Whether you own the standard Nintendo Switch model, Switch Lite or Switch OLED, you’re going to want to know the best games to own and play.

Luckily, you’re in the right place – in this guide, we’ll be detailing all the must-own Switch titles to consider adding to your library.

The Pocket-lint team is constantly testing out the latest Switch games for review, and that means we’re able to provide a comprehensive shortlist of the very best available right now.

One of the best 3D platformers ever made, Nintendo’s big Mario game on the Switch is an absolute masterpiece, with gorgeous levels and a pervasive sense of fun.

There are countless moons for you to find, and when you finish the game you’ll realise how much more there is to do if you fancy it.

Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to the astonishing Breath of the Wild, and somehow improves on that game’s near-perfection. This time out the world is denser and more full of life and characters to meet, and the powers you wield are all the more free-form and wide-ranging.

Pushing the Switch to its technical limit, this is a game that puts more powerful consoles to shame, and an absolute must-play for Switch owners.

The most iconic racing game out there has become a huge smash hit on the Switch, despite technically being a re-release of the underplayed Wii U version. This kart racer looks brilliant and feels simply fantastic to play, with old-school driving and item chaos.

It’s the perfect game for a party, with furious last-second overtakes and unbelievable losses guaranteed.

A roster of fighters so huge that ultimate really is the only word – Smash Bros has been adding to its lineup for years and only recently called that all to a halt by adding Sora, its last fighter. Still, there’s so much fun to be had here, not least in an extensive singleplayer mode.

Play it competitively, even if only against your mates, and you’ll really see the power of Smash Bros, though, with mechanics that are easy to learn but have an impressively stratospheric skill ceiling.

A stunner of an indie release, Hades is one of the best roguelike games ever released. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, and have to try over and over again to escape the underworld. As you go you’ll get random boosts and attacks so that each run is different from the last.

It’s brilliant and addictive stuff, but a wonderfully-told story is what really ties it all together, showing empathy to a huge range of characters that you’ll come to know and love over time.

One of the best Metroidvania games ever made, this hand-drawn sidescroller is simply sumptuous, with a mysterious and melancholy world to explore underground.

It’s challenging and doesn’t hold your hand too much, but one of the most rewarding games we’ve played in ages.

Metroid itself is getting on fine, though, with the surprise arrival of a new 2D platformer in 2021, in the form of the correctly-titled Metroid Dread. This is a great reinvention of the series’ formula and heritage. You’ll once again play as Samus Aran, but this time you’re less powerful than ever.

With plenty of occasions where all you can do is run, it’s a frantic affair, but extremely rewarding the further you get through it.

A superb RPG, Three Houses brings Fire Emblem into the current generation of consoles with aplomb. You’ll meet a wide array of likeable characters in this battle strategy game, but you won’t be able to save them all and hard choices will come at you thick and fast.

Three Houses tells an engaging story and has some really great strategic puzzles for you to try to solve, and it’s only playable on the Switch, so we highly recommend giving it a try.

Metroid’s renaissance continued in 2023 with this fine remaster of the first Metroid Prime game, which looks all-new on the Switch and plays like a dream.

It feels just as intuitive and revolutionary now as it did on its first release for the Game Cube, too, with interesting exploration and power-ups to find. Its moody, melancholy tone is the perfect garnish for its compelling shooter gameplay.

We weren’t certain at launch when it had plenty of bugs, but the reality is that Scarlet and Violet offer the closest thing we’ve tried to a truly new Pokémon game. Their open world is truly freeing, even if it’s not as tightly-edited as those that went before.

It has charming new monsters to find and catch, a decent co-op system to make playing together very doable, and some really fun areas to explore, all without many constraints.