll find something to like about Legend of Mana, but just be aware that you may find it more of a mixed bag.
45. Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection (Switch eShop)
If you can’t stand the thought of tackling a game through an arduous process of restarts, walk away now. There are points in the campaign where it comes close to overstepping the mark, and you do wonder why some sections need to be quite so drawn out, but although its difficulty isn’t going to be for everyone, the game remains solidly coordinated, upholding the series ethos of practice-based progression via old disciplines and new processes. Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is Tokuro Fujiwara’s love letter to a 35-year-old series that’s famous for burying mortal men, and it’s a job done exceptionally well. If challenge is what you live for, toughen up, don that mental armour, and take up the mantle like a lance. If you put in the time and effort, Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection will see you reap the most valuable of gaming accomplishments: the prestige of victory.
44. Axiom Verge 2 (Switch eShop)
Axiom Verge is a remarkably tough act to follow, but Thomas Happ managed to do it again in producing a pitch-perfect, excellently paced Metroidvania adventure. Axiom Verge 2 perfectly balances familiar elements that made the original great and trying out new ideas that give the sequel its own identity, and while lovers of the first game may take some time to adjust, everything comes together and makes for a potent experience that no fan of the genre will want to miss out on. The mysterious atmosphere, thrilling pace, and fantastic world design all come together to make for a worthy follow-up that stands well on its own.
43. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition (Switch eShop)
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Complete Edition is a great beat ‘em up which became available to purchase once again back in 2021 after years stuck in delisted purgatory. Its bombastic presentation and crunchy combat gameplay make it enjoyable from start to finish, and though it can feel like it runs a bit short, and the difficulty spikes can be rather intense, anybody looking for a fun, short game to play in co-op is in for a treat. Let's just hope it sticks around for longer than it did last time.
42. Subnautica + Subnautica Below Zero Double Pack (Switch)
Subnautica and its sequel arrived on Switch in unexpectedly fine form. This is an absolutely essential survival smorgasbord, a fantastic port and something of a must-buy double feature for fans of the genre. If you're purchasing one or the other separately on Switch we'd still plump for the original game, as Below Zero's fleshed out narrative and on-foot sections dilute the overall experience ever so slightly, but, regardless of which you choose, you're in for a mighty good time here with two of the very best survival games currently available on any platform.
41. Miitopia (Switch)
Miitopia is a weird old game, that’s for sure. If from what you’ve read you think you’d enjoy seeing King King Dedede [sic] encouraging our very own Zion Grassl to marry his daughter Kazooie over Jon Cartwright, then you’re bound to have a good time with this. It’s very much the type of game in which you get out as much as you put in; if you’re not into injecting a copy of Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash into the role of a genie then you might want to think twice, or at least give the free demo a whirl. Whimsy and madcap situations a-plenty, this is a crossover that could rival Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, provided you’re willing to put the effort in.
Comments 121
I'm just going to be that guy and moan about a game missing from the list - Monster Train, which was released in August, is an unbelievably good game that I've spent a tonne of hours playing. Deffo top Switch release of 2021 for me.
I like that list mostly, curious in that i don't know a thing about Quake
@moodycat What is it you dislike?
I have precisely two of those - Monster Hunter Rise and Kingdoms of Amalur.
Kingdoms... was new to me, and is quite possibly my favourite game on Switch.
Second, third and fourth separated by 0.02 stars
Very underrated year for the Switch if you ask me
Well deserved 1st place for Metroid Dread by the way
Honestly this was a great year for Switch games! Some of my new favorite Switch games were released this year, like Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, Mario Party Superstars, and Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle. I wish Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle and Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny at least made it into the top 50 but sadly they don’t have enough ratings. Great Ace Attorney Chronicles has also been amazing so I’m glad it made top 10! Super Mario 3D World was a lot of fun to play through with my friend’s online as well. Though I didn’t like Ys IX as much as Ys VIII it’s still a great action RPG so I’m glad to see it get some love. I definitely need to try Monster Hunter Rise, huh?
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is definitely five places too low but at least it's up there I guess.
Edit: I just managed to bump up SMTV two spots. Not much in it between those three.
I really need to get around to trying SMT 5. I keep seeing clips on youtube about the interactions between demons and they're hilarious lol.
