2019 was great year to be a Nintendo fan as an impressive number of the best Nintendo Switch games made their way onto the hybrid console. Here's a list of every game that released exclusively for Nintendo Switch in 2019. There are plenty of good ones, so see if there are any that you missed.
★ Featured favorite
The game starts with Luigi, Mario, Peach, and some Toads staying at a luxurious hotel. Things turn sinister when Luigi discovers his friends have disappeared, and ghosts inhabit the building. Using Professor E. Gadd's latest inventions, Poltergust G-00 and Gooigi, Luigi must capture the unearthly inhabitants, battle foes, and search for his missing friends. Expect silly antics and kid-friendly scares as you brave each room.
Catch 'Em All
Although this will be the second set of Pokémon RPG games to release on the Switch (after Let's Go, Pikachu! And Let's Go, Eevee!), this will be the first set of core Pokémon games ever released on a console. In Gen 8, make your way through the Galar region as you catch familiar and new Pokémon. Play as a boy or girl character and choose between grass-based Grookey, fire-based Scorbunny, or water-based Sobble as your starter Pokémon. Which one will you choose?
Gold Medals
Your favorite characters from the Mario and Sonic franchises join together to compete in the Olympic games. Among the 30 activities, you can participate in there's boxing, rock climbing, surfing, skating, running, and more. This is a great family or party game since up to eight people can play together either locally or online.
Mickey and mini games
This playful Switch game allows you to collect the popular Disney Tsum Tsum dolls and play various mini-games with them. You'll find a wide library of your favorite Disney characters and can play with up to four other players, either locally or online. See how well you stack up to the competition.
Building Bros.
There are new obstacles and features that fans have been dying to use. Perhaps the biggest changes are the addition of slopes and choosing where the side-scrolling camera focuses during gameplay. One thing's for sure, the new features will allow players to create even more diabolical levels for others to squirm through. It'll be a blast.
Magical School
The newest entry in the Fire Emblem series can best be described as turn-based RPG meets Harry Potter. Begin by choosing your character's name and gender before accepting a professorial position at the magical Officers Academy. You'll have the choice to align yourself with one of three houses: The Black Eagles, The Blue Lions, or The Golden Deer. Before long, tensions between each house's royal heir will force you to lead your students in an epic battle. What side will you pick?
Link can dance
Movement in this game centers on rhythm and beat. It features Link, Zelda, and Cadence as they battle their way through various dungeons to save Hyrule from evil forces. You'll find weapons, items, and spells while exploring and must embrace your inner metronome to beat the game.
Defeat Thanos
There couldn't be a better time for Nintendo to release the next installment in the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series seeing as the roster draws heavily from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Beat Thanos and his followers by playing as one of the Avengers, the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Defenders, or plenty of other superhero favorites. This game features an original story and allows online and couch co-op with up to four players.
Mechanical Suits
This action-packed, mech-fighting game has a very different feel from many of the other games Nintendo has made for the Switch. Fully customize your character to look the way you want and upgrade your character's power suit by collecting items and weapons from downed enemies. During combat, fly around cities and landscapes, defeating powerful and colossal machines. The main campaign is single player, but the game will also have a multiplayer game for local and online play.
Sci-Fi Police
PlatinumGames' Astral Chain has drawn the attention of a wide fan base since it's directed by Takahisa Taura, of NieR: Automata and supervised by Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the Bayonetta series. Take part in this futuristic, anime-style, action RPG as a member of a special police force working alongside your "special living weapon," a robotic creature that can turn into a K9. This is a single-player game, but you'll take control of two characters in your effort to stop an invading alien force.
Shipwreck Adventure
This is the unexpected but appreciated remake of 1993's popular Game Boy game of the same name. It's hard not to get excited when viewing the beautifully animated opening scene or the familiar retro-modern camera angle seen in A Link Between Worlds. Upon getting shipwrecked and washed onto the shores of Koholint Island, Link must delve into dungeons and solve puzzles to uncover the mystery of the island and its inhabitants. You'll encounter strange creatures, crazy boss battles, and Goombas. . . yes, Goombas.
Defend Your Town
Game Freak, best known for the Pokémon franchise, announced this game would release in 2019. You take control of a sword-wielding boy who lives in a pastoral village. For some reason, your home suddenly starts getting attacked by monsters. While little else has been made known about the game so far, Game Freak has stated that the entire adventure will take place within the town. It will also feature a turn-based RPG fighting system. All in all, it looks like an awesome game. Town is not yet available for pre-order.
Family Multiplayer
This game packs New Super Mario Bros U and New Super Luigi U into one cartridge. You and up to three others can play as Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad, Toadette, or Nabbit on your quest to save the Mushroom Kingdom. The characters have different difficulty levels making it so you can play with the whole family, even little kids. Play competitively with friends or work together to bring down Bowser.
Explore the Diorama
Take on Shy Guys, collect items, wear costumes, and befriend Poochy Pups as you make your way through each adorable level. A new element to the Yoshi games is the ability to flip the stage, allowing you to see behind the scenes and reach areas you might not have seen before. Have a friend join the game through local couch co-op. This game came out on March 29, 2019. Check it out now!
Violent Encounters
This self-identified action-adventure hack and slash video game released on January 18, 2019, and is Grasshopper Manufacture's third game for the series. One of the key differences between this game and its predecessors is the change to a top-down camera angle. As Travis, players are sucked into a possessed video game console and must destroy bugs to find the way out. Play by yourself or have a friend join you for a violent co-op adventure.
Exciting games to play
So many exciting games have come out on the Switch this year, and even more, are on their way. We've loved The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening as well as Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pokémon Sword and Shield has been a blast as well.
