If you want to play the best Nintendo Switch games, but do not have the time to explore every crevice in Breath of the Wild, or want to grind through the interconnected lives of Octopath Traveler, we have just the list for you.
There are a large number of Switch games that you can flash in a matter of hours and earn your time no less than the longer, larger games available on the best Nintendo console.
One of the biggest advantages of the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite is their portability: you can play it on the couch while traveling in the kitchen, bed or (in normal times) on your shuttle, and the portable form factor makes it ideal for short and sweet play sessions that do not require much time.
That’s why we’ve put together our seven favorite Nintendo Switch games that you can play from start to finish in the afternoon – or in a handful of short bursts. There are definitely more than seven there, but we think it’s appropriate to make sure this list is not too long either.
A short hike
A Short Hike was a striking Switch game from 2020. In it, you play as a young birdwoman named Claire as she tries to climb a mountain. The game has a very satisfactory progression system – based on finding ‘golden feathers’ to help Claire fly higher – despite the short playing time. You meet an eclectic group of characters, from unhappy mountaineers to shady spring traders trying to finance their way through the university – and the last moments of the game are definitely worth it.
How long to play? 2-4 hours
Florence
You’ll also find Florence on iOS, but the Switch is a natural home for the short interactive romance that charts the origins, duration, and end of a romance between a young accountant and a sax musician. Although its mechanics are simple (you can also play it on an iPhone), it manages to feel full of heart and emotionally weighty, with beautiful animations that really do justice to the small moments that make up a relationship.
How long to play? 1 hour
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Sayonara Wild Hearts is a pulsating rhythm action game, and one of the most stylish titles you can find on Nintendo Switch today. You play as a woman trying to put her broken heart together while running, jumping and motorcycling through flashing neon levels to the tune of Sayonara Wild Hearts’ pumping soundtrack. It’s a game about timing, and it’s worth playing again to get the most synchronous, on-the-beat experience.
How long to play? 2-3 hours
What’s left of Edith Finch
This award-winning step-sim from developer Giant Sparrow is a must-play game for the way it seamlessly blends environmental storytelling with interactive mechanics. You play as Edith Finch, who has returned to her ‘cursed’ family home to investigate the deaths of her family members, and relive their experiences as fragments from a diary set in your area.
But even in the midst of a towering, ramshackle home-turned mausoleum, there is a lightness and playfulness that transforms her family tragedies into fantastic stories, the truth of which is never completely pinned down.
The imagination in this game is honestly dizzying – whether you’ve bending down a mountain like a great white shark, teleporting to another dimension or figuring out how to unlock the door to the basement. It will also only take 2-3 hours to play through.
If you fancy more spooky walking sims in abandoned homes, check out Gone Home (The Fullbright Company) on Nintendo Switch as well.
How long to play? 2-3 hours
Gray
Link games are not getting much nicer than that. Gris is a heartbreakingly animated 2D platform, with soft brushstrokes of watercolor slowly filling your environment as you progress through ruins, deserts and clouds trying to leave the dark ink stain of grief behind you.
There is a kind of progression system and some handy ways to help you navigate the finely set levels of the game, but Gris is largely about bringing color back into a gray world – and the platform is more if good enough to keep it short playing time. Everything from the protagonist’s transformative dress to the game’s awesome, crumbling statues has a real artist touch, and it’s something we’d like to see more on Nintendo’s handheld hybrid console.
How long to play? 4-6 hours
Donut county
No, it’s not really about donuts – but Donut County is a clever and playful mystery that is well worth your (limited) time. You play as a mischievous raccoon under the control of a sinkhole, one that grows bigger as you figure out how to manage a city’s objects, cars, buildings and people in its endless void. Existential? Very. Delicious? That too.
How long to play? 2 hours
Katana Zero
You do not have to understand this game to play well. While Katana Zero is great for flashy world stories, with a time-consuming remedy called ‘Chronos’ that lets your katana-swinging assassin undo their actions, it’s the moment-to-moment action that really gives it traction. The thrill of rewinding a level, second by second, to get the perfect throughput is a real pleasure – while the quirky sides of the game add a brilliant sense of spontaneity, whether it be someone with a stone’s throw knock out and discuss the life debate. meaning with cosmic beings, or to turn on your therapist. Do not say that we did not warn you.
How long to play? 5-6 hours