(Miitopia & WarioWare should've been higher in the rankings in my opinion)
I actually haven't played a lot of these. Death's Door, Cyber Shadow, Cruise 'n Blast, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and Metroid Dread were all great. Been meaning to check out Little Nightmares 2, loved the first one. I ended up loosing interest in Blue Fire, perhaps I'll give it another go though. Also, still waiting on Capcom to announce more games for Arcade Stadium.
I've just noticed something interesting:
2017: 3 games rated 9+ stars
2018: 1 game
2019: 2 games
2020: 3 games
2021: 4 games
So in a way, 2021 was the Switch's best year yet (I realise that this is an extremely flawed way of measuring annual popularity and not accurate at all, but still interesting).
@OldManHermit if you liked the first little nightmares then the second one is a must buy (as is the dlc for the first game of you haven’t played them already).
Some really creative imagery and gameplay mechanics that I won’t spoil but well worth the full price (I think it’s on sale at the moment too)
Removed - trolling; user is banned
@moodycat I actually didn't like Metroid Dread as well, and never played MH rise as i am waiting for the PC version. Still, there is SMT V and Disco Elysium this far up and that pleases me
@Nf157 Awesome! I look forward to playing.
First-party Switch lineup has definitely kicked off around October for me thanks to the obvious game and Mario Party Superstars, and (give or take) the NSO Expansion Pack was another added incentive for me to stay subbed to NSO, especially with Paper Mario 64 that released a few days earlier and still poses as my favorite video game of all time.
As far as the rest of the months say in the back, most of the Switch's year was only carried by indie and third-party titles, in my opinion. Sure, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Miitopia (basing my experience off of the 3DS version) were amazing to me, but the rest? I dunno, at least as far as what I can say for first-party titles.
This whole year didn't leave me overall impressed as much as 2017, 2018, and even 2020 did...but for what was still there, I still had a bit of enjoyment with 2021. Hopefully 2022's first-party Switch games will be more "consistent" and deliver more.
We got a port, a port, a upgraded port, a remake and a game that was a mash up of previous games.
Next year can't come soon enough and looks miles ahead better than this year from input from nintnedo
This years best exclusives have been from third party devs, looking at you atlus and capcom
The top 5 are great quality gaming and they would be mine in a slightly different order. I would have had Skyward Sword, Pro Skater 1&2 as well as Warioware far higher.
A great year for Switch gaming overall IMO. I'm looking forward to next year as well
@mariopartyfan68 You are everything wrong with fandom.
Glad to see Rise in top 5. And I'll be playing SMT V soon.
If I could, I will drive eastward all the way to 6th on the list. The game is that good.
Nice! Dread was my Switch GOTY as well
Good lord. What a year for our humble little console! Bravo!
Warioware deserved better. MH Rise deserved worse.
Amazing year for Switch! So much good stuff. I'm glad to see that top 4, well deserved.
@UltimateOtaku91 I agree. Nintendo games weren't very good this year, except Metroid Dread. It was ok, but next year will be WAY better.
The third party games though were fantastic! Great support, and I think next year won't be worse (Triangle Strategy, Chocobo GP, Rune Factory 5, Mario & Rabbids 2, hopefully Hollow Knight Silksong, Sea of Stars...)
First, while I don’t think they are at all the best they could be, Pokemon BDSP are absolutely deserving of being somewhere on this list and only aren’t because a subset of fans who didn’t even play the games bombing the score.
Second, I really don’t know if I agree that SMT V is a “modern masterpiece” or a top 5 Switch game of the year. It’s mechanically good, if predictable (very iterative of the broader franchise… not necessarily a bad thing) but it lacks any semblance of an engaging story or characters and the performance on Switch is so bad that it actively hurts my enjoyment. The visuals are so muddy, the framerate so low/inconsistent, and the controls so delayed that it feels like mucking through a swamp to enjoy the good bits. And while the level design is decent, there’s not enough variation to keep new areas engaging.
(As an aside, SMTV’s performance is precisely why Persona 5 would be a woeful, compromised experience on Switch.)
Cyber shadow for me. Forgot about Gleylancer! Which is phenomenal. Going to get eastward it’s got ten percent off at mo. One of those games that’s going to go either way for me either will love the slow burn ore hate it. Axiom verge 2 should be way higher and better than dread for me xxx
Killer year for the Switch and Nintendo. Easily stands toe-to-toe with the Switch’s terrific 2019, maybe even better. And next year looks to be on the level of 2017 even
Pretty underwhelming from a first-party perspective, with the best game being a new 2D Metroid. Third-party support was pretty awesome, though. It still balances out to be one of the system's better years, although I could see why people who only or primarily play firsty-party stuff on Switch would be disappointed.
