20 Best Single-Player Switch Games To Enjoy Solo

by  Ievgen Dubravin Last update: August 30, 2024

Nintendo Switch is an incredible device that combines the experience of portable gaming with a classic console that you can connect to the big screen at home. I think it’s a bit incorrect when Nintendo Switch games are directly compared to Microsoft or Sony projects. While most companies follow the path of cinematic storytelling and technological innovation, the best single-player Switch games always focus on gameplay and unique mechanics. I am a big fan of this portable console, so I would like to share my favorite Nintendo games that can be played solo. 

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20 Best Single-Player Games for Switch to Have a Memorable Experience

Do you have a few hours to play on your portable console? Have a long flight ahead? Or do you want to just relax on the couch, alone, with a console in your hands, but don’t know what game to play on your Nintendo Switch?

I bring to your attention a list of 20 excellent games, both from Nintendo itself and from third parties, that are worth playing. This is not a rating list – it simply presents a compilation of quality, decent games of different genres that will be interesting for owners of Nintendo Switch console to get acquainted with. Let’s go!

20. Spongebob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

This is a 3D platformer, a remake of the 2003 game based on the animated series of the same name. According to the plot, the insidious Plankton is once again trying to steal the Krabby Patty recipe, and an army of robots must help him. Naturally, the plan fails in the most comical way, as the robots were mistakenly given orders to disobey their master and went to destroy Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob and his friends have to defend their home from a horde of robots. This game perfectly conveys the spirit of the cartoon and is filled with a lot of references, and you will also meet all the famous characters and recognizable locations.

19. Baldo: The Guardian Owls

Action-adventure RPG with lots of puzzles in the style of Studio Ghibli cartoons. You travel through the open world in real time, fight enemies and various bosses, and explore all sorts of intricate dungeons that hide many puzzles. In terms of gameplay, the game is very reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda series of games.

18. Hollow Knight

This game is considered to be one of the most atmospheric and high-quality metroidvanias. The game follows the adventures of a nameless knight in the long-abandoned insect kingdom of Hallownest. The player will have to explore a huge world, but due to the peculiarities of this genre, they will gain access to certain zones only by defeating certain bosses and receiving improvements obtained from them.

17. Cozy Grove

This is a life simulator on an ever-changing island. Your hero is a ghostly scout who specializes in finding restless spirits and bringing them into harmony with nature. The gameplay is a session-based adventure with crafting and finding items. The hero lands on the pier and begins to explore the world, complete quests from ghosts, and engage in useful gathering and crafting. The time in the game flows in accordance with the real world, so all activities are tied to the time of day.

16. No Man’s Sky

This is an action-adventure game with an open world and survival elements in a virtual procedurally-generated universe. The player must advance through the plot, engage in crafting and trading, and explore outer space and a huge variety of planets. Each planet is unique and procedurally generated, and information about all star systems, planets, and life forms is shared and updated with other players. Moreover, each object stores the name of the player who first opened it.

15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

This title is the fifth main title in the Elder Scrolls series that takes place in the northern province of Tamriel called Skyrim. It’s a snowy region inspired by Norse mythology and Viking aesthetics. The game won the Best Game of 2011 award and remains very popular to this day. This is my definite recommendation for all RPG fans, with an excellent plot, a huge variety of exciting quests, and dungeons and dragons. The game probably won’t be suitable for kids, but, it’s definitely one of the best Nintendo Switch games for adults.

14. Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet Double Pack

This famous series of Japanese RPGs is about collecting and fighting pocket monsters. The main numbered parts of the series come out in pairs and have a common appearance and one plot. The differences include certain types of unique Pokemons and minor changes to some quests. Thus, in order to collect all types of Pokemon, players of different versions need to interact with each other and exchange. It is also the first game in the series with a large and completely open world and modified combat mechanics. 

13. Signalis

Signalis is an atmospheric survival horror in the style of retro graphics of games from the PS1 era. Critics have named it to be one of the best solo Switch games created by an indie studio. The main character, the android Elster, finds herself in an abandoned space colony after a spaceship crash and is looking for her pilot companion, simultaneously figuring out what happened in the colony. I really love this game for its intricate, surreal plot and atmosphere.

12. Persona 5 Royal

It is a very stylish JRPG, part of the famous Megami Tensei franchise. The plot revolves around a high school student who moves to Tokyo and settles in a cafe with a friend of his parents. During the day, the main character attends school and leads an ordinary life. Still, one day, everything changes when he finds himself in an alternative reality, which is the collective unconscious of people and their evil thoughts. The main character, in company with friends, will have to solve not only his everyday problems but also change the dark subconscious of people and unravel a conspiracy.

