A handful of Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 games dominated the conversation throughout 2025, with releases like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and the big new Donkey Kong grabbing most of the spotlight this year. Still, the Switch’s library stretches far beyond its biggest releases, packed with creative and excellent indie titles that are easy to overlook. Many of these games are available at budget-friendly prices, especially during seasonal eShop sales. Here are 60+ Nintendo Switch eShop games you might have missed in 2025.
We’ve been running this list for several years now. You can check out our picks for games you might have missed in 2024, as well as our earlier lists from 2023, 2022, and 2021. They are all still a good time!
Xenotilt: Hostile Pinball Action
Who Is It For? Xenotilt is for people who like their pinball loud, chaotic, and something like a bullet hell game. If you enjoy learning systems over time, chasing absurdly high scores, and thriving in moments where everything feels out of control, this is your kind of game.
Who Is It For? Platypus Reclayed is for players who miss classic side-scrolling shooters and want something cute, but challenging. If you enjoy shmups with bright visuals, simple controls, and short levels that feel great in quick bursts, this is a clear winner.
Who Is It For? and Roger is for players who enjoy short, unsettling interactive stories. It’s also for players who don’t mind titles with weird capitalization. It can be played in just one sitting, and anyone who wants to think about a game long after should consider picking and Roger up.
Who Is It For? Bosorka is a fast, arcade-style roguelike where moment-to-moment action matters more than long-term progression systems. If you like twin-stick shooters, experimenting with spell and rune combinations, and making quick decisions under pressure, this is an easy fit.
Who Is It For? Anyone who wants a city builder that feels cozy and is less stressful than what the genre is known for will enjoy this sequel to ISLANDERS. It is a great pick for newcomers to the genre, since it keeps the satisfaction of building without the usual pressure of managing dozens of systems.
Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds Ultimate
Who Is It For? Fans of beat-em-ups who want their brawling to have a little fighting game DNA will be fascinated by this one. If you are looking for a co-op-friendly arcade throwback, especially one that can turn into a chaotic party with a group, it is at its best with friends
Who Is It For? Taiji is for puzzle fans who love quiet exploration and that slow, satisfying click when a new rule finally makes sense. If you enjoyed games like The Witness, where you pay attention to the environment and learning a visual language without constant tutorials, this is a great fit.
Who Is It For? BAD END THEATER is for players who enjoy short visual novels with dark humor, emotional payoffs, and a clever structure. As the name implies, you’ll see many bad endings for your protagonists as you make lots of tiny decisions to find the one true ending. It rules.
Who Is It For? BALL x PIT is for players who love satisfying arcade loops and watching systems spiral into joyful chaos. If you enjoy chaotic roguelikes like Vampire Survivors, you will love this one. It is especially great for handheld play or long sessions where you want to zone out, chase upgrades, and say “one more run” far too many times.
Who Is It For? Until Then is for players who want a story-first game that feels grounded, personal, and emotionally heavy in the best way. It is a great fit if you enjoy slower pacing, lots of dialogue, and moments that are meant to linger after you put the Switch down.
Who Is It For? Absolum is for players who love the feel of a classic arcade beat ’em up, but want the modern roguelite loop to keep runs fresh. If you like experimenting with builds, unlocking meaningful progression, and mastering tight combat, this will click fast. It is also an easy recommendation if you have a co-op buddy, because the whole thing is built to feel better with another player.
Who Is It For? Shujinkou is perfect for JRPG fans who love classic dungeon crawlers. It’s also great for anyone learning Japanese who wishes studying felt more like playing a game. It works just as well if you ignore the language systems entirely, but players who lean into both are rewarded in combat and progression. Skip it if you dislike text-heavy games or turn-based battles. Get it if you want a video game that just might have some application to real-life. Full review here.
The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-
Who Is It For? This is for players who love story-first games with big swings, branching paths, and a lot of reading, especially fans of Danganronpa and Zero Escape. The SRPG battles add structure, but the narrative and characters are the real reason to stick around.
Who Is It For? An English Haunting is a spooky, but cozy point-and-click adventure set in 1907 England. It’s especially appealing if you enjoy Victorian horror, historical settings, and slow-burning mysteries rather than jump scare-driven horror.
Who Is It For? This is for Metroidvania fans who want a strong sense of momentum and retro aesthetics. Those who are looking for exploration-driven and ultra-precise platforming will want to click buy. This is a sneaky pick for one of the best games of the genre in 2025.
Who Is It For? The Operator is here for the detectives out there who are cool with sitting at a desk. The fun comes from combing through databases, connecting evidence, and watching a conspiracy tighten around you. It’s best for anyone who wants a short, punchy mystery they can finish in a night, just don’t expect a highly replayable experience.
