A lot has changed in video games since the Switch launched in 2017. Aside from all of Nintendo's handheld hybrid switches, we now live in a world where Nintendo gaming on mobile is pretty much the norm, with Microsoft and Sony publishing games on Nintendo's console. Crazy.
While we wait for official word on the next generation of Nintendo's hardware, it gets us thinking about the current cycle and the games that defined an era for Switch owners.
The next eight games — one for each year, but not one from each year — represent experiences that we feel define the Switch and this past generation in mostly (though not exclusively) positive ways.
Remember, these aren't just the best games, but the games we feel have captured the Switch zeitgeist in some way. Games that, when we look back in 10, 20, 30 years, will make us think of Nintendo's first little handheld hybrid and the fun we had with it.
Let's get the obvious out of the way, a game that isn't exclusive to the Switch, but is undeniably generation-defining.
Breath of the Wild transformed Zelda in ways you probably couldn't have imagined since you've spent nearly two decades doing things in a fairly similar style. Once again it was shown that reinvention does not mean throwing out the core of the series, but rediscovering and finding new ways to emphasize the core that was there from the beginning.
BOTW once again challenged us to wonder and awe as we explored Hyrule.
Featuring epic indie games and massive Metroidvanias here, Hollow Knight epitomizes the indie explosion we've enjoyed on Nintendo's platform.
Again, the seeds of this germinated in the Wii U era, even earlier, but from Nintendo's perspective, it's the Switch era where indie developers have had the opportunity to flourish on an incredibly popular platform with Nintendo finally seeming to understand their importance and positive impact support for smaller teams on your platform.
The eShop is a very different place now compared to the early days and it's easier than ever to lose out on great games, but indie games big and small have played a huge part in the success of the Switch and the success of this game, especially elevating its long-awaited sequel to level status meme.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, most people reading this would be turning to video games to offer relief in difficult times, and if there's a poster game for cozy comfort in 2020-21, this is it.
For Nintendo and all those who took solace in this game, the March 2020 release time was a happy accident. However, when we look back on the Switch for decades to come, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will remain a defining memory of the system and the era. Shows were held in it, for God's sake.
We've long debated the inclusion of another influential life simulator that means the world to millions of people, and for a while Stardew Valley was also on this list. Ultimately, it was the closest choice, but in the interest of diversity, it gave way to make room for something else. If there was a ninth entry here, though, it would be Stardew.
Impressive list, there! We tried to work in as many genres as possible given our self-imposed limitation, but you know we love a list and our exhaustive genre best games and Top 50 Switch games will showcase many of your favorites that are missing above and highlight even more the breadth of this library consoles.
Let us know below if there are any gene-defining winners you'd trade up for! 'Everybody's Here' Smash Bros., maybe? What about VN? Does LABO's cardboard craze deserve a spot on your list? Undertale? One of the other many amazing RPGs that made the Switch an RPG machine? Is Minecraft your cross-generational monster forever? Do you know how many Xenoblades are on Switch?!?
As the industry as a whole continues to grapple with the dramatic changes brought on by the pandemic and layoffs everywhere, with fantastic developers having to fend off the snake oil of Web 3.0, NFTs, and AI on top of everything else, it's easy to look back and focus on the bad. For anyone playing games over the past eight years, though — especially on Switch — it's been an incredibly rich and diverse generation.
Here's the next one, whenever it comes!
