 A common thing I hear among people who are, I guess, switch detractors or just maybe into console wars, fans of other platforms, prefer games on other platforms, whatever the case might be, is that Switch has no games. Or Switch only has Nintendo games. And without Nintendo games, there's no reason to buy a Switch. Well today I'm going to present to you the top 20 games released on Switch this year based on Metacritic ratings. So based on critical rating, we're using Metacritic even though I know some people don't like that just because it is the industry standard when we're talking about reviews and aggregate reviews. So we're going to use Metacritic and we're just going to go to the top 20 games that have come out on Switch and what their Metacritic rating is. And you're going to find that there's actually quite a lot of variety that came out just this year in 2019, whether it was AAA third party, whether it was Old Ports, whether it was New Indie Games, Exclusive Games, there's actually a wide mix of content. So it turns out actually that if Nintendo Switch is your only gaming platform, you do not own a PlayStation 4, a gaming PC, an Xbox, or you don't even game on your phone much, you are going to have a wide variety of content available to you right now already from the past three years, but just this year. So here we go. Here's the top 20 games in order from 20 to number one based on Metacritic rating that have come out on Switch here in 2019. Number 20. The Sagia 4 Complete Plus. So the Sagia 4 has actually been a game that's been out for a little bit so this is a port, a complete edition port, but it has a Metacritic rating of 85 and it begins our list as a quality third party port. Number 19. The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Complete Edition. The Witcher 3 is actually one of the greatest games, one of the highest rated games ever this entire generation and while the Switch version is not rated nearly as high as the other versions, it does chime in at 85 and makes number 19 on this list as a high quality third party triple A port to Switch. Number 18. Slay the Spire. Slay the Spire is an indie title that is basically a card based combat game. You're able to earn cards and buy cards as you progress through each stage in the game where you're fighting against different, it's kind of like a 1v1 fight situation for most of the game. I haven't played a lot of it, but it is a highly rated indie title, brand new this year on Nintendo Switch with a Metacritic rating of 85. Now you might be wondering how this compares to the last two that were also 85. This is just percentage points differences that ultimately round to an 85. So Slay the Spire ranks as the number 18th best rated game on Switch in 2019. Number 17. Cadence of Hyrule. Yes folks, here we have our first Switch exclusive game. If you guys remember the old Cadence game, this is kind of a spiritual sequel that might even lead to another Cadence game down the line, but this is one that's a crossover with the Legend of Zelda and needless to say it's pretty fantastic. It even has a nomination at the Game Awards for best musical score, you know, combining some of that Zelda goodness with the gameplay. It's a very, it plays like a Zelda game, but then doesn't because you're moving to the beat of the music and doing combat to the beat of the music. It's a very unique experience that I've actually spent a number of hours playing myself and I highly suggest you check it out, but it ranks at number 17 with the Metacritic rating of 86. Number 16. Blaze Blue Central Fiction Special Edition. This is another port of an older game, but it does come in with the Metacritic score of 86 at the number 16 spot. And it's interesting to me because I'm not really into the Blaze Blue franchise, but I know it's popular in certain parts of the world and it's great to have this on Switch as just adding more variety to the Switch's ever-growing library. Number 15. AI, The Somnium Files. So AI, The Somnium Files, chimes in with an 86 Metacritic rating, given it the 15 spot on the list. And it's another indie game, but it's one that's a little interesting. It's got this anime style to it. It's like an investigative thing where you're trying to solve a kidnapping along with some other people who have been hurt along the way. You're kind of a detective of sorts named Date. It's really interesting, interesting concept. A lot of choices, more like an ace attorney game where you're making like different choices along the way to get to certain objectives, but it's a very interesting game, very highly rated, very unique for an indie title. So that chimes in with the number 15 spot on Switch this year. Number 14. Luigi's Mansion 3. So Luigi's Mansion 3 also has a Metacritic rating of an 86, and it obviously is one of the best games to release on Switch in terms of exclusive games and especially Nintendo created Nintendo published exclusive games. Luigi's Mansion 3 is the third entry in the Luigi's Mansion franchise. And I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed playing the game at E3 and how much the final version holds up. But honestly, Luigi's Mansion 3 is very deserving to be on this list at the number 14 spot with an 86. Again, all critic rating based, not my personal opinion. Number 13. Mortal Kombat 11. So here we have our first brand new day in date triple A release that came to Switch as well as Xbox One PlayStation 4, etc. It has an 86 Metacritic rating and this actually includes ratings for the Switch version, not just for Xbox, PC, PlayStation 4, etc. So Mortal Kombat 11 is one of the best fighting games to come out in a while that is not named Super Smash Bros. And the ratings show, the sales show, we do know it sold very well on Switch. And again, it's just more variety to that Nintendo Switch library here in 2019. Number 12. Assault Android Cactus Plus. So this is another interesting indie title that when I first read it, because I hadn't heard of it, I thought this was