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Discussion Best year of the Switch, besides 2017

I think the best is...

  • 2018

    Votes: 5 3.5%

  • 2019

    Votes: 60 41.7%

  • 2020

    Votes: 4 2.8%

  • 2021

    Votes: 26 18.1%

  • 2022

    Votes: 49 34.0%
  • Total voters
    144
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Chain Chomp
Switch's first calendar year is legendary for how many quality titles they crammed into its opening salvo, but what about the years that followed?
Of the 5 full calendar years we've had since 2017, which do you think was the Switch's strongest, and why?
 
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I think I'd need a list of notable games to come out in each year because with COVID it's a total blur to me

I'm leaning 2019 right now, but I think 2023 will be the year to beat
 
If I had to single out a year, 2019. Tetris 99 came out, and that's my favourite game on the system. But honestly I've enjoyed all years to this point for various reasons.
 
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Was 2019 the year SSBU and Astral Chain came out? Then it's that one. Think that's also the year I played Hollow Knight.
 
This is honestly pretty tough looking at the years. 2018 has a stronger claim than I might have thought to be honest, given it has Celeste, Smash Ultimate, Xenoblade 2 Torna, and Octopath Traveler, but 2019 has Three Houses, Mario Maker 2, Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, Ring Fit Adventure, Tetris 99 and a bunch of indies. Listing it out, I think I have to go 2019 overall. But I would also agree that 2023 will likely be the actual answer when all is said and done.
 
meatbag said:
Was 2019 the year SSBU and Astral Chain came out? Then it's that one. Think that's also the year I played Hollow Knight.
Click to expand...
SSBU came out in 2018.
WestEgg said:
This is honestly pretty tough looking at the years. 2018 has a stronger claim than I might have thought to be honest, given it has Celeste, Smash Ultimate, Xenoblade 2 Torna, and Octopath Traveler, but 2019 has Three Houses, Mario Maker 2, Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, Ring Fit Adventure, Tetris 99 and a bunch of indies. Listing it out, I think I have to go 2019 overall. But I would also agree that 2023 will likely be the actual answer when all is said and done.
Click to expand...
If we count DLC that tips it even further with the Smash DLC in 2019.
 
2019 for sure. Second half of the year was fire. Mario Maker, Luigi's Mansion, Astral Chain, Three Houses, Pokémon Sword and Shield (which, well, were bad, but were still a really big deal) and more
 
2019 for me, by a long shot. Astral Chain was fresh and fun, Link's Awakening was a wonderful trip back to my favorite game world ever. Three Houses offered us a look into a really grounded setting with great world building and a fuckload of content.

Then you got Luigi's Mansion 3, which I had a blast with the co-op for and good ol' Mario Maker 2. I also really enjoyed the heck out of Yoshi's Crafted World. I think I got pretty close to 100% for it.

Sword and Shield was good for me. I don't really have any interest in defending it, but I didn't think they were nearly as bad as many felt. Just sort of average, with some pretty fun aspects here and there and a couple great tunes.

Then we have probably my favorite switch release of 2019 other than Link's Awakening -- Dragon Quest XI. The definitive version is everywhere now, but in that moment in time, Switch was where it was at. And it introduced me to one of my favorite modern JRPGs. What a fucken cool game.

I actually think every switch year has been either good or awesome, but 2019 is the only one that for me personally, not only matches but surpasses 2017.
 
2022 for me.

Bayonetta 3 was superb, even with the few issues I had with it.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was something I waited for so long, Kirby in 3D, and Hal knocked it out of the park. Easily in the top 5 of all Kirby games.
Pokemon Legends Arceus finally dethroned HG/SS as my favorite Pokemon game ever made and wasn't a massive disappointment like BDSP and S/S
Xenoblade 3 was an absolute masterpiece from start to finish, and while I still slightly prefer 2 (It took me months to decide which one I liked more), its still one of my favorite games of all time.
 
