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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
I think probably 2018 or 2021.
2018 had ports as it's best games but they were mostly really great games whereas 2021 had a few great original titles but also some big disappointments.
2019 on paper seems like a great year but when I think back to most of those games a lot of them were a disappointment in one way or another apart from Pokemon Sword/Shield, and Tetris 99.
 
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LiamRobertson said:
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.
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I do think we should be really appreciative. Every single console since the N64 has had dry spouts, but that has not happened with the Switch.

However, I think with this unified development approach, I really do not think that Nintendo will have dry spells again. They have amassed a lot of the talent in Japan, and plan on nearly doubling their workforce. Their studios also still have an insane output as well. And not only that, but they have amassed a ridiculous amount of partner studios that regularly makes games for them. Bandai Namco, Mercury Steam, Tantalus, HAL, Ubisoft, Intelligent Systems, Koei Techmo, Grezzo, just to name a few. Nintendo is one of the few publishers that know how to reasonably scale and budget their games too. So I really don't see it to be a problem.
 
2018 takes the cake for me. Pokémon Let’s Go and Smash Ultimate are 2 of my top 5 games on the console
 
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2019 wins by my purchases

2023 can give the surprise if they announced some cool stuff at september direct.
 
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This year has TotK.
TotK wins everything it appears in, ever.

But in terms of sheer quantity, I loved 2019. Mario Maker 2, Three Houses, Astral Chain, Link's Awakening and NSMBU Deluxe are all incredible games I hold dear.
 
People also forget about Xenoblade 3: Future Redeemed for 2023 games. It is big enough to count for me and is giving 2023 a lot of points too.
 
Mbolibombo said:
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.
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To be honest, I loved everything Nintendo released in 2020. Tokyo Mirage Sessions, New Horizons, Clubhouse Games, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Age of Calamity etc.

And the indies, as you say - Hades, A Short Hike, Spiritfarer, Lonely Mountains, Grindstone, Huntdown, Crosscode, Paradise Killer, Going Under, Disc Room, Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin, Murder by Numbers etc.

To have this amount to play in the middle of the pandemic was incredible.
 
I suppose if Wonder delivers I guess it could be 2023. 2019 is pretty damn strong though.
 
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2022 was fire:

  • Persona 5 Royal
  • Portal: Companion Collection
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3
  • Neon White
  • Kirby and the Forgotten Land
  • Splatoon 3
  • Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
  • Pokemon Legends: Arceus
  • Bayonetta 3
  • Nier: Automata
  • TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
  • 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
  • Triangle Strategy
  • OlliOlli World
  • Live a Live
 
It used to be 2019 for me, but last year just edged it out with Pokémon Legends Arceus, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Xenoblade 3, Bayonetta 3, and Triangle Strategy.

Although now 2023 is competing for that spot with Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4, Super Mario Wonder, Super Mario RPG, Metroid Prime Remastered, Octopath 2, Fire Emblem Engage, etc.

The Switch is really just aging like fine wine with its release slate improving every year since 2020, and I love to see it.
 
bixente said:
To be honest, I loved everything Nintendo released in 2020. Tokyo Mirage Sessions, New Horizons, Clubhouse Games, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Age of Calamity etc.

And the indies, as you say - Hades, A Short Hike, Spiritfarer, Lonely Mountains, Grindstone, Huntdown, Crosscode, Paradise Killer, Going Under, Disc Room, Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin, Murder by Numbers etc.

To have this amount to play in the middle of the pandemic was incredible.
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First party wise, it did have some cool stuff - I really enjoyed Paper Mario and the XC remaster did some really nice things for the game. Re-visiting Pikmin 3 was great to.. but I felt it lacked some oomph, and since I am not in to AC and found the Mario collection a bit lackluster I felt it came a bit short for me personally. But all things considered, with the pandemic and all.. it wasnt bad.

Indies carried the year a long way though, to the point I feel 2020 is underappreciated by many.
 