like a game built for like Android phones and just brought the Switch. But it turns out that that's not the case. You actually play an Android robot person who's fending off waves and hordes of different robots that are trying to end your day. It's like a twin stick top down, it's kind of 2.5D perspective shooter that kind of has like Zelda based top down levels. It's really interesting, really cool looking, very high quality. That is why it's actually the number 12 spot ahead of games like Mortal Kombat 11 and Luigi Mansion 3 with an 86 Metacritic rating. Number 11. Star Wars Pinball. Yes folks, Star Wars Pinball almost made it into the top 10 rated games on Switch this year and you might say, man, that shows how weak the library is. But if you actually look at the top 20 rated games for every platform, you'll notice that indie games are actually getting a lot of play. And Star Wars being a major IP, being a pinball game, to even see a pinball game rank this high is very interesting to me. The game itself looks fantastic. I've been playing pinball games since I was a little kid and you have to play that free pinball game that used to come on Windows PCs. So yeah, pinball is a lot of fun. Star Wars version is obviously really great. It's got that Star Wars appeal plays fantastic. It's on Switch, 86 Metacritic rating, ahead of Luigi's Mansion 3. Hey, this isn't my list. This is a critic baserist, so there you go. Number 10. Astral Chain. So to start our top 10, we have Astral Chain, another Switch exclusive made by Platinum Games, published by Nintendo. The Astral Chain has often been overlooked, simply because it is an action game by Platinum. I think that's really all you need to say when it comes to being overlooked. It is one of the top rated games to release this year, especially when it comes to, if you just look at console exclusive games, Astral Chain is a game deserving of your time, deserving of your respect, especially if you like action oriented games. So I'm going to leave it at that because I haven't played enough of it to really deep dive, but Astral Chain starts off our top 10. Number nine. Link's Awakening. So Link's Awakening is another, I guess, quote unquote, Switch exclusive because it's actually like a remake of or remaster, however you prefer to call it, of the original Link's Awakening, way back on the Game Boy, and then the other version of it, the color version called Link's Awakening DX. It is a fantastic remake. There is some frame rate issues here and there that some people don't like dealing with and some people don't like the blur, kind of like a Gossip blur or whatever they put around the edges. But for what it is, it is an 87 overall Metacritic game and one of the top games released on Switch this year and one of Nintendo's few older games coming back that actually makes the top 20. So Link's Awakening, number nine, 87 Metacritic rating. Number eight, Cuphead. So Cuphead times it at number eight with 87 rating. We know this game came over from Microsoft with Microsoft's permission. And it's just a fantastic game. There isn't really anything I say about Cuphead that you guys probably don't already know. Just looking at that gameplay on screen, it is a fantastic throwback game to the cartoons of like the 50s and it's just a great game. One of the hardest platforming games that is out there, just in terms of the combat, is what really makes it difficult more so than the platforming, especially the boss fights. The boss fights get pretty insane in this game. And so yeah, Cuphead, number eight with an 87 on Metacritic rating for the Switch version. Number seven, Downwell. So here we have one of our first phone games that have imported the Switch. Downwell is actually one of the best games you can play on an Android or an iPhone. And now one of the best games you can play on Switch. It's just a fantastic game and it proves the concept that just because games are built for phones doesn't mean they can't translate well to Switch and can't be fantastic in their own right. Downwell is a very unique game where you have basically guns attached to your boots and you're kind of falling down a well and you're fighting your way, you're trying to be like a vigilante, trying to save people, there's quests, there's an in-depth story, believe it or not. The visuals are a direct callback to the Game Boy era where there's not really any colors, right? You have basically your black and then your white and that's just the color scheme. And it's just a stunning game in its own right, using the limitations of a phone and limitations of the Switch to create something extremely unique and fantastic. There's not really another game like Downwell out there. And for how cheap it is in the eShop, it might even be worth checking out if you just happen to have some of those gold coins laying around. So that Downwell lands at the number seven spot with an 88 overall Metacritic rating. Number six, Super Mario Mecha 2. Don't know why I just did that, but Super Mario Mecha 2 does land at number six with an 88 overall Metacritic rating. This one came out during the summertime and is a fantastic experience. Definitely a really unique experience in comparison to even the original Mario Maker because it added slopes and a whole bunch of other things. And now with the 2.0 update coming out, which doesn't have anything to do with the Metacritic rating, you can play as Link soon, like actual Link, not just a costume version. So it's gonna be really interesting to see how Super Mario Maker 2 changes over time, but right now it is the sixth highest rated game according to Metacritic on Nintendo Switch in 2019 with an 88. Number five, What Remains of Edith Finch? So what remains of Edith Finch lands on Switch this year in the top five with an 88 Metacritic rating? It is a game that's been around for quite a bit of time, but the Switch version obviously has made pretty much this and all other indie games that come to it, like the ultimate indie game platform. It's