Best Switch Games 2019 Seal
Image: Nintendo Life

2019 was a fantastic year for Nintendo Switch owners, with a stellar lineup from the platform holder itself joined by a near-endless stream of brilliant third party games; finding the time to play them all was by far the biggest problem facing Switch (and Switch Lite) gamers.

Nintendo's console got off to a rocketing start in 2017 with the heavy hitters of launch game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, and that continued into 2018 with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Third parties and indie devs really took Switch to their hearts, too, releasing quality new games and ports aplenty.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube785k
Watch on YouTube

2019 gifted us several top-drawer Nintendo-made Switch titles in the form of Super Mario Maker 2, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, the quirky Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi's Mansion 3 and the all-conquering Pokémon Sword and Shield, but nearly every week brought more essential games to the eShop from other studios, huge and tiny alike.

The following list of the 50 best Switch games from 2019 is ranked according to the user ratings associated with Switch games on Nintendo Life's database. As such, it can still be influenced after publication by your ratings. If you've yet to give your personal score to some (or all) of 2019's Switch releases, the ranking below could yet change, so feel free to score your favourites. Can't see your favourites? Just head to our library of Switch games for 2019.

So, let's take a look at the very best Switch games from 2019 according to you lovely lot...

50. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Switch)

Donkey Kong Country fans rejoice: this is the spiritual successor you’ve been waiting for. The worst thing you could say about it is that the overworld exploration may prove to be too involved for those who are in it purely for the runny-jumpy stuff, but those who are happy to mix platforming with top-down adventuring and don’t mind adapting to the constantly changing pace will find the best of both worlds here. Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a fantastic sophomore effort that pays tribute to Rare's past and establishes Playtonic as one of the UK's most exciting studios.

49. DELTARUNE Chapter 1 (Switch eShop)

It’s unknown at this point just how big of a project Deltarune will turn out to be, but this first chapter proves to be a solid, if a little too safe, take on the unique gameplay and humour that made Undertale such a hit. At worst, Deltarune Chapter 1 is just a smaller and shallower version of Undertale; at best, it’s a promising glimpse into a much more ambitious project that will hopefully grow to escape the shadow of its forerunner. Regardless, you can download Deltarune Chapter 1 for free from the eShop; see what you think.

48. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Switch)

47. Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition (Switch)

While Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition doesn’t make an major changes to the original game that launched over a decade ago, it does combine practically every piece of exclusive content into one wholesome package. With the benefit of some improved visuals in both cutscenes and gameplay, it’s very difficult to recommend this JRPG classic on any other system than Nintendo Switch thanks to how well it performs in both docked and handheld modes. If you’ve ever slept on this classic, there’s never been a better way to rectify that error.

46. Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda (Switch eShop)

Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda *breathe* is an excellent game, but is it a Zelda game? Short answer: Absolutely.

Long answer: Brace Yourself Games didn't simply swap out Crypt of the NecroDancer's sprites with Link and Zelda. This musical, roguelite take on Hyrule delivers everything you'd expect: the exploration, discovery, wonder, items, dungeons, and — most of all — music, all shot through with a rhythm-based gameplay twist that takes a while to get used to but is immensely satisfying once mastered.

This would be a great Zelda game if you've played all the others to death; it's the most replayable entry, with each new run juggling the landscape and layout of the kingdom (cleverly playing with the notion of Hyrule's ever-changing geography throughout the series), meaning no playthrough will be quite the same.

It won't click with everyone, and if you're after 80-hour epics, look elsewhere. But there are plenty of those already. Having a smaller Hylian experience that feels uniquely fresh and also completely 'Zelda' is a joy.

45. Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection (Switch)

Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection has come as something of a surprise to us after the disappointment of Assassin's Creed III Remastered. Here are two excellent swashbuckling epics ported to Nintendo's console in fine fashion. Black Flag is a revelation in portable mode and looks and performs almost flawlessly as you blast your way around the Caribbean on Edward Kenway's captivating pirate adventures. Rogue, although it struggles to keep up slightly here and there, is always eminently playable and together with the excellent Freedom Cry, they give Assassin's Creed fans something they've wanted for a very long time now – this is handheld Assassin's Creed at a standard we weren't sure we'd ever see on Switch.

44. A Hat In Time (Switch)

A Hat In Time is a hugely enjoyable take on the classic 3D platformer. The tight, familiar controls and varied, innovative levels result in one of the most fascinating and entertaining games out there. The issues with performance and the camera do little to wipe the smile from our faces while playing through this; if you adore the likes of Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie, then you'll fall utterly in love with A Hat In Time.

43. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition (Switch)

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition is a content-packed RPG with plenty to see and do. Its evolution system feels wholly unique when compared to another monster-breeding game series you might find on Nintendo hardware, and while the grind may be too much for some, it’s comfortably one of the best creature-catchers on the Switch – although Pokémon still holds the crown, of course.

42. What Remains of Edith Finch (Switch eShop)

What Remains of Edith Finch is a 'Walking Sim' that doesn’t just tell an unforgettable story – it's genuinely unforgettable. As tragic as its tale is, it always manages to entertain. As one section ends and as you fight back tears, you’ll always carry on, because the next story is as engrossing as the last. If you want a strong feature-length story that doesn’t waste a minute, Edith Finch is the one you need.

41. Mortal Kombat 11 (Switch)

Mortal Kombat 11 is the best Mortal Kombat since MK2, a bold and bombastic entry that boasts a fighting model that finally matches the slapstick theatrics of gory Fatalities. It's further proof that MK, much like Street Fighter, has just as much relevance in the 21st century as it did in the '90s thanks to the way it's evolved while retaining its core identity. On Switch, it's a performance-first experience that nails 60fps, and boasts every mode and mechanic from other versions, only with a noticeable downgrade in the aesthetics department. The heavy-handed application of microtransactions aside, MK11 could be a contender for the best fighter on Nintendo Switch, and certainly better than the dire Switch port of its successor.