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2019 and it’s not even close. Fire Emblem Three Houses and Dragon Quest XI alone make that a fantastic year as those are two of my favorite games ever made, but we also got Super Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Astral Chain (which I’m currently playing for the first time). I did also enjoy Pokémon Sword and Shield, but 75% of my enjoyment came from the DLC so that’s more of a 2020 thing.

I’d honestly argue the year was even better than 2017, even if there’s nothing as big as a new Mario or Zelda.
 
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This year is also really good for me given that ToTK isnt even my favourite switch game so far in it and that was excellent. Octopath II was just stunning and Advance Wars was great too.
 
2019 and 2022 are the years that stand out to me, with 2019 only really edging it out because of FE:TH. But 2023 might just be the year with TotK being straight up amazing to the point where it might be my new favorite GOAT, hopefully Pikmkn 4 living up to Pikmin 3, and the new 2D Mario looking promising. Can't forget upcoming indies, like that one 3D game by the Sonic Mania team and hopefully Mina the Hollower
 
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2017 > 2022 > 2019 > 2021 > 2020 > 2018

I think this year will overtake 2022 and could surpass 2017, it has literally everything I want (New 3D Zelda, 2D Mario, Xenoblade Expansion, Pikmin, Mario Kart DLC, Fire Emblem, Metroid Prime, WarioWare, and Splatoon DLC).
 
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2019 was literally the best year, way too many high quality releases. But 2022 was the year Square struck back, one of their finest performance.

And I don't think 2017 was good at all, it's the weakest one for me. Bunch of first party releases, many of them were disappointments for me. I gamed more on my 3DS than Switch in 2017.
 
2020 with COVID hitting was painful but man Paper Mario was a real bright spot, just a pure joyfully creative game announced and released in like a month or two. I'd give it to 2021 or probably even this year but Paper Mario really stuck with me as a "right moment" game even more than Animal Crossing.
 
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If I could vote 2023 it’d be that
fire emblem, Zelda, pikmin 1-2-4, Metroid prime remaster, new 2d Mario, wario ware, smrpg remake, advance warfare, detective pikachu, new dq monsters, etrian odyssey ports, Kirby port, new bayo spin off, various dlc.
 
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My heart belongs to 2022 thanks to Xenoblade 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Bayonetta 3, 13 Sentinels, It Takes Two, Splatoon 3, Prodeus, Nier Automata, Lunistice, and Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak.

This year could definitely be a competitor though if games like Mario Bros Wonder, The Plucky Squire, Phantom Fury, Trine 5, Arkham Trilogy, and Turbo Overkill are as good as I'm hoping. TOTK, Boltgun, and Future Connected are already fantastic.
 
I never really remember the years too well at a moment's notice so I thought it might be fun to list the games I enjoyed most each year and then try to rank them. (I played more than these games, these just made big impressions)

2017 - Breath of the Wild, Puyo Puyo Tetris, Splatoon 2, Mario Odyssey, Mario and Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Xenoblade 2, Golf Story, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

2018 - Celeste, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Splatoon 2 Octo Expansion, Kemono Friends Picross (my first Picross game lol), Valkyria Chronicles IV, Torna, Super Smash Bros Ultimate

2019 - Baba Is You, Yoshi's Crafted World, Box Boy and Box Girl, Tetris 99, Gato Roboto, Super Mario Maker 2, Untitled Goose Game, Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, BBTag 2.0, Ai The Somnium Files, River City Girls, Astral Chain

2020 - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Xenoblade Definitive Edition + Future Connected, Hatsune Miku Project Diva MegaMix, What the Golf?, Clubhouse Games, Paper Mario The Origami King, A Short Hike, Minoria, CrossCode, Hades, Part Time UFO, Touhou Luna Nights

2021 - Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, New Pokemon Snap, Famicom Detective Club 1+2, Mario Golf Super Rush, Ender Lilies, Pokemon Unite, NEO: The World Ends With You, The Great Ace Attorney, Toem, Metroid Dread, Melty Blood Type Lumina, Blue Reflection Second Light, Gnosia, Cruis'n Blast, Chicory

