Remember, this list is not set in stone but is governed by each game's User Rating in our database. Add your own score (out of 10) to any entry to exert your influence on the order.
The release of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019 may have 'ended' Star Wars as we'd known it for the previous four-and-a-bit decades, but all it really did was tie a bow on the cinematic tales of the Skywalker clan and the nine-film saga which began in 1977. After all, Star Wars is never really gone.
Streaming platform Disney+ has all the movies in 4K, plus shows like The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and a deluge of other TV projects, not forgetting new trilogies, spin-off movies, games, and much more in the pipeline. Yep, that galaxy far, far away will be coming at you across all media for a long time to come.
The franchise has a storied history with video games, too, with plenty of Star Wars games to play on Switch. Below we take a look back at nigh-on every Star Wars game on Nintendo systems in the West, ranked from worst to best by you, dear readers.
To keep things tidier, in instances where the same game was released on multiple platforms, we've opted to mention the lesser of the two — invariably the portable version — in the other's entry. Remember, the ranked list below is governed by each game's User Rating in our database, meaning that the order is dynamic and subject to real-time change, even after publication. In order to rate any of the games on the list below out of 10, logged-in Nintendo Life users can simply tap the 'star', assign it a personal rating, and refresh the page to see any changes reflected.
So, come with us on a journey to a galaxy fa—oh you know the rest. We begin at the bottom, so beware that the Force is not strong with many of these...
42. Star Wars: The New Droid Army (GBA)
An isometric platformer that takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, you control the petulant young Skywalker in this stodgy action game. Considering the platform it's on, the game looks and sounds okay. Beyond that, though, it's dull, repetitive and so s-l-o-w. Anakin, you're breaking our heart.
41. Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles (GBA)
With passable animation and audio (especially considering the system) and boring, finicky platforming, Star Wars: Jedi Power Battles falls into a regretfully familiar pattern of portable Star Wars games. It's not as hateful as some, and it's a little faster-paced than New Droid Army, but it's a similar story. Perhaps developer HotGen was trying to faithfully capture the excitement of The Phantom Menace's trade disputes, in which case job done. Some might call the non-canon blue lightsaber wielded by Mace Windu on the cover unforgivable, but we were too bored to care.
40. Star Wars: Flight of the Falcon (GBA)
Anyone who's only ever played Star Wars games on a Game Boy deserves your pity. Retro Nintendo portables had a lot of things going for them, but a high midi-chlorian count wasn't one of them.
Flight of the Falcon is one of the very worst Star Wars games ever because it's got Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon on the cover — the two coolest things in the Star Wars universe — and it sullies their good names. As with all terrible Star Wars games, the iconography fools you into thinking 'ah, it can't be that bad!', but our review conclusion sums this up perfectly: "Flight of the Falcon is a very bad game. As such, you should not play it. However cool the screenshots look, however promising the premise sounds, just remember that the Force is not with this one in any way, shape or form."
Han, mah boogie, you deserved better.
39. Star Wars: Yoda Stories (GBC)
You have to remember that while Yoda is a beloved character, this game came before we'd ever seen him wield a lightsaber in what is easily the best scene in Attack of the Clones. Despite the name, in Yoda Stories you control Luke Skywalker in a top-down adventure as he chops snakes in two with his laser sword. How bad can that be?...
Really quite bad, it turns out. 'Sedate' is too generous a word, and the whole game is a technical embarrassment. It's tempting to blame the hardware, but then you look at Link's Awakening and see what might have been. Link's Awakening this ain't. Poodoo, plain and simple.
38. Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (GBA)
Fittingly, perhaps, the weakest movie in the saga got one of the weakest Star Wars games ever. Normally we'd caveat a statement like that with 'arguably', but Episode II is inescapably pants in parts (except for Mace Windu's general badassery and that Yoda bit at the end — we remember quite liking that).
The tie-in GBA game is a turgid side-scrolling beat 'em up that lacks the artistic polish even the dullest Star Wars games bring to the table. Coarse, rough, and irritating, indeed.
