Want to know which are the best Nintendo Switch Lite games? We’re here to give you an expert opinion and offer you the best choices that will go perfectly with the basic portable version of the Nintendo Switch.
While the Lite might not be the Switch’s first choice for most people, especially now that the swanky OLED version is available, it’s a small console capable of running almost any Switch game; the only exceptions are the rare cases that only work in TV mode. That said, some games that run brilliantly on a large TV screen lose their impact on the Switch Lite’s small screen, so to save you any disappointment, we’ve made sure that every game listed here looks just as great on a smaller screen. . on a 48 inch TV.
Don’t have a Switch Lite? Check out our guide to the best Nintendo Switch Lite deals. Otherwise, go deeper with our roundup of the best Nintendo Switch deals, and while you’re at it, sort through the best Nintendo Switch games.
The best Nintendo Switch Lite games available now
Less of a game, more of an escape from the everyday horrors of existence, Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes you to your own personal island paradise to explore, create, customize, and just relax. Whether you want to hunt bugs, chat with villagers, plant trees, or hunt for cool clothes for your villager or neat household items, there’s always something to do, not to mention that special rewarding feeling as your getaway on the island grows and evolves.
In the same vein as Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Stardew Valley is a laid-back farming simulator with some cute pixel art looks, and it’s an absolutely perfect fit for the Switch Lite. Starting with an overgrown field, you plant it with crops and develop your own farm, and along the way you’ll meet and interact with all kinds of interesting and engaging townspeople, all hoping to rebuild Stardew Valley to greatness. And to add an extra dimension to the game, a recent update added multiplayer mode so you can invite up to three friends to farm with you.
You’re spoiled for choice if you want a Pokemon game for your Switch Lite, but for now we recommend the kind of new Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl. If you’re an old-school Nintendo DS gamer, you’ll probably recognize the names; they’re remakes of DS titles with good polish and extra content, and a great fit for the Switch Lite. Naturally, it’s about building up your Pokémon collection and becoming the best trainer of them all, and while the nostalgia is high, there are plenty of new side quests and quality of life additions that give the experience a whole new feel. extra depth.
A 2D Metroid game is just the thing for your Switch Lite, and that’s exactly what Metroid Dread is. It follows the classic Metroid template – a vast 2D world to explore in which you’ve gradually developed Samus Aran’s abilities and weapons – and it ups the tension by launching nearly indestructible EMMI robots that will hunt down Samus, of course while the inevitable punishing boss fights. It’s just the right mix of exhilaration and frustration, and you won’t want to stop until you’ve uncovered every little hidden secret.
If you prefer your games to keep giving you something to do without becoming repetitive, Hades might be just what your Swith Lite needs. It’s a rogue-like dungeon crawler, which means it’s completely random every time you play, so you’ll never play the same game twice. It’s all about surviving and upgrade your weapons and skills, while crushing demons and trying to escape from hell. But as soon as you die, it’s all the way back to square one, the House of Hades, to start over. It’s not for everyone, but it’s the perfect title for anyone who likes their game challenging.
Puzzle games don’t get much more classic than Tetris, and the Switch Lite is already well served with the multiplayer-focused Tetris 99. music; unsurprisingly, it’s all the work of digital author Tetsuya Mizuguchi, best known for the incredibly immersive trance shooter, Rez. Tetris Effect: Connected takes the dry puzzle of Tetris and layers on synesthetic and emotional depth; it’s fun to play, and there’s a multiplayer option too.
Looking for a game you can play with your friends, family, or just about anyone? Mario Party has always been a great option, and Mario Party Superstars is a best-of edition that features minigames from all previous releases as well as game boards from the first three Mario Party games on Nintendo 64. It’s basically a big, immersive board game that mixes skill and luck as you fight your way around the board via dice rolls, and while you won’t really have fun playing it alone, it comes to life when you add friends. You can either play by passing the Switch Lite on or in local or online multiplayer.
We reckon Celeste is the greatest platformer of all time, and it’s the perfect match for the Switch Lite. Based on young Madeline climbing the mysterious Celeste Mountain, it’s a game that can feel extremely exhausting at first, but as you learn her ways and develop your skills, you should eventually find your way to the top, in which case you’ll be much better equipped to get back to the start and use everything you’ve learned along the way to navigate its beautiful and varied levels a little faster. Learning its speedrunning secrets is part of the fun, as is unlocking its even more difficult B-side and even C-side levels (we doubt we’ll ever get to the latter).
You can’t have a roundup of the best Nintendo Switch Lite games without a bit of Mario, and while Super Mario Odyssey is the obvious choice for the standard Switch, we think Super Mario Maker 2 is best suited for the Lite . It’s classic 2D Mario platforming action, with the added fun of creating and sharing your own levels (as well as downloading and playing other people’s creations). What’s not to like?
We still think The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the best game on the Nintendo Switch, and while it’s certainly the one that’s best experienced on the big screen, it’s still the one that performs very well on the Nintendo Switch Lite no longer constrained. Its bold cartoonish graphics don’t suffer as much as other epic games on a smaller screen, and its expansive open world, massive main storyline, and huge assortment of side quests mean it’s one you can play for years and always finding new things to discover. It’s an essential purchase, no matter what model of Switch you own.
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