FREE NINTENDO SWITCH GAMES
The Nintendo switch has been out for almost two years now and there is plenty of great games available for the console. Nintendo has really opened up the console to 3rd party developers and one really good thing that has come out of that decision is the number of free games for the Switch.
Nintendo is not usually one to give away anything for free themselves, but, plenty of developers are willing to.
Below is a list of what we think the best free Nintendo Switch games.
Pokémon Quest
Something to tide you over until Pokémon Sword & Shield come out, Pokémon Quest takes the classic designs of some of the Pokémon and ‘LEGOfies’ them. Characters are blocky & gameplay is simple yet fun. As you lead your team across Tumblecube meeting various family faces from Pokémon Red & Blue & hopefully befriending them in the process.
Warframe
Originally released on Windows back in March 2013, Warframe is a technical marvel on the Switch, the graphics understandably, take a hit when compared to other versions but is still very good fun! What makes Warframe one of the best free Nintendo Switch games is its fast-paced gameplay and just how smooth it all runs. You could be potentially trying to unlock new Warframes for hours, which is no bad thing! If you like 3rd person space ninja grindathons then this is for you!
Smite
Smite is a 3rd person action MOBA similar to DOTA 2 ditching the top down style and looking more like a standard RPG or MMO. The playable characters all come from mythology from around the world including Thor, King Arthur, Ra & Anubis. Gameplay wise each character will assume one of the five roles; Guardian, Hunter, Mage, Assassin or Warrior. Each of these classes will play very similarly to how they would in an MMO. The game is fast-paced fun that will have you coming back for more.
Pac-Man VS / Namco Museum
Although this one is not technically 100% free as it requires you to know someone with a copy of Namco Museum, the client of Pac-Man Vs is still free to download from the eShop and allows your switch to be used as a sub screen for the main game. Pac-Man Vs has each player play as ghosts and one as Pac-Man. Ghosts only have a small area of the screen they can see whereas Pac-Man gets the full screen just like in the original game. When a Ghost player catches Pac-Man, they turn into him and have the ability to gain a ton of points. The aim of the game is to get as many points of possible or to stop Pac-Man from clearing the stage or getting the points required to win.
Fallout Shelter
Originally released as a tie-in/hype builder for Fallout 4 back in 2015, Fallout Shelter buts you in charge of your very own Vault-Tec vault. As overseer it is your job to keep the inhabitants of your vault, happy, fed and alive. The game starts off with humble beginnings but soon expands as it lets you had more room and welcome in more dwellers. You can send your dwellers out on quests to get supplies which will come in handy when raiders come to try and take over your vault! If you like time management games then this will be one of the free Nintendo Switch games you should check out!
Galak-Z: Variant S
Galak-Z: Variant S is a fun 2.5D shooter where you control A-Tak who pilots his way across a map shooting down enemies along his way to the portal at the end of the map. A-Tak can pilot either a small manoeuvrable ship with a long ranged blaster for those who want something a little more ‘R-Type’ or in a Gundam styled Mech for up-close and personal encounters. The game is a lot of fun, but, I would say waiting for some of the upgrades to complete was a bit of a pain but I guess you always have to option to pay to speed this up. Its microtransactions done right. they never felt too in my face.
Fortnite
Fortnite might just be the king of free to play games. The sheer number of children that are to be obsessed with this game is unreal and rightly so. Fortnite is a lot of fun, especially on the Switch. Having a game of this scope is something I was very sceptical about when it released last year, but, it works really well. At its core Fortnite is survival game, you are dropped onto a map and the aim is to be the last man standing! You run around picking up weapons and supplies and outrun a storm which forces players closer and closer to each other. Gameplay is smooth and responsive and there is something truly addictive about being knocked out of a game in the top 10 places, you’ll want to jump right back in! There is a season pass you can buy and some cosmetic items, but all of these are optional which helps to make this one of the best Nintendo Switch free games. If you haven’t tried it for any reason I would rectify that ASAP. Really good fun.
Brawlhalla
Brawlhalla is not Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, It wants to be but, it is not. This is not a bad thing at all and it’s actually very good and feels like it was designed with the switch in mind (Which it isn’t). The game is a platform fighting game and has a ton of characters, each with their own unique move sets etc. You unlock characters with in-game currency that you can grind out and the grind is not too hard and doesn’t force you to pay to unlock all the characters. If you don’t own Smash then give Brawlhalla a try, it will give you a good idea if you would like this genre of game!
Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor is a westernised version of the Chinese game Wangzhe Rongyao (王者荣耀) which has over 300 million downloads in China! This extremely popular game runs flawlessly on the switch and feels like a match made in heaven. Arena of Valor is an online 5v5 MOBA similar to League of Legends. The aim of the game is to knock down all the towers in one of three chosen routes to be able to destroy the enemies core. Each hero is a different type; mage, warrior, assassin etc and its wise to have a diverse team. The game seems a little complex at first but stick with it and things will start to make sense. the sheer amount of options can be daunting at first but will make sense after some experimentation. Give AoV a try if you are needing scratch that League of Legends itch on the Switch.
Other Options?
Demo games; There are literally hundreds of free demo games for the Nintendo Switch available on the eShop. Some of these are really good and although these are not full-fledged free Nintendo Switch games, there are so many of them they will keep you occupied for hours!
Some of the demos you need to try include Yoshi’s Crafted World, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Snipperclips, Octopath Traveler, Pokemon Let’s go, Megaman 11, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker & Puyo Puyo Tetris.
If you already pay for Nintendo Switch Online then you will also have access the growing list of ‘free’ Nintendo Entertainment System games as well as the quite addictive & competitive ‘Tetris 99’. There are also rumours going around that Nintendo may eventually add Super Nintendo games to their online collection, but, take that with a pinch of salt.
Overall there really is a lot of great free content for the Switch. While it is nice to have access to all the free games and demos sometimes you need something a little more substantial. I’ve written an article outlining some of the best multiplayer Switch games. feel free to check it out!
Nintendo have a list of most of their free to play and demo games here.
Is there any good free to play games you have played? Please let me know!
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