37. Star Wars: Episode I: Obi-Wan's Adventures (GBC)
Another one quick to tick the 'dull' and 'repetitive' boxes, if you think the isometric adventures on the GBA were tough going on the eyes, Obi-Wan's Adventures takes that style of game back a console generation in an 'adventure' set concurrently against the events of Episode 1. It's not awful, just ugly and entirely pedestrian.
36. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (NES)
A relatively ho-hum 8-bit platformer where you play as young Skywalker battling through variations of the locations from the movie, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back could not be more average. For kids desperate to play as hero Luke, it was passable filler but no more.
A Game Boy version also exists, but if you're gagging to play through the best film of the saga in video game form, you're much better off going with the 16-bit 'Super' iteration. Indeed, LucasArts didn't even bother with an 8-bit Return of the Jedi — the developer simply jumped generations and started afresh with Super Star Wars on the SNES.
35. Star Wars (NES)
Another platformer. To be fair, it did a decent job of providing some variety and touching on the main characters and locations of the movie, but it's pretty unmemorable (and unforgiving).
The token Game Boy version upped the difficulty as it reduced screen real estate, but possibly the most interesting of the 8-bit versions is the entirely different and earlier Famicom game developed by Namco in 1987. 'Interesting' because it's not afraid of deviating significantly from the source material and having Darth Vader turn into a scorpion. Not 'interesting' because it's any good, sadly.
About Gavin Lane
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.
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Comments 69
Ooooohhh...I wonder if Limited Run is gonna ship KotoR 2 today. That would be cool.
Empire Strikes Back on Game Boy is one of those games I'm going to die without finishing. It just becomes so unplayable after a while.
Jedi Outcast should have been higher though.
HK-47 alone makes the KotOR series #1 by default.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg1gTas7OAA
Do feel like playing rogue leader again... hope i'll get my wii up and running
Rogue Leader is the best and it isn't even a competition (and I say this as someone who has enjoyed MANY Star Wars games).
It feels just as impressive today as when it released over 20 years ago.
You are strong and wise. And I am very proud of you.
Shadows of the Empire is the only one I ever played in my entire life that was worth remembering.
@Cashews Bounty Hunter is basically Shadows 2.
Lots of good games here, however I've said it before and I'll say it again..... when is there going to be a Star Wars collection with NES Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, SNES Star Wars, ESB and ROTJ and throw in N64 SOTE, RS and Gamecube RS 2 and 3! You have my money already! PS and may the fourth be with you all today. PPS I appreciate the licensing issues involved with my request, however who would have thought we would have a TMNT collection now??!!
I know it'll never happen but I really want an HD Remaster of Rogue Squadron on Switch (or at the very least, put the N64 version up on Nintendo Switch Online along with Shadows of the Empire)!
@DarthFoxMcCloud Yep with you there, it's about time these treasures were remastered on the Switch!
@TheHighGround Hello there
Jedi Power Battles is ranked lower than Yoda Stories? I don’t think so. Yes the GBA game’s criticisms are fair, but it’s in no way worse than Yoda Stories.
Man I want them to release the original Lego Star Wars collection on the switch so bad. Loved it even if it’s a bit dated now.
Surprised the Skywalker Saga isn’t number 1 since it honestly seems like the perfect Star Wars game period to get into. Well for what it’s worth I’ll be celebrating the Star Wars holiday by doing a nice big old session of Jedi: Survivor tonight after work.
What's with the release dates on this article? The Super Star Wars games definitely did not come out in 2009.
It has always kind of bothered me how more developers didn't take advantage of the Gamecube's graphical prowess the way that Factor 5 did with Rogue Leader.
How I wish they would remaster the Rogue Squadron games and make them a trilogy in one cartridge. As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy Star Wars games, this would still be a day 1 for me. Those games were exceptional.
I skipped ahead to make sure RS2 was #1.
