27 best cheap Nintendo Switch games 2024

Surely we can all agree that Sonic the Hedgehog peaked in the mid-’90s, and despite a few close calls of replicating his 16-bit success, the blue blur hasn’t seen a successful, Mario-like transition into the modern era. And Sega apparently agrees, finally, because Sonic Mania feels like a lost relic dug up from the archives.

To be clear: Sonic Mania is a brand new game released in 2017, but it’s built in the exacting mould of the Mega Drive classics, from look to gameplay and level design. And that’s a very good thing, of course. It’s light on new ideas, but we don’t really trust Sega to try and transform this proven formula anymore: Sonic Mania does a sharp impression of the classics, and it’s a perfect fit for handheld play on the Switch.

Rocket League is already one of the most entertaining games you can play on a console or PC, and now with this Nintendo Switch port, we can play its brilliant blend of arcade driving and football wherever we are. It’s a speedy, rules-relaxed take on 3v3 football at its core, but instead of hustling down the pitch on your own two feet, you’ll zoom around in a rocket-boosted car.

And it can fly, too, with aerial play taking a big role in the equation, along with driving along the walls. Rocket League‘s online play is second to none in terms of quick-hit entertainment, with basketball, hockey, and other variants joining the footie fun. The visuals take a slight hit from other platforms, but fuzzy graphics can’t kill the excitement.

Cuphead is one of the most charming games we’ve ever seen in action, but don’t let it colorful cartoon allure make you think that it’s an easy, breezy distraction for kids.

Nope, Cuphead is tough as nails. Inspired by the classic cartoon style of the 1930s, this critically acclaimed indie smash plays out as a boss rush, with you facing increasingly difficult foes with each new area. It began life on Xbox One, but feels perfectly suited for the small screen of the Switch.

Looking for something a bit slower-paced to play while lounging in bed or on the couch? Try Stardew Valley, the celebrated indie fave that’s now made its way over to Switch. Inspired by the classic Harvest Moon games, Stardew Valley is a low-key farming simulation that finds you taking over the family farm and keeping it afloat – but there’s quite a bit more than that.

Stardew Valley also puts a lot of its focus on what’s happening outside of your estate, as you build relationships with locals, hunt for treasure, battle against an overbearing retail store chain, and even try to find love. It’s not exactly action-packed, but it is super charming and can be thoroughly addicting as well.

The battle royale craze took an unexpected twist with Tetris 99, transforming the classic (and still brilliant) puzzle phenomenon into a 99-player, all-out fight for survival and supremacy.

It’s still Tetris at its core, thankfully, but now you’re frantically clearing lines to send junk blocks to random online opponents’ boards as they do the same to you. Who will be left standing at the end? This Nintendo-published download is a freebie for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, but you can also download it and buy the DLC to unlock offline-only modes for anyone to play.

The legend has finally arrived on Switch. Capcom’s Okami first hit PlayStation 2 in 2007, and the Legend of Zelda-inspired quest is arguably one of the grandest modern adventures of our time, delivering sweeping visuals and encounters across a mystical land.

As Amaterasu, a white wolf and sun goddess, you’ll use your powerful Celestial Brush to battle enemies, solve puzzles, and alter the world around you, while the Japanese sumi-e inspired cel-shaded art style is just as stunning today as it was more than a decade ago. This is arguably the best version to date, too, since the Switch’s touch screen improves the Brush controls.

Fortnite is by far the cheapest game on this list… because it’s absolutely free! That might be a bit of a cheat, admittedly, but we’re rolling with it anyway. Fortnite has optional in-app purchases for cosmetic items, but the core game won’t cost you a single coin to play.

And you’ll find no shortage of competition here, of course: Fortnite is massively popular right now, as the 100-player battle royale experience is addictive and endlessly compelling, challenging you to blast and build as you survive the chaotic scramble. This PC and console hit is just as entertaining on Switch, and perhaps more so thanks to its added portability.

One of the first truly addictive arcade games, Pac-Man cabinets gobbled almost as many coins as the on-screen blob devoured dots. Pac has seen countless versions, remakes and spin-offs over the years, but Championship Edition took the original maze-based eat-em-up and added new routes to memorise, an addictive soundtrack, and overhauled graphics that look just as spangly on the Switch as they do on other platforms.

That giant PLUS in the title? That’s for the exclusive two player mode which is only available on Nintendo’s handheld. If one player gets pounced on by the series’ trademark Ghosts Inky, Blinky, Pinky or Clyde, the other player can come to the rescue so you can keep aiming for that high score. Load times are nice and speedy, there are plenty of puzzles and challenges to chomp your way through, and the all-important score attack mode is just as one-more-go addictive as ever.

Published by Microsoft, believe it or not, Ori and the Blind Forest manages to be both heartbreaking and heart-pumping, weaving emotional storytelling amidst a stunning, action-packed campaign.

This 2D side-scroller folds in Metroid-like elements as you open up the beautiful world while jumping, climbing, solving puzzles, and facing off against massive creatures. Hopefully we get the recent sequel Ori and the Will of the Wisps on Switch too.

