The Best Third-Party Games On The Nintendo Switch

Nintendo is known for its vast array of solid first-party games. The Nintendo Switch is also known for having a deep library of indies to take on the go. However, what isn't spotlighted as much as those two points is the amount of third-party support the Switch has gotten since its launch in 2017.

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With the help of some major companies, Nintendo has been able to build a solid catalog of high-quality AA or AAA games on the Switch that aren't just Nintendo-made. While there are quite a few options for players to choose from, only a small handful stand out as the best third-party games on the Switch.

Updated February 11, 2025, by Hamza Haq: There is a new wave of handheld gaming on the horizon for the industry, thanks to consoles like the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and ROG Ally being actually decent options for gamers on the move or on a budget. Nintendo has always had its own chunk of the market cornered quite convincingly, but more handheld options mean more games being developed with the format in mind by third-party developers, and that’s great news for the Switch, as it can take advantage of all of it without having to do anything.

32 South Park: The Stick Of Truth

Crude, Hilarious, And Unapologetically South Park

The mere idea of playing a South Park game on the Switch is hilarious for fans who loved the PG-friendly reputation that Nintendo had enjoyed for the longest time, with a few exceptions along the way. These have become the norm now, and players who want to check out a hilarious game with some gross-out humor will love South Park: The Stick of Truth's brazen nature.

Players take on the role of the New Kid, who harbors a mystery that his parents hide as they encourage him to be normal. It turns out that this kid's farts have the power to save the world, which is about as ridiculous a revelation as one would expect. To make things even funnier, Morgan Freeman drops by to deliver this explanation, further adding to the ridiculous humor of one of the best third-party games on the Switch.

31 Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen

A High-Fantasy RPG With Unmatched Combat Freedom

Given the many technical and ethical problems that plagued Dragon's Dogma 2 when it came out, most fans would recommend that players stick to the first game for now if they've yet to check out a game in the series. Featuring an excellent combat system that serves as the heart and soul of this beloved action RPG, it's easy to see why players love Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen to the moon and back.

The fact that players can enjoy this enhanced version on the Switch makes it even more of a tantalizing prospect for fans to check out. There's something about mounting chimeras and trolls on the go that makes Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen one of the best third-party Switch games that players should enjoy if all they care about is using cool and varied moves to take out their opponents.

30 BioShock: The Collection

Explore The Depths Of Rapture And The Heights Of Columbia

The BioShock trilogy features three of the greatest first-person shooters ever made. The narrative-heavy focus of these titles works out pretty well and lets players enjoy a game full of freaky Plasmids and unique weapons that can pulverize their opponents in no time. While a long time has passed since the release of BioShock Infinite, players will still love playing through this amazing trilogy for themselves, regardless of whether they're new or returning fans.

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All three games individually can stake their claim as being some of the best third-party Switch games players can get their hands on. To find all these games in one amazing collection that is usually available at a decent price is an absolute steal and a bargain that fans should take advantage of if they've yet to check out the underwater city of Rapture and the floating dystopia of Columbia

29 Borderlands Legendary Collection

The Ultimate Looter-Shooter Experience On Switch

The Borderlands franchise has been an icon of the gaming industry for a very long time, filling the niche of the honest-to-goodness looter shooter in a way most studios have given up on. Switch owners are now in the enviable position of being able to enjoy not one, not two, but three whole Borderlands games for the price of one through this bundle.

The bundle includes Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Chronologically, Borderlands 1 comes first, then Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and finally Borderlands 2. Despite their 3D graphics and open-world nature, the Borderlands games run quite well on the Switch.

28 DOOM Eternal

Fast-Paced Demon-Slaying Action At Its Peak

The FPS action of Doom's reboot was something else, and it's easy to see why players wanted to enjoy a sequel that would let them enjoy more of this title's impressive gameplay. Doom Eternal certainly upped the ante for this title, even if some people felt like the gameplay was unnecessarily convoluted in some instances.

What really makes Doom Eternal such a massive achievement is how smoothly it works on the Nintendo Switch. The gameplay doesn't feel like it's being held back by the lower graphical and processing power of the Switch, which is a massive achievement in its own right.

27 No Man's Sky

Space Exploration, Survival, And Discovery Await

No Man's Sky is a game that went through a lot of strife before finally achieving the level of excellence most people expected from this title. Tighter procedurally generated systems, gameplay improvements, and the addition of new features have helped this game stand out as one of the best space exploration games players can check out.

Enjoying this title on the Switch is a dream come true. After all, most people would love the idea of exploring planets on the go, which is accommodated by the Switch's portable nature.

26 Two Point Hospital

Build, Manage, And Cure The Craziest Ailments

Based on the 1997 hit simulator Theme Hospital and many other simulation games, Two Point Hospital puts players in the position of running their own hospital. Players can take on a handful of different starting scenarios as the primary goal is to build different rooms that will help satisfy the needs of the patients that will be staying there.

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Players will also need to tackle made-up diseases and how to cure them by hiring the right staff to get to the bottom of them.

25 Portal Companion Collection

The Greatest Puzzle Games Of All Time

Commonly talked about as being among the best puzzle games in history, the Portal franchise came to the Nintendo Switch in 2022 with both games bundled together under the name Portal Companion Collection. The first-person platform puzzler tasks players with navigating a series of tests using a Portal gun.

While the most talked about parts of these third-party Switch games are their single-player campaigns, players can pick up the game at any time and take on the co-op mode with a friend either with split-screen multiplayer or through different devices locally and online.

24 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Ultimate RPG Experience

The Witcher has become a multimedia franchise thanks to the work done on the video game series. The most beloved entry of the trilogy, and the highest-selling, is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The monster slayer Geralt of Rivia returns as he searches for his adopted daughter as she attempts to escape the Wild Hunt, a group of ghostly warriors from a parallel dimension.

The Witcher 3 is an action RPG that revolves around fighting monsters and completing quests to help enhance Geralt's abilities.

23 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Mechs, Mystery, And Time-Bending Storytelling

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

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Adventure

Strategy

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Released

September 22, 2020

Developer(s)

Vanillaware

Platform(s)

PS4, Switch

Genre(s)

Adventure, Strategy

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After being a PlayStation exclusive for many years, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim arrived on the Switch and joined the system's deep JRPG library. The Vanillaware game is about high school students who have been thrust into a war that they must fight using mechas.

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One of the best third-party Switch games, 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim combines side-scrolling navigation of areas with epic battles that use a real-time strategy format that allows for unique approaches for every encounter. There are also multiple branches that the story can go down depending on decisions made by the player during the experience.