2022 - Pokemon Legends Arceus, Deedlit In Wonder Labryinth, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Chocobo GP, Switch Sports, Ai NirvanA Initiative, Live A Live, Xenoblade 3, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Mario and Rabbids 2, ElecHead, Blossom Tales II, Lunistice, Pokemon Violet, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, River City Girls 2, Trails From Zero

2023 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, Metroid Prime Remastered, Magolor Epilogue, Trails To Azure, Bayonetta Origins, Advance Wars Reboot Camp, Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed, Tears of the Kingdom

With it all laid out for me, 2022 is the winner for me, but wow 2021 was awesome too. I gave 2020 the edge over 2017 because while the big hitters certainly stomp over 2020's, I enjoyed Switch more as a platform far more in 2020 than 2017 and I think the quantity and variety of games that spoke to me in 2020 speaks to that. 2023 has a ton of potential to be one of the best years for the system if the upcoming big games hit for me and some of the smaller ones hit hard like I think they might. I guess for rankings then I'll roll with:

2022 > 2021 > 2020 > 2017 > 2019 >2018 > 2023 H1

What an amazing system.
 
I think if Mario 35 and Mario 3D All-Stars weren't limited time events, you could make a case for 2020:
Some really interesting first party games that year like Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and Clubhouse Games.
Some great Indies like What the Golf?, Hades and A Short Hike.
Well-loved first party ports like Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Xenoblade and Pikmin 3.
Every DOOM game.
And of course, the big hitter of the year: Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
 
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curl-6 said:
My heart belongs to 2022 thanks to Xenoblade 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Bayonetta 3, 13 Sentinels, It Takes Two, Splatoon 3, Prodeus, Nier Automata, Lunistice, and Monster Hunter Rise Sunbreak.

This year could definitely be a competitor though if games like Mario Bros Wonder, The Plucky Squire, Phantom Fury, Trine 5, Arkham Trilogy, and Turbo Overkill are as good as I'm hoping. TOTK, Boltgun, and Future Connected are already fafantastic.
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The Plucky Squire got delayed to 2024, unfortunately.
 
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I was about to go with 2019, but on reflection I think that mostly on the strength of Three Houses. I like a lot of the other first party stuff released that year, but not as much as I like 2022’s first party stuff.

Ie. Three Houses > Xenoblade 3 > Rest of 2022 collectively > Rest of 2019 collectively
 
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Unfortunately this year is proving to be a bit on the weaker side for me. I mostly loved Tears of the Kingdom and Metroid Prime was a nice surprise, but Pikmin 4 is only my 3rd favorite Pikmin game at best and was a bit disappointing, and I haven't really had time to play the smaller titles from the beginning of the year with how crazy this year has been with next gen games. And even on that end, I sort of bet on the wrong pony shows ...

Still a very solid year considering how late it is in the Switch's life cycle. I expect my opinion will change drastically once Wonder comes out and once I get around to some of the earlier stuff from the beginning of the year. Still not sure if I'll pick up Mario RPG yet as someone who's never played it.

So far I'd say 2019 > 2021 > 2020 => 2017 > 2018.

I need to get around to Xenoblade 3 / Bayonetta 3 / Arceus before ranking 2022.
 
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Gotta say, I'm happy to see some love towards 2021!, it's my favorite Switch year but I remember posting about that one ERA and most of the responses were people saying I was crazy because they hated it for not having major releases, then I also remember an article on Nintendo Life were a lot of the comments were saying it was unimpressive, and then Scott the Woz said it was a meh year with too many ports from third parties or dissapointing games like BDSP or Mario Golf.

I thought while the releases were not the most mainstream, they were very cool and interesting.
 
I think it’s 2022 for me. The Trinity of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Xenoblade 3 and Bayonetta 3 hit so hard for me.

