Nintendo Switch Games of the Year

With a brand new console, some epic ports, and plenty of outstanding indies, it’s getting increasingly difficult to choose which are the Nintendo Switch Games of the Year for 2025. So, the team at Pocket Tactics has taken on the task, with each member of the team picking their absolute favorite and letting you know why it’s worth trying out this holiday season.

It was tough to narrow this list down, but that just has us even more excited for what might arrive on the Nintendo Switch next year. I must say, though, it’s going to be difficult to get much better than all the great games from 2025.

Here are our picks for the Nintendo Switch games of the year 2025:

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition – Ruby’s pick, Editor

Despite all the great new games and Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives that arrived in the second half of this year, Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition is easily my Nintendo Switch GOTY for 2025. I’m a massive XC fan, but before this year had never given X a chance, but I’m very glad that changed with this polished, portable version.

In my 9/10 Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition review, I praise the game as an “open-world masterpiece with an intriguing story, hundreds of missions, and badass mechs to help you traverse the massive map.” My thoughts still ring true nine months on, and I can see myself replaying this game again in 2026.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’m hoping the Definitive Edition’s new ending might tease a sequel to this impressive game, so I’m calling it now – Xenoblade Chronicles X 2 will hopefully get revealed next year, so you’d better get caught up!

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

Cronos: The New Dawn – Kayleigh’s pick, Deputy Editor

Horror games are a dime a dozen, but truly good ones that belong to a new IP aren’t as common as I’d like them to be. Still, I had a good feeling about Cronos: The New Dawn after experiencing Bloober Team’s Silent Hill 2 Remake, and my faith was well placed, as Cronos is easily my favorite Switch game this year.

Taking place in ravaged Poland, you play as the Traveler, an agent who’s on a mission for the Collective back in the 1980s. A disastrous pandemic sees that humans turn into monsters known as Orphans, and throughout your time in the game, you can find documents and notes to help piece the story together. Gee, I wonder what recent historical event could have inspired this narrative?

Cronos is very atmospheric, and, as with any good survival game, supplies are limited. Hence, you need to think carefully before using anything, as there’s no telling when you’ll next find some ammo. Equally, you need to consider your upgrades; there’s only so much salvage out there, but I love the pressure of knowing my entire survival hangs on me placing my faith in the right equipment. If you’re after some fantastic horror to tide you over until Resident Evil: Requiem, Cronos: The New Dawn is perfect.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

Two Point Museum – Tilly’s pick, Guides Editor

The third entry in this silly simulation series, Two Point Museum is a truly delightful little gem where you get to curate a series of museums. But, rather than dusty artifacts and old-timey costumes, you’re setting out on expeditions to recover alien relics, ghostly ghouls, freaky fish, and all sorts of other creatures and contraptions.

If you’ve read my Two Point Museum review or even my Two Point Museum: Zooseum DLC review, it should be no surprise to you that this is not only my Switch GOTY, but one of my main GOTY’s in general. The base game takes the already excellent foundation that the previous Two Point games built and rockets it to new heights, and the Zooseum DLC successfully addresses most of the (very small) flaws I picked with the game, and I’ve found it hard to put down since.

Even if you’re not the biggest fan of museums, this game has something for you. Whether you love dinosaurs, science, space, DnD, animals, or even vampires, you can build an entire museum around it, stuffed to the brim with silly specimens and beautiful beasts. It’s relaxing yet challenging; casual yet all-consuming. And, with the amount of hours of enjoyment on offer, I think it’s worth every cent – even with the Switch 2 version’s disappointing lack of touch and mouse controls.

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Donkey Kong Bananza – Connor’s pick, Hardware Editor

I’ve played a bunch of great games this year, but none of them quite live up to the majesty of Donkey Kong Bananza. Given that this was DK’s first 3D platformer in over 20 years, I had pretty high expectations before the big launch. Still, nothing could prepare me for the sheer joy of a new adventure starring the great ape and his unlikely sidekick, Pauline, in a race to the core of the planet.

In my Donkey Kong Bananza review, I awarded the game a 10/10 score, describing it as “the most exciting platforming adventure since Mario Odyssey.” It delivers right from the start, with destructive gameplay that allows you to explore the various levels, or layers, in your own way, which is a nice creative spin on the platforming genre. It also features one of the best final sequences I’ve experienced in a Nintendo game, building to a satisfying crescendo that should serve as a blueprint for future Mario games.

