Nintendo certainly takes a lot of pride in its back catalog. Services such as the Virtual Console have always made this abundantly clear, allowing players to relive classic titles or even discover them for the first time. For Nintendo Switch, this same chance is still available, but in a rather different guise: the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service (and Expansion Pack add-on).
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Here, players can enjoy a range of titles from the NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis. The selection is updated regularly, and over 100 titles are available across the different platforms supported. The varied selection offers something for fans of all genres, and there are some truly fantastic titles among them (on top ofthe excellent roster available for the system more generally). If you’re not sure where to begin, here are some of the very best games among them.
Note that Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance and Sega Genesis titles are available only to Expansion Pack owners.
10The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Game Boy Color)
An Absorbing And Unforgettable Game Boy Color Adventure
One of the very best games the Game Boy Color ever saw wasThe Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. A re-release of the 1993 title for the original Game Boy, it enhanced and improved Link’s memorable journey around Koholint Island. The “waking on an island” motif is quite a cliche, but all the essential components of a Zelda title are accounted for here: inventive puzzles, atmospheric dungeons, colorful characters, and a finely-tuned difficulty curve.
Though the game is a great fit for portable play, of course, Koholint Island is a surprisingly large and varied world. To find all its secrets, Link will need to use every part of his ever-increasing roster of items and weapons. Purists may find it jarring to see the likes of Chain Chomps here, but The Legend Of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX’s familiar-yet-unique charm makes it a series highlight that shouldn’t be missed. If you’ve never taken that wide collection of musical instruments to the Wind Fish before, you really should. You might find yourself digging for seashells hours longer than you ever imagined.
9Donkey Kong (NES)
An arcade classic in the truest sense of the word
Like so many NES titles, Donkey Kong didn’t concern itself with complex plots or huge, befuddling environments to get lost in. The player’s objective is simple: dodge the obstacles and reach the top of the stage to topple Donkey Kong and rescue Pauline. The intrepid hero, Jumpman, would later come to be known by the rather more familiar name of Mario, and Nintendo history would be made.
Donkey Kong is a classic that saw ports to several other platforms too, Nintendo Switch being the latest. This, of course, is the NES edition, and a rather brief experience if you aren’t looking to replay for high scores. If you are, though, it’s a pure nostalgia hit that won’t outstay its welcome however you play.Donkey Kong himself has gone on to become a legend.
8Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis)
A Real Treasure Of A Blaster
Sega and Nintendo’s relationship has certainly improved since the days of their bitter rivalry. Now, Sega Genesis titles coexist peacefully with the repertoire of Nintendo games available on the service. Of them, there are few better than 1993’s Gunstar Heroes.
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Treasure’s debut title can be seen as something akin to a futuristicContra, in which Gunstar Red and Blue blast their way through the forces of Colonel Red to apprehend the villain. Much of the gameplay is on foot, which allows the Gunstar brothers to grasp and throw enemies as well as shooting them, and further variety is found in the vehicle stages (offering a range from mine karts to spaceships). There are four weapon types, and you can double up on your main weapon’s function (adding longer range or larger projectiles, for instance) or add that of another to customize your build somewhat. It’s a colorful and creative experience, as would be expected of the storied developer Treasure would become.
7Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)
One Of The Finest Titles This Gaming Icon Ever Starred In
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehogwas a new kind of platforming adventure, a speed-centric and challenging yet bright, beautiful, and colorful romp through worlds that would become the stuff of gaming legend. In short order, a follow-up was needed, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would become one of the greatest video game sequels ever made.
How did Sega pull it off? By further developing the sense of speed and the varied zones that defined the original, while adding elements likethe beloved Tailsand the trusty spin dash. A perfectly-judged sequel that offered more of the same with subtle enhancements, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is one of the greatest games ever made and holds up remarkably well.
6WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! (Game Boy Advance)
The Birth Of A Brand-New, Brilliant, Bizarre Series
Nintendo hasn’t historically been known to take a lot of risks with its star IPs. At the same time, though, The House That Mario Built has become synonymous with creativity. When they do take a chance with some of their bigger characters, great things can happen. WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames! was one of these things.
