The Best Switch 2 Games to Play Now

The best games at a glance

1. Split Fiction

Best for two-player co-op

Split Fiction is the clearest first choice if you have a regular co-op partner. The whole adventure is designed for two players, with both people receiving different abilities that must be combined to solve puzzles, survive action sequences and move between science-fiction and fantasy worlds.

The constant mechanical changes are the main attraction. A chapter may introduce platforming, unusual vehicles or a completely different combat idea, then move on before the concept becomes repetitive. Local split-screen makes it a strong couch game, while online play and the Friend’s Pass make it more flexible for partners in different places.

Choose it if: you want a complete campaign that treats cooperation as the core design rather than an optional mode.

2. Cyberpunk 2077

Best open-world RPG

Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition combines the full Night City campaign with the Phantom Liberty expansion. It offers a large first-person RPG built around character choices, cybernetic upgrades, weapons, stealth, hacking and story decisions.

This version also uses hardware-specific controls, including gyroscope aiming, touch-screen menu navigation, motion inputs and Joy-Con 2 mouse functionality. Those options are not required, but they give the handheld version a distinct identity rather than making it a simple conversion.

Choose it if: you want a long solo game with extensive character builds, quests and exploration.

3. Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut

Best crime drama

Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima through interconnected stories set in 1988 Japan. Its serious central plot sits alongside street fights, business management, arcade activities and side stories that can shift quickly from dramatic to absurd.

The Director’s Cut adds new scenes, additional voice options and Red Light Raid, an online mode where up to four players fight through missions using characters from the story. The main reason to play remains the original campaign, which works well as an introduction to the broader Like a Dragon series.

Choose it if: you want a character-driven story with satisfying brawler combat and a large amount of optional content.

4. Blue Prince

Best puzzle mystery

Blue Prince sends you into a manor whose layout changes whenever a new day begins. Instead of walking through a fixed map, you choose which rooms appear behind many doors. Every selection affects routes, resources and the chance of reaching the rumored Room 46.

Progress comes from understanding the house rather than simply improving combat statistics. Notes, symbols, room relationships and long-term estate upgrades gradually turn confusing runs into informed plans. It rewards observation and is especially well suited to players who enjoy taking notes and testing theories.

Choose it if: you prefer mysteries, deduction and exploration over fast combat.

5. Persona 3 Reload

Best story-focused JRPG

Persona 3 Reload divides its time between school life, relationships and turn-based battles during the hidden Dark Hour. Daily choices give the long campaign structure, while combat focuses on exploiting enemy weaknesses and building stronger Personas through fusion.

The remake modernizes the presentation and interface without discarding the original game’s themes. It is a substantial commitment, but its calendar structure makes it easy to divide the story into manageable sessions.

Choose it if: you want tactical turn-based battles tied to a long, character-led narrative.

6. Street Fighter 6

Best competitive fighting game

Street Fighter 6 works for both new players and experienced fighting-game competitors. Classic controls preserve the traditional command system, Modern controls simplify some inputs, and World Tour provides a single-player framework for learning techniques.

This edition includes local wireless modes and Joy-Con-based party options alongside the standard Fighting Ground, World Tour and Battle Hub structure. The Drive system gives every match a shared strategic resource for offense, defense and movement.

Choose it if: you want a fighting game with serious competitive depth and useful entry points for beginners.

7. Hades II

Best action roguelike

Hades II builds an action roguelike around Melinoë’s fight against the Titan of Time. Each run combines weapons, divine Boons and permanent progression, while repeated attempts reveal more conversations and story events.

Its greatest strength is how combat and narrative support the same loop. Failure sends you back to improve relationships, unlock systems and prepare another build rather than simply erasing progress. God Mode also offers a more forgiving path for players interested in the story.

Choose it if: you want precise action in runs that fit naturally into brief or extended sessions.

8. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles

Best tactical RPG

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles combines political fantasy with grid-based battles where terrain, turn order, jobs and abilities shape every encounter. Its flexible job system allows abilities learned in one role to remain useful after switching to another.

The package includes enhanced and classic approaches. The enhanced version adds updated presentation, voiced dialogue and refined usability, while the classic version preserves the older visual and gameplay style with the War of the Lions translation.

Choose it if: you enjoy planning party builds as much as positioning units during battle.

9. Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma

Best farming RPG with action combat

Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma mixes village rebuilding, farming, relationships and real-time battles. As an Earth Dancer, you restore seasonal settlements, fight corrupted monsters and use sacred treasures to repair the land.

This is a good middle ground between a relaxed life sim and a quest-driven RPG. Farming supports broader restoration goals, while residents can become allies in combat as well as relationship characters.

