2023 was an incredibly fruitful year for gamers, and Switch enjoyed an excellent seventh year on store shelves.

Industry-wide layoffs in the latter half of the year made for a sobering counterpoint to the glut of great games, and at times the pandemic-related backlog of projects which finally flushed through made it difficult to keep tabs on everything — it was a fantastic year for anyone just playing video games.

Best Switch Games Of 2023
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While the future is uncertain in many respects, it's impossible to deny the quality and quantity of software that launched across all platforms in 2023, as our (and we're sure your) backlogs can attest. Here at Nintendo Life, once again we compiled your selections of the best games of the year — as governed by each game's User Rating in our games database — into a dynamic community-ranked Top 50 Switch Games of the Year: 2023 Edition.

It started out quiet, with little of note on Nintendo's announced first-party release list beyond January's Fire Emblem Engage and the tentpole TOTK, but the calendar soon fleshed out with the long-awaited Advance Wars 1+2, the excellent Pikmin 4, and the delightful Super Mario Bros. Wonder — the first brand-new 2D Mario for over a decade. Add some surprise ports (Quake II, Vampire Survivors), third-party classics (Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, Persona 5 Tactica), and indie gems (Sea of Stars, Blasphemous 2), and 2023 was bursting at the seams with incredible Switch games.

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But how do they stack up against each other? We asked Nintendo Life readers to rate the games this year, and the list below is the result. Please note: The order may change, even after publication, subject to those fluctuating User Ratings. This means that it's not too late to rate your collection and influence the list, even as you're reading this now. Just click on the star icon and score the game from 1-10.

Can't see your favourite? Use the search bar below to find what you're looking for and rate the game(s) accordingly. Note. To become eligible, a game needs to have been rated by a minimum of 30 users.

Looking for Team Nintendo Life's personal picks? Check them out in our Staff Awards round-up below. Otherwise, let's take a look at the 50 best Switch games of 2023, as ranked by you...

50. Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (Switch)

It's clear that a lot of effort and love went into Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection; this is a worthwhile re-release (available across two separate volumes on the Switch eShop, if you prefer) that gives you a lot of bang for your buck.

While everyone will have their favourite, the Mega Man Battle Network series remained remarkably consistent throughout its whole run, due in no small part to the innovative battle system and charming storylines present in each entry.

If you’re a fan of Mega Man and haven’t given these games a shot yet, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up immediately. Even if you’re not a Rockman enthusiast, these games each offer up some inventive RPG experiences that are certainly worth your time.

49. Sonic Origins Plus (Switch)

In keeping with tradition, Sonic Origins Plus is a bit of a mixed bag. The new playable characters, 12 Game Gear games, and other content feel just barely worth the upgrade fee, but there’s no escaping the sense that Sega could’ve done a lot more for this update and chose not to.

While the overall package is a strong one, we’d give the new content of this expansion a very light recommendation as it does ultimately feel worth the price tag (for existing owners). But how much value this will hold to you depends heavily on how much nostalgia you have for the Game Gear and how badly you want to play as Amy in the classic games.

48. Suika Game (Switch eShop)

Suika Game is a competent and addictive little puzzler that does a great job of executing a very simple concept. There’s not a whole lot to it, but considering it's roughly the same price as a pack of gum, Suika Game is definitely worth the cost of admission. If you’re looking for a quick time waster to add to your Switch library, we’d recommend you pick it up with some Gold Points.

47. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life (Switch)

Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life retains the charm and the pleasant tedium of the GameCube original while bringing enough features up-to-date that it's not a total chore to play. Fans of later farming/life-sims might find it too slow and too dull, but we encourage you to embrace the slow-and-dullness to find a surprisingly fulfilling and earnest game underneath. After all, this game is the granddaddy of Stardew Valley, and it's not too hard to see the family resemblance.

Just, uh, use a guide. Trust us.

46. Cassette Beasts (Switch eShop)

Cassette Beasts clearly draws quite a lot of inspiration from Pokémon, yet assuming it’s a total Pokéclone would be a mistake. While you explore an overworld teeming with cute and cool critters to battle and capture (or ‘record,’ in this case) and go up against an increasingly difficult array of opposing ‘trainers,' it’s a mishmash of mostly refreshing ideas outside of these basics. Some performance issues, wonky balance, and overly complex battle mechanics did little to affect how much we enjoyed ourselves. In fact, it’s one of the better monster-battling games not starring a little electric rodent that you can enjoy on your Nintendo Switch, with loads of monsters to record and remaster, many mysteries to uncover and characters to grow fond of, and literally thousands of beast fusions to see.

45. Final Fantasy V (Switch eShop)

Finally, Final Fantasy V is free from the GBA and available to play on the Switch. And goodness, what a fantastic little adventure this is. The Pixel Remaster is missing the extra jobs and dungeons from the Advance version, but that doesn't dampen the fantastic gameplay that has been present in the game ever since its 1991 Super Famicom release. Put simply, Final Fantasy V is charming, incredibly fun, and just a darn good time.

44. Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (Switch)

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon is a delightfully stylish origin tale that sees young Bayo take her first steps on the road to becoming the badass Umbra witch we all know and love. This is a graphically stunning fairy tale with plenty in the way of atmosphere and charm. However, long-term Bayo fans beware, it's also a game that's aimed squarely at a young/casual audience, introducing plenty of fun puzzle and combat mechanics but never really evolving them to a point where they become in any way challenging. Repetition creeps in later in the game and, although it ends with some bombastic sequences and a few nice shoutouts to the main series, it feels like a little more challenge and experimentation in puzzles and combat could have made this one absolutely essential for all ages.

43. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Switch eShop)

No matter how excellent its soundtrack or sense of momentum may be, there’s no shaking the sense that Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is in a race against its own sense of nostalgia. The game rips, but more often than not it feels like that's because Jet Set Radio ran before it. That’s not to say it’s bad, but part of what makes Jet Set Radio so fun and unique is its raw originality. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk feels like a sequel in everything but name—for better and for worse. For every banger in its soundtrack, there’s a moment of jank or a feeling that this game hasn’t left 2000. Again, it’s still a great time, but it’s lacking that lightning-in-a-bottle feel that JSR had. That’s totally fine, and for people who missed out on it, this will feel much fresher.

42. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (Switch eShop)

For fans of the franchise, Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse should be a no-brainer. 15 years after its original release in Japan, its launch in the west brings some welcome upgrades to the visuals and presentation. That said, you can definitely feel the game's age in the core gameplay and little has been done to bring this more in line with modern sensibilities. Movement is janky, the camera never quite feels spot on, and the loading between rooms really shouldn't be an issue in 2023. Additionally, the frequent presence of ghosts and the arcade-like combat required to defeat them feels constantly at odds with the otherwise impressive sense of dread felt as you explore the environment, but since this is a core aspect of the series at large, you might be able to overlook this. We definitely recommend checking it out if you're into survival horror, but just know that it comes with a number of quirks that we wish had been ironed out.

41. F-Zero 99 (Switch eShop)

Despite its relatively unchanged look compared to the 16-bit original, F-Zero 99 is unexpectedly refreshing. Though it may not be the return for the franchise that fans hoped for, it's a triumphant and welcome look back at Captain Falcon's first game with a clever twist. F-Zero is simply suited for the -99 style structure in ways that Tetris, Mario, and Pac-Man aren't; it was already an elimination-style battle royale, just a small one. Adding more players doesn't just feel perfect for F-Zero, it feels natural.

This isn't the definitive way to play F-Zero, but it is a brilliant take that supplements what worked so well in the original with thoughtful additions that make chasing victory utterly addictive.