@UltimateOtaku91 Third parties massively saved Nintendo's 2021. Imagine this year without the third-party games!
@moodycat Username checks out.
@Thoughts SMT V is a massively more demanding game than Persona 5. P5 was designed to run on lower-end hardware than the Nintendo Switch, and features very small levels and dated presentation. Technically, it's a lot closer to something like Tokyo Mirage Sessions.
As a big fan of the series, Warioware GIT felt pretty hollow to me. The characters were varied but relying on them meant that every minigame was basically some variation on moving a character around so some of the variety of previous entries was lost. There were very few of the wacky unlocks from previous entries and most of the unlockable macrogames were multiplayer only and none of my friends or family enjoyed it enough to keep playing for more than 15 minutes unfortunately. I was done with it in a few hours as a result. Hoping for DLC to actually insert the rest of the game!
Opinions! Get your Opinions here while they're fresh and hot! We've got more opinions than you could possibly imagine, and all of them are different from your own!
Guaranteed to be completely biased, GMO free, Gluten free, and Sugar free. These opinions will shake the very core of your being and will make you question your very existence. These opinions will make you see red (and possibly other colors too, if you're lucky).
Everyone's got one, and nobody wants to hear yours, step right up!
@Warioware sadly I agree entirely with you. I was really looking forward to the latest Warioware and played until I had unlocked everything and haven't felt compelled to go back. Core game is great but it is lacking...something.
Maybe I’m wrong but axiom verge 2 was the worst game I played this year…
@Poodlestargenerica Monster Train plays like Slay the Spire if you've ever tried that. If you like that kind of thing it's fantastic value, worth a Google. No touchscreen controls as far as I'm aware tho
@Milton_Burle Absolutely. It felt like... a demo? Or something? In fact I played the demo prior to release for about an hour and thought it was great. Couldn't wait to see the rest only to find out that the demo basically WAS the game. Had it on day one but haven't felt compelled to return to it since about three days after that.
Are you the guy that recommended Monster Train early on in the comments (yes I have read too many, sitting in a virtual classroom that had no students in attendance). What kind of game is it? I've heard a few recommendations for it.....
Here's to 2022 which is already shaping up to be stellar!
It’s funny to see the bitter people on the comments being mad their games are not on the list. Bashing games they probably haven’t played. I’ll just say it’s vastly over exaggerating saying smt 5 runs badly on switch.
@chapu2006 This is an extremely flawed way of measuring annual popularity and not accurate at all.
Removed - flaming/arguing
I forgot about Kaze! Glad it made the list
I think Metroid Dread is an excellent game, however short, as I expect a minimum of 20 hours long and beat it at 14 in my first attempt. It's the only criticism I have
Dusk not being in the top 50 is a tragedy. It's my game of the year along with Metroid Dread and Death's Door.
@Milton_Burle Monster Train is one of my favorite games from last year (played it on PC). Didn't even realize it made it to Switch. I'm not even a big deck-builder game guy and I couldn't put it down.
@StarPoint Their comment is no more sad than your pointless response. What's your opinion on the list?
Im not surprised at all that dread is where it is. This site loves dread and mentions it everywhere they can. IMO Rise takes the cake this year.
@moodycat
Dread is awesome
Metroid Dread is on track to being the most overrated game ever.... it's not terrible, but not nearly as great as everyone says it is.
Metroid Dread is GOTY. I'm glad it (and the franchise) is getting attention and praise.
@Astral-Grain I mean… I was just acknowledging them as a troll. Don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
Anyways, I think this is a good list. As someone who considers themselves a “real gamer,” I haven’t played a lot of the games on this list but it seems pretty well-balanced overall.
That's a damn good year
@mariopartyfan68 Yeah, I was surprised Mario Golf didn’t make the top 50 (unless the review scores change).
Yessss! Castlevania in the top 10! Love it!
Hmm there's a couple here I'll take a look at, eastward probably has the most intriguing art style I've seen all year been wanting to check it out .. hopefully its fun, and Subnautica seems to be highly praised everywhere its brought up
I only played one game on this list. Still had a good year though lol
@StarPoint If you think someone is a troll, ignore them. Don't feed the troll.