Choose it if: you like the routine of farming games but want more directed goals and action.

10. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Best cinematic adventure

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person adventure built around exploration, puzzles, stealth, improvised combat and the series’ familiar globe-spanning mystery. Its open-area locations reward investigating optional routes rather than rushing directly between story scenes.

The whip works as a traversal tool, distraction and weapon, while many encounters support quiet infiltration or direct action. That flexibility helps the game feel like an adventure rather than a conventional first-person shooter.

Choose it if: you want cinematic storytelling with puzzles and exploration at the center.

11. Red Dead Redemption

Best Western adventure

Red Dead Redemption follows former outlaw John Marston as federal agents force him to hunt members of his old gang. Its open world uses the final years of the American frontier to tell a focused story about consequences, loyalty and a changing society.

This edition includes the single-player story and Undead Nightmare, which transforms the familiar landscape into a separate survival-horror campaign. Multiplayer is not part of this release.

Choose it if: you want a story-rich open world with a complete additional campaign included.

12. Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

Best portable grand strategy game

Sid Meier’s Civilization VII turns world history into a campaign of expansion, diplomacy, research and warfare. Its Ages structure divides a campaign into major periods, with civilizations evolving as the game moves forward.

Turn-based play suits a portable system because a session can pause after almost any decision. Joy-Con 2 mouse controls also provide another way to navigate dense strategy interfaces, while multiplayer supports larger groups in later Ages.

Choose it if: you want long campaigns built around planning rather than reaction speed.

13. Stardew Valley

Best relaxing long-term game

Stardew Valley begins with an inherited farm and gradually opens into a flexible life sim involving crops, animals, relationships, fishing, mining, crafting and exploration. There is no single correct pace, so it works equally well as a brief daily routine or a long optimization project.

Co-op adds shared farming without removing the freedom that defines the solo game. Its pixel-art presentation also remains readable in handheld play, while the seasonal structure gives every in-game year a familiar rhythm.

Choose it if: you want a low-pressure game that can remain in your rotation for months.

14. DELTARUNE

Best unconventional indie RPG

DELTARUNE combines turn-based commands with real-time dodging, comedy and a story that repeatedly questions familiar role-playing conventions. Battles can often be resolved without defeating every opponent, making conversation and alternative actions part of the tactical system.

Its chapter structure makes it approachable in sections, but the ongoing mystery rewards remembering small details. The cheerful presentation often sits beside stranger or more unsettling ideas without losing the story’s warmth.

Choose it if: you enjoy unusual writing, memorable music and battle systems that do more than trade attacks.

15. Star Wars Outlaws

Best open-world science-fiction adventure

Star Wars Outlaws places you in the role of Kay Vess, a scoundrel navigating criminal syndicates across several locations. Missions combine blaster combat, stealth, gadgets, speeder travel and space dogfights, while reputation affects relationships with different groups.

This release includes touch controls for menus and selected minigames, along with motion-control options for some actions. The core appeal is the opportunity to approach the Star Wars setting from the criminal underworld rather than from the usual Jedi perspective.

Choose it if: you want an accessible open-world adventure built around heists, factions and exploration.

How we picked them

We looked for PC games we price that also have a release on the system, then kept the ones whose design makes the most of handheld sessions, co-op play or a long campaign. The order reflects how strongly each game fits that brief and who it suits.

How to choose the right game for the system

Start with the kind of time you want to spend:

• For a shared campaign: choose Split Fiction.
• For a long solo world: choose Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition.
• For turn-based battles: choose Persona 3 Reload or FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - The Ivalice Chronicles.
• For short action sessions: choose Hades II or Street Fighter 6.
• For quiet thinking: choose Blue Prince.
• For relaxed progression: choose Stardew Valley or Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma.
• For cinematic storytelling: choose Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Red Dead Redemption or Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut.

Storage size, online requirements and supported control features vary substantially, so check the current store listing before downloading. For older software, verify compatibility and whether a dedicated edition or upgrade pack exists rather than assuming every game receives the same enhancements.

What makes a strong game for the system?

A good game here does not need to be exclusive. The strongest releases generally do at least one of three things well:

1. Fit portable play. Turn-based strategy, farming routines, roguelike runs and chapter-based stories are easy to pause and resume.
2. Use the hardware thoughtfully. Touch input, mouse controls, gyroscope aiming or reliable local multiplayer can improve a game without changing its identity.
3. Offer a complete reason to return. Strong campaigns, flexible builds, co-op, competitive systems or long-term progression matter more than technical spectacle alone.

The current library works because it covers all three approaches. The console can be a co-op system one evening, a strategy handheld the next day and a home for large role-playing games over the following months.