11. Ori: The Collection

The best 1-player Switch games that were once exclusive to Microsoft platforms are now here for you! The collection consists of two platform games with Metroidvania elements in a very colorful hand-drawn style. The story follows the adventures of a brave little spirit as it solves puzzles and fights bosses, accompanied by a stylish orchestral sound design.

10. Super Mario Odyssey

This is my favorite platformer about a famous plumber who travels through different open worlds. The plot is typical for other games in the Mario series, which is considered to be one of the best solo Nintendo Switch games. The gameplay here is a best-in-class platformer with a bunch of different gameplay mechanics, secrets, hidden locations, and very nice visuals. Like all Mario platformers, this game seems simple at first glance, but by the end of the game, finding secrets can challenge the player. 

9. Death’s Door

This is a game in the action and metroidvania genres, set in an isometric perspective with well-thought-out level design and difficulty balance. The player controls a small raven who works as a reaper of death and must collect the souls of the dead for a bureaucratic office in the afterlife. The game is filled with puzzles and features for the metroidvania genre and boss battles.

8. Pokemon Sword and Shield

This is the main numbered part of the series about pocket monsters. The game has a very nice graphical style and an engaging story mode. It is a great way to get acquainted with what the games in the series looked like before Scarlet/Violet. The player will have to collect Pokemon, upgrade them, and fight with other trainers in the world of Galar, similar to England.

7. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing is a life simulator and the second best one-player Switch games in terms of sales. The player moves to an uninhabited island, which they arrange to their liking. While exploring the island in real-time, the player will have to complete quests. They will obtain items and resources, catch living creatures, grow plants, and communicate with anthropomorphic animals. I love this meditative adventure with nice graphics and addictive gameplay.

6. Cuphead

Cuphead is a platformer featuring continuous boss battles in 1930s cartoon style. The game demands player skill and offers co-op play for two, in addition to solo adventures. It’s a nice game to play on Nintendo Switch in your free time.

5. Dungeon of the Endless

Dungeon of the Endless is a game in the roguelike genre with tower defense elements. The player takes on the role of a survivor of a space prison ship whose escape capsule has crashed on the surface of an unknown planet. To escape, they will have to guide the energy crystal through several floors, each of which is filled with many hostile creatures. The player will explore randomly generated levels to collect resources to power various rooms and build turrets to fend off enemies.

4. Monster Hunter: Rise

It is a hardcore action/RPG about hunting monsters and improving equipment using parts obtained from monsters in huge locations in the world. The style of this game is similar to ancient Japan. You can play solo, as well as in local co-op or online co-op for up to 4 players. The Monster Hunter series, like the Mario games and the adventures of Link, have always been among the best Switch games for solo play.

3. Bayonetta™ 3

Here, you will find the continuation of the adventures of the witch, who fights against various enemies using a combination of melee attacks and gunplay. It’s a stylish game with excellent visuals and an interesting plot with elements of humor. I also like the thought-out combo system and memorable enemies and bosses.

2. The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom

This is a continuation of Link’s adventures in a huge open world, in which we now also have floating islands and a whole huge world underground available for exploration. It is a unique single-handed game with well-thought-out physics of the environment and an incredible atmosphere. The developers have added many new mechanics for solving puzzles. The Legends of Zelda™ became the best single-player Switch game of all time, according to review aggregator OpenCritic. I definitely wouldn’t recommend you pass this game up. Plus, it’s available for offline play.

1. Metroid™ Dread

It’s the continuation of the series that gave birth to the metroidvania genre. The game is a sequel to Metroid Fusion 2002. Bounty hunter Samus Aran visits a planet called ZDR, where she encounters new and dangerous robot enemies. It is a  hardcore action game for solo players with features typical for the metroidvania genre. Stealth elements have also been added, as Samus cannot easily deal with robots in battle and must avoid them until she finds a solution to how to defeat them.

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Final Thoughts

Nintendo Switch is a great console to immerse yourself in the world of Nintendo exclusives, as well as games by other developers that you can take with you anywhere. In this article, I have listed the 20 best single-player games on Switch, in my opinion. All of these standalone games offer different pacing and storylines, but they all have unique mechanics in common. Choose your game and have a great time with Nintendo!

Also, if you’re a fan of solo play, you should check our articles on the best single-player PC games and single-player card games. Let me know in the comments which game you chose!