Who Is It For? Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog is for players who love story-first games and want a classic sci-fi mystery they can sink into over a few focused sittings. If you enjoy retro anime aesthetics and visual novels, this is an easy recommendation.
Who Is It For? Dead of Darkness is for survival horror fans who miss the tension, pacing, and resource anxiety of classic Resident Evil. If you enjoy deliberate movement, limited inventory, and puzzle-heavy exploration, this hits that old-school nerve in a big way. If inventory management makes you angry, you should skip this one.
Chicken Police: Into the HIVE!
Who Is It For? It’s been a good year for detective and crime games. This one is for players who want a story-first detective game with a heavy noir vibe and a weird, charming sense of humor. If you like point-and-click style investigation, character banter, and solid worldbuilding, this sequel is an easy pick.
Who Is It For? Players who enjoy city builders will love Cardboard Town if they want their game to feel like a card-driven puzzle rather than a full simulation. If you like managing a small set of resources, adapting to random events, and playing in short, satisfying runs, this is a great fit.
Who Is It For? Bye Sweet Carole is for players who want a light-horror atmosphere, and mood over tight mechanics. If you enjoy dark fairy tales, that old Disney animated style is gonna hit just right.
Who Is It For? Pocket Bravery is for fighting game fans who want a modern, competitive 2D fighter with 90s vibes. It has a fun roster and rollback online play. It’s also a solid pick for solo players who like having plenty to do beyond versus, especially because the player base is admittedly pretty small.
Who Is It For? Ultros is for metroidvania fans who want something weird, artsy, and systems-driven. The exploration and experimentation take priority over tight combat. It’ll click most for players who don’t mind a time-loop structure and focusing on environmental puzzles.
Who Is It For? INAZUMA ELEVEN: Victory Road is for players who want a playable sports anime. It’s part soccer RPG and part character-collecting obsession, with a huge roster to recruit, train, and tinker with. Oh, and the actual soccer is fun too. Still, it’s not a perfect pick if you want a simulator like FIFA.
Who Is It For? Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip is for anyone who wants a short, goofy, low-stress open-world adventure that feels like a mini PS2-era collectathon. It’s got light driving, simple exploration, and lots of silly humor. It’s especially good for players who want a fun weekend palate cleanser rather than a big, mission-heavy open-world game.
Who Is It For? Sunderfolk is for groups who want a modern game-night replacement that blends tactical RPG combat with the ease of a party game. What makes it great is you only need one copy of the game, and everyone else can just use a smartphone as a controller. It’s nothing short of excellent.
Who Is It For? Endoparasitic is for horror fans who want something tense, uncomfortable, and simply unusual. It’s best suited for players who are curious about games that build fear through limitations rather than jump scares. Did I mention that you get to play as a dude who only has a head, torso, and one arm left?
Who Is It For? Everdeep Aurora is for players looking for a cozy, low-pressure exploration game that doesn’t emphasize combat. It has gentle platforming, light puzzles, and emotional storytelling and is a reminder that video games are art.
Who Is It For? Strike Force Heroes is for players chasing pure nostalgia. If you grew up with Flash-era shooters and want to relive that fast, arcade-style action, this is perfect. It has classes, loadouts, and a lot of replayability.
Who Is It For? Here’s another classic 2D action games, so anyone who values fast, fluid combat and awesome hand-drawn art will be in love. It’s punishing, so make sure that’s your vibe before diving in.
Who Is It For? Leila is another game with emotional storytelling and hand-drawn art. It’s especially well-suited for those who want games that explore identity and personal growth, rather than action or replayability.
Who Is It For? American Arcadia has light puzzles, strong voice acting, and a heavy emphasis on atmosphere and twists. It’s best suited to fans of cinematic, walk-right platformers like Limbo, who want to play primarily for the narrative and the quirky changes in perspective.
Who Is It For? Wanna play a god simulator? Reus 2 nails that. It features relaxed, systems-driven gameplay and lets players be creative with how their humans, ecosystems, and even galaxies interact with each other.
Who Is It For? Iwakura Aria is a visual novel that might have slow pacing, but the unsettling subject matter, sapphic stories, and emotional payoff make it worth it for fans of the medium.
Who Is It For? There’s a new Fire Emblem coming out next year, but why wait for the next great turn-based tactical RPG? If you want a modern indie take on the genre with lots of class variety, ability-driven builds, and steady progression it’s right here. The writing isn’t great, but most recent Fire Emblem games don’t have great stories and you still love them, so give this one a try.
Who Is It For? This one is for fans of games like Lemmings. It has great, old-school puzzles and sweet visuals.
Who Is It For? Just look at that screenshot. Can’t you tell this one is for horror fans who miss PS1-era horror? It’s a little rough around the edges, but those rough edges contribute to the atmosphere.
