Quick Links
The Nintendo Switch isn’t a new console anymore, but we’re still getting fantastic new games released for it every year. Here are some of the best games from 2024 to gift to the Switch gamers in your life.
A Note on Gifting Switch Games
Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t make it easy to gift digital games through the Switch eShop—and we don’t recommend buying digital game codes from resellers—so we’ve made sure all the games we’re recommending are available as physical releases instead. (Physical games are more exciting to unwrap anyway!)
We’ve also limited this list to games that came out in 2024. That way there’s a good chance that whoever you’re buying for won’t have them all yet.
If you want to check what Switch games someone already has on their console, press the Home button three times to wake it up and go to the Home screen. Then navigate all the way to the right and select “All Software.” This will show any digital and physical games that have been installed on the Switch, even if they aren’t currently downloaded.
5Balatro
Balatrowon Best Independent Game at the Game Awards this year, and with good reason. It’s a pixel-art card game based around building a deck of cards that lets you make often-illegal poker hands to score points. The tantalizing genius of the game is in giving you the ability to stack points multipliers in a multitude of ways, giving the game great variety and letting you reach dizzyingly high scores.
Balatro
WHERE TO PLAY
Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big.
4Princess Peach: Showtime!
After years of being Super Mario’s damsel in distress,Princess Peach: Showtime!sees the eponymous princess take center stage for the first time. In this light adventure, you play as Peach as she saves the Sparkle Theater from a mysterious enemy. With each act of gameplay, Peach dons a new costume and gains a different set of abilities that keep gameplay varied and exciting. It’s not a challenging game, but it’s certainly a fun time.
Princess Peach: Showtime!
Help Peach save the Sparkle Theater from the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, who have set the stage for the ultimate tragedy. Joined by Stella, the theater’s guardian, Peach is ready to save the day!
3The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
This was a good year for Nintendo’s heroines as the latest installment in The Legend of Zelda franchise also let’s us play as a famous princess for (almost) the first time.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomuses a charming toy box art style—inspired by 2019’s remake ofLink’s Awakening—and let’s you take control of Princess Zelda as you search for a missing Link and rescue Hyrule. Using Zelda’s new Tri Rod, you must summon all kinds of objects and monsters to overcome challenges or solve puzzles throughout the game.
2Super Mario Party Jamboree
Mario Party games are fun at any time of the year, but they’re especially fun when the whole family is together for the holidays. This year’sSuper Mario Party Jamboreehas more mini games than any Mario Party before it with lots of new boards to choose from as well. If you’ve never played Mario Party before, you race against other players to get around a giant game board and compete in hectic mini games, all with the aim of collecting enough stars to win the game. It’s great all-round family fun!
Super Mario Party Jamboree
From running through merry-go-rounds to motion-control minigolf, this jamboree is jam-packed with more minigames than any Mario Party game to date. With seven boards in all, you can go with the flow in Goomba Lagoon, search the mall for stars in Rainbow Galleria, or revisit the classics of Western Land and Mario’s Rainbow Castle.
1Mario & Luigi: Brothership
The newest game on our list isMario & Luigi: Brothership, which released in November 2024. This is a long-awaited new installment in the Mario & Luigi series, which sees you controlling both brothers in RPG-style battles and exploration as you navigate across the seas on Shipshape Island. It’s a lengthy game and some have complained that it’s too slow to get started, but it’s also very approachable and an enjoyable time for any Mario fans.
If you’re looking for a better review, though, take a look atPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoororSuper Mario RPG, which are two excellent classic RPGs, both of which made their way to the Switch for the first time recently.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
The brothers return for a brand-new adventure on the high seas! Set sail with Mario and Luigi on Shipshape Island (part ship, part island) and journey through the vast world of Concordia. Launch out of Shipshape’s cannon to visit, explore, and quest your way through islands that range from tropical rainforests to bustling cities.
The Nintendo Switch may be nearing the end of its life cycle, but Nintendo has confirmed thatthe Switch 2 will be backwards compatible. That means that any games you gift these holidays will still have plenty of life in them even if whoever you give them two upgrades to a Nintendo Switch 2 as soon as it releases.