I have the bottom 4 games on the list 😆
Flight of the Falcon should be #39. It's 3 levels of unrelated mini-games strung together with mediocre controls and sometimes awful graphics. And when you die you start back at the beginning of the level.
The cover art was definitely the best part of the game.
The other three had their good moments though..
Played Revenge of the Sith (GBA) on an emulator early this year. An absolute blast
Here's hoping for a console re-release of "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron."
Oooookay. I'm going to get the damned Skywalker Saga cause it's on sale, despite not being a fan of LEGO or Star Wars. Somehow (I assure you), it's still your fault if I do this dumb thing and dislike the game.
I know many Star Wars games are on sale on the eShop and I was tempted to splurge...until I realized I have nearly all of them on GOG.
We need a new Rogue Squadron game. Jedi Survivor does bring me some hope, as we are seeing some OK star wars games again, but looking at the past you have to say Disney are making a right mess of their vodeogames. They need to stop outsourcing based on money, and start having a cracking at it themselves based on quality.
@FawfulsFury
General Kenobi!
You are a bold one.
They ever get around to finishing KOTOR2?
@DarthFoxMcCloud I think Rogue Squadron is available in HD on Steam.
Otherwise, just get a Nintendo 64. I'm best best case an RGB modded one and one of these super modules with all N64 games on it. You can than throw away the laughable Switch Online selection.
There's a good amount of worthwhile Star Wars games. Too bad Nintendo gamers can't enjoy Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor, since they are like best of all.
But maybe on the next system.
Glad the Skywalker saga finished behind the original I was really disappointed with it, you spent most of the time running around and the puzzles weren't at the same level.
@Krysus update! It did! Bwuahahaha! I forgot to check the mail Thursday! Super happy!
I recently got Star wars Rouge Squadron on the N64. Holy crap it is decent. I knew it was a good game just didn't realize it was that good
Whoever made this list raise your fists and meet me behind the Denny's
Ah, I remember pre-ordering my black GameCube with Rogue Squadron II, Luigis Mansion and a memory card (59?!) for a midnight launch at Game back in the day! Miss those gaming days 😢
@dartmonkey Have you thought about doing a best movie tie in switch game list? With Alien Isolation, the Jurassic Park collection, Ghostbusters and more, it could be quite a good list!
The SNES trilogy should have been in the top 10. They were real videogames and true Star Wars games. Anything Lego is a dumbed down, not really that funny waste of time.
This is as voted by NL users themselves, I know. But besides Rogue Squadron 2 & 1 being the top 2 the placings are all a bit odd. The Skywalker Saga ought to be no.3 and the Wii complete saga collection being high in the positions is understandable. But the other lego star wars games are too overrated. I liked them, but they're not THAT good, lol. I even think Force Unleashed ought to be higher. The SNES trilogy ought to be higher as well, though I struggled with them last time I played the games - on the Wii VC was it? You have to acknowledge how good they were for their time. I think I've played about 60-70% of these games purchased mainly based on reviews and some on a whim I have dabbled in the odd ds release. Extreme waggly Lightsabre Duels Wii was one of my "guilty games". Lol
The visuals in Rogue Squadron 2 were absolutely mind blowing back in the day, particularly the battle of Endor mission where you fly into the second death star. Really felt like playing a scene from the movie.
The super star wars games will always be close to my heart, even though I don't think I've ever actually beaten any of them, haha.
And I still love Shadows of the Empire. The use of licensed music from the films really helps elevate that game.
I never played Star Wars post Super Nintendo era, but Super Star Wars brings back so many fond memories. Seeing it is only 14 in the list makes me wish I had time to play other titles. When the Wii was in full swing I was running around trying to collect GCN games from mark down bins and was desperate to get a copy of rogue squadron but never got my hands on it
Suggestion to the editors: these list articles would be amazing if you could choose to reverse the order. I just skip to the #1 title and read backwards anyway. Doing it last to first is a bit click baity for my thinking, and scrolling backwards I usually go through 2-3 pages anyway.
