Best Looking Games on Nintendo Switch, Ranked

Despite its technical limitations compared to more powerful consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, the Nintendo Switch continues to impress with its ability to deliver visually stunning games. The combination of high-quality artistic design, technical optimization, and creative direction ensures that titles on the Switch stand out for their beauty, regardless of hardware power.

These visual experiences are not limited to the console's exclusives. Many third-party titles also manage to get the most out of the hardware, providing high-quality graphics. The titles below show that the Nintendo Switch, even with its limitations, can offer a variety of games that surprise with their aesthetics and immersion.

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10 Hollow Knight

Simple Graphics But An Incredible Artistic Direction

Team Cherry achieved some incredible feats with Hollow Knight, creating a fun metroidvania with impressive graphics. Despite being simple, the game's artistic direction was very well executed.

Its style works wonderfully on a portable console, making its unique atmosphere even better for players who prefer the hybrid console in handheld mode. This ambiance, combined with the gameplay, offers a charming and engaging experience for all players.

9 Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

An Impressive Visual Work On Switch

Dragon Quest 11 S is one of the most beautiful games available on the Nintendo Switch, combining Akira Toriyama's iconic art style with a visually stunning world. Even with the console's hardware limitations, the game features sharp graphics, richly detailed environments, and a vibrant color palette.

Furthermore, the Switch version also offers an exclusive 2D mode, transporting players to a nostalgic experience. The smooth transition between 3D and 2D modes adds a unique layer to the visual experience, making Dragon Quest XI S a pinnacle of graphic beauty and innovation on Nintendo's hybrid console.

8 Octopath Traveler 2

One Of The Most Beautiful HD-2D Games On The Switch

Square Enix's Octopath Traveler series started the trend of HD-2D games. This style mixes pixel art with modern effects, resulting in incredible graphics. Thus, Octopath Traveler 2 is one of the most gorgeous games on the Nintendo Switch, showing how the technology has become more impressive over time.

Besides hitting the players' nostalgia, the graphics of Octopath Traveler 2 feature excellent lighting, plenty of scene depth, and well-animated characters. Another point that contributes to the game's beauty is the detail in each character's sprites, making it a true delight to the eyes.

7 Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Impressive Graphics For The Nintendo Switch

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 stands out for its anime-inspired artistic style, presenting beautiful graphics that enrich the game's narrative. The vibrant aesthetic and meticulous details in each character and environment create a visually captivating experience, for both anime fans and RPG gamers.

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The open world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is vast and meticulously designed, offering an impressive scale for exploration. With diverse landscapes and expansive areas, players can lose themselves in an epic journey, discovering secrets as they enjoy stunning scenery that demonstrates the Nintendo Switch's graphical potential.

6 Metroid Prime Remastered

A New And Beautiful Version Of A Nintendo Classic

For a game released in 2002, Metroid Prime already featured beautiful graphics. The remastered version released for Nintendo Switch showcases the incredible work Retro Studios has done to update the game. The graphical update elevates the experience, preserving the original essence while enhancing visual details to modern standards.

The graphics of Metroid Prime Remastered stand out for their improved fidelity and dynamic lighting, which give greater depth and realism to the environments. Each texture has been carefully refined, maintaining the series' characteristic artistic style. The optimization for the Switch ensures significant visual improvement and increases performance, allowing for a fluid FPS experience.

5 Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo's Mascot Shines

The launch year of the Nintendo Switch was impressive, with great games coming to the console, one of them being Super Mario Odyssey. Besides impressing with fluid gameplay, Mario's new adventure also brought one of the most beautiful games on the platform to date.

The graphics of Super Mario Odyssey draw attention for their vibrant colors and diverse settings, ranging from urban landscapes to stunning natural environments. The artistic direction combines a cartoonish style with realistic details, creating a charming and fluid visual experience that stands out as one of the best-looking on the Nintendo Switch.

4 Pikmin 4

An Enchanting Visual Experience

Despite being announced early in the Nintendo Switch's life, Pikmin 4 took a while to actually release for the console. However, when it did, the result was refined gameplay that's enjoyable for franchise fans and welcoming to newcomers. Another element of the game that impressed was the graphics.

The artistic direction makes Pikmin 4 one of the most beautiful games on the Nintendo Switch, pleasing to the eyes both in handheld mode and when connected to a television. The settings are colorful and full of details, with a main highlight being the water — one of the most beautiful elements in the game.

3 Gris

A Beautiful Game With Visual Storytelling

Few games are as unique as Gris, which uses its visuals to convey the narrative directly to players. The game features detailed scenarios that flow naturally before the eyes, creating a visually stunning and emotionally engaging experience.

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In addition, the color palette and subtle use of animation complement the protagonist's journey, reinforcing immersion and the game's emotional themes. Each change of scenery brings new artistic details that make Gris an interactive work of art, keeping players captivated at every moment of this journey.

2 Luigi’s Mansion 3

A Highly Immersive Atmosphere

The graphics of Luigi’s Mansion 3 stand out for the richness of details in each environment, with dynamic lighting that intensifies the haunted atmosphere. Shadows, textures, and particle effects are used masterfully, creating a visually engaging and immersive setting. The creative design of the scenarios also impresses with its variety and graphical quality.

Character animation is another highlight, with Luigi displaying fluid movements that give a comical and charming touch to the character. The quality of reflections and interaction with the environment prove that the console can deliver stunning graphics even with older hardware compared to competitors.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Visuals Impress In Quality And Scale

The graphics of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom draw attention not just for the high definition of textures, but the artistic direction used by the developers, even with the console's limitations. The second chapter of Link's journey impresses with beautiful visuals of characters and settings.

Another factor is the expansion of its already massive predecessor's map. Players can explore both the depths of Hyrule and the islands in the skies, resulting in incredible scenes of Link jumping from great heights.

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