Everyone has that one friend who swears Animal Crossing is the only game you need. They're wrong, obviously. But ranking the massive library of this console is a nightmare because, honestly, how do you compare a 100-hour odyssey in Hyrule to a five-minute round of Mario Kart?
The switch games tier list conversation has changed a lot lately. We aren't just looking at the heavy hitters from 2017 anymore. With the recent launch of titles like Hollow Knight: Silksong and the constant stream of "Switch 2" enhanced versions, the hierarchy is messy. You’ve got masterpieces sitting next to overhyped ports, and it's time to sort the gold from the glitter.
The God Tier: Essential Masterpieces
If you don't own these, why do you even have the console? These aren't just "good" games; they are the reason the hardware exists.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is basically the peak of open-world design. I know, everyone says that. But when you’re actually building a flying machine out of fans and a wooden board to bypass a mountain, you realize the physics engine is a miracle. It makes Breath of the Wild feel like a tech demo in comparison. Some critics, like those over at Eurogamer, have pointed out that the framerate dips when things get chaotic, but the sheer scale of the Depths and the Sky Islands makes those stutters easy to forgive.
Then there is Super Mario Odyssey. It’s pure joy in digital form. The "New Donk City" level alone is a love letter to gaming history. It’s accessible enough for a five-year-old but has movement tech that makes speedrunners lose their minds.
- Hades II: Supergiant did the impossible. They made a sequel that feels as fresh as the original. Melinoë is a fantastic protagonist, and the "incantation" system adds a layer of strategy that the first game lacked. It’s the best roguelike on the system, period.
- Metroid Prime Remastered: This is how you do a remaster. It looks like a modern game but plays with the same tight, atmospheric tension we loved on the GameCube.
A-Tier: The Heavy Hitters You’ll Actually Finish
These are the games that are almost perfect but maybe have one tiny flaw that keeps them from God Tier status. Usually, it's a difficulty spike or a slightly repetitive endgame.
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Hollow Knight: Silksong finally arrived, and yeah, it’s incredible. Hornet moves faster than the Knight ever did, which makes exploration feel like a dance. However, let’s be real: it is brutally hard. Some players might find the "Pharloom" map a bit too punishing if they aren't Metroidvania veterans. It’s an A-Tier because while it's a masterpiece, it's not for everyone.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is another one. It’s the most creative 2D Mario has been in decades. The Wonder Flowers change the levels in ways that are genuinely surprising. It loses a few points for being a bit too short, though. You can 100% the whole thing in a weekend if you’re dedicated.
The Strategy King
Fire Emblem: Three Houses still holds up as the best tactical RPG on the platform. The social sim elements—basically a high-stakes school soap opera—make the permadeath in battles actually hurt. When you lose a student you’ve spent twenty hours tutoring, it’s devastating.
B-Tier: Great, But With "Conditions"
This is where the switch games tier list gets controversial. These are games that are fantastic if you like the genre or if you have friends to play with.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is technically a God Tier game in terms of sales, but as a solo experience? It’s B-Tier. It’s the ultimate "party" game, but the online lag can still be a headache in 2026. Still, with the Booster Course Pass adding nearly 50 tracks, the sheer volume of content is staggering.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons falls here too. During the lockdowns, it was a lifeline. Now? The daily chores can feel a bit like a second job. If you love decorating and slow-paced living, it’s your S-Tier. If you want action, you'll be bored in twenty minutes.
- Splatoon 3: Best multiplayer shooter on Switch, but the connectivity issues remain a meme in the community for a reason.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3: An epic story with a combat system that is... complicated. It takes about ten hours just to understand what’s happening on the UI.
- Pikmin 4: Charming, polished, and weirdly relaxing. It’s the best entry in the series, but it feels a little "safe" compared to Nintendo’s bigger swings.
The C-Tier: Good For a Sale
Don't pay $60 for these. Wait for a Nintendo eShop sale.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are the most frustrating games on this list. The open-world concept is exactly what the franchise needed, but the technical execution is a mess. We're talking about characters disappearing, buildings flickering, and textures that look like they're from the Nintendo 64. The "Switch 2" patches helped a bit with the frame rate, but the core game still feels unfinished.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is visually stunning—probably the best-looking game on the hardware—but the gameplay loop gets repetitive. Sucking up ghosts in different themed hotel rooms is fun, but by floor 12, you've seen most of the tricks.
Hidden Gems Nobody Talks About
If you want to look like an expert in your friend group, tell them to play Ball x Pit. It’s this weird Arkanoid-meets-roguelike thing that came out recently and it’s addictive as hell. Or Laika: Aged Through Blood, which is a "motorcycle Metroidvania." Yes, you read that right. You do backflips to reload your gun. It’s stylish, dark, and criminally underrated.
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Another one is Signalis. It’s a love letter to classic Resident Evil and Silent Hill. If you like cosmic horror and retro-tech aesthetics, it's a must-play. It doesn't show up on many mainstream lists because it's "indie," but it's better than most AAA horror titles.
Why Your Tier List Probably Sucks
The biggest mistake people make when building a switch games tier list is ignoring "The Zelda Factor." Just because Breath of the Wild was revolutionary in 2017 doesn't mean it should stay at #1 forever. Gaming moves on.
We also tend to overrate nostalgia. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a collection of three legendary games, but the ports themselves are bare-bones. Putting a lazy port in S-Tier just because you liked Mario Sunshine as a kid is how lists lose their credibility. You have to judge the game as it plays today, on this specific screen, with these specific Joy-Cons.
Actionable Advice for Your Next Purchase
- Check the "DekuDeals" website: Never buy a digital game without checking its price history there.
- Demos are your friend: Games like Dragon Quest XI S have massive 10-hour demos. Use them.
- Think about your playstyle: If you only play in handheld mode, avoid games with tiny text like The Witcher 3 or Divinity: Original Sin 2. Your eyes will thank you.
To really get the most out of your library, you should try rotating genres. Don't play three JRPGs in a row or you'll burn out by the second one. Mix a high-stress game like Cuphead with something mindless like PowerWash Simulator. It keeps the console feeling fresh even as we move toward the next generation of hardware.
The Switch library is officially too big to ever "complete," but if you stick to the God and A-tier titles listed here, you're at least starting with the best the industry has to offer. Keep an eye on the indie scene, though; that's where the real innovation is happening while we wait for the next big Nintendo Direct.
Next Steps for You:
If you're looking to expand your collection, start by downloading the free demos for Metroid Dread and Pikmin 4. These will give you a feel for the two different ends of the Nintendo "polish" spectrum without spending a dime. Also, go into your eShop settings and "Watch" Hades II—it goes on sale more often than you'd think.