10 best games on Nintendo Switch Online – from Zelda to EarthBound

Nintendo Switch Online has grown from a disappointing Virtual Console replacement to a formidable subscription service, so here’s a rundown of some of it’s must play titles.

While some might still look begrudgingly at Nintendo Switch Online, as the deathbringer of the Virtual Console, the subscription service has gradually evolved into a compelling catalogue of gaming history.

The service began with only NES games in 2018, but over the years titles for the SNES, Nintendo 64, Sega Mega Drive, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and most recently, Virtual Boy have been added to the roster. GameCube titles are exclusive to the Switch 2, while Virtual Boy titles require a separate accessory for the stereoscopic vision.

If you’re overwhelmed by the huge number of games on the service, or simply need some throwback recommendations, we’ve amassed a list of the 10 best games you can play right now. We’ve tried to mix in overlooked classics with more obscure titles (you don’t need us to tell you to play Zelda: Ocarina Of Time or Super Mario World), but if you’ve got unusual recommendations of your own let us know via the usual email address.

Metroid: Zero Mission

Game Boy Advance

Super Metroid might be the best game in the series, but we’d recommend this Game Boy Advance remake of the 1986 original for newcomers. The original is difficult to play nowadays, for anyone that didn’t grow up with it, but the remake is fantastic, with fleshed out new areas, mini-bosses, and items. The best part? You can clear the whole thing in a day, if you’re savvy.

F-Zero GX

GameCube

There is an impressive stack of F-Zero games on Nintendo Switch Online, including the once Japan-exclusive F-Zero Climax, but the series’ high-speed thrills are at their propulsive best in F-Zero GX on the GameCube. Beyond the entrancing visuals, soundtrack and track design, it might be one of the most difficult games ever published by Nintendo (in a good way).

Densetsu No Starfy

Game Boy Advance

If you’ve played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you might recognise Starfy as a spinning assist trophy. His history, however, goes back to a string of underwater 2D platformers which were only ever released in Japan, until they landed on the Nintendo Switch Online in 2024. The first three games are available on the service, and while they don’t rival Mario’s 2D greats, they’re interesting alternatives for the cool kids.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

Game Boy Advance/SNES

Some people of a certain age are still stuck in a debate as to whether Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World is the greatest 2D platformer of all time. However, you can easily throw the argument into disarray with the imaginative, and beautifully animated, Yoshi’s Island. It’s a shame all Yoshi’s mainline adventures since then haven’t hit in quite the same way, but this is a reminder of when he went egg-to-egg with Mario’s best.

Sin And Punishment

Nintendo 64

Few hidden gems deserve the spotlight more than Sin & Punishment, an arcade-style rail shooter by cult developer Treasure, that’s filled with awesomely over-the-top action and enemies. It was originally exclusive to Japan on the Nintendo 64, but finally made its way to the West in 2007 through the Virtual Console. If you’re after a Star Fox fix, this might soothe the craving.

EarthBound

SNES

If you’re a fan of quirky role-playing games, or wondering where that annoying ‘PK Fire!’ boy from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate came from, EarthBound (known as Mother 2 in Japan) is the answer. You can play the first game, EarthBound Beginnings, on the service too, which is the only place it’s ever been available in the West. Alas, the third game in the series, Mother 3, is unlikely ever to get the same treatement.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Game Boy Advance

Mario & Luigi: Brothership wasn’t quite the grand return many hoped for, but the plumbing duo’s role-playing games are still some of the most underrated around. Bowser’s Inside Story aside, the best might still be the original, where you travel to the Beanbean Kingdom to stop the locals from harnessing the power of the Beanstar. Ignore the silly names, and sink into the dynamic turn-based combat instead.

Blast Corps

Nintendo 64

Like Sin & Punishment, Blast Corps is another forgotten gem from the Nintendo 64 era. It’s a puzzle-action game developed by Rare, which sees you using vehicles to destroy buildings in the path of a runaway nuclear missile carrier. It’s very different from Banjo-Kazooie, and most of their other stuff, and it’s a real shame there was never a sequel.

Soulcalibur 2

GameCube

Few fighting games from the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube generation have aged as well as Soulcalibur 2, which still marks the series’ peak. Each version had a unique fighter, but between Heihachi, Spawn, and Link from The Legend Of Zelda, there was no question as to which console got the best deal.

The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons/Ages

Game Boy Color

It’s very easy to recommend The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past or Ocarina Of Time as undisputed classics, but it’s just as easy to overlook Zelda’s adventures on the Game Boy Color. While they do have some connectivity, Oracle Of Seasons and Oracle Of Ages are actually quite different games, albeit built with the same top-down graphics borrowed from Link’s Awakening.

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