Summary
- Nintendo Switch offers a surprising range of expansive MMOs, showcasing the system's ability to handle grand-scale games.
- Elemental Knights R stands out with its rich fantasy world, unique class system, and numerous items and skills that enhance gameplay.
- DC Universe Online remains a standout MMO even years after its release, boasting a gigantic open world, satisfying combat, and impressive multiplayer functionality.
While many might consider the Nintendo Switch to be somewhat "limited" regarding the games it can handle, there are still plenty of big and expansive titles that have made their way to Nintendo's latest handheld hybrid, and this includes a pretty big roster of MMOs. In fact, there are plenty of MMOs that are so grand in scale that no one could have ever imagined that they could be ported to the Switch, but Nintendo has seemingly pulled off the impossible with some of these games.
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There is such a staggering amount of these games on the system that it can be hard to know where to even begin, especially for players who are new to the genre. With that being said, there are still a few that have stood the test of time as being much more fun and engaging than others.
7 Elemental Knights R
Metacritic User Score: 3.4
Elemental Knights R
Let's start! Elemental Knights R!
Make your own characters and start on a magnificent adventure with a beautiful fantasy world!
You can dress up and adventure as you wish with your favorite Cosplay and skills! Even one person can play freely!
There are also full-fledged features to customize the character freely with many classes and growing functions!
It is an online role-playing game that you can adventure with players all over the world via the Internet (MMORPG)!
There are 4 types of based classes you can choose first!
Fighter who can attack and defend
Cleric to protect their friends by recovery
Thief who is good at fast attacks
Wizard who has high power magical attack
If you proceed with the adventure you can change to another class based on the first selected class!
Let's release a class skill by achieving quests
As you advance adventure, you will see many NPC (non player character) to ask you for quests.
By solving their "wish" you will be able to learn class specific skills.
So let's positively achieve the quests if you find them.
Let's aim at higher classes
You can receive a story quest "Battle of Rampart" at class Lv 10.
By achieving this quest you will be able to change to another class that can learn even more powerful skills.
If you reach to this feature you will be able to fully enjoy the world of Elemental Knights, so please try as your first goal.
Another classes aiming from based class
Guardian
Magiknight
Monk
Assassin
Bishop
Warlock
Special class with the power of the dragon
Dragon Buster
Dragon Lancer
Dragon Saber
And a legendary classes will be become that only people who master based class!
Samurai
Ninja
A number of great adventures starting soon!
Meadows, deserts, oceans, caves, volcanoes, snowy mountains in the world where spirits live! A vast world waits for you!
A place where the legendary weapons sleeping where the dragon waits at the top! Dragon Tower!
Protect the city from massive monsters! Defensive war!
Dark king that comes from different dimensions then you aim for special rewards! Dark king battle!
Chance to get rare items when you adventure every day! Daily quest!
Let's grow your character by combining over 10000 kinds of equipment and skills of various classes!
It's all so easy to get completely lost in the rich fantasy world of Elemental Knights R, and while it can seem pretty basic on the surface, the game picks up when players are granted access to the more advanced classes. Upon booting up the game, there will be four classic MMORPG classes to choose from, but as players explore the world and complete more quests, they'll be able to turn into something completely different, and these are among some of the most fun classes in any game to play around with.
It can take a little while to get comfortable with the admittedly clunky controls and fairly outdated graphics, but it's really in the layered class system where the game truly shines. There are also literally hundreds of items and skills in the game that can completely change a character's playstyle, creating plenty of opportunities to try out unique builds.
6 World Of Tanks Blitz
Metacritic User Score: 6.2
World of Tanks
World of Tanks Blitz may be a slightly smaller version of its counterpart, but it's still incredibly popular and an extremely accessible MMO shooter that features over 250 tanks that players can customize exactly to their liking. Because of the amount of terrain that's scattered around many of the maps, it creates a perfect balance between strategy and all-out chaos which guarantees every match is as exciting as possible.
The large tech-trees and plethora of upgrades will easily keep players engaged for many hours, especially those who have a particular soft spot for vehicle combat. The slower pace of World of Tanks Blitz may not be for everyone, but with how easy the game is to pick up and play, it's at least worth a shot, especially when playing with a small group of friends.
