The Nintendo Switch is one ofthe best-selling video game consoles of all timeand boasts an incredibly impressive library full of top-tier titles. It’s far from the perfect system though, with hardware limitations holding back numerous Switch games; thus preventing them from achieving true greatness.
These popular Switch titles would almost certainly have been better on the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X, due not only to its greater processing power but also its superior online capabilities anda more comfortable controller design. They’re still great games, but would arguably have shone a little brighter on a more capable console.
1Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Metacritic Rating: 72
Despite the series' handheld roots, there’s definitely an argument to be made forPokemoncoming to a more powerful console. After all, to say thatScarlet & Violetwere held back by the graphical limitations of the Switchwould be a bit of an understatement, with certain areas of Paldea boasting ridiculously low frame rates even with the games' incredibly basic visuals.
Withmodern-dayPokemongamesrelying mainly on WiFi for trading and competitive battling rather than on link cables, switching to a more powerful system like the PlayStation 5 would have very few downsides. Granted, players would lose the portability, but what they’d gain in graphical fidelity would more than make up for this and would hopefully allow the developers to better realize their vision of a fully open-worldPokemongame.
2Animal Crossing New Horizons
Metacritic Rating: 90
It’s no secret that the Switch is considerably less powerful than the competition, but this doesn’t mean that it can’t still compete.Games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomshow that a title can still look stunning despite these limitations, while others opt to focus more on the gameplay experience than on wowing their players with pretty graphics. However, there’s one area where a lot of first-party Switch games fall woefully short.
The online experience in a lot ofSwitch exclusivesis really bad, either due to the way that online play is implemented or the lack of features provided by the Nintendo Switch Online service itself. No game exemplifies this more thanAnimal Crossing New Horizons, which forces players to sit through a lengthy loading sequence each time somebody joins or leaves a host’s island. To be clear, it’s not just the person joining or leaving who has to sit through these loading screens, but everybody on the island.
3Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Metacritic Rating: 89
There are plenty ofthings to love aboutXenoblade Chronicles 3, from its fantastic main story to its wonderful cast of characters. The art style is pretty great too, but the way that it’s presented to players leaves a lot to be desired, especially when playing the game in handheld mode. Even when docked though, the visuals can often appear blurry as if they’re ever so slightly out of focus or being viewed through a dirty camera lens.
To be clear, there are plenty of Switch games that use lower-resolution textures to make up for the console’s lack of power. However, like a black stain on a white carpet, it’s a lot more noticeable whileplayingXenoblade Chronicles 3due to how good everything else about the game is. As a result, many feel as though it’s being held back by the hardware and it’s difficult to argue too much with that assertion.
4Mario Party Superstars
Metacritic Rating: 80
There are times when being able to play a game while on the move can be pretty awesome, but not all titles are best suited to being played in handheld mode.Mario Party Superstarsis a great example of this, with the game being geared more towardcouch co-op gameplaythan it is single-player, meaning that most people will be playing it at home on a big screen.
As such, those players are effectively sacrificing processing power for portability that they don’t really need. There’s a good chance that some or all of the players will be using Joy-Cons to control their characters rather than proper controllers too, which can get uncomfortable after an hour or two of playing. There’s alsothe whole Joy-Con drift issue, which has affected many Switch owners over the years.
5Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
Metacritic Rating: 78
ThemainlineZeldagamesfor the Switch manage to excel even in spite of the console’s weak processor. Sadly, however, the same cannot be said ofHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Granted, the game can still be a lot of fun and remains a must-play for any serious fan of the franchise, but those looking for an epic Mosou-style experience with their favoriteZeldacharacters will likely come away a little disappointed.
One of thethings that makesWarriorsgames so enjoyableis mowing down wave after wave of enemies, yet the Switch starts to struggle once the enemy count gets above a certain threshold. With poor frame rates and texture pop-in issues occurring often,Age of Calamitywould definitely have been better had it been released for a more capable home console, whether that be the PS5 or the Xbox Series X.