I'm going to cheat and say the 12 months between June 2022 to June 2023

-Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
-Xenoblade 3
-Bayonetta 3
-Pokemon S/V
-Fire Emblem Engage
-Metroid Prime Remastered
-Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp
-Tears of the Kingdom

Edit: Forgot Splatoon 3
 
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I'm going to say 2019, we got 2 Atelier games, Astral Chain, DQXI, LM3, Fire emblem, Marvel Ultimate alliance, collection of mana .
 
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Damn I already said 2019 but 2022 was indeed really good as well. Two great Pokémon releases, Sunbreak and the trifecta of threes - Xenoblade, Splatoon and Bayonetta
 
It's currently 2021, but I'm probably viewing it differently than most because 3D World and Skyward Sword were new games to me. It also had New Pokemon freaking Snap, a dream game for me, and Metroid Dread, which was a phenomenal experience and one of my favorite games.

However, 2023 is most likely going to beat it. Metroid Prime Remastered and Tears of the Kingdom are both in my top five, Pikmin 4 is wonderful from what I've played, the Mario Kart DLC is awesome, and Super Mario Bros Wonder looks like something special.

EDIT: And if we're counting third party games, 2023 is also pulling ahead with A Space for the Unbound being my favorite game ever made. Three games in my top five is really hard to beat, especially at the rate I play games.
 
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2019 for me. 2019 had two of my favorite games between Three Houses and Dragon Quest XI S with a lot of other really strong titles like Link's Awakening, Astral Chain, Crash Team Racing remake, Dragon Quest Builders 2, etc
 
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Tough to decide between 2022 and 2018.

The combo of Splatoon 3, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Persona 5 Royal makes 2022 very hard to beat.

However, Splatoon 2's Octo Expansion may be the greatest game DLC ever, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most I have ever played any game by far. So gotta go 2018 by a narrow margin.
 
The year 2021 included the release of the Metroid Dread game for the Nintendo Switch family of consoles. It is therefore the best year for me by default.
 
Nostalgia tinted glasses at work here, but honestly each year of the Switch built on the last.
'the best' year is probably 2017-2018, both years set the tone for the rest and showed what was possible on the console, in terms of getting current game games (impossible ports), exploding genres like walking sims, and JRPGs and other titles people didn't even consider would come to Switch (like all the walking sims, strategy and simulation games)

I recall around 2017 launch people just assumed it was going to get Nintendo games, plus last gen 360 games and games designed to play on a portable system only.
 
Imo
2019 > 2022 > 2023 > 2018 > 2021 > 2020

Which is mostly first-party based because I can't remember the correct year for most ports and indies
 
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I remember 2019 being very packed.

2021,2022 and 2023 are all standout years as well. It's been great overall i don't think any year has been truly weak.
 
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Shocked to see 2022 so low, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Bayo Xeno and Splatoon 3, Fire Emblem Three Hopes, Pokemon Legends Arceus and ScaVi.
 
Going with 2019 using only games I've played through the whole story as basis.
Three Houses is my biggest play time on the Switch and I really loved the games and its scope. Luigi's Mansion 3 was my "wow, nice graphics!" moment and also featured a really great adventure with some very memorable moments, boss fights and characters. Astral Chain was a super dope experience. Amazing story, some emotional moments, great combat and phenomenal graphics. Also Ring Fit Adventure is a game I dream of having money to buy so I can make some work out(and I'm the biggest hater of gyms).

2021 comes really close and I think it can surpass it if I play more games that released that year. Metroid Dread was a life saving experience and a dream coming true. Shin Megami Tensei V is an incredible game that I've put a hundred hours in and will play more for sure. Skyward Sword HD has an amazing story but that backtracking kinds killed the experience for me with the bad pacing so I never completed the game. Was loving it tho.

2022 had Mario Kart dlc which blown everything for me. Bayonetta 3 was an amazing experience. I'm sure Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is my thing and I can't wait to play it. Splatoon 3 is amazing, wish I had this game. Pokémon Legends Arceus made me actually like and play a Pokémon game. FE Warriors Three Hopes is something I really want to play, loved Three Houses. And I was forgetting Kirby and the Forgotten Land that I loved the demo. And Switch sports, loved the beta.

