Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (Switch)

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was a real hidden gem of the Wii U era, which is amazing when you consider that it was almost created by accident. The original concept for Captain Toad existed inside Super Mario 3D World, which featured a few minigame-like levels in which you had to help Captain Toad navigate a bunch of tiny cube-shaped levels, avoiding enemies and collecting stars and coins.

This is a wonderful and gorgeous puzzler fit for all ages, and one which you should definitely experience if you're yet to.

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New Pokémon Snap (Switch)

New Pokémon Snap brings back almost everything that made the original special and fleshes it out into a much more elaborate game. This is something you can sink some serious time into and while there are some minor frustrations and pacing issues in the story, playing freely at your own pace is a pure joy. The original has gone down in history possibly as Pokémon's greatest spinoff, and it may have just been dethroned.

Pokkén Tournament DX (Switch)

The unholy lovechild of Tekken and Pokémon, Pokkén Tournament caused quite a stir when it was first announced. Given that almost all Pokémon games focus on monster-on-monster combat, it's surprising that it took so long for a game of this type to appear, but the wait was more than worth it. Pokkén is comfortably one of the the best fighting games on the Switch, and offers surprising depth, stunning presentation, brilliant offline and online multiplayer modes and bags of replayability.

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (Switch eShop)

After being mostly confined to the MOBA for years, things like the new Arcane show, an impending MMO, and some spinoff games are starting to bring the rich universe of Runeterra to audiences that aren’t reached by the main title.

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, is one of those spinoff games, but don’t be fooled into thinking that this is some half-hearted throwaway advert to get more people to play League. Riot knew what it was doing when it handed this project to Airship Syndicate — of Battle Chasers: Nightwar fame — and we’re happy to report that Ruined King has turned out to be a tremendously well-designed RPG. Featuring a memorable cast of characters, incredibly deep gameplay and an attractive art style, this is perhaps one of the most surprising must-have releases of the year.

River City Girls (Switch eShop)

The Kunio-kun series has been around for more than three decades in Japan, delivering a steady stream of quality titles mostly featuring its trademark art style: chunky characters with big heads. Some of the games made it to the west under various guises – Renegade, Super Dodge Ball, Crash ‘n The Boys, Nintendo World Cup and the like – but arguably the most notable entry made it to our shores as Street Gangs in Europe, and River City Ransom in North America. As the name suggests, River City Girls is a spin-off of that game, and it’s absolutely superb.

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII- Reunion (Switch)

One of the most memorable PSP titles was Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, a prequel to one of the greatest games Square’s ever managed to produce. Mixing fast-paced hack ‘n’ slash combat with a story that was just as endearing and heartbreaking as the original Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core quickly built a strong reputation for itself. Square remade the spin-off in late 2022, aiming it at audiences looking to catch up ahead of the launch of FF7: Rebirth, and we’re pleased to report that this remake has been a resounding success; Crisis Core was always a great game and now it looks and plays better than ever.

Mighty Gunvolt Burst (Switch eShop)

Mighty Gunvolt Burst is a worthy successor to the classic Mega Man series, perfectly transplanting that classic run ‘n’ gun gameplay while adding a wealth of new additions and elements to keep you engaged for a long time. Though these new elements are a little rough around the edges, they nonetheless add a lot of value to the package and the flexible nature of the game allows you to completely ignore them if you so choose. We certainly give Mighty Gunvolt Burst a strong recommendation; for anyone looking for a meaty and high-quality retro title, look no further than this.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes (Switch)

With the success of the likes of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Persona 5 Strikers and, of course, 2017's Fire Emblem Warriors on Nintendo Switch, it should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that Omega Force, the developer behind the long-running Warriors franchise, is intent on continuing to serve up more zany crossovers that mix its spectacular Musou mayhem with aspects of whichever series it happens to be teaming up with this time around.

Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes is a thoroughly entertaining mash-up of fighting, strategy and relationship-building aspects that should more than satisfy fans of both the franchises involved here.

Persona 5 Tactica (Switch)

Persona 5 Tactica is a thrillingly varied tactical RPG that fans of the Phantom Thieves and the genre should take note of. It's a little on the easy side, but the varied gameplay, excellent soundtrack, striking visuals, and lovable characters all make for a very easy recommendation here. We’d especially suggest you pick this up if you really enjoyed the original Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle, as we noticed a lot of parallels that can be drawn between the two. It remains to be seen if this is the last time we’ll be seeing the Phantom Thieves don their masks, but if this does turn out to be their finale, Persona 5 Tactica is a massively enjoyable sendoff for the beloved crew.

If you've got your own suggestions for this list, why don't you...spin off into the comments and give us your thoughts? Or better yet... tell us what spin-offs/crossovers you'd like to see in games! Mario X Zelda? Pikmin X Animal Crossing? Give us your most unholy combinations!

This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.

Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!

If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.