Switch Animal Crossing
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

The Switch has been out for a whopping six years today! Can you believe it? We're not sure what the more mind-blowing fact is here, the idea that we haven't had anything new from Nintendo for over half a decade or the realisation that 2017 was six years ago...

Either way, making it to a sixth birthday while still churning out top-notch content like Fire Emblem Engage, Metroid Prime Remastered, and (okay, maybe we're getting a little ahead of ourselves here) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is pretty good going any console. At this point in their respective lifecycles, the dear Wii U was dead in the water and even those that people look back on more fondly like the GBA had long been sidelined by their successor.

What's even more impressive is how the Switch has managed to keep the ball rolling consistently over its six-year lifespan. We don't look back to the "glory days" of 2017 with rose-tinted goggles and discuss what the Switch "used to be," because frankly there is a legitimate claim to be made that every single year has been a cracking one for Nintendo's latest and (arguably) greatest.

But where's the fun in saying, "eh, they're all good"? We want to know which year has been the best — and that's where you come in.

Before we dive right into a vote, let's have a very quick look at what each year had in store with a very brief overview...

Switch and Mario Odyssey
"Let's-a go" as someone would probably say... — Image: Damien McFerran / Nintendo Life

2017

Kicking it off was 2017. This is the year where we got the launch of the Switch as well as the release of many titles that we still hold up as some of the console's best today such as Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey. It was early days, yes, but those days were undeniably good ones.

2018

Moving onto the comparatively quieter 2018. There were still some big hitters for the console including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee and the indie market continued to shine with releases like Celeste and The Messenger stealing our hearts. This was also the premiere of Nintendo LABO, a short-lived experiment, sure, but one that showed that Nintendo wasn't done innovating yet.

2019

2019 was the year that brought Nintendo's lonely console a new friend, thus beginning the "Switch family of consoles". The Switch Lite was released to a mixed reception, notably drawing criticism as "the Switch that doesn't", but this isn't to say that it was without its perks. We also saw the release of titles like Luigi's Mansion 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, remakes in the form of Link's Awakening, and even more quality ports like The Witcher 3.

2020

In the face of 2020's global pandemic, Nintendo managed to keep the fire burning. Animal Crossing: New Horizons brought some sense of normality to isolated lockdowns and we got some cracking ports and remakes like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars.

2021

2021 saw Nintendo firing on all cylinders after the prior year's delays. We got superb original titles like Metroid Dread and Monster Hunter Rise as well as the return of some remastered familiar favourites like Skyward Sword HD, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. The back half of the year also saw the release of the beautiful Switch OLED, complete with crisp visuals, a larger screen, and better battery life. And, you can top all that off with the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion pack bringing N64 and SEGA Genesis games to the console.

2022

This leads us onto the final full year, 2022. While some argued that this was a bad one for Switch, we can't help but scratch our heads at the criticism when we look at the year's line-up: Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. There were no console announcements, it's true, but that list is nothing to be scoffed at.


Needless to say, the past six years have been jam-packed full of quality games. And so, with that little rundown under your belt, which year do you reckon was the best for the console, or do you think that the best is yet to come?

We have assembled the following poll for you to have your say and feel free to take to the comments afterwards to let us know what made your top year so special for you.

What was the best year for Switch?
Switch and Switch Lite
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life

Many happy returns, Switch! Here's to another six!...?