As far as I could tell, they were just saying they disagree with the list and they have a different opinion. Many others here have said the same - they don't agree and have a different opinion. I wouldn't call them trolls for feeling this way, the article is designed to get you to disagree because it's presenting a collection of opinions as if they were fact - which they are not. I know the comment got deleted for trolling, but I disagree they were actually trolling anyone.
@Astral-Grain Someone can get their opinion through without disrespecting or undermining others. If you look at their profile, many of their comments are like that. They can say they disagree with the list without saying that everyone besides them voting isn’t a “real gamer.”
Surprised - but very happy - Neo TWEWY made it to the top 10 here. Sad it didn't sell better - I think it's super underrated - but easily my personal GOTY!
Then again, the only other things I've really played were Metroid Dread (have enjoyed what little I've played so far, but had trouble keeping at it) and Animal Crossing 2.0, so hardly an exhaustive list
@StarPoint Why are you looking at their comment history? The only time someone's past comments should be relevant is if you're a moderator and you're deciding to ban them or not. Who cares what they said in the past? If you have a personal grudge with them because of some other argument, leave that out of here because it's a different topic altogether.
All I saw is they disagreed with the list, input their own opinion, and that's all that was said. I don't recall them disrespecting anyone specifically. Disagreeing with an article is not trolling.
You're not helping by telling them how sad it is they're trying to get attention. You don't need to become a troll yourself and tell them how sad they are for seeking attention when all they did was state their opinion.
@Astral-Grain I admit I maybe went a little too strong, I could have let it go. I just get irritated when I see the same people making the same comments all the time.
The “disrespectful” part comes from them saying that they’re a “real gamer” and that other people shouldn’t be allowed to vote on these lists unless if they’re also a “real gamer.” I guess it doesn’t matter now since the comment is gone.
for me Shin Megami Tensei 5, Metroid Dread and Monster Hunter Rise were the best games to release on this year and Mario 3D + Bowsers Fury is a honorable mention
@StarPoint You are wise and fair, and I appreciate what you said.
I have done the same exact thing many times, and no one is saying it's easy to restrain yourself when others make backhanded comments, but we gotta pick our battles wisely, lest we make them worse by accident, you know?
@Astral-Grain Yes, true.
Definitely a step up compared to the disastrous last year. Hope the momentum carries over to the next year.
My top Switch games of the year were
Astalon Tears of the Earth
Metroid Dread
Bowser's Fury
Sad that one of those receives so little attention that it's not even on the top 50 list.
Go buy NEO TWEWY! Incredible game that deserves more attention.
Dread, SMT V, and Unsighted (which is sadly missing from this list) are all my games of the year for Switch.
I have no idea how Tetris is somehow higher than SMT V..
Yes, Metroid Dread is not only the best Switch game of the year, is the best game of the year in all consoles. Now, go buy it!
@EriXz those 14 hours are propably 20, because the game doesnt count deaths and not saved data. For example i beat it in 11 hours when in reality took me about 16
@Max_the_German Considering I stated that in the original comment, I must question whether you read the whole thing before replying to it.
A pretty poor year for Nintendo gaming if you’ve been around a while and played all these remakes and ports. If you’re not into indies and JRPGs there’s not a huge choice to pick from.
Balan Overlord not even at least on No.1?! BULLC*** LIST!! ☹️
Removed - unconstructive; user is banned
@mother_brain_85 Indeed. My 100% completion time said something like 14 hours, but my actual time was 28 hours (based on my Nintendo year in review stats).
@sketchturner I just learned of Astalon's existence a few days ago. I've downloaded the demo and intend to buy. I haven't tried it yet but from what I've seen, I know I'll enjoy it.
Some solid games in this list, and great games…would of liked to see Shadowverse, and Mario Golf on the list. Oh well…
@OorWullie Yeah I haven't been so addicted to a game in a long time as I was to Astalon. It's excellent.
Youtubers Life 2 for me.
Game of the year for me is MY OWN BACKLOG!!!
@Solaine I know about Quake more than anything else because I was playing it back in 1996.. I even downloaded a demo of it while it was still being produced, lol
Happy that DDLC Plus is there.. my absolute all-time favorite
Neo TWEWY being in the top 10 was a very pleasant surprise given how that game seemed to go under the radar for most people. If anyone's even remotely interested, PLEASE give it a chance. It's an incredible game. The directors recently said they'd like to do a third game but that fans will need to show management that there's demand for it, so every little bit helps.
Anyway, my favorites this year would probably be...
