Sometimes you just want to take it easy. Perhaps you’re looking to dip your toe into a new genre with unfamiliar mechanics, or you’re simply not in the headspace to go toe-to-toe with unforgiving, inscrutable games like Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, and their ilk.
If you’re looking for easy games for Nintendo Switch — games that remain engaging and interesting without needing to hand your own rear end repeatedly — we’ve lined up a selection of the easiest games on Switch below.
Not just relaxing or cosy or kid-friendly, although there will be some crossover with all of those. Approachable is the key word here; Switch games with a low barrier to entry that don’t overwhelm you from the off with umpteen mechanics and systems upon systems. These are low-stress but engaging from the beginning and very unlikely to put you off with their difficulty. They’re scrutable, in fact; essentially, anti-Dark Souls games in all but quality.
So, in no particular order, we present you our list of the best easy games for Switch…
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe delivers addictive, unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel, and with features that make doing just that extremely easy, it’s one of the most approachable games on Switch.
That’s not to say it’s bland in any way — far from it. MK8D is one of the most action-packed games on the system, with anti-gravity sections and riotous racing across the known Mario universe and beyond that can get pretty manic even on the simplest course. However, with a host of auto-control options, including auto-steer, with a bit of luck, even the worst driver can get a podium place.
Not online, of course. People are crazy good (and competitive) online. Offline, though, Mario Kart 8 is as easygoing as you want it to be.
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Publisher: Enhance Games / Developer: Resonair
This sublime game is arguably Tetris, for people who love the idea but are rubbish at Tetris. Tetris Effect: Connected has been designed to wash over you, prioritising the sensory experience over the high score. There’s challenge for those looking for it, but the barriers to entry have never been lower than with this particular iteration of the most famous puzzler in video game history. It’s never been easier to get into Tetris, go with the flow, and have an extraordinary time with it.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: ArtePiazza
A breezy 12-15 hours of roleplaying, Super Mario RPG is one of the most approachable and entertaining entries in a massive, highly varied genre. A remake of the Super NES original, it was always an easy game and the Switch version changes nothing in that department. It would serve as a great introduction to the genre for curious players, too.
Shoutout to Paper Mario: The Origami King — a lovely adventure which dials the challenge right down, but is also a little too languorous in parts. Its combat, in particular, is unengaging and feels like padding in a way Mario RPG’s doesn’t. Origami King’s gorgeous visuals and excellent writing might keep you entertained enough to overlook its faults; for us, Super Mario RPG has the distinct edge, though.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a blissful life sim with no real fail state, and is therefore very easy to get into and take at your own pace. The game has entire mechanics that you may never interact with. Some people spend all their time designing cool outfits, while others are still wearing what they put on years ago. If you’re an avid amateur entomologist, have at the various bugs flitting around your island! Alternatively, don’t — that’s cool.
It’s Animal Crossing’s easygoing way that has made it such a hit with gamers of all sorts. You really can’t go wrong with it.
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Game Freak
Pokémon games have been getting easier over the years — at least if you’re just looking to mainline the story to the Elite Four — and Let’s Go, Pikachu and Eevee reimagine the original Game Boy games on Switch with a motion-controlled capture mechanic that marries the series’ old-school turn-based gameplay with the approachability of catching Pocket Monsters in Pokémon GO.
Throw in a heavy dose of nostalgia for anybody who’s caught ’em all (or some) in Kanto before, and this is a nice and easy pairing.
Publisher: WB Games / Developer: TT Games
Sometimes you just want to bash some scenery, vacuum up some shiny bits, and move between areas standing on switches and hitting baddies on the head as you go. All of the above is the licensed Lego games’ bread and butter, usually with a healthy dollop of slapstick humour and some drop-in/out co-op play thrown in. You know exactly what you’re getting with a licensed Lego game, and The Skywalker Saga is one of the best.
Alternatively, there are plenty of other Lego games if you don’t like Star Wars. Check out our picks of the best below:
Gavin loves a bit of couch co-op, especially when he gets to delegate roles, bark instructions and give much-appreciated performance feedback at the end. He lives in Spain (the plain-y bit where the rain mainly falls) and his love for Banjo-Kazooie borders on the unhealthy.
