Between 2017 and 2025, the Switch had a lot of great JRPGs on the console. Some of them were exclusive, like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and some of them were ports that worked surprisingly well, like Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. For every type of JRPG fan, from turn-based to action to strategy, there was something there for everyone.
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So far, there aren’t too many new JRPGs on the Switch 2, but it is nice that players can enjoy virtually any Switch game on the new hardware. Maybe that’s not enough for some players, though. Maybe these JRPGs deserve more attention on the Switch 2, which didn’t get quite the love they deserved originally. For various reasons, 2025 is a good time for players or companies to revisit them.
Dragon Quest Builders
A Spinoff Based On A Bad Ending
Dragon Quest Builders
- Released
- October 11, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Switch and Switch 2 players got Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, a collection of the first two Dragon Quest games in the series. The plot of Dragon Quest features the nameless hero fighting an entity known as the Dragon Lord, and without spoiling the details, there are two endings to the game, which was also true in the original NES version. If fans want to play a game that ties into the bad ending, then they should play Dragon Quest Builders, as it’s based around that idea, but as an action RPG featuring a Minecraft-like world with crafting.
Super Mario RPG
Mario’s First RPG
Super Mario RPG
- Released
- November 17, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
2025 marks the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. Hitting the NES, which Nintendo recognizes as Mario’s big debut overall. They announced a flurry of new titles and tie-ins to celebrate Mario in 2026, and a few in 2025 too, including Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, combining two of Mario’s best 3D platformers. As a way for players to continue the Mario celebration on their Switch 2 in 2025, they should check out Mario’s first RPG, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, which was remade in 2023 for the Switch as just Super Mario RPG, which featured a new active turn-based battle system unlike anything else on the SNES.
Fate/Samurai Remnant
A Fantastical History Lesson
Fate/Samurai Remnant
- Released
- September 28, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Alcohol and Tobacco Reference, Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
Ghost of Yotei is one of 2025’s biggest games, featuring an open-world and samurai action, all exclusive to the PS5. If Switch 2 fans want a good samurai game to play on their console as an alternative, then they should check out Fate/Samurai Remnant. It’s not an expansive world, but the fantastical action is strong, along with the interactive world map, bridging areas of Japan together. Plus, there is some real-world Japanese history to learn, albeit through an anime lens.
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
Before Final Fantasy There Was...
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
- Released
- November 11, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, Strategy
Final Fantasy fans finally got what they wanted: a remaster of Final Fantasy Tactics via Final Fantasy Tactics - The Ivalice Chronicles, which was released on Switch and Switch 2. It’s a lengthy campaign that should have lasted players upwards of sixty hours, easily.
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If fans have finished it and are looking for a more obscure tactical RPG to check out next, then it should be Tactics Ogre: Reborn, which was released for the Switch in 2022. The original version, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, preceded Final Fantasy Tactics by several years, serving as its groundwork, as the game features similar gameplay mechanics like grid-based battles. Also, with branching choices, players can keep players for weeks.
Persona 5 Strikers
A Direct Sequel To A Brilliant JRPG
Persona 5 Strikers
- Released
- February 3, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army was released this year on Switch and Switch 2, as one of the more obscure entries in the Shin Megami Tensei series. It featured action-based combat, which is not common in the series, so if fans want a little something extra, then they should check out Persona 5 Strikers next. It’s a full sequel to Persona 5, featuring the Phantom Thieves going on summer vacation only to be roped into another dungeon-crawling adventure, but this time with slick action combat.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings Of Ruin
Getting Ready For Three
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
- Released
- July 9, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Genre(s)
- RPG, JRPG, Exploration, Creature Collector
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is coming out in 2026 for Switch 2, so if Monster Hunter fans want to get ready, then they should check out Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The games are not connected, but it might be a good idea for fans to immerse themselves in this different style of gameplay from the main action-based entries. Players will build a party of human and monster characters, performing in turn-based battles and exploring a semi-open world similar to 90s JRPGs.
Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold
Level-5’s Other Action Fantasy
Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold
- Released
- February 14, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
Level-5 had a big hit on their hands this year with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time on Switch and Switch 2. Anyone looking for another action-based dungeon-crawler from Level-5 should also check out Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl - Gold. Snack World, as a franchise, was a bit bigger in Japan than in North America, with this game serving as the flagship. It features fewer customization options and the world is smaller than Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, but that’s not a bad thing as it still is a serviceable action JRPG.
Bravely Default 2
From The Remaster To The Sequel
Bravely Default 2
- Released
- February 26, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
The Switch 2 launched with Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, a remaster of a 3DS game, which was like a love letter to old-school Final Fantasy games. There was a 3DS sequel, followed by a third bigger entry on the Switch simply called Bravely Default 2.
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Like Final Fantasy games, every entry is unconnected except that crystals play a big part in it, along with turn-based combat. With the four playable heroes, players can swap between Jobs and build up their strategies in battle, and overall, it’s considered by some fans to be the best entry in the series.
Yo-kai Watch 4
Ghost Fans Are Waiting
Yo-kai Watch 4
- Released
- June 20, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Yo-kai Watch 4 was released in Japan in 2019 on the Switch, and in that same year, North America got Yo-kai Watch 3 on the 3DS, which seems a bit confusing. It’s the last main entry to be released in North America, which is sad considering Japan has a handful of exclusive titles. Even though things are wrapping up in 2025, it’s not too late for Level-5 to drop a surprise digital release of Yo-Kai Watch 4 on the eShop. It’ll be a good alternative to Pokemon Legends: Z-A, as it features Pokemon-like battles and collecting, but with ghosts instead.
Mother 3
Is It Time Yet?
Mother 3
- Released
- April 20, 2006
- Developer(s)
- HAL Laboratory, Brownie Brown
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Fans in North America have been waiting patiently for Mother 3 ever since it was released in 2006 on the Game Boy Advance. Japan got the game digitally last year in 2024 on the Nintendo Online service, while Japanese Wii U players got it in 2015. Nintendo typically drops new retro games with little to no fanfare days before release, so Mother 3 could still be possible to see in English for the first time, officially, in 2025, so that turn-based JRPG fans can finally get a taste.
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