Kirby for being one of those “dream fulfilled” moments that the Switch has excelled at and finally pushing the series to a 3D platformer.

Both Xenoblade and Bayonetta went in surprising directions with the mission they both shared in “capping off a trilogy” but I absolutely adored both and found them both extremely bold and risky games, even if I can see why they’re considered to have some divisive elements. They’re both top 5 switch games for me.

Three games may not seem like a lot to make me consider it the best year, but when this discussion comes up I really judge Switch years by their new first party output, as a kind of test like “how many first party/3P partnership bangers can Nintendo put out a year” - ports and third party ports/collections kind of feel like cheating and it’s much more interesting to judge based on Nintendo and their partners’ own development output. And those three - all exciting games that are vastly different from one another and bold moves for all of their respective franchises - just really encapsulated the feeling of the switch hitting its stride.

I also had the comfort food, fan-service bonus of FEW Three Hopes, time with that cast and world is always a delight.

And even counting games outside of what I played, the year also had Splatoon 3, Arceus (which honestly fits in the same category of “bold moves for a franchise” as the above games, I just don’t play Pokémon) and ScarVi, Mario + Rabbids and Triangle Strategy. All of which were quality, well-received releases except arguably ScarVi. Overall it felt like Nintendo’s most varied, consistent from 1H to 2H, and least reliant on ports/remasters, year.

2019 is probably the runner up, but it was a bit backloaded - don’t remember the first half being anything crazy but it REALLY picked up in the back. I just also haven’t finished Astral Chain and LM3. But it had a similarly varied and quality slate of new games.

Overall I think 2022>2019>2021>>>>2018>2020
 
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ILovethegameAC said:
Gotta say, I'm happy to see some love towards 2021!, it's my favorite Switch year but I remember posting about that one ERA and most of the responses were people saying I was crazy because they hated it for not having major releases, then I also remember an article on Nintendo Life were a lot of the comments were saying it was unimpressive, and then Scott the Woz said it was a meh year with too many ports from third parties or dissapointing games like BDSP or Mario Golf.

I thought while the releases were not the most mainstream, they were very cool and interesting.
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I think often people think a year of releases doesn’t count if it doesn’t include the series they are most interested in. At this point, Monster Hunter games are bigger than mainline Resident Evil, MH Rise is literally Capcom’s second biggest game ever (beaten only by MHW).

To be fair, it’s an odd series that’s both incredibly popular and visible, but also spent a large portion of the last two decades being discounted as a niche due to both often being on portables and being famously an acquired taste (I bounced off it at least once too). So it’s in this weird spot where it’s simultaneously one of the biggest third-party franchises around but also somehow easily ignored by people listing major Switch games.
 
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I think that this topic underline the strenght of the switch library

They have been able to provide (through their studios or third parties) a stable stream of meaningful products so much that it is hard to clearly identify a peak year
 
I request that 2023 be added to the poll, because I feel like they've been killing it so far this year with Metroid Prime Remastered, Cereza and the Lost Demon, Tears of the Kingdom, and Pikmin 4. But in lieu of that, 2022 was totally a banger as well, with Triangle Strategy, Pokémon Legends Arceus and SV, Splatoon 3, Live a Live, etc.
 
OctoSplattack said:
I request that 2023 be added to the poll, because I feel like they've been killing it so far this year with Metroid Prime Remastered, Cereza and the Lost Demon, Tears of the Kingdom, and Pikmin 4. But in lieu of that, 2022 was totally a banger as well, with Triangle Strategy, Pokémon Legends Arceus and SV, Splatoon 3, Live a Live, etc.
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If Mario Wonder is at least an 8/10, for me personally there is an argument that 2023 is even better than 2017
 
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Looking at 1st party games only...

2018:
Smash Bros., Torna, Octo-Expansion and ports of great games like Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 1+2 etc. carried it. I also liked Mario: Tennis Aces a lot but wasn't a fan of how they handled the extra content. I only got my Switch in early 2018 so the first two years of the system blend together somewhat. In hindsight I think it's a decent year but not exceptional.

