Historically, Nintendo has been viewed as the “kiddy” video game platform. Does Nintendo deserve this stereotyping? In a sense, yes, given that it is a toy company. However, this tired typecasting is not remotely true in recent years.
In this article, we’ll delve into the best Nintendo Switch games tailored specifically for mature audiences, showcasing an exquisite range of genres and styles. From nail-biting action-adventures to intellectually stimulating strategy games, the Switch has proven itself as the ultimate gaming companion for grown-ups who refuse to leave their inner child behind.
So grab your Joy-Cons, settle into your favorite gaming spot, and prepare to embark on a thrilling journey through the top Nintendo Switch titles for the more mature gamer.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition
It is a miracle that this game actually runs on the Nintendo hybrid console. While The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt was released several years ago, it does need reasonably powerful hardware to run. Yes, the performance may not be the best given the weaker hardware of the portable, but it is more than enough of a trade-off for convenience. Also, the Switch version is the complete version with all the DLCs.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition is one of the greatest games of all time. Arguably, it is the best RPG released in the past decade or two. It has mature themes, both in the violence department and the sex category.
While waiting for your flight, or for your dentist or lawyer appointment, you can safely bring out your Nintendo Switch and not be judged since you are simply playing as Geralt of Rivia.
- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Publisher: CD Projekt
- Release Date: October 15, 2019
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
2. Mortal Kombat XI
It has come a long way since the “Genesis does what Nintendon’t” saga. In the early years of console wars, SEGA made sure that people knew that Nintendo is a “child’s” video game console with the censored version of Mortal Kombat, among other things.
This time around, the brutal fighting game known for extreme violence is on the Switch, without pixelation or blood turned into green slime to stop pearl-clutching parents from taking the streets.
This version runs at a pretty steady 60 frames per second be it docked or portable mode. They are no significant omissions compared to contents on versions of other platforms except for the obvious visual hit that comes within the territory of the weaker hardware of the Switch.
Sacrifices must be made since smooth gameplay is much more needed in a fighting game than stunning visual fidelity.
- Developer: NetherRealm Studios
- Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
- Release Date: Apri 23, 2019
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
3. Diablo III Eternal Collection
Loot-based games are best played on handheld gaming machines. Diablo III just feels at home on the Nintendo Switch. You can bring your adventure anywhere you go: from the toilet to your bed to your work, on your commute, in a restaurant, everywhere you go you can loot.
Aside from the violence depicted in the game, this ARPG touches on vile subjects like Hell and malevolent forces. This is not a game for young kids, but you also have to ask, only children have this much playing time. Can adults set aside some time to play this game? Well, the answer is that because this is on Switch, players can finally play the game at their own pace.
The Eternal Collection contains all of the content released for Diablo III thus far, including the original game, the Reaper of Souls expansion, and the Rise of the Necromancer expansion. The Switch version also includes some interesting cosmetics, such as a cucco pet and a Ganondorf-themed cosmetics set, as well as the ability to summon formidable enemies via Amiibos. Aside from these platform-specific enhancements, this version of Diablo III on the Nintendo Switch is updated frequently.
- Developer: Blizzard Team 3
- Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
- Release Date: November 2, 2018
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
4. L.A. Noire
If you are not into soul-draining loot-based adventures, L.A. Noire is the game you’d want. This game is the natural evolution of point-and-click adventures and visual novels. No, this game is not a walking simulator.
L.A. Noire, which was first released in May 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, surprised everyone since it deviated from the model that Rockstar Games had established with GTA. Although it was an open-world title with objectives, the emphasis was on the narrative and the linear development of a plot that would let you learn the story of detective Cole Phelps, a former military man who now worked for the Los Angeles Police Department in the late 1940s.
Drugs, sex, murder, arson, and so many crimes are involved in this game, not to mention the awful police brutality and shameless violations of constitutional rights committed by the police, specifically Cole Phelps. It will be hard to explain to kids that this is just a work of fiction and does not reflect real life.
L.A. Noire for Switch operates at a consistent 30 frames per second and features resolutions of 720p in portable / docked mode and 1080p when connected to a TV through the dock. For an old game, that is disappointing, but this game is quasi-open-world so corners can be cut. It is not worth cutting all those facial animations to run at 60 frames per second.
- Developer: Team Bondi
- Publisher: Rockstar Games
- Release Date: November 14, 2017
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
5. Catherine: Full Body
If you do not condone harassment and violence and want some adventure games that are more chill, Catherine: Full Body should be your alternative as it only deals with cheating in a relationship.
Vincent, the controlled character, has a minor issue. His girlfriend, Katherine, is pressuring him to marry and establish a family. After a night of drinking, Vincent wakes up next to Catherine, another lady, and starts another romantic relationship. Finally, Rin, a pianist with no memory, falls in love with Vincent when he protects her from a weird stalker. The latter is unique to the Full Body edition, and the story was rewritten to accommodate it naturally throughout the tale.