been hard to play a lot of the best or the best indie games on the go unless you own a Vita. And even then, not all of the games really came to Vita. So to see this high quality console style exploration game in What Remains of Edith Finch on Switch is just an excellent thing. And again, just more variety in that Switch library. Number four, Fire Emblem Three Houses? Fire Emblem Three Houses is the top rated exclusive game coming to Switch this year. And obviously another excellent output from Nintendo. And honestly, it just continues kind of the renaissance of Fire Emblem that's been happening ever since Fire Emblem Awakening back on the 3DS. It definitely is deserving of the top four spot. And if I must say, injecting a little bit of opinion in, it deserves more nominations at the game awards, but whatever, it was only nominated for one award. So it is what it is. But Fire Emblem Three Houses lands at the number four spot on this list with an 89 Metacritic rating. Number three, Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition. So Ori and the Blind Forest also has an 89 overall Metacritic rating. And we already know how awesome this game was on Xbox. It's another one of those Xbox games like Cuphead earlier that has come over to Switch and just finds a great home on the Switch platform. It's fully expected to sequel and any other Ori games will eventually come to Switch as well because it's just, it's an excellent game that fits well for what the Switch is. And that's not to say it wasn't excellent on Xbox as well, of course it was. But it's nice to be able to take Ori anywhere with you. So there you go. Number three spot, definitely deserving Ori and the Blind Forest Definitive Edition. Number two, Dragon Quest XI S, Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition. Yes folks, that is a big mouthful for what most people just call Dragon Quest XI. But it is notable that the Switch version is the highest rated and arguably best version of Dragon Quest XI. Not just because it includes all of the DLC, but it includes exclusive modes, exclusive content. You know, it has a mode where you can literally play like an old school Dragon Quest game instead of the newer style of it. It has optional, by the way, orchestrated music if you don't like the orchestrated music. And it has a 91 overall Metacritic rating which is just extremely high. One of the top rated games across all platforms. I think the top rated game of this year is actually coming up in a moment. But yeah, man, a 91 overall Metacritic rating, Dragon Quest has probably never been better than it is right now with this Switch version specifically. Number two, Dragon Quest XI S, Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition with a 91 overall Metacritic rating. Number one, Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition. Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition is not only a 93 Metacritic rating and number one on the Switch. It's actually the number one rated game of 2019. And I get it, it's a definitive edition of an older game but it's a really damn good game that has been overlooked by so many people. There is no reason that Divinity Original Sin 2 it shouldn't be as popular as games like The Witcher except for people just not being aware of it and not giving it its fair chance because Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition on Switch absolutely shines and is deserving of that number one spot. If you've ever played RPGs, Western RPGs, you play Divinity Original Sin, you play other ones, you'll start to realize the excellent quality presented here. And it's definitely deserving of the number one spot which is interesting in a sense. The top three spots are all going to older game ports that are getting definitive editions. I think that's very interesting that we're seeing that on Switch and combined with all the exclusives and everything. It's just a nice way to round out the top 20. And as you can see, with this top 20 list now complete we now have an idea of all the highest rated games on Switch this year. You see there's such a wide variety of content on Switch that anytime someone tells you that it's laughable, that Switch has nothing to play, that if you own the game on Switch, I feel sorry for you. I don't know what you're really feeling sorry for when you got Saga 4, The Witcher 3, Slay the Spire, Cadence of Hyrule, Blaze Blue, AI, The Somnium, Luigi's Mansion, Mortal Kombat, Assassin, I'm sorry, Assault, Android, Cactus, Star Wars, Pinball, Astro Chainlink, so we're getting combat down well. So we're going to make a two, we're raising either Thinch, Fire Emblem, Three Houses, Oriental Blind Forest, String Quest 11, and Divinity Origins 2. These are just such amazing games each individually in their own right. And it's such a wide variety of games from the more simplistic indie games to more complicated indie games to brand new AAA third party games and Mortal Kombat 11 to ports of some of the greatest games of all time to the best versions of those games like Dragon Quest 11 and obviously the exclusives. We got the Fire Emblems. We got the Link's Awakenings. We got the Astro Chains and Luigi's Mansions of the World. We have so many amazing games on Switch here in 2019 that anyone who tries to tell you otherwise clearly is just a hater at this point. Now it is okay, of course, to prefer the libraries that are available on other platforms. This is not a console war video. This is just a factual video about the top 20 Metacritic Rating games on Switch this year. So you guys let me know what you think. Which of these 20 are your favorite? Are there some on this list that you missed that maybe you might now consider? Let me know down in the comments below. Anyways, folks, I am Nathaniel Rovedance from Nintendo Prime. I wanna thank you so much for tuning in to this video, our first top list video in, man, probably since the Zelda Informer days. So thank you so much for tuning in and I'll catch you in the next video.