Summary
Reigning as one of the best-selling consoles of all time, the Nintendo Switch has delivered time and time again with stand-out first-party hits, an assortment of must-have AAA titles, and avast collection of indie gemsall from the last decade. Without high frames and intense graphical capabilities, many expected the Switch to stagger behind, but its immense number of ports has proven that even some of the top-of-the-range gaming experiences can be played on this little handheld console without compromising too much else.
Even some of the most expansive,visually demanding gameshave become staples for this portable gaming device (albeit with lesser visual prowess, generally speaking); keeping their charm and reaching new audiences on a console owned by both frequent gamers and casual gamers alike. With many years now passed since the Switch’s release, there’s never been a better time to look back on some of the greatest Nintendo Switch ports that players have adored over the years.
Updated on July 10, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Nintendo Switch is not built to run games with high graphics fidelity, as such games usually don’t find a place in Nintendo’s own productions, but that’s where the port magic comes in.
Optimizing games is not really an easy job as most triple-A studios even fumble that on high-end platforms, let alone low-level hardware like the Switch. That being, there are studios around the world that help studios launch their games on Switch with consistent performance and the least sacrifices possible.
It may sound impossible, butThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntis playable on Switch with no cut content. Featuring one of the biggest worlds among RPG titles,The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis a game that everyone loves to play, regardless of their platform.
The Switch port didn’t come with sacrifices, of course. For those who have played it on another platform already, it might be difficult to tolerate the downgraded textures but to be honest, the game itself is so engaging thatnewcomers can easily lose themselvesinThe Witcher 3universe, and forget about the low-resolution visuals.
Two years after its release, the dark action-adventureHellblade: Senua’s Sacrificefinally made its way onto the Switch, blowing gamers away with the sheer quality of its port to the platform. Following protagonist Senua through the Norse and Celtic-inspired dark-fantasy world, this narrative explores a relentless fight to gain back the soul of Senua’s dead lover, battling otherworldly entities and embarking on brave challenges along the way.
Compared by many to the performance of the PS4,Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrificereigns as one of the most visually spectacular games to come to the system. Targeting a consistent 30fps, the game generally performs well and only occasionally tends to stutter, The pre-recorded cut-scenes all look incredible, and the only noticeable downscaling is in the visuals, which while still epic for the Switch are at times noticeably more blurry and lower-res than the original.
Known as one of thegreatest comeback stories in gaming history,No Man’s Skymade its way onto the Nintendo Switch in 2022 following six years of much-needed updates and changes, delivering Switch gamers a full-fledged space exploration experience that’s still unlike anything else out there. In this action-adventure survival game, players are given free rein over entire galaxies to discover story-based content, never-ending procedural generation, base building, and more.
Despite the longer loading screens, the game maintains a steady 30fps even through some of the more demanding gameplay, staying surprisingly consistent through epic space travel but occasionally fluctuating in combat and mining every so often. Even the visuals are hard not to appreciate, limited only by a light blurriness for better performance, but staying perfectly in line with the game’s expected art style. For that,No Man’s Skyhas to be one of the greatest ports with its sheer scale and outstanding gaming experience.
Brought to the Nintendo Switch five years after its release,Alien: Isolationquickly became one of its most renowned ports of all time, showcasing the potential of the Switch’s graphics and performance like never seen before. As a survival horror game set 15 years after the originalAlienfilm, gamers play as protagonist Amanda Ripley aboard the space station Sevastopol as she investigates the disappearance of her mother.
Through tense segments progressing and surviving fromone of the most intelligent gaming AIsto date, this horror survival experience couldn’t be more perfect to play curled up on the couch with dimmed lights as the Switch makes possible. Even the few downgraded assets are hard to notice when the ambient lighting, volumetric effects, and extraordinary visuals run at a consistent 30fps, scarcely stuttering or dropping frames regardless of what players do, keeping gamers perfectly immersed in the relentless horrors they face.
WhenDark Souls Remasteredwas released on Nintendo Switch, Valve had not released Steam Deck yet. So, Switch became the only handheld platform to play this masterpiece with a solid performance and stable frames.
Regarding how many times each player dies in aDark Soulsgame, handheld platforms are great for aSouls-like experience, as the player can at least chill while counting up the “You Died” screens!
Dark Souls Remasteredisn’t heavy on visual quality, but stable performance is important as a tiny lag could get the player killed in the middle of the fight. Thankfully, FromSoftware’s classic came out swinging and turned into one of the best Switch experiences.
It’s no secret thatThe Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimis a beloved game for many, taking players on a fantasy action role-playing experience that still hails assome gamers' favorite title almost a decade after its release. With its vast open world, myriad story quests, magic and melee battles, and more, players will uncover all the fantastical elements that made this game a hit back in 2016.
While graphically gamers will only be getting fairly mediocre Xbox 360-level visuals, the experience ofSkyrimportably is something that cannot be understated, in many ways bringing a new life to the classic game with this pick-up-and-play nature. The consistent 30fps is a nice treat too, maintaining reliable consistency for wherever players choose to embark on their adventures.
As the Nintendo Switch has quickly become quite the hub for indie gaming, it makes sense thatWhat Remains Of Edith Finchwould slot neatly into its catalog,offering a story-driven indie experience like no other. At just two hours in length, this whimsical but dark tale follows the seventeen-year-old Edith Finch returning to her family home as the last surviving member. With childlike memories and flashbacks, notes, secrets, and more, players will uncover both their family history and the mysterious circumstances of their deaths.
On the Switch,What Remains Of Edith Finchcontinues to impress as it did on all other platforms, rarely stuttering, containing few loading screens, and overall transporting players into its beautiful, highly detailed scenes both within the home and on its grounds. Sitting at a mostly stable 30fps, it’s hard to fault and is completely worth diving into.
Theaction role-playing gameNieR Automata - The End of YoRHa Editionmay have taken a number of years to come to Switch, but it was certainly worth the wait. Fighting against the threat of machine lifeforms from another world, it’s the player’s job to take back the planet from these unwelcome invaders as part of the military force YoRHa.
With a stark mix of anime and realistic visuals, the Switch is the perfect platform for its artwork to shine. While some textures are lowered and the resolution may compensate during the action, it otherwise looks clear and beautifully captures the world as if it were made to be viewed handheld. A consistent 30fps with only a few dips is also guaranteed, surpassing expectations for a performance that’ll make it worth picking up on the go.
Since releasing way back in 2014,Persona 4 Goldenhas established itself to bea classic JRPG that any gamer needs to play. From its roots on the PS Vita to its return to handheld on the Switch, it now offers greatly enhanced visuals for gamers to rediscover this gem in the modern-day scene. Like mostPersonatitles, players follow the life of a high-school student with gameplay that merges RPG and life-simulator elements into an incredibly replayable bundle.
As an older game,Persona 4 Goldenvisually shows its age at times with more simplistic models, but the well-built 3D world and minimal graphic requirements for it make the Switch experience feel like one of the best ways to discover and play this classic hit. Perhaps most impressively, it also runs at 60FPS in both docked and handheld mode, keeping gameplay smooth at all times without compromising anything.
Techland is one of those studios that takes good care of their games after release. Aside from supportingDying Lightfor years with new content, the studio also took its time with the Nintendo Switch version to deliver a polished experience, and the result was unbelievable!
Dying Lighton Switch never looks like an outsider. Of course, it doesn’t deliver the same texture quality as the PC version of the game, but it is not downgraded awfully either. The game plays pretty smoothly and the textures look good enough not to hurt the immersion. This is a massive achievement for Techland, especially knowing thatDying Lightis an open-world game.