Full Body also includes new sequences involving Katherine and Catherine, elaborating on the original’s narrative. Vincent is therefore pulled between the three, and on top of that, he suffers from bizarre dreams every night, dying in them.
- Developer: Atlus
- Publisher: Sega
- Release Date: July 7, 2020
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
6. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
Nothing screams maturity than South Park. By maturity, this means mature content. South Park and The Fractured But Whole is a surprisingly solid RPG with serious gameplay given the source. It would have been easy for the developers to troll and make a game that has disruptive elements, but this one is confoundingly conventional in the gameplay department.
Admittedly, this is still South Park game. So, if the only thing that comes to mind when you think of South Park is a ridiculously filthy and poorly animated sitcom, this game is not for you. The Fractured But Whole, like The Stick of Truth, is mostly intended at fans of Parker and Stone’s series, which began 20 years ago, therefore this game will cater only to those who can tolerate the humor.
The Switch version of this game has everything the other versions of the game have including zero, none, and zilch censorship. Gameplay wise there are great innovations but nothing really strays out of the traditional games. However, the scenario and script are good that should serve both longtime fans and innocent bystanders looking for a unique game for their Switch.
- Developer: Ubisoft San Francisco
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Release Date: April 24, 2018
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
7. Hotline Miami Collection
Hotline Miami first appeared on the videogame scene a decade ago with its mega-compact top-down shooter that is gleeful in its violence. Arguably, Hotline Miami is best played on portable gaming devices like the PlayStation Vita. Fortunately, it was ported to the Nintendo Switch.
Hotline Miami Collection has both original and sequel games. These are a pair of hyperviolent and hyperkinetic twin-stick action games with their signature acid-powered and blood-soaked pixel graphics that are great to look at even with their gruesome.
The first game follows the narrative of Jacket, the protagonist, who is summoned to commit a spate of devastation in the locations specified by some unknown enemies, but not before wearing a horrific animal mask over his face.
This character navigates his way through the rooms of tiny to medium labyrinthine complexes, killing all enemy units who patrol the interiors. All of this transforms into a succession of punches, neck cuts, pistol shots, and shattered heads to the sound of kicks in the face and bar strikes, as a stream of trance and techno music hits rock solid hard with the increase in violence. Changing your approach to executions and ringing combinations raises your score at the end of each stage, which unlocks new weapons and masks.
Hotline Miami Wrong Number retains everything as its predecessor. This time around there is a pool of protagonists.
Hotline Miami and its sequel are exercises in dehumanized violence, to the point that playing them seems pleasurable. And the variety of weaponry and strategies provide enough variety to keep things interesting – and that’s before you start experimenting with different masks, which further alter the dynamics. Although the over-the-top brutality and twitch gameplay may not appeal to everyone, this Collection is an excellent example of current, fast-paced shoot-em-up.
- Developer: Dennaton Games
- Publisher: Devolver Digital
- Release Date: August 19, 2019
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
8. Metro Redux
In in 2010, Ukrainian developer 4A Games surprised FPS enthusiasts with something new. Metro 2033, set in the dark tunnels of Moscow’s metro system, combined FPS with survival horror to produce a very frightening game.
The game was a touch rough around the edges like a true Euro-jank, but those who could get past that had a unique experience in its post-apocalyptic environment. After ten years, two sequels, and two remakes, the lack of polish is no longer a problem, and the franchise is more accessible than ever to new fans. The original two games are now portable for the first time, thanks to 4A Games’ porting efforts of the games to the Switch.
4A Games did an excellent job porting these games to the Nintendo Switch. The FPS is fixed at 30 in both docked and portable mode, with virtually no framerate drops even in the busiest regions. You can tell the textures aren’t quite up to level with the other versions of the games, but it’s not something to notice very often, especially in handheld mode. The only thing to complain about the game in portable mode is how dark everything is. The tunnels of Moscow aren’t the brightest areas to play, but even with the system brightness set to maximum, it was that dark.
While it is easy to get desensitized to violence in video games nowadays, especially the gun-wielding first-person shooters, Metro Redux hits too hard as the scarcity of ammunition amps the desolation to incredible levels.
- Developer: 4A Games
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Release Date: February 28, 2020
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
9. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition
The game that launched a thousand petitions from angry parents, a (mainline) Grand Theft Auto is finally now available on a Nintendo console. The other time there is a GTA game on a Nintendo machine, and most notably on a portable for that matter, is Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on Nintendo DS.
Unfortunately, this port is botched. No, cancel that, all versions of the remastered classics are not on par with what people expect from Rockstar. Even after a number of patches, these ports are still not the best way to play or re-play the games.
Nevertheless, it is still “ok” to play. Be sure to purchase this at a deep discount since it is not really worth the full price whether you are a first-timer or a series veteran.
- Developer: Groove Street Games
- Publisher: Rockstar Games
- Release Date: November 21, 2021
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
10. DOOM Eternal
DOOM Eternal takes the demonic battles from Mars to Earth. This ultra-violent franchise is also available on the Switch. On other gaming hardware, DOOM Eternal can scale amazingly well. It can perform 60 frames per second even on older hardware on a PC.
