Whether you’re in the mood to squad up and nab that battle royale, you want to start building up an impressive card collection, or even look after a bunker full of people, there’s a wide variety of free Switch games just a simple click away. Of course, you can enhance your gameplay or unlock items and cosmetics in each with real money, but each title is free to start, so you can at least find the game you love the most before you lay down some cash on the latest sweet outfits.
Need more Switch games to pore over? Check out our picks of the best Star Wars games, some truck games, and even some ocean games if you want to dip your toes in.
Now, let’s get into our list of the best free Switch games.
Fall Guys
Get ready to be bean-boozled as you race, dodge, and dive to the finish line with tons of other players and fight to be number one. The aim is to finish as quickly as you can on each obstacle course level, but it’s all fun and games – especially when you get the silly costumes involved. Each level is different and has many wacky themes like hammers, slides, fans, and more!
Ninjala
Some of Nintendo’s own IPs are a bit pricey – like Splatoon 3. So, we recommend Ninjala. It’s not quite the same, but it’s a fun multiplayer game that takes place in bright and fun settings, with customizable, cute characters. The game is free (or it wouldn’t be here) but you can purchase some in-game cash for cosmetics and other cool stuff if you like.
Roller Champions
Fancy a free-to-play sports title? Then we recommend Roller Champions. The sport in question is roller derby, a fast-paced racing game pitting teams against each other. In Roller Champions, you go head-to-head with other players in bright arenas made specifically for the game. Hit speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and skate your way to the top – all while customizing your characters, of course.
Pokémon Café ReMix
This isn’t your average Pokémon game – Café ReMix is a puzzle game where you match strings of matching Pokémon together to get them out of the way while using power-ups and getting pesky blocks out of the way. It’s set in a café that’s run with the help of our favorite Pokémon, dressed up as chefs! What more could you want?
Fortnite
Let’s get it out of the way, Fortnite is the biggest game on the planet for good reason. Since adding its free-to-play battle royale mode, it’s become the go-to game for anyone who wants to find a few buddies and try to outlast everyone else. It even features a variety of collaborations with everything from Marvel, Star Wars, and John Wick, to the latest inclusions such as pop sensation Ariana Grande. There are no loot boxes here either, if you want to spend money, then you know exactly what you receive in return.
Players can purchase V-Bucks to pay for a battle pass each season, and every pass has a huge wealth of skins, weapon wraps, music, and more to unlock, as long as you can spare the time to level up. Years on from release, thanks to great controls and an addictive rotation of multiplayer modes, this remains some of the most fun you can have on Nintendo Switch with your friends.
Pokémon Unite
The new kid on the block, Pokémon Unite features almost endless gameplay thanks to exciting team-based battles and plenty of unlockable content. Where else can Cinderace wear an adorable pirate outfit? After working your way up a few levels, you can truly start to test your skills in ranked matches, but you’ll have to communicate with your team if you hope to win. If you’re new to Unite, we recommend you check out our Pokemon Unite tier list to find out which character is best.
Rocket League
The car-soccer sensation Rocket League recently went free-to-play and is instead using a season pass system just like Fortnite. Every mode is completely free, so you can team up in frantic 3v3 matches or get serious in some intense 1v1 action and truly show your friends who’s boss. Each season still brings free rewards, as well as extra unlockables in the season pass. Feel free to browse our Rocket League codes list to receive some extra goodies.
Brawlhalla
This fast and fun fighting game is a great little title that has only grown with time. It’s been getting steady additions to its cast, including some familiar faces, and while it may not be as tight as bigger games like Super Smash Brothers, there is plenty to dig into here. Plus it’s free, so it’s always worth a try!
Tetris 99
Not technically free, as you need to be a member of Nintendo Switch Online, but if you have the service there’s no additional cost to download this gem and start frantically stacking blocks as neatly as possible. The puzzle classic is given a new twist thanks to the battle-royale nature of Tetris 99, facing off against other opponents and sending them blocks in the hopes to last until the very end and attain that elusive win.
Fallout Shelter
While we wait for any of the full Fallout games to arrive on Switch, Fallout Shelter offers some post-apocalyptic micro-management fun, tasking you with organizing and supporting an entire community within your shelter, hoping to keep them alive and well. There are plenty of ways to customize your vault dwellers, and you’ll need to arm them to face the threats of the wasteland as well.
Warframe
One of the best-looking games on Switch games also happens to be free, as Warframe is one hell of a port from powerhouse studio Panic Button. It’s a third-person shooter set in the far future, where you unlock and control various Warframes, basically mech suits, and grind to unlock improvements. There’s even some story content, as well as online multiplayer, so this free-to-play title offers plenty of content for nothing.
Super Kirby Clash
If you’re looking for games for younger Switch owners, Super Kirby Clash could be the perfect fit. It’s a multiplayer action game, where up to four players team up to take on Kirby’s rogue’s gallery in exciting boss battles. Use Kirby’s many different abilities like beams, swords, hammers, and many more as you try and find the best way to tackle each fight. You can spend money to unlock outfits and weapons, but none of it is needed to enjoy the simple gameplay loop on offer.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel
The definitive dueling experience, this free-to-play entry brings Yu-Gi-Oh! to every platform under the sun, including cross-play as well. While the series is certainly a tad more complicated today, Master Duel does a good job of explaining things, and a bright, clean, user interface makes everything easy to understand. Whether you’re a veteran or always wanted to try things out, this is a fantastic way to experience the legendary series card mechanics. Check out our full Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel review for more on the title, then check out our Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel decks guide to get you started.
Deltarune: Chapter 1 + 2
The original Undertale took the world by storm upon release, and since then creator Toby Fox has been working hard on the spiritual successor Deltarune, dropping chapters one by one. He has so far released both chapters for free, so if you played the original Undertale and enjoyed it, you have no excuse not to dive into the next dark RPG from the Indie creator. Hopefully, when every chapter is complete Toby offers a physical release, because, with so much amazing free content, we’d honestly like to give him some money.
Perhaps you need something even more portable, in which case we suggest some mobile games – check out our Honkai Star Rail tier list, Genshin Impact codes, and Tale of Food tier list.
