20 Underrated Games on the Nintendo Switch

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

• Release Date — November 20, 2020
• Developer — Omega Force
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 4 million units

Despite the fact that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is far and away one of the best-selling titles on our list of underrated Nintendo Switch games, it arguably deserves wider recognition, especially when you consider how brilliantly it blends traditional musou gameplay with the excellent combat sandbox from Breath of the Wild. Breath of the Wild is the best-selling game in the Zelda series by a wide margin, so it’s surprising to see that the first Hyrule Warriors game to utilize its Age of Calamity setting sold less than 5 million units. With a sequel on the way exclusive to the Switch 2 (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment), there’s never been a better time than now to go back and experience one of the best Zelda spin-offs out there.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope

• Release Date — October 20, 2022
• Developer — Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Paris
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 75% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 3 million units

The first Mario + Rabbids game (Kingdom Battle) was a major surprise and left-field hit in the Switch’s early library, delivering one of the best turn-based tactics games on the system and a more family-friendly version of XCOM. The sequel, Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, is arguably even better for how it innovates on the TRPG genre while still delivering a more refined version of what players loved about Kingdom Battle, but its sales pale in comparison to those of its predecessor. While Kingdom Battle would move an estimated 7.5 million units, Sparks of Hope‘s total sales are somewhere in the 3 million unit range. But despite not being the commercial juggernaut its predecessor was, Sparks of Hope‘s freeform movement, better story mode, and new tweaks to the combat sandbox make it the superior Mario + Rabbids game.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

• Release Date — July 29, 2022
• Developer — Monolith Soft
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 1.86 million units

One of the more criminally overlooked series on the Nintendo Switch is Monolith Soft’s Xenoblade Chronicles games, which have always resonated strongly with RPG fans but have never been able to break through to the mainstream in the same way as contemporaries like Persona or Final Fantasy. Additionally, it’s not uncommon to see diminishing returns on JRPG sequels, with the number of players successfully finishing each previous entry declining as a series continues. As a result, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, which is arguably the greatest game in the Xenoblade franchise, has the lowest sales of the entire trilogy despite being a series high point.

For anyone unaware, the Xenoblade Chronicles games are spiritual successors to the PS1 classic JRPG Xenogears (which many key staff from Monolith Soft worked on), and together, they make up almost 1,000 hours of some of the best JRPG gameplay exclusive to the Switch. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better series to carry over to your Switch 2 as a major time-filler and showcase for the handheld’s new tech than the brilliant Xenoblade Chronicles games, especially Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Pikmin 4

• Release Date — July 21, 2023
• Developer — Nintendo EPD, Eighting
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Total Sales — 3.48 million units

The sales of Pikmin games don’t do the series any justice, considering how brilliant they are, and Pikmin 4 is perhaps the best game in the entire franchise. Accordingly, Pikmin 4 would sell incredibly well on the Switch (almost 3.5 million units as of the most recent reporting), but that figure is far shy of the sales figures of several other first-party Nintendo games. Pikmin 4 introduces a lot of new elements to the quirky platform/puzzle series, including brand-new types of Pikmin and some of the best visuals of any Pikmin game. You could also throw Pikmin 3 Deluxe on this list of underrated Switch games, and there’s a strong case that no Switch library is complete without at least one of the system’s excellent Pikmin games.

Bayonetta 3

• Release Date — October 28, 2022
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 1.07 million units

One of the more surprisingly underrated games on the Switch is Bayonetta 3. Thanks to its place as a system exclusive (something that many series fans lamented ahead of release), Bayonetta 3 was sufficiently hyped up by Nintendo and even acted as a bit of a system seller for players who were desperate to experience the next chapter in the thrilling saga of the Umbral Witches. But for all its innovations over Bayonetta 2 and its impressive performance (pushing the Switch to its limit in terms of particle effects, on-screen elements, and other visual flairs), Bayonetta 3 just barely squeaked past 1 million units in sales, which is practically criminal when you consider how it’s one of the better character action games and one of the better Nintendo Switch exclusives.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

• Release Date — July 19, 2019
• Developer — Team Ninja
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)
• User Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 1.6 million units

All the elements were there for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 to be a smash hit. In 2019, the MCU films were arguably at their peak, with Avengers: Endgame having just smashed through box-office records and providing a satisfying conclusion to one of the most ambitious film sagas in history. Additionally, we hadn’t had a Marvel Ultimate Alliance game since 2009, and with Team Ninja at the helm, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 promised to be the best game in the series yet in terms of its combat and challenge. And while Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is by no means a bad game, it failed to meet fan expectations on several levels, resulting in it selling half as many units as the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance. Still, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 is a great Switch-exclusive action RPG that remains one of the best Marvel-licensed games on the system.

Daemon X Machina

• Release Date — September 13, 2019
• Developer — Marvelous First Studio
• Publisher — Nintendo, Marvelous
• Review Aggregate Score — 69% (Mixed or Average)
• User Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — Unknown

Perhaps the most underrated game on the Nintendo Switch is Daemon X Machina, which would prove to be a bigger hit in Japan than in the West, where it was almost completely overlooked. Notably, Daemon X Machina comes to players from a team made up of Armored Core veterans, including series producer Kenichiro Tsukuda, and it genuinely feels like one of the classic PS1 or PS2 Armored Core entries (albeit with vastly improved visuals and controls).

