10 best Nintendo Switch games in 2021

1. Subnautica: Below Zero The next installment in the water-based survival series takes things in a much chillier direction. The new frozen biomes are a treat to look at and help freshen up the compelling scavenging/building loop that the game is built around. Unlike the original, there are dangers both above and below water, so you'll need to stay vigilant at all times. Fortunately as you ascend the tech tree to improve your tools, shelter and vehicle options, you'll gradually feel like a master of the environment. While the core of the game is about survival, there is a more chilled-out "Freedom mode" for players who just want to take in the sights. 2. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD on Nintendo Switch (Image credit: Nintendo) Originally made for the Wii but now available on the Switch, Nintendo's done more than just refresh the paint job with Skyward Sword HD. It's now made the game's divisive motion controls optional, making the game easier to control consistently and more accessible to more players. The story, while nothing like the most recent hit entry, Breath of the Wild, is still an interesting look at the very start of the LoZ timeline, and features entertaining characters, tricky dungeons and a whole sky to explore. It's a good choice for new players or for those who played the original but want to try it again in a new refined form. Read our full The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD review 3. Knockout City best Nintendo Switch games: Knockout City (Image credit: EA) If you like dodgeball, but wish it had a few more power-ups, then here's your best Nintendo Switch game pick. Thanks to its free trial option, you can sample the game before actually putting your money down on a copy. Like the original game, the object is to hit others with dodgeballs you find around one of the game's several maps, and to avoid return fire and environmental hazards. You can enhance your throws with abilities such as explosives, anti-gravity and traps, or launch yourself or your teammates in ball-form for a surprise attack. Naturally, with this being a multiplayer-focussed game, there's a ton of unlockable accessories for you to customize your character with, making it a great alternative multiplayer obsession to the usual battle royale or FPS games. Read our full Knockout City review best Nintendo Switch games: Monster Hunter Rise (Image credit: Capcom) 4. Monster Hunter Rise You start off as an ordinary villager called to join the guild of hunters. However it quickly becomes clear you'll have more than you bargained for when signs of a new "Rampage" emerge. Pick this best Nintendo Switch games member if you're a fan of hunting large beasts and upgrading yourself with the spoils from slaying them. New to MH:R however is the palamute, a cliff-scaling mount that can also assist you in the fight, the ability to ride and control other monsters while fighting them wirebugs, which gives new movement options to quickly turn the tables on your quarry. You can go out adventuring alone with your animal companions or join up with other human players online to take on the biggest and most dangerous predators. Monster Hunter Rise won a "highly recommended" honor for "most rewarding challenge" at the Tom's Guide Awards 2021 for gaming. Best Nintendo Switch games: Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Image credit: Nintendo) 5. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury A combination of remaster and expansion, this two-in-one package offers all the usual smooth, joyous platforming you expect from a game starring the spritely plumber and his friends. The twists this time around are you can play in co-op with up to four players, make use of the unique cat power-up, and the all-new Bowser's Fury expansion, which offers an open-world map for one or two players to gradually jump through. best Nintendo Switch games: Heaven's Vault (Image credit: Inkle) 6. Heaven's Vault Heaven's Vault is an archeological adventure across an open world that tasks you, as researcher El, to translate an ancient language as you explore ruins across the moons of The Nebula. What makes this one of the best Nintendo Switch games is the freedom you have as a player, both in exploration and in translation. There are always several options to choose from, and those decisions pile up to give you different dialogs with the other characters, and eventually one of several potential outcomes to the story. best Nintendo Switch games: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition (Image credit: Ubisoft) 7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game - Complete Edition After being unavailable for over six years, the beat-em-up based on the popular comic series and movie is finally on sale again. Just like the series, you're tasked with defeating Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes in order for Scott to date her in peace. This being the Complete Edition, you also have access to the DLC packs that let you play as Wallace Wells and Knives Chau as well as the basic cast of Ramona, Kim, Stephen and Scott. best Nintendo Switch games: Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity (Image credit: Nintendo) 8. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity This prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (another of the best Nintendo Switch games), shows us the world before it all went to chaos. Instead of adventuring around solely as Link, in this game you can play as all the kingdom's heroes as you take on vast armies controlled by Calamity Ganon. Alongside friendly soldiers and an optional co-op partner, you have to take to various battlefields across Hyrule, completing specific objectives in each area and smashing through waves of enemies with your special moves. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity won a "highly recommended" honor for "best Switch game" at the Tom's Guide Awards 2021 for gaming. best Nintendo Switch games: animal crossing new horizons (Image credit: Nintendo) 9. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the ultimate digital escape. New Horizons builds on the already addicting gameplay of Nintendo's beloved life simulator, allowing you craft your own items and rack up rewarding Nook Miles as you catch bugs, plant trees, interact with your neighbors and find cool clothes and household items for your personal villager. There's always something to work towards in New Horizons, making every moment feel rewarding as you build up the tropical island of your dreams. Animal Crossing: New Horizons won a "highly recommended" honor for "best characters" at the Tom's Guide Awards 2021 for gaming. Read our full Animal Crossing: New Horizons review best Nintendo Switch games: legend of zelda: breath of the wild (Image credit: Nintendo) 10. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sets you loose in a massive, gorgeous open world, where you can battle through dungeons, solve puzzles, paraglide around the skies or simply cook some food. Breath of the Wild redefines what an open-world game could be, with a truly explorable Hyrule in which every mountain is climbable and every hidden path leads to a new adventure (you can even bee-line it to the boss if you're so inclined. With memorable boss battles, tons of challenging puzzle shrines, a gorgeous art style and some of the most dynamic combat in the series, there's good reason many consider BoTW to be the best Zelda game of all time. Read our full The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild review The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Shopee Malaysia RM 85 VIEW We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices best Nintendo Switch games: Super Mario 3D All-Stars (Image credit: Nintendo)