Best cheap Nintendo Switch game deals October 2022

Taking place in a massive open world, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a much different take on the Zelda series, one that stresses exploration, experimentation, and emergent gameplay. BOTW is much tougher than previous entries in the franchise but presents multiple, unconventional ways to tackle the game’s more difficult challenges. Mastery of the game comes more from learning and exploiting the systems in the world rather than looting a bunch of sweet gear.
Years after its release, players are still discovering new wrinkles in the aging classic. While this isn’t the most recent title to feature Link, Breath of the Wild remains an essential entry in the franchise. It offers all of the hallmarks of a traditional Zelda title, including challenging combat and puzzles, but within a gorgeous, open-world design. Read our review.

A sequel to Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees players controlling the titular Luigi as he explores a haunted hotel in an effort to rescue his brother and friends. Despite only having text dialogue that’s supplemented by jibberish and pantomime, this 3D platforming adventure is surprisingly witty and comical, with plenty of Nintendo’s trademark charm to go around. And while some of the puzzles can be cumbersome and the controls overly complex, there are few games like it. Not nearly enough games star the taller Mario sibling, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 proves that Luigi is more than capable of holding his own. Read our review.

Yoshi’s Crafted World, in a nutshell, is a yarn-and-cardboard-flavored platformer featuring everyone’s favorite green dinosaur. It’s one of the more charming titles to come from Nintendo, with levels and characters made from everyday objects, and a difficulty that serves as the digital equivalent of a weighted blanket — or in this case, a hand-knit scarf. It’s not the most crushing or inventive title, but many of the levels in Yoshi’s Crafted World introduce new mechanics and wrinkles to keep things fresh as you make your way through a variety of theme-based worlds. There aren’t many games that do exactly what it says on the box, but Yoshi’s Crafted World is definitely one of them. Read our review.

Nintendo’s latest brawler pits beloved characters from the company’s franchises (as well as plenty from outside of Nintendo’s own realms) against one another. While the high skill ceiling for this long-standing fighting franchise can be intimidating to newcomers, sucker-punching your foes as Jigglypuff has an almost universal appeal.
Since the game’s debut, the roster of fighters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has also expanded to include a massive list of 74 characters. Everyone from Solid Snake to Samus is here, and even lesser-known characters make an appearance (ahem, Wii Fit Trainer). Regardless of your level of skill, though, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most fun you can have while battling your friends for bragging rights. Read our review.

Kirby is just one of those characters that provides an immediate hit of serotonin just by looking at him. The latest adventure for the adorable pink monster, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, is chock-full of lighthearted whimsy, clever puzzles, and fun platforming.
It’s a familiar formula, but one that comes with a handful of new features, including two-player, couch co-op, and a “Mouthful Mode” that allows Kirby to turn into objects that are just a little too big for him to eat. Whether he’s attempting to scarf down a traffic cone or a two-door sedan, this mechanic always manages to amuse. And while the game itself may not be particularly challenging to veterans of Nintendo platformers, this doesn’t detract from what is an overall excellent Kirby adventure. Read our review.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 updates the core elements of the original Tony Hawk games into an experience fit for modern consoles. The collection is a faithful remake of the original two games, and everything from the levels to the collectibles has been translated with remarkable accuracy.
The gameplay experience is largely unchanged, but what additions have been made are certainly welcome. Some extra objectives have been added to THPS 1 levels to be more on par with what THPS 2 offers, and there are larger meta-objectives to accomplish if you want to unlock different cosmetic options. This collection is easily the best way to experience — or re-experience — these staples of gaming history. Read our review.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a remarkably deep, turn-based strategy game. While most games in this genre treat your units as disposable pawns, Three Houses forces you to become attached to these units by having specific characters lead them into battle. These characters each have their own distinct strengths, weaknesses, and personality quirks that become more apparent as you build relationships with them between missions.
This can make some missions extremely tenuous as you try to balance the benefits of bringing characters into battle, each with their own unique strengths while risking their potential death. This option can be switched off for a more relaxed experience, but this is one of the features that sets Fire Emblem apart from its peers. This latest entry in the Fire Emblem franchise is excellent for first-timers or returning fans. Its turn-based battle has never been sharper, and the characters and plot are memorable. Read our review.