Thankfully, the success of Daemon X Machina in Japan (where it was a best-seller the week of its release and is estimated to have sold upwards of 120,000 units) helped to secure a sequel, which arrives for the Switch 2 in September. In the meantime, though, the best way to get a hold of Daemon X Machina on Switch is to purchase it digitally, as physical copies have vastly inflated in price due to their rarity.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

• Release Date — May 4, 2018
• Developer — Retro Studios
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 4.62 million units

Like Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze‘s sales figures are nothing to scoff at, with the title having sold nearly 5 million units. But when you take into account that Tropical Freeze is one of the greatest side-scrolling platforming games of all time, it becomes clear that the game deserved to sell many more copies than it actually did, cementing it as one of the Switch’s best and most underrated exclusives. To be fair, the game is a port of a Wii U title, but the Switch version makes several noteworthy improvements to the gameplay (including the beginner-friendly Funky Kong Mode) and runs like a dream whether playing in docked or handheld. And with Donkey Kong Country Returns now ported to the Switch, you can have the entire Retro Studios-helmed Donkey Kong Country revival in one place.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

• Release Date — September 26, 2024
• Developer — Nintendo EPD, Grezzo
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 3.91 million units

It’s almost shocking to see how few copies of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom sold, considering its place as a mainline Legend of Zelda title. To put it in perspective, Echoes of Wisdom’s total sales (just under 4 million units) are roughly just 20% of Tears of the Kingdom’s, and a jaw-dropping 11% of Breath of the Wild’s (which is at a staggering 34 million units and counting). Doubly surprising is that the game sold as little as it did when it was the first game to allow players to control Princess Zelda and its main gameplay hook is a natural evolution of the creativity-focused open-ended gameplay and problem-solving of Tears of the Kingdom. While it’s not as traditional as some of the other Zelda games on the Switch, Echoes of Wisdom is no less essential in the Switch library.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

• Release Date — July 13, 2018
• Developer — Nintendo EPD
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 2.35 million units

Another Wii U game to make its way to the Switch in an improved format is Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and it’s a title that deserves to be in more Switch owners’ libraries as a casual and family-friendly puzzle platformer with plenty of charm. It’s worth noting that the Switch version of Captain Toad contains plenty of exclusive content that makes it the definitive version of the game (which, in addition to the Wii U, also released on the 3DS) and it’s the only game in the entire Mario universe to feature the loveable Toad in a starring role. The Mario spin-off games never perform quite as well as the mainline entries, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t excellent experiences in their own right.

ARMS

• Release Date — June 16, 2017
• Developer — Nintendo EPD, Bandai Namco
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 72% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 2.72 million units

One of the initial post-launch first-party games for the Switch was the highly underrated ARMS, which can almost be thought of as a sort of new take on the classic Punch-Out!! franchise. As one of a varied selection of fighters with extendable arms, players challenge one another in some fun and frenetic 3D battles with over-the-top physics and plenty of humor. ARMS was always going to be a bit of a niche title (as the Punch-Out!! games often are, even though it’s not officially part of that series), but it definitely deserves more recognition as one of the only non-Smash Bros. fighting games to come from a Nintendo first-party studio.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

• Release Date — February 16, 2024
• Developer — Nintendo Software Technology
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 76% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 72% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 1.12 million units

Released at a time when players were starting to get frustrated over no major new first-party Nintendo games for the Switch and no update on the Switch 2, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is an excellent remake of a Game Boy Advance classic that almost became a victim of Nintendo fans’ frustration. Many took issue with Nintendo charging $49.99 for a remake of a 20-year-old game that basically just updated the visuals, while others were disappointed to see the Switch seemingly dwindling in support, which resulted in Mario vs. Donkey Kong getting a bad rap completely unrelated to its gameplay. But for those who did play Mario vs. Donkey Kong, it immediately stood out as one of the more charming and intuitive puzzle platformers on the Switch.

Famicom Detective Club

• Release Date — August 29, 2024
• Developer — Nintendo EPD, Mages
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 74% (Mixed or Average)
• User Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — ~ 1 million units (combined)

Seemingly out of nowhere, Nintendo decided to revive its long-dormant Famicom Detective Club series on the Nintendo Switch, which is arguably a perfect fit for it when you look at the sheer wealth of visual novel titles available on the console. Of course, visual novels are incredibly niche in the West despite being massively popular in Japan, which resulted in Famicom Detective Club‘s revival (which started with Emio the Smiling Man and now includes two other titles on Switch) being slightly lukewarm. Still, for the entire series of Switch Famicom Detective Club games to sell a combined 1 million units is impressive, and more mystery/detective fans who don’t mind visual novel gameplay should absolutely give these games a chance.