If all that wasn’t enough, Donkey Kong Bananza also continues a tradition of the series by having an absolutely rip-roaring soundtrack, especially when you’re using the powerful Bananza forms, with Pauline singing her little heart out. I don’t know exactly what Nintendo has up its sleeve for 2026, but if it’s anything even remotely on par with this game, then it should make for another great year of gaming.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake – Daz’s pick, Staff Writer

If you’re looking to sink hours into two fantastical JRPG masterpieces, Square Enix’s Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake is the title for you. As the name suggests, this double pack revisits two of the stories that kicked off the now iconic Dragon Quest franchise, freshly adapted for the Nintendo Switch.

In my Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake review, I talk about how these games have helped me fall in love with the HD-2D art style and resolidified my love for this series and its lovable characters and goofy monsters. If you’ve played the Dragon Quest III Remake, you’ll definitely want to pick this bundle up, as it continues the Erdrick Trilogy setup in that game.

I know I’ll be curling up on the couch this winter season with a hot chocolate and Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake on my Switch 2. The new art style, the modern quality of life changes, and the voice acting in Dragon Quest II make this the definitive way to experience the beginning of the series.

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Pokémon Legends Z-A – Holly’s pick, Staff Writer

Tepig is one of the best starter Pokémon. Oh, that’s not what this is about? Regardless, it’s a big plus point for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. I immediately scooped up a little fiery piglet and got right on with searching Lumiose City’s government-mandated Wild Zones, battling some people in dark corners at night, and having fun re-exploring the French-inspired setting.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet left a terrible taste in my mouth, so I was worried about Z-A, to say the least. Thankfully, it proved to be better than I hoped, and so it solidifies itself as my game of the year on Nintendo Switch consoles. However, Hyrule Warriors is a close second. But, Hyrule Warriors doesn’t have Hawlucha, or its shiny new Mega variant.

I just love Pokémon. It’s been a mainstay since… well, I don’t want to age myself too much, but since I was very small. I especially like Pokémon games that let me have a little friend following me around the overworld, where I can turn on XP share, and dress up in the latest Lumiose fashions. You can read our Pokémon Legends Z-A review to find out what else makes this game so special.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

Skate Story – Sam’s pick, Staff Writer

Have you cried over a skateboarding game? Before 2025, I went through life without shedding a tear at the majesty of Skate 2 or the perfection of Tony Hawk’s Underground. Sam Eng’s Skate Story changes all that. This is a skating experience unlike others.

As a glass demon skating through the underworld to devour moons, there’s enough in that one line to make your head spin. But Skate Story is so much more than satisfying, realistic skating and the most dazzling Nintendo Switch 2 visuals around. It’s an emotional masterpiece, examining what it means to be human, to love, to care, to fail. Skateboarding has always been a sport about community and sharing, which Eng shares his adoration for in spades.

But at the end of the day, it’s okay not to have everything figured out, whether that’s skating or what you’re eating for dinner today. We’ll get there, together, eventually. Like ARC Raiders, my Skate Story review bears the only other 10/10 rating I’ve given this year.

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Hades 2 – Quinn’s pick, Staff Writer

Hades 2 achieved the impossible in 2025, somehow managing to top its predecessor. Every single element of the game feels improved upon and perfected, with developer Supergiant clearly pouring love and care into it. That’s what makes Hades 2 feel so special – the series knows what it’s good at and leans into it with fervor, opening up possibilities previously unthought of. The fates may indeed guide you.

Alongside a classic Hades soundtrack providing an earworm or ten, the highlight of the game for me is the narrative’s extension of the mythology. Like, yes, I do want to take a bath with the incarnation of revenge herself, and absolutely I would like to receive boons from Dionysus, as he parties away into the night to forget his woes. I haven’t even touched on the fun that is Odysseus and Circe.

Hades has always made sense for Switch, and its sequel is no different. As I furiously erode the markings on my A, B, X, and Y buttons, undoubtedly, Hades 2 sits on my 2025 throne, whether the chair itself can be found on the surface or in the House. Make sure you check out our 10/10 Hades 2 review for a little more information on what makes this game great.

Check prices: Nintendo Switch

Those were all of our favorite Switch games of this year! We also whipped up lists featuring the Mobile Games of the Year for 2025 and the Steam Deck Games of the Year for 2025. It’s a good time to be a handheld gamer.