Arriving for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, this title introduced the microgame formula. These are incredibly brief bursts of fun, fired at the player in rapid succession, requiring simple controls often amounting to a timed button-press or similar. They’re generally focused on specific themes, such as sports or retro Nintendo titles, and shooting for high scores in modes that mix an array of microgames together can be incredibly compelling. It’s quite a content-rich little package, if you’re looking to challenge your previous performances, and you’re sure to be smiling at the silliness throughout.
5Tetris (Game Boy)
The Puzzle Title That Needs No Introduction
Tetris (1984)
Puzzle games tend to lack a narrative and dramatic action, meaning that they aren’t for everybody. Even so, some of them, like the mighty Tetris, achieve widespread acclaim. 1989’s Tetris was bundled with the Game Boy, allowing it to reach an enormous audience and etch its falling tetrominoes on the consciousnesses of millions of gamers.
As you surely know, the goal is to keep switching the falling shapes around to form solid lines, which will then be erased from the playing area.Tetris has been imitated so many timesand re-released in a range of flashier, more mode-heavy titles, so the original handheld version may be a bit too primitive for some. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if you find this perfectly-crafted classic sinking its claws into you once again on Nintendo Switch Online.
4Super Metroid (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
Another Near-Perfect Sequel
Super Metroid
TheMetroidseries has produced some games that have gone on to be regarded as all-time greats.Metroid Prime, particularly the remastered edition that was shadow-dropped for Nintendo Switch in 2022, is right at the top of this list. Almost thirty years before that remaster, though, 1994’s Super Metroid was starting to cement its own reputation.
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Super Metroid is an atmospheric, unnerving, gripping adventure title, centering around Samus and her already-familiar foes, the Space Pirates. In pursuit of Ridley, Samus arrives on Planet Zebes, a sprawling and dangerous world that opens up as our heroine starts to explore and acquire a range of powers. It’s a visually arresting title, and a steep challenge to boot. If you’ve recently enjoyed Metroid Prime Remastered and the long-awaitedMetroid Dread, also available for Nintendo Switch, Super Metroid is another must-play andan essential Metroidvania.
3Super Mario World (Super Nintendo Entertainment System)
A Standard Against Which All 2D Platformers Can Be Measured
Super Mario World
With the prolific nature of the New Super Mario Bros. games, it would be understandable to feel a little saturated with 2D platformers in the series. What Nintendo was perhaps aiming to achieve withSuper Mario Bros. Wonderwas recapturethe magic of the classic Mario side scrollers. In that regard, for many fans, Super Mario World remains the standard to aspire to.
Releasing in North America in 1991, this title offered the most expansive Mario experience yet. Its beautiful and colorful levels are replete with secret exits, Yoshi adds a new dimension to proceedings, and some of the most game-changing new powers were introduced for our hero to make use of. Yes, Mario’s in pursuit of Bowser again, but aside from its plot, Super Mario World exudes sheer inventiveness from every pore. Combine that with its tight and precise controls, and World still feels remarkably contemporary to play today.
2Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64)
An Incredibly Successful First Step Into 3D
Super Mario 64
A few short years after Super Mario World, the series had a whole new dimension to conquer. The stakes were very high for Super Mario 64, and simply dashing down the hill into Peach’s Castle and walking into its cavernous entrance hall was enough to prove to players that it was up to the task.
Hopping between the castle’s different paintings to access its worlds was an inspired concept, and determining and achieving the objectives for each Power Star is a joy. From its wrestling-esque Bowser battles to that furious haunted piano, this title is crammed with memorable moments. Camera control can be quite tricky (a common issue with early 3D titles), but working past that will show (or remind) youwhat a well-built adventure this is.
1The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (Nintendo 64)
A Fan (And Critic) Favorite From An Already-Beloved Series
Alongside Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time could be considered another of the system’s ultimate killer apps. In taking two of Nintendo’s most popular series into the 3D arena, they’re not only fantastic games, but tremendously important ones for the industry and its history.
Ocarina of Time gave a true sense of Hyrule’s scale, in a way that perhaps wouldn’t be felt again until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It sports some fiendish dungeon puzzles and impactful story beats, and is a truly substantial adventure to boot. The time travel component, implemented through the Temple of Time and the Master Sword, allowed the player to explore Hyrule as both child and adult Link, lending a further depth to this extraordinary world.
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