Fire Emblem Engage

• Release Date — January 20, 2023
• Developer — Intelligent Systems
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 70% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 1.61 million units

Following up the excellent Fire Emblem: Three Houses was always going to be challenging in terms of matching its success, and Intelligent Systems’ decision to bring the series back to its basics after Three Houses‘ innovations didn’t help. Still, Fire Emblem Engage isn’t a bad game by any stretch, quite the contrary. Engage delivers some of the best combat in the modern run of Fire Emblem games, including a new summon mechanic that lets the player protagonist channel the abilities and powers of some of the Fire Emblem series’ most legendary heroes. But removing the expanded social sim elements introduced in Three Houses didn’t sit well with fans, resulting in Fire Emblem Engage selling less than half the total units. That said, if you’re looking for a rock-solid TRPG to provide 40+ hours of satisfying combat, you could do a lot worse than Fire Emblem Engage.

New Pokémon Snap

• Release Date — April 30, 2021
• Developer — Bandai Namco Studios
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 2.74 million units

The first Pokémon Snap on Nintendo 64 ended up becoming a cult classic on the system, and it seems like its sequel is destined for the same fate. Despite most of the Switch’s 20 best-selling titles practically being dominated by games in the Pokémon franchise, New Pokémon Snap is nowhere to be found, which is a shame. Like the original Pokémon Snap, New Pokémon Snap is an incredibly charming on-rails shooter where you use a camera instead of a gun and get to participate in some very well-done fan service while taking snaps of your favorite Pokémon in the series’ massive roster.

Metroid Dread

• Release Date — October 8, 2021
• Developer — Mercury Steam, Nintendo EPD
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 3.07 million units

Like Pikmin 4, Metroid Dread is one of the best-selling games in its respective franchise, but those sales still pale in comparison to other first-party Nintendo Switch titles and fall far short of what the game deserves. The conclusion to the saga that began with the NES Metroid and a direct continuation of the phenomenal Metroid Fusion, Metroid Dread is a classic 2D Metroid through and through and one of the best Metroidvania games on the Nintendo Switch. Generally considered one of the best Switch exclusives, you would think that Metroid Dread would have sold between 10 and 20 million units. But at just 3 million units, Metroid Dread is practically the poster child for an underrated game on the Nintendo Switch.

Advance Wars 1+2: ReBoot Camp

• Release Date — April 21, 2023
• Developer — WayForward
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 0.4 million units (estimated)

Considering how universally loved the Advanced Wars games are, it’s surprising to see that the remake of the first two games sold as little as it did. Part of the blame rests on the title originally planning to launch in early 2021, with its release delayed due to the onset of war between Russia and Ukraine. Following an indefinite delay in the game’s release, Advance Wars 1 + 2: ReBoot Camp would finally arrive in the Spring of 2023 to mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. But despite praise for being a faithful remake of two of the best turn-based tactics games ever made, Advance Wars 1 + 2 is estimated to have barely sold half a million units. Hopefully, the game largely going overlooked hasn’t nixed any hope of a new game in the Advance Wars series.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore

• Release Date — January 17, 2020
• Developer — Atlus
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 81% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 62% (Mixed or Average)
• Total Sales — 0.17 million units (estimated)

You would think that a game combining the core elements of the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem series would be a surefire recipe for success, and it essentially was…on the Wii U. Unfortunately, when Nintendo and Atlus brought the excellent Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE to the Switch, the game was criminally overlooked in favor of other, more recent RPGs, with it selling a mere fraction of units in comparison to the original Wii U release. And despite being considered one of the best games in the Wii U library, fan response to Tokyo MirageSessions‘ Switch port would prove to be a bit mixed, mostly stemming from the Western version’s censorship of certain story elements.

Game Builder Garage

• Release Date — June 11, 2021
• Developer — Nintendo EPD
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 76% (Generally Favorable)
• Total Sales — 1.15 million units

Super Mario Maker 2 can be seen as a bit of a stepping stone for game creation tools on the Switch, and Nintendo’s second attempt at the genre unfortunately fell far short of Super Mario Maker 2 in terms of its sales, despite greatly expanding the practical application of its gameplay loop. Game Builder Garage is one of the most impressive and user-friendly introductions to programming, and you would think that the increasing number of players hoping to break into the games industry would translate to the title having some mammoth sales figures. Ultimately, though, with Game Builder Garage lacking the Mario charm and instant gratification of Super Mario Maker 2, it ended up selling 1/8th as many units.

Astral Chain

• Release Date — August 30, 2019
• Developer — Platinum Games
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• Total Sales — 1.33 million units

It’s almost criminal that both of the Switch-exclusive Platinum Games titles would end up being sales disappointments, especially when you consider that they’re both arguably two of the better modern character action games. For my money, Astral Chain beats outBayonetta 3 as the more underrated of the two, thanks to its unique premise, eye-catching visual style, and standalone story that doesn’t expect you to have played two whole other games. While it did sell over a million units, a game of Astral Chain‘s caliber deserves to be one of the best-selling games on the Switch, and it’s absolutely a title that I’ll be playing through again on the Switch 2.