The highest-rated games that were released on Nintendo Switch in 2024 are rather unexpected. For the most part, the best games that end up arriving on Switch in a calendar year tend to come directly from Nintendo. Whether it be with games like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, or Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo is far and away the best publisher when it comes to Switch titles In 2024, though, this proved to not be true as the most acclaimed Switch games of the year came from lesser-known developers.
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Based on data from Metacritic, the best-reviewed games of 2024 on Nintendo Switch largely all came from indie studios. Believe it or not, the highest-rated game of the year on Switch was actually that of Castlevania Dominous Collection. This bundle contained three Castlevania games that were previously released on Nintendo DS, which means that this was nothing more than a remastered package from Konami. Still, Dominous Collection was very highly rated and ended up garnering an aggregate score of 92/100, making it the year’s most acclaimed Switch game.
When it comes to wholly new releases, Animal Well and Balatro both also happened to rake in some impressive reviews on Nintendo Switch and scored at a 90/100 aggregate rating. Other notable Switch games included Neva with an 89/100, Unicorn Overlord with an 89/100, and Lorelai and the Laser Eyes, which achieved an 88/100 aggregate score. Nintendo then finally cracks the list of best Switch games on Metacritic with Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, which achieved an average 88/100 review score. Other Nintendo games then included The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom at an 85/100 and Super Mario Party Jamboree at 82/100.
Related: Nintendo Switch 2 Rumor Teases Reveal Date (And It’s VERY Soon)
Although it might be surprising to see Nintendo have a bit of a down year when it comes to its own Switch releases, it’s pretty clear that the video game giant has simply been trying to bridge the gap to 2025, which is when the Nintendo Switch 2 should launch. This bridging to the next console can also be seen with Nintendo’s upcoming early 2025 lineup which includes releases like Donkey Kong Country: Returns HD and Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Once the Switch 2 is formally unveiled to the world, we should then get a better idea of the bigger games that Nintendo is cooking up in secrecy.
