This post was originally written for one of my YouTube video during the blog hiatus. Some of the comments and dates are now outdated. Either way, enjoy!

The Nintendo Switch has had an excellent, almost unprecedented run through its mainstream retail relevancy. And while I can’t say there’s no end in sight, 2024 is shaping up to be one of, if not the best year for the Switch yet. Now, even though we’re getting a couple of Mario games in Paper Mario, Mario and Luigi, and Mario Party, the lack of Mario Odyssey 2 stops me from saying this year is 10 out of 10. It also looks to be devoid of Pokemon and Kirby. Two of my other favorite Nintendo Franchises. Still, that hardly stops me from putting this year in the upper half. And who knows, with the possibility of some stealth drops later in the year, maybe we haven’t even seen all Nintendo has to offer us this year. So, I’ll wait til January to cast a verdict on this year as a whole. With that in mind, which of the nearly 8 years of Nintendo Switch would I say is the best? Well, today we’re going to take a look.

Each year of the Nintendo Switch has surely offered some highlights. I don’t think anyone is saying 2018 is the best year of the Switch, but Super Smash Brothers still dropped and was a goliath right from the jump. 2020 was much maligned due to the onslaught of rereleases (and you can watch our video “In Defense of Nintendo Switch Ports” to get a better idea of what the attitude was back then), but it had Animal Crossing which released at the perfect time. 2021 was probably a low year for me. I grabbed Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D World, both ports. But others would say Dread alone makes 2021 one of the better years.

So what I’m saying is even in down years, the Switch still has something killer to play, something worthy of making you proud to be own a Switch. And all this brings into question what was the best year the Switch had. Personally, I’d like to focus on 3 different years and deep dive into them.  Let’s get started!

Before we start the list, don’t forget to follow and like the blog. It means a lot of guys. Now, onto the list.

2017:

I don’t care what anybody says, 2017 was a landmark year for video games. Nintendo made gaming fun again when they launched the dual-purpose Nintendo Switch. Now you could play on the go and on your TV. I’m not going to recap the launch and development of the Switch, we’re just here to talk about the games, so let’s do that.
Breath of the Wild drops alongside the Switch. For the first time in arguably a decade, you felt like you were missing out if you didn’t own Nintendo’s latest offering. I should know, I didn’t get a Switch til 2018. Breath of the Wild was dead set on reinventing Zelda. It did just that. Gone was the formula. It was open world now. It was the talk of the gaming world. There were BOTW clones. That’s right, Zelda was now a genre. If you thought getting a new triple A mainline Zelda title was enough for a single year, 2017 doubled down giving us a new Mario game as well.

And with this declaration, Nintendo had won the next generation of console wars before the PS5 and Xbox Series X even entered the fold. Nintendo had released two 10 out of 10 games just like that. The Switch had only been on the block for about 6 months or so and could already say our heavy hitters rival literally any other console. Straight up, no joke, Nintendo threw the gauntlets down early. And believe me that would have been enough to be in the top 3 years already. But they didn’t stop there. No, no. They brought Mario Kart 8 Deluxe over. Yes, it is a port. But it added in new characters, modes and courses as well as putting all the existing DLC on to the cart. Not to mention it’s still receiving updates even now. So 2017 speaks for itself even if all we mention today are just those 3 games.

So in 2017 the Switch was the latest, greatest thing in gaming. But surely after a half decade or so, the lifespan would be winding down and the banger titles would barely trickle out, right?

2023:

I want to talk about 2023 for a bit here. Obviously, we had the big one. Tears of the Kingdom. Honestly, this has got to be one of the best sequels to a game ever. I’m really enjoying taking my time with this one. Scaling my way to the Wind Temple is probably the most epic thing I’ve ever done in a Zelda game. Seriously, that part is so cool. That came out pretty early in the year in May. The rest of the games this year didn’t do much for me. You have Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem Enrage, Metroid Prime Remastered and Super Mario Wonder. Last year was a great year for Switch owners even if I just picked up 1 game personally. That game was good enough on its own.

2022:

So, the last year I want to discuss is 2022. There’s 3 great games for me personally. The first one is Pokemon Legends Arceus. This was a great Pokemon game. I liked Sword and Shield, I know that’s a polarizing thing to say online, but I did. However, I loved Legends Arceus. The Hisuian Forms were cool. I feel like it handled open world exploration better than Sword and Shield. The sneaking around and catching Pokemon was neat. I think all in all, this was a step forward for Pokemon. So that brings us to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. This is probably my favorite Pokemon Game since X and Y. I think it’s the best one on the Switch. The writing is cheesy, but the school sitting is cool. The game definitely deserves some criticism for the horribly slow cutscenes, but this is one step closer to my dream Pokemon game. I always wanted a Pokemon Game where gaming and battling didn’t have to be the focus. You could be a breeder, or enter contest, and this game doesn’t quite  get  to my lofty outlandish dreams for the series, it offers the player options in how they want to progress the story. Ultimately, this game made me excited to see what they will do on the Switch successor when that time comes. The last game will talk about today is Kirby and the Forgotten Lands. It’s tough to say this my favorite Switch game but it’s up their with Mario Odyssey. I’m a platformer fan through and through and Kirby is one of my favorite IPs in all the gaming industry. When they finally gave him a 3D adventure, they just nailed it. I’ll say it. This a perfect game. Combine this with getting two really solid Pokemon games, 2022 was a phenomenal year to be a Switch owner.

Okay, so in closing, which year do I give it to? I’m going 2017. The combination of Mario and Zelda is too tough to pass up. I think if Tears of the Kingdom had come out in 2022, then that year might have got the nod over 2017, but alas, that’s not how it went down. 2024 might end up passing 2023, but I could also just be living in the moment. Who knows we will see. So let me know which year. You thought was the best.