Who Is It For? If you enjoy Yakuza side stories with tons of collectables, you’ll fall for this one. The writing is excellent, just as you’d expect from the team that brought you Paradise Killer, and you’ll love the emotional highs in Promise Mascot Agency.
Who Is It For? It’s got the old school Symphony of the Night vibes, so if that’s your thing, go ahead and hit “buy.” Okay, before you do,know that it ha some jank and stiff movements, but this is till an excellent love letter to Castlevania.
Who Is It For? Wales Interactive is so dang good at making FMV video games, and Dead Reset is the latest success. If you like sci-fi horror, making choices with meaning, and film, this is one of the more unique games of 2025.
Who Is It For? Jupiter Hell is here for players who like difficult roguelikes with no handholding. Despite being turn-based, it feels fast-paced and clearly got its roots from the original DOOM franchise.
Who Is It For? I’m sure I’ve done plenty of games for fans of platformers, but this is the only one that emphasizes music so significantly. Symphonia is a short, stylish precision platformer where atmosphere is king. The gameplay isn’t exceptional, but it has some of the best music of the year, so that’s worth something.
Who Is It For? Deathless: The Hero Quest is another roguelike deckbuilders inspired by Slay the Spire mold, but is for players want a more relaxed experience. If you like experimenting with different characters, building neat decks over many runs, and don’t mind some RNG or balance roughness, this one will scratch the itch until Slay the Spire 2 comes out.
Who Is It For? Dawnfolk is a cozy, minimalist take on city building and resource management. It’s another game for those who are curious about the genre but are more into charming pixel art and relaxed play than complicated systems.
Who Is It For? I usually pull one screenshot from every game on this list, but it’s impossible to get just one that does UFO 50 justice. With 50 games from the fictional game company UFOsoft, there is something for everyone in this eclectic collection of new “retro” games. This game is for fans of platformers, shoot ’em ups, puzzle games, roguelites, RPGs, and more. Even better, there are both single-player and multiplayer experiences.
Who Is It For? If you played BPM: Bullets Per Minute and had a blast, this one is for you. If you aren’t familiar, if the idea of playing a shooter in which you sync your actions to the music sounds fun to you, you are going to have a blast with ROBOBEAT. You’ll shoot to the beat, move to the music, and go through a roguelite style of progression. It’s a blast.
Who Is It For? Is This Seat Taken? is a cozy, low-stress puzzle game with thoughtful logic challenges and no timers or pressure. If you enjoy charming presentation, light humor, and puzzles that slowly ramp up in difficulty while remaining relaxing, this is an easy recommendation.
Who Is It For? Roadwarden is a deep, text-driven RPG where reading, observation, and choice matter more than combat or spectacle. If you enjoy rich worldbuilding and the feeling of inhabiting a slow, grounded fantasy world, this is an exceptional fit. It’s like reaiding an interacive novel.
Who Is It For? Laika is a surpisingly emotionally heavy, art-forward game and are with unconventional mechanics. If you enjoy skill-based gameplay with a steep learning curve, striking visuals, and themes that linger long after the credits, this odd, beautiful experience is likely to hit hard.
Who Is It For? Urban Myth Dissolution Center is a mystery-heavy visual novel with stylish pixel art, and a story rooted in modern urban legends. If you enjoy low-pressure gameplay, strong characters, and narrative twists that reward going in blind, this eerie, anime-like experience will be right up your alley.
Who Is It For? This is a cozy, charming JRPG-style adventure with great music, cute art, and a straightforward story you can enjoy even without knowing the Maliki comic. You’ll probably like it most if you’re into the comic and turn-based combat, but I hope you don’t mind some jank and light farming mechanics.
Who Is It For? Overboard rules, and Expelled is inkle’s latest game, so if you enjoyed their other text-based adventures, you’ll love this one too. This is for players who love darkly funny, choice-driven narrative games where experimenting, failing, and replaying the same day is part of the fun.
Who Is It For? This game is for players who feel nostalgic for the early days of online communities and enjoy slow, character driven storytelling. It’s best suited for fans of narrative games who like making small conversational choices, soaking in atmosphere, and reflecting on friendship, growing up, and the bittersweet end of an era.
Who Is It For? Tempopo is a cozy but genuinely thoughtful puzzle game that rewards planning and experimentation rather than quick reflexes. It’s a great fit for families and children.
Who Is It For? ONE BTN BOSSES is a tight bullet hell with repeatable boss fights and bullet hell dodging. Despite the different visual style, it has a lot of content, and score chasers will get the most out of this game.
Who Is It For? Heretic + Hexen is for old-school FPS fans who love classic Doom-era shooters with a fantasy twist. Heretic will appeal to anyone who wants fast, familiar action, while Hexen is better suited to players who enjoy puzzles, hub-based level design, and don’t mind backtracking or getting a little lost. Both are excellent, making this bundle a great value.