1. Neo: The World Ends With You
2. Monster Hunter Rise
3. Metroid Dread
4. Pokemon Brilliant Diamond
5. Tossup between New Pokemon Snap and WarioWare: Get it Together
I'm tempted to put Bowser's Fury in the #5 spot, but it's a bit weird since it's not really a full game. I could see Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon taking the #5 spot as I play more of it, too.
SMT V is top for me and Mario is way too high considering its a remaster with a short add on.
I dug into the list so fast, I missed "as rated by you." So when I saw Mario 3D World as #2, I was like, "What?! This is some fanboy BS!" Don't get me wrong, it's a fine game, but it's nothing that special. But of course, using fan ratings, anything with Mario in the name will score unreasonably high.
What about Blue Reflection??
Not really a fan of Metroid Dread so i can't say i agree with the first one, i found it to be ridiculously over priced for such a short game, i even completed it twice. Just didn't feel like i got my money's worth at all, like i got fleeced.
I would put Rise in second and i would bring SMT V up a few places but i would largely leave the rest as they are except Dread.
I would drop Dread down between 40-50, i really feel strongly about how underwhelming that game was, so much hype for a game that took a weekend to finish was simply not cool.
Welp, guess this means I REALLY need to try SMT V
While I don’t completely agree with the top 10, I gotta say, it’s pretty respectable and loosely aligns with my top picks.
I’d put
1 Monster Hunter Rise
2 Metroid Dread
3 Shin Megami Tensei V
as my top 3, but having all of them so high in a community poll is a massive win. Also nice to see Neo TWEWY in the #10 spot. I’d put Monster Hunter Stories 2 as top 10 though.
Games Absolutely Robbed Not Making Top 50
@Astral-Grain
The only time someone's past comments should be relevant is if you're a moderator and you're deciding to ban them or not
While I completely understand where you’re coming from- judge the comment on its own merit (or lack thereof), don’t let past comments contaminate your interpretation with bias (which is a reasonable argument to make), I do actually think someone’s comment history can be helpful at times to discern motive and intent, and can be a tool used to properly determine whether someone is giving a questionable take in good faith, or whether they’re downright trolling or are being intentionally inflammatory.
I don’t make a habit of doing it (in fact I can’t recall the last time I’ve ever done it) and I must admit, it irks me when I see certain people consistently reference past comment history to try to paint someone as a fan boy or a troll, etc, basically just weaponizing it to win an argument. But when used in the proper context when the situation calls for it I don’t think it’s inappropriate.
Just thought I’d share my two cents on the matter.
This was not a great year for first party Nintendo. Only original games were Metroid, Mario golf, and wario. Hopefully next year is better.
Metroid Dread was my definite favorite game of the year. I haven't played Eastward or Death's Door though, but I'm really pumped to finally get into them soon.
Im sorry but i hated metroid dread but at least it didn't get game of the year at the main awards that is what matters... Shin Megami Tensei V was what should have won Metroid dread was once again a rehash of the same o same o plus Super Metroid is the true Metroid.. Dread not so much
@AX-7 Save you're money dread was not a good game.. took mine back and got my money back after playing it a few hours and the way the company treated their workers was the main reason i will never buy a game from them again
Very good year for the Switch. Metroid Dread, Bowsers Fury, Pokemon Snap, Wario Ware, Mario Golf (very surprised not to see that on the list) and Cruisin Blast are all great fun. While I didn’t play them on Switch Deaths Door, Tetris Effect and Crash Bandicoot 4 are all really good too.
@Warioware Monster Train is a strategy deck building game. That makes it sound very boring but it's a lot of fun particularly for gamers like me who are impatient. Worth a look; it didn't get much coverage on Nintendolife for some reason.
Too bad we can't get ratings from from a larger group; there are a couple really good games that unfortunately had less than 40 user scores so weren't included in the list.
No real surprise in top 3 and I'm glad Tetris Effect made it to top 10. Interesting that Castlevania Advance made it to top 10.
Who'd have predicted Nintendo having a year with Metroid as the best game back in Wii U days? Its a great game and worthy winner.
2022 though... that's going to be a whole year of worthy winners.
Hmm...NintendoLife gave 50 2021 reviews with score 9 or 10 and there are only 12 user scores in this list above 8.5 (so rounding to 9). Clearly the masses are not quite so generous in their scores.
Where's DUSK????
the best FPS on Switch!!