2023 might just beat everything tho. Metroid Prime Remastered was another life saving experience and one of the best games of all time. It has a Fire Emblem game with a lot of fan service that I must play. Tears of the Kingdom is the game I've waited for 4 years and it looks like it's even more than I ever dreamed of and I can't wait to play it. Pikmin 4 got my interest and I loved the demo. A new, fresh and crazy 2d Mario coming. A fucking Super Mario RPG remake. Oh boi...
 
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I have a soft spot for 2021. To me, it was the year of impossible dreams coming true.

  • Metroid Dread. Who would've thought we'd ever get to play that?
  • New PokĂ©mon Snap. Probably my most wanted sequel of all time, and it delivered.
  • Famicom Detective Club. A missing piece of Nintendo's history, finally available in the West and remade beautifully.


Even third-parties...
  • The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles. I had given up hope on these getting localized, and I'm so glad they eventually did.
  • NEO: The World Ends With You. A sequel to one of the best games on the DS.

Not to mention other quality titles Bowser's Fury, Monster Hunter Rise... Like, dang, what a year.
 
It's 2023 already and we still have a lot more in store. TOTK is the best game ever no other year comes close save for 2017. 2021 for Dread was also big for me.
 
2019, 2021 and 2022 are soooo good.

Things like Kirby and the Forgotten Land elevate 2022. I can’t believe how much I love that game. It’s the first 3D Kirby game ever and they nailed it. Stuff like that has more weight for me. 2021 we saw the return of Pokémon Snap. Arguably my biggest want in over 2 decades. It never felt like it was coming back and the big return to 2D Metroid.
 
It's 2019 for the time being. Huge variety of titles and it had a big game hitting nearly every month once you made it to June. Mario Maker 2, Three Houses, Astral Chain, Link's Awakening, Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pokemon Sword + Shield were all packed in between June and November 2019.

I think 2023 could end up as the best year of the Switch after 2017 though. It just really depends on how good Pikmin 4 and Mario Wonder are. TotK in Spring, Pikmin 4 in Summer, and Wonder in Fall is giving me similar vibes to 2017's trio of big EPD titles that were tentpoles of the year with BotW in Spring, Splatoon 2 in Summer, and Odyssey in Fall.
 
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Definitely 2021, as it gave us Famicom Detective Club remakes in English. Can't see anything else topping that in the system's lifetime.
 
2022 > 2019 for 3rd party support, 2019 > 2022 for 1st party support. None of the other years come close to those two.
 
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Personally I always put 2019 as equal to 2017, so the question is whether any other year has managed to dethrone 2019 for me. At this point both 2021, 2022 and 2023 provide real challenges to that.

2021 is a good candidate thanks to Bowser's Fury, Monster Hunter Rise, No More Heroes 3, Famicom Detective Club, Metroid Dread, Elechead and the sublime Dungeon Encounters. With Nintendo banking on re-released content for their biggest hits that year, 2021 was ample proof of how good gaming is even without 'high end' software.

2022 brought the flagship, higher profile bangers to the table. Kirby, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3 and Sparks of Hope were all excellent games, with XBC3 a new high for the series for me, and Forgotten Land a real triumph for Kirby. The other two standouts for me would be the 2D-HD titles: Triangle Strategy and Live Alive. Three Hopes didn't quite gel with me (I played it when very ill so it's one I've got to go back to) and Pokemon Legends left me flat.

2023 is only half done, but Tears of the Kingdom is the inescapable, monumental point in its favour. Add to that superb re-releases for Metroid Prime and Advance Wars, as well as a low key indie classic in A Space for the Unbound, then it's already a strong challenger. FE Engage rubbed me up the wrong way in terms of the story, world and characters, so it fell a little flat despite the commendable mechanical and technical improvements. I've also yet to play Future Redeemed or Octopath Traveler 2, and with Sea of Stars, Pikmin 4, and Oxenfree 2 preceding the Mario titles in the autumn, the second half looks pretty good. But I won't give it to 2023 based on the first half alone.

