The Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2024

The Nintendo Switch has lived a long life, and with 2024 most likely being the last full year for the again console before it’s replaced, let’s look back and see which were the best Nintendo Switch games that were released in 2024.

Naturally, we’ll be factoring in games that were released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, but we’re also going to consider multi-platform games as well, provided that the Nintendo Switch version is considered to be the best version. While that may be rare, factors like portability and the format of the game itself may help boost the Switch version of a game beyond its more powerful contemporaries. So with that, here are The Escapist’s best Nintendo Switch games of 2024!

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

Remaking (or rather remastering) one of the best GameCube games twenty years later should be a surefire recipe for critical and commercial success, and you would be right! Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is as good now as it was in 2004, and arguably, it’s better. Not only is the original spirit of the game perfectly preserved, but minor quality-of-life touches have been added in, like completely reworking the fast travel system and adding additional post-game challenges to really test players’ skills and strategies. Sure, the performance isn’t quite as smooth as the GameCube original, but even then, you’re still left with one of the best RPGs to ever grace a Nintendo console.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

I don’t think anyone really expected the Prince of Persia franchise to make a comeback after being lost to the sands of time well over a decade ago, but lo and behold, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown decided to grace us with its presence way back in January. And man oh man, I did not expect Ubisoft to drop a genuine Game of the Year contender that early on.

Reinventing the series as a Metroidvania game was a solid decision, and combining that with the acrobatic platforming that the series is known for creates some of the tightest and most well-choreographed platforming sequences in years. But even when taking the quality platforming out of the equation, the minor touches that the game includes, like the map memory feature, should become genre staples since they help players make the game a smoother experience. It’s an excellent game, and even if Ubisoft considers the game a disappointment and disbanded the team response for it due to what they perceived as low sales, we still have an excellent 2D platformer to rival the ones Nintendo makes.

Super Mario Party Jamboree

Mario Party has been a fan-favorite Nintendo franchise for years, and regardless of whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Super Mario Party Jamboree is fun. The game finds a way to improve on some of the mediocre elements of Super Mario Party, namely allies, and find ways to implement them in a way that makes them more exciting. Then you have the large variety of boards, with five original boards that are fun to play (especially Rainbow Galleria) and two returning boards. Plus, thanks to a variety of luck and skill-based minigames that hit more than you miss, you have the first wholly original Mario Party in years I’m actually eager to break out with friends, both in person and online.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble

Super Monkey Ball is a simple game that got its start in the arcade where you roll a monkey into a goal. It’s simple, but Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble rolled onto the scene this reminded games why the franchise has endured since 2001. There are 200 different stages to tackle here with well over a dozen characters, each with its own unique physics and controls, letting players find the perfect character to zip around levels with. Each stage also features three optional tasks that encourage you to learn the intricacies of the level design to perfect the game. It’s absorbing and while not many people may have played it, it’s by far one of the most addicting arcade-inspired experiences of 2024.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

While The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom may not be the Zelda game people were expecting, the blend of classic 2D level design and the mentality of Breath of the Wild delivers a Zelda game that feels completely unique. This is a game that encourages you to think about the tools that the game gives you to solve its puzzles and gives everyone a way to play through the game that best fits them. It’s a relatively straightforward adventure, but its simplicity feels refreshing given how dense and complex entries like Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom were. It’s not revolutionary by any means, but it’s a comforting and more relaxed Zelda game that deserves praise if only because of how it remarkably blends two eras of the franchise together to deliver a wholly unique experience.