There have been so many good games released in the last 30 years that it's hard to single out just one as the best. In my opinion, one of the best was Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GCN). A phenomenal game in every way.
The very first Lego one and part 3 The Clone Wars are my favorites. So disappointed with the Skywalker saga.
@AstraeaV
What was wrong with Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga, compared to the older games? I did not play the older games.
is it just me or some GC games look way better than on Switch ?
Honestly not surprised that most of the Star Wars games that I own turned out to be absolute stinkers, especially Jedi Power Battles and Attack of the Clones. Probably the only "good" Star Wars game that I have on this list is Rebel Strike. Maybe The Force Unleashed (the Wii version, that is, although I also have the DS version).
I do have Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy on the PS2, but since it's PlayStation and not Nintendo, I doubt that counts. Ditto with Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, which I own on the PC (as in, an original copy of the game, back when you needed two discs to play through the whole thing: the first half of the game on one disc, the second half on the other), and Angry Birds Star Wars, which I have on iOS. I even have a rather simple game for the PC called the Millennium Falcon CD-ROM Playset, which uses a mockup of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit that you lay over your keyboard and use that as a controller.
It is quite the pity that many Star Wars games, especially on Nintendo consoles, just aren't that good, either due to hardware limitations, boneheaded decisions from the dev teams or their higher-ups, time constraints, or being just a cheap cash-grab. But personally, I think it's best if they told original stories instead of trying to adapt the movies.
That being said, if there was one Star Wars game that I wish came to consoles, it was the Star Wars Trilogy Arcade game made by Sega in 1998, which adapts scenes from the Original Trilogy. I played it at a GameWorks many years ago and fell in love with that game. Being able to play it at home or on the go has always been a dream of mine. How I wish Sega would just port it to consoles already!
RIP Expanded Universe. For me, the KOTOR games, as well as some of the comics and novels, were the best thing about Star Wars. Of course, they can’t exist without the original films/media (which I still like a lot), but I feel that the best examples of Star Wars media were created as part of the Expanded Universe. Yes, there is also dross, but the gems are true diamonds. Although George Lucas had an on/off relationship with it, he allowed it to happen as long as certain elements/stories of the whole Star Wars universe were kept intact. Out of this agreement sprung games such as KOTOR, which delved into the distant past rather than tread on any film canon.
Now Disney is in charge and it feels as if the Dark Side has won. Not the cool Dark Side, with its lust for power/development and a commitment to a selfish form of mysticism. Rather, it’s the banal and tedious Dark Side, with its lust for control and safety at the expensive of creative expression. Unfortunately, I just don’t gel the new trilogy, or the Mandalorian, or Jedi Outcast/Survivor.
Maybe there’s hope, though. Now Disney has established themselves with the IP, maybe they can start to take some risks, or let third-party developers do it for them.
Rogue squadron games are my favorite star wars games. The graphics on the Gamecube are amazing even today.
Christmas 2024.
Analogue 3D.
Star Wars Rogue Squadron.
Good times!
(Subject to Analogue achieving a street date... and my nostalgia for the game not being tainted by reality!)
Rogue Leader is AMAZING. It really needs to be remastered, it would instantly become another must have.
It tough to score some of the Aspyr re-releases. Jedi Knight 2 was lovingly ported by Raven on GameCube; they worked on the controls and multiplayer to fit the machine nicely. The Switch version is based on the superior PC game of that era…but it’s a bit of a weak effort in comparison, the controls are fussy, the multiplayer is missing, and it feels lazy. Same with many of the Aspyr ports, nominally better versions than old Nintendo hardware got, but so lazy compared to those old ports and with so much missed potential.
I really hope if they ever bring Rogue Squadron out they get Nightdive on it instead.
I love how some of the LEGO games made it up to the top, they actually deserve it
Little confused how Lego Star Wars the complete saga is higher than skywalker saga. As someone who loves both of them skywalker saga is definitely the better game
The NES one it’s the best one. It had a lot of variety, amazing 8 but portraits of the characters (That seemed magic back in the day) great music.
