2021 has come and gone (almost) and despite a quiet start to the year, Switch owners have seen some real gems launch over the past 12 months. We've seen big releases (admittedly re-releases or remakes in several cases) of most of Nintendo's biggest franchises, with some big anniversaries popping up, too.

We got a Mario, a Zelda, a couple of Pokémon, a Metroid(!) and, perhaps most excitingly, a Big Brain Academy. Hey, it's a fun little game! Throw in WarioWare, another Mario Party and a host of brilliant third-party and indie titles — plus a sexy new SKU in the Switch OLED model — and it's tough to deny that Nintendo's console ended up having a strong software showing throughout 2021.

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As such, we asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the Top 50 Switch games of 2021, and the ranking below is the result, as governed by the User Ratings associated with every 2021 Switch game released according to our games database. As with many of our reader-ranked Best Games round-ups, the ranking will change even after publication to reflect those User Ratings — and that means it's never too late to rate your collection and influence the list.

To score your favourites, simply click score the games below by clicking on their respective stars and rating them out of 10. Can't see your favourite? Head to our library of Switch games to find what you're looking for. To become eligible, a game needs to have been rated by a minimum of 40 users.

So, let's take a look back at 2021AD and the best Switch games of the year.

50. Shadowverse: Champion's Battle (Switch)

Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle is without a doubt the greatest card battling RPG on the Switch yet; an addictive and incredibly deep card game wrapped up in a heartwarming and enjoyable RPG that supplements and supports the potent core gameplay in all the right ways. Dozens of hours of content in single player alone, combined with a full-fledged online multiplayer, ensures that you’re getting plenty of bang for your buck, while the anime presentation and detailed card art and animations keep everything looking and sounding nice all the way through. If you’re at all into card games, don’t waste your time deliberating: go buy this game immediately.

49. Kaze and the Wild Masks (Switch)

An absolute pleasure from start to finish, what Kaze and the Wild Masks lacks in originality it makes up for in the strength of its level design, responsive controls, kinetic move set and attractive visuals. Excellent, action-packed platforming through and through, with great gameplay variety and gimmicks that don’t compromise on what the game is best at — challenging, fast-paced obstacle courses and deviously hidden secret areas.

Easiest sell? Kaze and the Wild Masks is to Donkey Kong Country what Freedom Planet was to Sonic the Hedgehog. Don’t miss this one.

48. WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)

WarioWare: Get It Together! was a triumphant Switch debut for the subversive series that made some daring changes to core gameplay, resulting in the best entry in the franchise to date. With a generous roster of playable characters, lots of solo and multiplayer modes to dig into, and stages that cleverly adapt to your choices on the fly, this is a superb compilation of microgames that delivers more ways to play than ever before.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dodge bird droppings on a skateboard. Essential stuff.

47. Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (Switch eShop)

There's a lot to like about Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (known as Project Zero in Europe). While we didn't find it overly scary, it is very good indeed at being eerie. You'll see ghosts out of the corner of your eye and when you check, they'll be gone. It's oddly cosy and non-stressful for a horror game, because your camera is such an efficient weapon and the combat it propagates is too action-packed to really let any dread sink in. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though we found the earlier PlayStation 2 instalments of the series were more interested in actively frightening the player. Get absorbed in the storyline — which is easy to do as the episodic structure makes "just one more area" a compelling prospect — and you'll find this game's a real winner and worth snapping up if you're a horror fan who missed it on Wii U.

46. TOEM (Switch eShop)

Like a great album you put on at the end of the day to wind down, Toem is an incredibly relaxing experience that you'll wish you could experience all over again once it's finished. It almost makes us want to start capturing photographs of the world around us, but sadly, we don’t have a duck dressed as a lighthouse keeper to show them to. If only.

45. Subnautica (Switch eShop)

When Unknown Worlds announced they were bringing Subnautica to Switch, we were hugely excited — this is one of our all-time favourite games after all — but it was excitement tempered with a degree of scepticism as to how on earth they'd manage to cram the entire experience onto Switch in a properly playable manner.

As it turns out, we needn't have worried. This is a super solid port that, besides a few loading stutters here and there and some scenery pop-in that's present in every other version of the game, successfully delivers one of the very best open-world survival experiences on any platform to Nintendo's hybrid console.

44. Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection (Switch eShop)

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection gets off to a promising start on Switch with a decent port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma that performs well in both docked and handheld modes. However, as soon as you boot up parts two and three it's all downhill, with dynamic resolution resulting in a pixelated mess in places as the frame rate consistently struggles to keep up with the action. All we needed here was a solid, no-frills port and this collection would have been an instant recommendation. As things stand, it's a disappointing experience and should be the last version you opt for if you've got the choice to play elsewhere.

43. Dusk (Switch eShop)

Dusk is one hell of an impressive piece of software and possibly the single best Unity port to Switch we've ever seen, sidestepping typical performance problems and delivering a brilliant experience of a brilliant game. It's not as good a game as Quake, but almost nothing is.

There's a relatively limited arsenal of weapons - they're all great, but there's no iconic gun here, just your usual pistol, shotty, assault rifle, explosives, et al. We're being churlish with our criticisms here, though - ultimately, Dusk is another absolute cracker in Switch's FPS roster.

42. Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (Switch eShop)

The Girl Who Stands Behind is just as appealing and upgraded as The Missing Heir, and we really can't recommend one without the other, although you can play either separately. The story in The Girl Who Stands Behind is creepier, and the characters are more likeable, though they're also a little more forgettable at the same time. You can't go too far wrong with either, and personally we'd go for the double-bill of murder mysteries; they're must-plays for anyone who loves the genre.

41. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (Switch eShop)

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights was one of the strongest Metroidvanias of 2021, and easily one of the best examples of the genre on Switch.

It boasts excellent visuals throughout, with bursts of colour lighting up the otherwise dreary kingdom, and a wonderful soundtrack that we guarantee will live rent-free in your head for hours. All of this is held together by strong gameplay, with a particular focus on customisable loadouts via the spirit abilities.

It’s a tough game at times, and minor frame rate dips hold it back from true greatness, but with a respectable playtime of roughly 15 hours, this is an experience you’ll be glad to try out.