Best Cheap Switch Games

There's no shortage of games to play on the Nintendo Switch. With an ever-expanding library of new and old titles, it's hard for players with the hybrid console to ever get bored. The eShop, specifically, is a great online store full of titles both popular and unknown just waiting to be played. Regardless of your preferred genre, odds are there is something there for you, and it has one of the best classic game libraries around too.

More importantly, however, there are countless titles that are inexpensive. If potential players set the eShop price point to $10 or under, there's an overwhelming amount of content to choose from. Yet, choosing between the good and the bad can be a daunting task. So, to help you choose, here are some of the best Switch games under $10.

Updated February 18, 2024 by Mark Sammut: While Nintendo rarely discounts first-party titles, the Switch has a huge library of indie games that are affordable. Here are the best cheap Switch games in 2024.

Vampire Survivors

Metascore: 88

Luca Galante's Vampire Survivors was an instant success when it launched into early access toward the end of 2021, paving the way to its full debut less than a year later. Since then, the game has been steadily making its way to other platformers, with the Switch port arriving in August 2023. With very basic visuals, a simple core gameplay loop, and 30-minute play sessions, Vampire Survivors is tailor-made for a portable system, and it feels right at home on Nintendo's hybrid console. While its price might suggest otherwise, this title is more than capable of keeping someone entertained for weeks or months, as can be proven by its longevity on Steam.

Players pick a character and are dropped into a map where enemies continuously spawn. Their goal is simple: kill monsters, level up, and survive for 30 minutes. The characters attack automatically, so players must primarily focus on movement rather than direct actions; however, whenever they level up, they will have to pick an upgrade or item from a random assortment. The latter system is what elevated Vampire Survivors to the next level since it forces players to be constantly thinking about their build's trajectory.

WBSC eBaseball: Power Pros

Metascore: N/A

One of the cheapest Switch games, WBSC eBASEBALL: Power Pros' $0.99 price tag almost seems like an error or a sign that Konami's game is meant to be treated as a live-service release. However, that is not really the case. EBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball is a big franchise in Japan that has been around since 1994. However, the series remained exclusive to its home nation, which makes sense since the games are licensed by Japanese baseball organizations.

Power Pros essentially acts as an introduction for Western audiences, and while the package is bare bones, it does a good job of highlighting the franchise's unique visuals and fun gameplay. Along with detailed tutorial and team creator modes, the game supports multiplayer and solo matches. Power Pros is more than worth its entry fee.

Yars: Recharged

Metascore: 83

Switch owners who are big fans of old-school games have at their disposal an array of remakes based on classic Atari releases, all of which fall under the Recharged subtitle. Black Widow, Centipede, and Asteroids provide simple fun; however, if asked to signal out the best of the bunch, it would have to be Yars: Recharged.

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Ambitious for the early '80s, this game is essentially a boss rush, albeit not quite in the same vein as modern titles. Each stage consists of a protected boss, and players need to steadily chip away at the enemy's defenses in order to carve a path to their weak point. Offering a strategic and satisfying gameplay loop, Yars: Recharged is challenging and reasonably long for its price tag.

Cthulhu Saves Christmas

Metascore: 83

Zeboyd Games' delightful RPG follows a weakened Cthulhu on a quest to save Christmas (and regain his lost power). Cthulhu Saves Christmas pokes fun at plenty of RPG tropes, and the game's writing is consistently funny.

Perhaps more importantly, this RPG is also fun to play. The game features a turn-based combat system that has more than enough depth and color to remain engaging for the campaign's relatively short length.

The Forest Quartet

Metascore: 72 (PC)

The Forest Quartet is a short puzzle game that tells a moving story about grief and music. Cast as the ghost of a singer who recently died, players visit the homes of the protagonist's bandmates as they are preparing for a tribute event. However, the living characters are, unsurprisingly, struggling to come to terms with their loss and futures, and they need some guidance to find peace of mind.

Telling a moving story that tackles a few difficult themes well, The Forest Quartet oozes love and appreciation for the arts. The gameplay is quite simple and will not provide too much of a challenge, but it largely serves its purpose while not getting in the way of the narrative.

Oxenfree

Metascore: 81

Developed by Night School Studio, Oxenfree is a 2D adventure game revolving nearly entirely around walking and dialogue. There are also a few puzzles and secrets to unlock, but the game's selling point is its story and characters, both of which are strong.

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Oxenfree's art style, tone, and writing complement each other to create a gripping narrative that balances character development with a great sense of mystery. Lasting roughly 5 hours for a playthrough, Oxenfree is well worth a look.

Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon

Metascore: 82

Released alongside Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Curse of the Moon is a throwback to classic 2D Castlevania games, and it is a great one at that. Taking on the role of Zangetsu, players plow through pixilated levels with branching paths while utilizing an assortment of sub-weapons and abilities.

The game features multiple playable characters, all of which come with their own playstyles. The characters can be switched out at any time once they are unlocked, permitting they have not been killed during the current level. This greatly expands the gameplay options present to the player at any given moment. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon offers a ridiculous amount of content for its price tag.

Flat Heroes

Metascore: 82

Flat Heroes is a simple platformer about a square that simply wishes to survive. The 100+ levels consist of single screens with a couple of platforms and a slew of enemies, the latter of which get increasingly more creative in their attempts to reduce the player's square to nothing. Flat Heroes's cute and stripped-back presentation might trick some people into believing this is a relatively easy game, but that could not be further from the truth.

This platformer packs a grueling punch, punishing players who make a solitary mistake or are too slow to react. Flat Heroes tests a user's reflexes rather than precision, crafting a gameplay loop that will keep players coming back for more.

Post Void

Metascore: 83 (PS4)

Modern throwbacks to boomer shooters are easy to come by in this day and age, but while it might seem to be another one of these releases on the surface, Post Void is a different type of beast. A fever dream in gaming form, this indie title challenges players to desperately cling to life as they speedrun levels while almost on the verge of death. Basically, players have to kill enemies to keep their life force up, and there is very little room for error. As Post Void is also a roguelike, death means returning to square one, with nothing to show for yourself.

This gameplay loop is not for everyone, but if it clicks with someone, they could lose hours trying to craft that perfect playthrough. Post Void has an eye-catching aesthetic, an addictive concept, and fairly good controls on the Switch. If someone is looking for an atypical FPS that does not cost more than $6, they won't find something better than this title.

Sega Ages Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Metascore: 83

Some games will never go out of fashion, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is certainly one of those titles. Sega's mascot hit the ground running with his original Genesis outing, and its sequel cemented Sonic as a gaming icon who will never disappear. Despite being more than 30 years old by this point, Sonic 2 is still as fantastic of an experience as it was on the day of its release.

Visually, the game's vibrant aesthetic pops off the screen, injecting personality into the campaign's creative and well-designed stages. The gameplay is timeless, and arguably still represents the franchise's peak.