Where's a new Rogue Squadron game for the Switch? That's an open goal for success...
I have Battle for Naboo lined up as my first game when the Analogue 3D drops later this year! Haven't played it before so looking forward to it!
In the meantime, I'm about to start Super Return Of The Jedi on the Pocket. There was a Game Gear port of the game - not the other two sadly. I'll probably end up putting all three of the SNES versions on the openfpga SNES for the Pocket, as I think that's one of the best ways to play these classics today (unless you pick up an Analogue SNES). Intrigued to see how the Game Gear version does though, and I love the save state feature to help you past tricky parts - the openfpga SNES hasn't had the save state feature added. Too much work apparently (I'd argue it was worth the work, but I'm not the one doing it so hey!)
I would like to see the Super Nintendo trilogy appear on Nintendo Switch...
Again, Episode I: The Battle for Naboo is CRIMINALLY underrated. The best Episode I tie-in game, period. Yes, better than Racer.
It's not eligible for the list but I needed to scratch a Star Wars itch recently a couple of years ago and I picked up Disney Infinity 3.0 and the Star Wars bits and bobs for reasonably cheap, and I had a really good time with it. Fetch-quest-a-riffic.
Not to be that guy but I would move classic collection higher on the list. I will admit it was absolute crap at launch but the more updates it has gotten over the past few weeks the better the experience has gotten.
The storage is also bull crap seeing that it takes up half of my SD card
100% agreed, Rogue Squadron II is just a brilliant game. Holds up really well and I still go back and play it (and think for a brief minute I'll reach gold on each mission this time, hah).
@nocdaes Agreed, I'd preorder that in a heartbeat.
If you guys have already made a LEGO games ranking, I bet the next thumbnail is gonna look very interesting…. (Because of something that rhymes with Dorizon)
I tend to disagree slightly with the end of this list. Jedi power battles isn't a great game, but was a technically impressive ps1 port to the GBA that kept the better elements of the game in tact, and is playable from start to finish (timing for deflection of blaster bolts with the lightsaber especially feels nice). It is the simplest of the long line of isometric star wars games that reused it's engine, but also fun to play. Flight of the falcon, on the other hand, is not fun from the moment you leave the title screen. The attempt to cram rogue squadron onto the GBA sounds amazing in principle, but in practice the compromises to make 3D work kill the experience. There are no objectives, enemies are single pixel at a distance and blend in with the starline, and the game feels designed for analogue controls but plays with a dpad, which never had the precision to line up a shot. Technically ambitious but not very playable, it is more of a tech demo than a game.
First off, I'm genuinely shocked KOTOR isn't #1.
Second, TCS is actually the weakest Lego SW game imo. I felt like it was too drawn out and not exciting enough.
Third, I kinda want to see a Switch version of Outlaws just to see how low it ends up on the list.
I should also mention that Lego Star Wars III was one of my go to games for the Wii back then. Whereas others had NSMBW and MKWii, I had that, Hotwheels Track Attack, Phineas & Ferb Quest for Cool Stuff, Mario Party 8, and, eventually, Super Mario Galaxy. Safe to say I was better off than most Wii owners.
The GameCube games
The Clone Wars and Bounty Hunter were great!
lego star wars the complete saga is #1 and its not nostalgia talking i SWEAR
I always thought I hated Episode 2, but on a rewatch last year I decided it’s actually one of my favorites.
Rogue Leader should have even a higher score. What a fantastic game!
Why don't they bring the Rogue Squadron games to the Switch, I wonder...?
Shame that since Disney took over not only are the movie and TV offerings subpar, but also we have a lot fewer games. They went very hard on the mobile trend and mostly neglected consoles. EA did nothing worthwhile with the exclusive license. Jedi Survivor series is decent but not as good as Jedi Knight. Outlaws does not look too exciting either. Shame.
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