Splatoon 2 is likely the most colorful shooter you’ll ever play. The multiplayer-focused game has players dousing maps with a variety of weaponized painting tools, ranging from paint rollers to airbrushes. It’s the perfect shooter for players that typically don’t enjoy shooters, namely because of its vivid color scheme and lighthearted approach to the genre.
While hunting down other players certainly has its benefits, victory in a given match and your personal score isn’t determined by how many players you knock out but by how much of the map you paint with your team’s respective color. This objective-based gameplay allows anyone, regardless of skill, to contribute to the success of their team. Read our review.

This whimsical retelling of the Game Boy classic updates the original Zelda title with new music and graphics while keeping the core gameplay intact. Anyone that missed out on this excellent installment in the Zelda franchise when it was originally available should take the time to check it out. Read our review.

Regardless of your opinion of Ubisoft’s Rabbids, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is an amazing turn-based strategy game that owes much of its success to games like XCOM and Fire Emblem. Kingdom Battle brings the delightful cast of Mario and Co. into an isometric strategy game with a surprising amount of challenge, even for veterans of the genre.
While the game certainly shares the aesthetics of other Mario titles with its gold coins and Piranha Plants, the similarities end there. While Kingdom Battle doesn’t share the same sprawling meta-strategy layer as its peers, there’s still plenty of depth and nuance to its tactical gameplay. This makes Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle a fun and surprising addition to the genre. Read our review.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is best described as Dynasty Warriors by way of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This title shares a similar aesthetic to the 2017 hit but is drastically different in terms of its gameplay. In it, you’ll take control of a cast of familiar characters from Breath of the Wild, like Impa and Zelda, and guide them through a linear narrative that leads up to the events that precede Breath of the Wild.
You can swap between characters during battles to make use of their combos and special abilities, but you’re also responsible for directing legions of soldiers to assist you in completing your objectives. Age of Calamity provides fans of Breath of the Wild with more backstory in a game that feels wholly different but strangely familiar in the best ways. Read our review.

Mortal Kombat 11 is a title synonymous with fighting games. The same gratuitously violent, combo-based gameplay is on display here, but the latest entry in the franchise builds on that legacy by fine-tuning many of the technical elements. This makes MK11 arguably the best entry in the franchise to date, with tight gameplay that’s easy to learn and difficult to master.
In addition to the roster of 25 characters from Mortal Kombat lore, MK11 includes DLC for fighters from some unexpected IPs. So if you were ever curious about how the Terminator would fare against Rambo, this is your chance to find out. Each fighter can also be customized with different moves and gear, meaning that you’re unlikely to fight against the same character twice.

Featuring an expansive cast, The Skywalker Saga is the definitive Lego Star Wars experience, tying together every mainline film from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker. Just like other entries in the series, the title is chock-full of fan service and light-hearted humor that’s sure to appeal to fans, regardless of their age. It even includes characters from one-shot films like Rogue One and Solo.

Flames make everything faster in Hot Wheels: Unleashed. The racing title feels like a cross between the Burnout franchise and an adolescent power fantasy, putting you in control of immaculately rendered toy cars as you race across a set of neon-orange tracks strewn about an oversized living room.
In addition to the litany of ridiculous vehicles spawned from the Hot Wheels garage, you can also collect cars such as the Batmobile, the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future, and a number of iconic automobiles from real-world manufacturers. The game even borrows track segments from real-world Hot Wheels sets, allowing you to thread the needle between a giant spider and a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex.

If Pacific Rim didn’t have enough high school drama for you, then you might want to check out 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a game that is equal parts visual novel and turn-based strategy game. In Aegis Rim, you play through the interconnected stories of 13 teenagers who also happen to be massive robots charged with defending humanity. It would be easy to dismiss the premise as silly if the voice acting and art direction weren’t so damn good. The story beats can get a bit muddled at times, sure, but the delivery on virtually every other aspect of Aegis Rim is spot on. Read our review.

Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition might just be the best platformer for the Nintendo Switch that isn’t part of the Mario franchise. The excellent title features a vivid art style, tight controls, and a soundtrack that’s sure to stick with you well after you’ve stopped playing. Plus, in addition to a surprisingly large cast of cute characters, the entirety of Rayman Legends can be played cooperatively with up to four players. If you’re a little tired of stomping Goombas, you might want to give Rayman Legends a spin.

BioShock: The Collection is a must-play experience for Nintendo Switch owners. It contains all three BioShock titles, and for the first time, you can play these classic FPS games on the go. This compilation includes the three main titles in the franchise, as well as all of the associated DLC.