Agatha Christie – Death on the Nile
Who Is It For? Wow, this is the third detective game on the list. Guess it was a good year for fans of the genre! Death on the Nile is for mystery fans who enjoy slow, methodical investigations, character interviews, and connecting clues through deduction systems.
Who Is It For? FREEDOM WARS Remastered is for fans of mission-based action RPGs like God Eater who enjoy co-op play, gear grinding, and learning slightly janky but expressive combat systems. If you can get around its rough edges and uneven story, you might have a great time here.
Who Is It For? Most visual novels don’t include tight action combat, but Noctuary does. This one has a heavy emphasis on story, great character relationships, and emotional world-building. It is a great fit if you appreciate anime presentation, yuri themes, and challenging boss fights sprinkled between long narrative stretches, but if you want non-stop action, you’ll want to pass.
Who Is It For? HYKE:Northern Light(s) is an action RPG with cozy vibes, cute character designs, and nice build variety. It’s fine for players who do not mind some jank: occasional UI awkwardness, uneven balance, and side quests that can feel like chores. You might want to wait for a sale, but this one is worth checking out for fans of the genre.
Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard
Who Is It For? Chickenhare and the Treasure of Spiking-Beard is a light, family-friendly 3D platformer with classic design and character switching, similar to Crash Bandicoot or The Lost Vikings. It is especially well-suited for kids and parents looking for straightforward action, gentle puzzles, and charming presentation without high difficulty or complexity.
Who Is It For? Sorry We’re Closed is a story-driven survival horror with strong atmosphere, memorable characters, and heavy late-90s to early-2000s vibes. It is especially suited for fans of games like Silent Hill, Resident Evil, or Signalis who care more about mood, themes, and choices than pure difficulty or constant combat. It’s also here for those who crave queer-forward storytelling.
Who Is It For? Demonschool is for people who like tactics combat that plays like a puzzle, more Into the Breach than Fire Emblem, where lining enemies up and optimizing turns is the whole thrill. It also fits players who want Persona-ish vibes, stylish art and music, and lots of banter, as long as they are okay with a goofy tone and a ton of battles. It might feel bloated, but if you love perfecting fights, it will hook you.
Who Is It For? Cook Serve Forever is a cozier, more story-driven take on the Cook, Serve, Delicious formula, with less stress and more atmosphere. It works best for newcomers to the series or those who just want a little more story to go with their management sims. It’s not for all the fans of the series due to its slower pace, but this is still a fun time.
Who Is It For? Folly of the Wizards is a lighthearted roguelike with a strong visual identity and a playful, chaotic tone. It will appeal most to those who value experimentation, spell synergies, and charming art over tight balance or heavy guidance. It has some rough edges, but it’s an otherwise good time.
Who Is It For? Sacrifice For Sale is a short, choice-heavy visual novel with a strong sense of humor and lots of branching paths to explore. It especially suits achievement hunters and replay-focused readers who like immediately jumping back in to see how wildly different decisions play out. If you enjoy quirky writing, monster characters, and frequent meaningful choices over flashy production values, this one fits perfectly.
Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered
Who Is It For? Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered is for JRPG fans who crave freedom, experimentation, and systems that refuse to hold your hand. It best suits players who enjoy non-linear progression, replaying games to understand their mechanics, and treating an RPG like a long-form puzzle rather than a guided story. If you are willing to embrace failure and missed quests, this is absolutely for you.
Who Is It For? LAPIN is a hand-drawn, story-forward platformer that feels like a gentler, more accessible take on Celeste, with optional side challenges for players who want tougher precision sections.
Who Is It For? Nightmare: The Lunatic is an action roguelite with fast, skill-driven combat and a clear inspiration from Dead Cells and Skul. It suits players who like mastering systems over repeated runs, experimenting with weapon swaps, and pushing through escalating difficulty rather than cruising to easy wins.
Who Is It For? Old Skies is for players who love story-first point-and-click adventures with thoughtful writing and emotionally grounded sci-fi concepts. If you enjoy slower, reflective narratives that linger after the credits roll, this one will get the job done.
Who Is It For? Cooking Companions is for players who enjoy psychological horror visual novels that slowly peel back their sweetness to reveal something deeply unsettling. It is a great fit for fans of games like Doki Doki Literature Club, even if it doesn’t reach the same highs.
Who Is It For? Lynked: Banner of the Spark has cozy action loops that blend light roguelite combat with life sim mechanics. If the idea of Hades meets Animal Crossing sounds fun, and you are okay with a less polished experience, this is a good fit.
And that’s it! You can check out our picks for games you might have missed in 2024, as well as our earlier lists from 2023, 2022, and 2021. They are all still a good time!