5 Trove
Metacritic User Score: 5.4
Trove
- Released
- July 9, 2015
- Developer
- Trion Worlds
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, MMORPG
Playing through Trove does feel like going on one big adventure, especially when pairing up with newfound allies who are also discovering the many realms the game has to offer for the very first time. After choosing between the Knight, Gunslinger, Ice Sage, Dracolyte, or Pirate class, the player will then be set free to venture into massive dungeons and mysterious locales, all of which have extremely memorable and eye-catching designs thanks to the vibrant blocky aesthetic of the game.
There are many high points to the game, including the sheer amount of unique weapons and items that can be made, alongside the ability to craft entire worlds, but it's the co-op functionality that makes it so enjoyable. While it's a ton of fun to explore the hidden mysteries of the world with a few friends, the player can also simply activate the Rally Blade to teleport them to a random player, which is an extremely convenient feature and makes it very easy to have fun without needing to scroll through menus. There are unfortunately a few performance issues that can let the game down, but these are so few and far between that they hardly dampen an otherwise excellent experience.
4 Skyforge
Metacritic User Score: 4.0
Skyforge
Unlike a lot of modern MMOs which are rooted in the fantasy genre, Skyforge also incorporates elements of sci-fi that come together to create an incredibly unique world that is just begging to be explored. There are multiple PvE modes players can jump into, and while there are opportunities to take on some of these solo to grind out as much EXP as possible, the game does all it can to encourage players to join forces with others to handle the many monsters that lurk around Aelion.
Because there are 18 available classes in the game, it helps to have a party with a mixture of characters to make mini-bosses and dungeons much more manageable. There are also always limited-time seasonal events going on which help prevent the gameplay from ever getting too repetitive and are well worth completing due to the special one-time rewards and cosmetics that they each offer.
3 Warframe
Metacritic User Score: 7.1
Warframe
- Released
- March 25, 2013
- Developer(s)
- Digital Extremes
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Switch
Warframe is an incredibly fast-paced MMO where the player will slide, leap, and wall-run their way through missions to upgrade their abilities and acquire new weapons. There are currently over 50 Warframes in the game to choose from, all with their abilities, personal traits, and stats, but while most players will usually stick with one and build them up throughout the game, there's no harm in trying multiple out to experiment with playstyles.
It's a very grind-heavy game which might sound a little off-putting at first, but since all the missions are very different from one another, it means the game never ends up feeling repetitive or monotonous. There's also the fact that no two Warframes are ever the same, so it's always a treat jumping online and seeing what deadly creations people have come up with. The twitch-shooter nature of Warframe might seem a little too fast for some more methodical gamers, but it is worth getting to grips with to experience one of the best MMOs on the Switch right now.
2 ARK: Survival Evolved
Metacritic User Score: 3.4
ARK: Survival Evolved
No one could have expected just how massive ARK: Survival Evolved would become when it was first announced in 2014, but there are a few reasons why its player base has skyrocketed past other games in the MMO genre, one of which is the intense survival aspect of the gameplay. This game will test the player's survival instincts, forcing them to think about the best ways to harvest resources, craft tools, and most importantly, stay alive in a world that is full of terrifying creatures.
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Luckily, many of these creatures can be tamed and can then help aid the player in their adventure, but with over 80 to choose from, it's best to choose carefully since some are a lot more menacing and reliable than others. Of course, it also helps to make friends with the other players on the map by forming or joining a tribe. Just make sure that these new "allies" don't get too desperate and end up turning on the rest of the group.
1 DC Universe Online
Metacritic User Score: 3.4
DC Universe Online
- Released
- January 11, 2011
- Developer
- Dimensional Ink Games
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation (Original), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One
It's astonishing that a game released in 2011 is still regarded by many people as one of the best MMO titles ever made, but this does go to show just how special DC Universe Online really is, allowing anyone to fulfill their superhero fantasies in a gigantic open world. While it can be fun to model a character after one of the many popular DC heroes and villains, it's much more worthwhile creating a brand-new identity and testing out the numerous superpowers and outfits, of which there are hundreds to choose from.
Players will be able to explore familiar areas including Metropolis, Gotham City, and Titan Island alongside their favorite heroes, and with a group of buddies too. The combat is satisfying, the graphics still hold up extremely well to this day, and the multiplayer functionality is among some of the best seen in an MMO, allowing up to 8 players to take on an Operation mission, and this isn't even mentioning the riveting Raids that are great for acquiring loot. All in all, it's hard to say anything bad about DC Universe Online, and since it's so accessible and straightforward to play, it should be an MMO that every fan of the genre has downloaded on their Switch.