2019 had Astral Chain, Ring Fit Adventure, Luigi's Mansion 3, Fire Emblem Three Houses, Link's Awakening, Mario Maker 2, Tetris 99, Cadence of Hyrule, and Dragon Quest XI S. In terms of series and genre variety I thought this year was superb, and the genuinely new things Nintendo did (Astral Chain, RFA, Tetris 99, Cadence of Hyrule and so on) make it stand out for me.

I'd probably still just about give it to 2019, but I'd say that, after a lull in 2020, Switch has really roared back. Even 2020 had things like New Horizons, Kentucky Route Zero and Hades, which shows how good life's been.
 
Nobody brings these games up, but 2019 also had Yoshi’s Crafted World which was very good and Yooka Laylee and the Impossible Lair which was great. 2019 had soooooo much
 
I can see why people love 2022 but Nintendo's lineup just didn't hit with me hard enough to be a peak Switch year due to how they paced their lineup. It did have some really strong games though. (Shout-out to Kirby)

I think having the mainline Pokémon RPGs anchor the entire year with Arceus at the start and ScVi at the end is really what dragged my enjoyment of their overall year down despite Arceus being a game I really enjoyed. Even ignoring ScVi's controversy at launch, I just did not feel the hype going into the fall when the main event was a Pokémon RPG that I already had my fill of earlier in the year with Arceus.

The 3rd parties ended up being the surprise saviors of Fall 2022 for me with the 1-2 punch of Nier Automata and Persona 5 Royal, both incredible games I had experienced first on Switch. (Though I had played OG P5 before)
 
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2018 - Feels like it's a bit underappreciated, due to the first half years Deluxe heavy output. But a ton of great indie games and a couple of great first party year
2019 - was a fine year and I get that many love it, but it was extremely uneven distributed and that doesnt really gel with me. Extremely stacked late aug-mid nov though.
2020 - While meager from Nintendo, it was the best years for indies on the Switch ever. Amazing output, many of them on my best games ever list.
2021 - Maybe not the output many wished for, there was absolutely a lot of good new games,
2022 - Really good year for first party titles, and this is coming from someone who doesnt even like Pokémon. Also a lot of high profile third party games.
2023 - Has the potential to be the best year ever, even ahead of 2017. Based on what we know, and if those games deliver.. I'm probably going to give this game the trophy, and if Silksong and a couple of other surprises hits the store - it's a slamdunk.
 
2020 for me
It didn’t have the most games but what we did get I loved- New Horizons, Hades, A Short Hike, part-time UFO, Spiritfarer, Origami King plus we got 3D all stars and it was amazing to play those games on switch for me.
 
Was gonna vote for 2023 tbh. I have absolute faith in Pikmin 4, Mario Wonder, SMRPG, and then there's also Wario and more!
 
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2021 for me:

Shin Megami Tensei V
Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
Bravely Default II
Metroid Dread
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury

Last year was very good too. And boy...this year...
 
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My favourite was 2021-

Bravely Default 2
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Stories 2
Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
SMTV
 
2019 is the answer until we see how this year completely plays out.

Mario Maker 2, Link’s Awakening, Three Houses, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Astral Chain, Cadence of Hyrule.
 
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2022. That's a no brainer.
Xenoblade 3, Bayonetta 3, Kirby and the forgotten land, Splatoon 3, triangle strategy, mario + rabbids, 2x pokemon.

Edit: persona 5 royal also finally released on switch
 
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It's 2022 for me, but could well end up being 2023 when all is said and done.

For me, I mostly play only 1st party games (and a couple 3rd party exclusives) so first party output is really all I consider when judging these things.

2018 - Weak year for me. Smash carried the year with a great single player mode and I enjoyed Let's Go P/E more than most, but Mario Tennis sucked and Labo was a rare misfire from Nintendo's wacky peripheral guys. The dual DLC drops of XC2: Torna and Octo Expansion were probably the best parts of the whole year.

