We’re gearing up for the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend with an eye on that every basketball game on Nintendo Switch. The three-day event wraps up in Indiana on February 16th with contests and challenges held every day until the 73rd All-Star Game on February 18th.
With all its high athleticism, quick buzzers and silky skills, it’s no wonder basketball is often the number one draft choice for developers looking to make a sports game.
And can you blame them? It’s an extremely fun watch (and this writer says this as a Brit, who regularly stays up until the early hours to catch the last sound), and can sometimes provide fun gameplay. There’s a lot of b-ball on the Switch eShop, and let’s just say that not all titles belong in the Hall of Fame. Games can vary in complexity from ‘you were frame on that step-back fade, so the ball bounced off the rim’ to ‘put the ball in the hoop’.
However, keeping in mind that even the weakest draft candidate can be the MVP someone‘with eyes, we gathered together every basketball game on Switch in release order so you can look at the line-up yourself. This does not include any compilation titles where basketball is just one part of a larger whole — sorry, the catchy name of Tokyo 2020 Olympics: The Official Video Game. We are looking for pure basketball here.
We’ve added a poll to the bottom of this list for you to vote on which Switch basketball game is your favorite, but first let’s meet the contenders…
Street Hoop is a game that offers a quick solution to basketball problems: you simply select a country and then the game begins. There’s a lot of fun to be had as the action moves from one side of the court to the other, shooting, dunking, faking moves and pushing each other out of the way. Further fun is provided by successfully holding (or winning) the ball to prevent your opponent from hitting a super shot, and winning with the last throw of the game is exciting. Arcade mode is fun to play through, but the game works best in two-player mode, and Street Hoop is a good option when you’re looking for some quick two-player fun.
NBA 2K18 may not have been a great sports game at launch, but after applying patches and feedback, it sure is now. This was easily the best basketball game we’ve seen on a Nintendo system in years, and a must-have for Switch-owning sports fans.
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NBA Playgrounds was a flawed game, but fun. The single-player modes are playable, but can seem a bit demanding for all but the most die-hard fans. Multiplayer is much better, providing an enjoyable experience that works well both online and off. The long-awaited update changes some mechanics, but doesn’t address some of our shooting frustrations.
However, unless you already own this game on Switch, you won’t be able to play it as 2K removed the game from the eShop after the sequel was released.
While a heavy emphasis on microtransactions is still at the fore in NBA 2K19, progression has improved enough to make this a far more appealing prospect for beginners and seasoned veterans alike. With a vastly superior ICareer story, a revamped social hub, a custom IGM mode and all the presentations you’d expect the premier basketball sim, NBA 2K19 continues to cement itself as one of the Switch’s strongest sports offerings. If you needed any more proof of that Madden, NHL and the like can run on Nintendo hardware, that’s it.
While the introduction of microtransactions isn’t surprising given the new publisher’s history, they don’t hit the spot NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 as much as could be expected. It will take some time to grind out each player (unless you buy them all right away), but it helps keep the core arcade gameplay as enjoyable as ever. It doesn’t exactly depict blissful chaos NBA Jambut if the main NBA 2K series has always felt too realistic, this remarkable spin-off offers a great and empowering way to defy gravity like Air Jordan himself.
Basketball is far from the best b-ball game you can find in the eShop. With game modes limited to ‘Play’ and ‘Practice’, this lacks the variety of many other basketball titles on the console, but also brings none of the arcade fun to compliment its simplicity. Still, its low price and DS-like visuals might appeal to some.
Street Basketball offers an NBA Jam-style approach to arcade gameplay, though it lacks the thrilling thrills that made the series so iconic. It all looks a bit like a web browser and the 1v1 gameplay gets repetitive quickly, but it looks perfectly serviceable if you’re looking for a few minutes of cheap fun and don’t have an arcade cabinet handy.
On the surface, NBA 2K20The changes to its formula might seem minor, but spend more than a few hours with its laser-accurate recreation of the modern b-ball and you’ll soon realize just how refined it has become. Changes to virtual currency earning and progression take some of the edge out of grinding, new additions to The Neighborhood and Pro-Am help bridge the gap between the two, and a few welcome changes to ITeam help make room for organic growth easier (even with the ever-present microtransactions). . It’s not flawless, but those looking to play the full NBA experience on a handheld platform can do so with confidence, and Visual Concept’s approach to the Switch is truly commendable. Simply put, there is no better basketball game — except maybe the next iteration of the NBA 2K series.
Junior League Sports – Basketball’s cartoony visuals may not be all there is to look at, but its simple controls and relaxed approach to the rules make it a more approachable take on the sports genre. This one features a handful of game modes including Knockout Cup and Tournaments, and even uses some basic motion controls for the Joy-Con. The title also appears in the Junior League Sports 3-in-1 collection alongside hockey and soccer.
Table basketball is harmless enough. Like all games in SAT-BOX’s ‘Desktop’ series, this one turns your desktop into a basketball court, where cubic ghosts then play with very little movement. If you want a game with b-ball depth, you’re better off looking elsewhere, but Desktop Basketball is dumb enough to put itself above the rest of the eShop.
With a solid new story mode, a vastly improved ITeam mode, and the same high-quality presentation that 2K now brings to the series on Switch, NBA 2K21 is now the definitive basketball game in the system. The unwanted microtransaction ogre continues to loom over much of the pack, but as long as you’re able to ignore this and have the patience to slowly improve your player and team organically, the results will be infinitely more satisfying.
Now, if you’re looking to shoot and dunk, then free throw basketball is definitely an option. But one look at the game’s gallery will tell you all you need to know about the next addition to the publisher’s Pix Art lineup. It’s another multiplayer option and is one of the cheapest games on this list, but it doesn’t have the complete basketball package you might be looking for.