However, on Switch, it can only run to 30 frames per second. Although this is noticeable compared to 60 frames per second, it is more than acceptable. Gyroscope controls are also an adequate alternative to the mouse-and-keyboard controls.
In other words, the DOOM Eternal hasn’t been too crippled and has maintained its superb gameplay. A significant factor to take into account is that this installment of DOOM is the most technically challenging and has the bravest artistic direction, as well as the soundtrack that engages players from the get-go, even on the tinny speakers of Nintendo Switch.
- Developer: id Software
- Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: March 20, 2020
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
11. Shin Megami Tensei V
Time for a break from these first-person shooters. Shin Megami Tensei is notably known as the Persona for adult RPG players. This is due to the, indeed, mature themes but also to the unforgiving difficulty of the games.
Shin Megami Tensei V is a Nintendo Switch exclusive. It deals with a rather taboo topic of involving the Judeo-Christian God in the narrative. You can hear the collective rosary-clutching and disagreeing gasps from here.
The narrative is as hard-hitting as the game’s design. Even the most seasoned RPG player may find themselves grinding to a halt if they are unprepared due to the game’s rigorous combat, absurd map layout, and puzzle-like boss fights.
- Developer: Atlus
- Publisher: Sega
- Release Date: November 12, 2021
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
12. This is the Police
While the narrative of This is the Police is grounded, the graphics are stylized. This is such a unique game for the console as nothing in this list is remotely close to this game, except for maybe L.A. Noire as both expose the police’s marred reputation. However, This is the Police is at least presenting unethical maneuverings as a choice rather than an inherent characteristic of the police. This game also is a management sim.
You play the role of Jack Boyd throughout the game, the cynical police chief of the town of Freeburg. Freeburg, which takes place in the late 1980s, is a place where crime and corruption are rampant.
Your main objective is to earn $500,000 in Boyd’s final six months of employment. As police chief, you’ll be in charge of a team of policemen, detectives, and other staff members and assign different cases involving crimes committed in the city. The main plot involves Boyd, who, in his final days as police chief, switches from being a person who adhered to the laws to slowly being corrupted by Freeburg’s underbelly.
With the addition of light RPG features, This Is The Police transforms managing a police force into a strategic management game. There won’t be any action here, and the irrational, haphazard demands can be annoying. But throughout it all, there is a story and a purpose that will keep you interested and entertained for a very long time.
- Developer: Weappy Studio
- Publisher: Nordic Games / EuroVideo Medien
- Release Date: October 24, 2017
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
13. Return of the Obra Dinn
Return of the Obra Dinn is the return of the GameBoy in terms of graphics. Dot-matrix screen has never been this fashionable.
Return of Obra Dinn is essentially an uncomplicated game where you roam freely throughout the entire merchant ship named Obra Dinn, identify the areas where crew members perished, and maintain a sort of magical pocket watch over the corpse there. When the clock is turned on, a three-dimensional image of the scene at the time of death with everyone nearby is displayed. So you observe, analyze what you see, and then write down each corpse’s name and cause of death in a big book. Because the insurance company requires this information.
The first murder mystery quickly reveals itself to be much more. The actual outcomes of certain characters don’t matter much in the over-arching story, but the events where they are faced with death are cleverly written that it making it part of a whole.
- Developer: 3909 LLC.
- Publisher: Lucas Pope
- Release Date: October 18, 2019
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
14. Sakura Succubus
Well, while the purpose of this list is not to be pre-judged for being a manchild by playing mature games on the Switch instead of the Marios and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Sakura Succubus is the type of game you do not want people to see you play.
There are five Sakura Succubus games on the Switch. However, as compared to the PC versions of the game, the Switch has cut the sexually explicit part. If that is what you want, just play the PC version. The Sakura Succubus games on the Switch are basically sultry romantic visual novels instead of the Hentai that they truly are.
- Developer: Winged Cloud
- Publisher: Gamuzumi
- Release Date: April 22, 2021
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
15. Bayonetta
Speaking of sultry, Bayonetta is the more “acceptable” sexy game that even the Puritans might accept. Bayonetta is both sexy in looks and in gameplay.
For the uninitiated, Bayonetta is a fantastic hack-and-slash action game with top-notch music and combat. You take on the role of Bayonetta, a witch who is attempting to understand how she got into the situation she awakens in.
Bayonetta, an Umbran Witch, is at odds with the Lumen Sages and encounters various unusual foes and formidable monsters. Combat is excellent with a variety of mechanisms in use, such as Witch Time, which slows down time on a flawless dodge, and other skills you can buy with in-game gold to improve your experience. With all the gear and abilities you may get, there is a ton of replayability.
- Developer: PlatinumGames
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Release Date: February 16, 2018
- Platform: Nintendo Switch
Conclusion
So here are the most mature games you can play on your Nintendo Switch, be it version 1, the revision, the lite, or the OLED one. Most of these games are either bundled or have sequels. These should be enough until Switch 2 or whatever successor Nintendo will release in the future.