2019 - Everyone loves this year and it looks great on paper but it was the year of disappointments to me. Three Houses was an awful take on FE, Crafted World a really poor take on Yoshi, Sword/Shield maybe the poorest generation of pokemon. Mario Maker 2 didn't really do anything special over the first. Luigi's Mansion 3 and the phenomenal Ring Fit Adventure were the only real standouts here (although they do make it a good year, just not a great one).

2020 - Just a ton of remasters / ports in this year. Animal Crossing was incredible and I put 100s of hours into it - but almost nothing else.

2021 - Surprisingly good year. Getting two dream games like Metroid Dread and New Pokemon Snap puts it in 3rd place alone, but for me Bowser's Fury was really, really special too. The big disappointment being the rotten Mario Golf game that I had looked forward too so much.

2022 - Pokemon Legends Arceus is the best pokemon game since Gold/Silver, maybe ever. That's some start to a year. Followed by Splatoon 3 and XC3? Plus Bayo 3 and a much improved pokemon gen in Scarlet/Violet? A new Mario & Rabbids game (not as good as the first, but still.) This year is way out in front.

2023 - A new Zelda, 2d Mario and Pikmin 4, plus an Advance Wars remaster - if we get anything more this may top 2022.
 
It's 2019 (Link's Awakening, 3 Houses, LM3, SMM2) vs 2021 (Dread, Bowser's Fury and Shinning Pearl) for me.

I'll go with 2021 since those three are some of my favorite games.
 
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Mekanos said:
I think I'd need a list of notable games to come out in each year because with COVID it's a total blur to me

I'm leaning 2019 right now, but I think 2023 will be the year to beat
Click to expand...

For reference:

2018

Kirby Star Allies
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
Mario Tennis Aces
Super Mario Party
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna - The Golden Country (DLC)
Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle: Donkey Kong Adventure (DLC)
Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion (DLC)
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee
Bayonetta 1+2
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

2019

Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Yoshi's Crafted World
Tetris 99
Super Mario Maker 2
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Astral Chain
Ring Fit Adventure
Luigi's Mansion 3
Pokemon Sword/Shield

2020

Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Paper Mario: The Origami King
Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Super Mario 3D All-Stars
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

2021

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
New Pokemon Snap
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Metroid Dread
No More Heroes III
Skyward Sword HD
Mario Party Superstars
Monster Hunter Rise
WarioWare: Get it Together
Shin Megami Tensei V
Famicom Detective Club
Game Builder Garage
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl

2022

Pokemon Legends Arceus
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Nintendo Switch Sports
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
Mario Strikers: Battle League
Splatoon 3
Bayonetta 3
Pokemon Scarlet/Violet

I'm sure I'm missing some major ones but that's the general gist of it.

It's amazing to me how 2023 is already shaping up to be one of the best years of the system's lifespan. How many consoles' seventh year on the market can you say that for?
 
2019 was a banger (Fire Emblem, Astral Chain, LM3, Mario Maker 2, Ring Fit, SteamWorld Quest, and others come to mind) but 2023 is surprisingly great so far, especially given how far along in its life span the Switch is. I've loved everything and I've played the hell out of my Switch this year: Fire Emblem, Bayonetta Origins, Metroid Prime, Kirby, Advance Wars, Zelda, Pikmin 1+2. I know some of those are remakes or whatever but I don't really care. There's still Pikmin 4, Samba de Amigo, Baten Kaitos, Fantasy Life, Wario Ware, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario Wonder, and more to come!

Nintendo fans have got to take a moment to sniff the roses this gen because the consistency of releases hasn't been this good in a very, very long time, and with production costs/scope ballooning ever further, we may never hit this level of consistency again.
 
2019 was great, with Astral Chain and Three Houses.
2021 and 2022 were also very good.

2020 was Wii U tier, it was almost a perfect rerun of 2016, which was a joke year.
 
I actually think this year is really solid

Zelda TotK
Advance Wars
Super Mario Wonder
Pikmin 4
Super Mario RPG
Batman Trilogy
Metal Gear Solid collection
Metroid Prime Remastered

Bangers this year!
 
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