Into the Breach might look like a long-lost Super Nintendo game at a glance, but this new indie game offers more than enough strategic depth for today’s players. Developed by the same team behind the brilliant FTL: Faster Than Light, Into the Breach is a turn-based tactical game in which futuristic mechs go back through time to stop an alien menace.

And it brings in some unique twists along the way. For example, you’ll know what the aliens’ next moves are – so it’s on you to concoct the right strategy to stop them. And if you fail a mission, your pilots must go further back in time to start over again, albeit with the abilities and experience you’ve accrued thus far. It’s a worthy Switch time sink for strategy fans.

Dry, traditional golfing simulations can turn tedious, but Golf Story isn’t that game: this indie original is an on-the-go delight. Essentially, it’s a throwback to the old three-click style of arcade golf, seen in Everybody’s Golf and Mario Golf, only viewed through a 16-bit lens. Oh, and you can freely explore the terrain – and launch golf balls at everything you see.

Truth be told, Golf Story is more a role-playing adventure than a dedicated golfing game, as you attempt to elevate an amateur player to pro status. You’ll swing for the greens across eight different courses, but also chat with surly characters, complete odd jobs, and spend plenty of time not in competition. It strikes just the right balance between golf and… well, not golf.

Rhythm games with plastic instruments are seemingly dead for good, but the genre has gone back to basics as indie developers find new ways to pair pulsing music with button taps. And Thumper is one of the very best we’ve ever played. It’s also probably the most thoroughly intense of the bunch, with freaky sights and sounds alike.

You’ll control a glossy “space beetle” hurtling through a psychedelic pathway, all while zipping towards an enormous monster on the horizon. To get there, you’ll need to press buttons in time and shunt off of hard turns to maintain your momentum – and then ultimately bash the huge foe to keep zipping on to the next area. It’s so fast and frenzied that it might honestly freak you out a bit.

Haven’t you always wanted to play a game about an insect postmaster? You haven’t? Well, even so, you really ought to consider checking out Yoku’s Island Express, one of the freshest games we’ve seen on Switch so far.

Yoku’s Island Express manages to find the unexpected middle ground between a pinball game and a 2D platformer, as you bound your letter-carrying bug and his rolling ball around a world designed to keep him flinging about. We can safely say that you’ve never played anything quite like this, both in premise and gameplay alike, but it’s a real charmer.

The legend is back! One of the strangest games of all time makes the move from PlayStation 2 to Switch in Katamari Damacy Reroll, which is just as bewildering and amazing today.

What’s the deal? See, in Katamari Damacy, you roll an ever-growing ball of real-world items, garbage, vehicles, people, and more as you attempt to make the biggest ball possible… and then send it into space as a star to appease your very strange space-father. It’s a delight.

Tetris is legendary as a portable puzzle experience, of course – and believe it or not, Lumines deserves much the same kind of attention in the modern era. This block-based puzzler began life on the PSP some years back, but now it’s back and looking better than ever thanks to Lumines Remastered on Switch.

Lumines makes some fun tweaks to the block-dropping formula. This time around, you’ll guide 2×2 square chunks onto the board in the hopes of connecting and clearing big blocks of the same colour – and a rotating selection of skins changes the look, sound, and pace of the game, keeping things lively even an hour deep into a high-score run.

An extra train commute might be the last thing you want to add to your day, but Mini Metro makes an engrossing game out of it – even if it just looks like lines and basic shapes on the screen.

Mini Metro challenges you to build and grow an efficient subway system starting with just a couple of stations. Gradually, you’ll add new lines and track to connect the stations, and will have to expand intelligently to keep commuters moving and arriving to their respective destinations in time. The minimal approach is decidedly low-key and keeps the game from feeling overwhelming, yet Mini Metro is hardly easy after the first minutes of an attempt.

The Switch has its fair share of must-play 2D platformers, including Shovel Knight and Sonic Mania, but you can go ahead and add Hollow Knight to that list. You might not have heard of this little indie gem, but it’s been racking up critical acclaim on the play-anywhere device.

This speedy, side-scrolling slasher finds you navigating underground caverns, with a Metroid-like map of interconnected areas to explore. Compelling combat pairs well with the allure of exploration, while the slick hand-drawn graphics and charming atmosphere pull you in deep. This one’s tough, but plenty rewarding.

A modern-day classic that you can play through in one joyous afternoon, A Short Hike is exactly what it says it is. You play as Claire, an anthropomorphic bird attempting to hike to the summit of a mountain on an island to get mobile phone reception. How very millennial. 

But A Short Hike is an open-world exploration game, so while your main quest doesn’t take very long to achieve, you’ll run into countless distractions along the way, all of them best discovered for yourself. With its gorgeous pixelated visual style, fun flying and climbing mechanics and relaxed approach to open-world design, A Short Hike is a really special little game that feels right at home on Switch.  

Switch games don’t all have to be cute and charming; in fact, Limbo is downright unsettling. Waking in a dim and dark forest, you’ll command a young boy as he explores the path ahead… and quickly encounters perplexing puzzles, spiky obstacles, and a towering spider.

Despite its monochromatic colour scheme, Limbo oozes atmosphere and the environmental conundrums remain steadily compelling until the memorable finale. Playdead’s similar successor Inside is also on Switch, but it’s twice the price – so start here and then you’ll probably feel motivated to pony up for the next entry.