Balatro, Prince of Persia, and Castlevania: 20 Best Games of 2024 for Nintendo Switch by Metacritic

Metacritic rating aggregator has published a rating of the best video games for Nintendo Switch in 2024. The list includes projects that have received at least seven reviews from professional critics.

The first place was taken by Castlevania Dominus Collection (92/100) — a collection from developer M2 that includes three classic Nintendo DS games (Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia), as well as the exclusive Haunted Castle Revisited — a remade version of the original arcade Castlevania. Critics highly appreciated the quality of porting and additional content.

The second place was taken by Animal Well (90/100) — a metro dungeon crawler from independent developer Billy Basso. The game is characterized by detailed level design, gorgeous pixelated graphics, and inventive use of objects.

Third place went to Pentiment (90/100) by Obsidian Entertainment, a historical adventure game set in 16th century Bavaria. Players investigate a murder mystery for 25 game years. The game features a unique visual style inspired by medieval manuscripts.

The fourth place was shared by Balatro (90/100) — a poker-based roguelike that has been ranked «Best Indie Game 2024» at The Game Awards. The fifth place went to the atmospheric platformer Neva (89/100) from Barcelona-based Nomada Studio.

See the full list of the best games of 2024 for Nintendo Switch according to Metacritic:

1. Castlevania Dominus Collection — 92/100
2. Animal Well — 90/100
3. Pentiment — 90/100
4. Balatro — 90/100
5. Neva — 89/100
6. Unicorn Overlord — 89/100
7. Tsukihime -A piece of blue glass moon- — 89/100
8. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes — 88/100
9. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown — 88/100
10. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door — 88/100
11. Cat Quest 3 — 86/100
12. Grapple Dogs: Cosmic Canines — 86/100
13. Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance — 86/100
14. Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics — 86/100
15. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom — 85/100
16. qomp2 — 85/100
17. Dungeons of Dreadrock 2 — The Dead King’s Secret — 85/100
18. Ace Attorney Investigations Collection — 85/100
19. Lil’ Guardsman — 85/100
20. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy — 84/100