@chapu2006 Another flawed but interesting method of comparing the overall quality of Switch games released each year is to look at the minimum score required to get into the top 50. At the time of writing, this is as follows:
2017: 7.44
2018: 7.98
2019: 7.86
2020: 7.48
2021: 7.59
From these results, 2021 is third behind 2018 and 2019. There is a bit of a gap between these two years and the others.
No trace of shadowverse. :/
@UltimateOtaku91 exactly. So few original first party games. Metroid Dread is certainly good, but it hardly pushed 2D games or even Metroid series anywhere new. Boring EMMIs you fight the same way each time. It’s short which is ok, but a chunk of that time is back tracking.
With lazy ports topping charts, Nintendo has little reason to give us anything new. They have no competition because its a hand held. If this was a home console only, it would be last place.
Nintendo can make classics like nobody else. But lately for me, it’s like watching an A student turn in consistent C work.
@TheRealKyleHyde Nonetheless interesting. It does make you wonder the reasons behind these anomalies (especially 2017).
AND THIS, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Exactly why Nintendo Switch is Dominating the others!
@blindsquarel Monster Hunter Rise, No More Heroes III, etc.
@Tom-Smo it's "very underrated" because people would rather complain instead of PLAY.
@SnesSwitch Most Definitely. Although I enjoy my Xbox Series S, I play my Nintendo Switch the Most.
I don't really get why some people say this was a weak year first party wise, it wasn't amazing and I think 2017 and 2019 were better, but this year was solid I think, despite BDSP and Mario Golf at least at launch being dissapointing, we got a new 2D Metroid and was awesome, the first Mario Party that everyone seems to like in over a decade, the first traditional and original WarioWare in a decade and it was solid, a sequel to Pokémon Snap which was great, the Famicom Detective Club Remake which was pretty good too or Boswer's Fury if you count it which was awesome, and there is also Cruis'n Blast which while not 100% first party was really fun too. Game Builder Garage and BBA also were interesting stuff, even if they were sort of unremarkable.
I get some people on internet forums are mostly into the single player adventure stuff (which are all coming next year) and don't care about much else, but I think a lot of games like these are what made Nintendo's first party line up more interesting.
Metroid Dread, the best game this year has seen.
Surprised Mario golf isn't even on the list haha. Maybe people are too upset that it was only like 60% done at launch. Could have been much better with a few changes but still it's a very fun game multiplayer.
This year was all about Dread (despite not coming out until October!). Dread just blew me away, I was not expecting something THAT amazing. The game just shows why an entire very popular sub-genre is based around that series.
Seems like pretty weak year for switch...next year is gonna be epic though. I'm sure there's a lot of decent content in there people enjoy but outside of Dread it wasn't anything mind blowing. Though I hear SMT V is great and I'm sure MH fans loved Rise and i guess Bowser's Fury is pretty fantastic but its just an add-on. Personally I only got Mario Golf, Tony hawk, and Metroid this year, but I'll probably eventually try out Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (but I'm worried the main game is more like the NSMB series where it's really fun multiplayer but I'll be playing alone so it'll just be decent, but i do want to try out bowsers fury). Oh and Pac-Man 99 rules! Wouldn't mind picking up Tetris effect eventually for cheap.
@SnesSwitch
First party Nintendo specifically. Rise is great but is either on pc or going to be on pc. No more heroes I will admit I don’t know if it is owned by Nintendo or not. But either way I kinda forgot about it and it really doesn’t move the needle much for me. I get that this was a great year for a lot of people but for me it was pretty lackluster.
Not bad, although No more heroes 3 would be waaaay higher on my personal list. Happy Pokemon Diamond and Pearl remakes didn't even make this top 40 lol. Wish the general consumers too thought like users on this site.
@blindsquarel
Rise is coming to PC 12th of January
What an absolutely bizarre year where Quake, Tony Hawk's, and KOTOR are in the top 20 together. Also how did Crash 4 get so far down the list?!
I'm going to tell my kids this was the Game Awards 2021
The fact that you guys still haven't covered Fuga: Melodies of Steel is a crying shame because it's easily one of the best games of the year and nobody even noticed it released
How come Atelier Ryza 2 isn't anywhere on here despite having 58 ratings and being at an 8.7 currently?
I'm glad to see Disco Elysium land a high spot on this list - It seems so much less popular than the other high ranking games here. I feel like it got a lot of negative press since the switch release is the worst version of the game, but that doesn't stop it from being one of the best new games on the switch.
Unless I missed it, Age of Calamity didn't even make the top 50. Wowzers.
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