2019:
Weak start into the year aside from Tetris 99, then things started picking up around June with Mario Maker 2. Back to back releases of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Astral Chain, Link's Awakening and Ring Fit Adventure were fantastic and I also enjoyed Luigi's Mansion 3 a lot. The aforementioned weak first few months plus Pokémon drag it down but it's still a great year.

2020:
Potentially my least favourite year in terms of first-party games. Enjoyed Origami King, Age of Calamity, Clubhouse Games and the ports/remasters of Pikmin 3 (GOAT), Xenoblade and Tokyo Mirage Sessions but it didn't have anything that really wowed me. Animal Crossing I played for quite a bit and I'd say that it's my "favourite" but that isn't really saying much, not exactly my type of game.

2021:
Very good year, started strong with 3D World + Bowser's Fury, New Pokémon Snap and Famicom Detective Club which was a once in a generation surprise. Also enjoyed Game Builder Garage a lot. The second half of the year is propped up by Dread and Mario Party Superstars. WarioWare was cool, Pokémon was a bad remake.

2022:
Can't fully judge this because a lot of the games are still unfinished or in my backlog. What I can say is that I loved Kirby, Splatoon 3 and Switch Sports (despite some glaring issues with the latter), I'm enjoying Xenoblade Chronicles 3 currently and I liked what I've played of Bayonetta 3 and Fire Emblem Warriors so far. Somewhat lukewarm on both Pokémon releases, despite liking a lot of the new elements they brought into the series. Both needed more time in the oven. It's somewhat similar to 2019 in that Pokémon drags down the year because it's so prominent.

2023:
Surprisingly this has a decent shot at beating 2017 for me. Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4 were fantastic and Metroid Prime Remastered and Advance Wars 1+2 are great remakes. I liked the Bayonetta Origins demo and I know I will like Kirby thanks to the original, just need to find the time for them. Also, based on my experience with Xenoblade 3 I'm sure I will enjoy Future Redeemed. Somewhat meh on Fire Emblem Engage and Detective Pikachu 2 looks pretty bad but Mario Bros. Wonder, Splatoon 3 Side-Order and WarioWare: Move It! could make up for it. A little bit on the fence with Super Mario RPG. I enjoyed the original but it's not one of my favourites, hopefully the remake will change my mind.

Currently I'd probably rank them like this

  1. 2017
  2. 2022
  3. 2023
  4. 2019
  5. 2021
  6. 2018
  7. 2020
 
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2017 Switch had among other notable games BotW and Mario Odyssey, that will never be beaten by any console.

2023 had TotK and Pikmin 4, so a close second to me.
 
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Tbh this shows that the switch has had a pretty good generation. Even the years where Nintendo didnt release many games (2018 and 2020) you had other companies to fill in and the few Nintendo release where bangers
 
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2019 or 2022 for me. FE Three Houses, Dragon Quest XI S and Sword/Shield for 2019 and Arceus, Three Hopes and Scarlet/Violet for 2022.. I'd probably lean slightly towards 2022 at the moment just because of Arceus.
 
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Also another thing is that while is debatible if last year was the best or not, it depends on your preferences, I felt that it was easily the one were the Switch felt at the biggest level of parity with the other consoles, since every year the Switch misses a relatively big chunk of notorious multiplatform releases, but last year it only missed like 4 super notable ones (Elden Ring, COD, NFS and Plague Tale if you don't count cloud versions) and a few others that were a bit more divisive, that's it, while at the same time having banger exclusives, console exclusives or timed exclusives. I felt at least was defiitely better than Xbox.
 
The Switch is the best served console from a 1st party perspective, right now it's just extending its lead. Pretty much all major franchises received both quantity and quality entries. Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, Kirby, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Xenoblade, Pikmin. Even the games which received a single entry were really good, such as Animal Crossing, Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion.
 
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