My Favorite Games on Nintendo Switch (The Ones I Actually Enjoy Playing)

I’ve realized I’m actually pretty picky about Nintendo Switch games. A game can be incredibly popular, beautifully designed, and have thousands of glowing reviews, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to stick with it.

The games I love are the ones that give me a reason to keep picking up my Switch.

Sometimes that means having a million little things to accomplish. I love gathering materials, unlocking upgrades, completing collections, exploring new areas, and watching something slowly get better because of the work I’ve put into it. Give me a farm, workshop, hospital, sushi restaurant, potion shop, or apparently any other small business to manage, and I’m probably going to be happy.

Other times, though, I just want to get completely lost in a game.

That’s why this isn’t strictly a list of cozy games anymore. Some of my favorites, like Stardew Valley and Wylde Flowers, definitely fit the cozy-game category. Others can get surprisingly intense. I played Baldo while we were without power during a hurricane, and somehow exploring that beautiful world was exactly the distraction I needed. Then there’s Dredge, where one of my favorite activities is staying out fishing far too late just to see how crazy my character gets. So… “cozy” may be subjective around here.

These are simply the Nintendo Switch games I’ve genuinely loved playing—the ones I’ve finished, the ones I’m still playing, and yes, a few I’ve been playing for ages and still haven’t managed to finish.

Cozy Games I Love Getting Lost In

My Time at Portia

A charming mix of crafting, farming, and relationship-building set in a post-apocalyptic world that’s somehow still adorable. You inherit your father’s workshop and slowly upgrade it while taking on commissions, exploring ruins, and building friendships. I love how this game gives you a long list of satisfying things to work on—but without the stress.

Genre: Life sim / crafting RPG

Best for: People who want lots of little tasks, exploration, and a steady sense of progression.

Why I like it: I love the sense of progression in My Time at Portia. You start out making fairly simple things, but as the story moves along, you unlock new machines, gadgets, and increasingly complicated projects. There’s always something new you’re working toward, so it never feels like you’re just doing the same tasks over and over.

I also love the exploration side of it. You’re constantly looking for different materials and resources you need for your next project, which gives you a reason to wander around, explore ruins, and see what you can find. There’s something very satisfying about finally finding the last thing you need, bringing it back to your workshop, and being able to build the next gadget.

Stardew Valley

This one’s a classic for a reason. Whether I’m tending crops, decorating my farmhouse, or getting to know the villagers (hi, Sebastian), Stardew always feels like home. Created by just one developer, it’s a masterclass in game design and a true labor of love.

Genre: Farming / life simulation RPG

Best for: People who love having lots of little goals, collecting resources, and slowly watching their farm and town progress.

Why I like it: What I love most about Stardew Valley is the progression. There’s always something to work toward, whether I’m growing crops, gathering materials, exploring the mines, or upgrading something on the farm.

My favorite part was unlocking and restoring the Community Center. I loved figuring out what each bundle needed, finding or growing the items, and slowly completing each section. I haven’t technically finished the game, but I have finished the Community Center, which apparently was the accomplishment my brain needed. 😂

Wylde Flowers

Think Stardew meets witchy vibes. You play as Tara, who moves to a magical island to help her grandmother—and soon discovers she’s a witch. Farming, spells, and beautifully voiced characters make this one feel like a playable animated series.

Genre: Life sim / farming sim with magic and story-driven elements

Best for: People who want a cozy game with an actual story to follow and characters they can get invested in.

Why I like it: I love the story in Wylde Flowers. There are plenty of the cozy things I normally enjoy, like farming, gathering resources, crafting, and completing little tasks, but the story is what keeps pulling me back.

You’re not just dropped into a town and left to make your own fun. There’s a reason you’re there, relationships develop, things happen in the community, and the magical side of the story slowly unfolds as you play. It makes me want to keep going because I genuinely want to know what happens next.

I still haven’t finished it, which seems to be becoming a theme with my favorite games. 😂

Two Point Hospital

Yes, a hospital sim made the cozy list. The lighthearted humor, cartoonish patients (like those with “Lightheadedness”), and satisfying room layouts make this the perfect game for organizing and managing without feeling overwhelmed.

Genre: Hospital management / simulation

Best for: People who find organizing weirdly relaxing and wouldn’t mind being the hospital’s HR department, customer service desk, facilities manager, and CEO all at once.

Why I like it: Two Point Hospital is hilarious. You’re running a hospital, hiring and training staff, building treatment rooms, managing money, and trying to keep everyone happy, but you’re also treating some absolutely ridiculous illnesses.

That’s what makes it so much fun for me. I love the management and organization side of the game, but then you have patients walking into your hospital with some completely absurd condition that you have to figure out how to cure. It keeps the game from ever feeling like a serious management simulator.

Basically, I get to organize things, solve problems, manage people, and cure bizarre diseases. Apparently that’s my idea of relaxing. 😂

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Nintendo Switch Games You Can Actually Enjoy in 30-Minute Sessions

Love gaming but rarely have an entire evening to play? These Nintendo Switch games are easy to pick up, satisfying in short sessions, and perfect for busy adults who just want 30 minutes of fun.

Games I Love Exploring

Baldo: The Guardian Owls

This one’s a little more action-y than the others, but the art style? Absolutely Studio Ghibli. It has puzzles, exploration, and a storybook quality that feels like stepping into a whimsical fantasy novel. It’s challenging at times, but the cozy visuals keep me grounded.

Genre: Action-adventure / puzzle RPG

Best for: People who love exploration, puzzles, and getting completely lost in a beautiful game world.

Why I like it: Baldo: The Guardian Owls is absolutely beautiful. I’ve actually finished the entire main game and the DLCs, which apparently gives it a special distinction on this list since I haven’t finished half of my other favorite games.

I know there has been plenty of discussion online about the game being buggy, but honestly, I didn’t care. The world itself is what pulled me in. The environments are gorgeous, the towns and landscapes are full of little details, and I loved exploring just to see what I would find next.

I also have a very specific memory tied to this game. I played Baldo while we were without power during a hurricane. In the middle of everything going on around us, I could pick up my Switch and disappear into this beautiful little world for a while. It genuinely took my mind off things.

Dave the Diver

Dave the Diver is cozy… but with a twist. By day, you’re diving for fish in gorgeous pixel-art waters; by night, you’re running a sushi restaurant. It’s funny, oddly relaxing, and surprisingly deep (no pun intended). If you like cozy games that keep your hands busy and your brain gently engaged, this one hits the sweet spot.

Genre: Adventure / management sim

Best for: People who love a satisfying gameplay loop, collecting and upgrading things, and always having another little goal to work toward.

Why I like it: I finished the main story in Dave the Diver, but I still keep going back. The gameplay loop is just so good. You dive during the day, catch fish and gather ingredients, then use what you found to help run the sushi restaurant at night.

Even after finishing the main game, there’s still plenty for me to work on. I keep leveling up the different dishes, finding better ingredients, and improving things at the restaurant. It has that same sense of progression I love in other games, where there is always one more thing I could upgrade or accomplish.

The Jungle DLC also adds a lot to the game and gave me even more to explore and work toward. It doesn’t feel like I finished the game and suddenly ran out of things to do.

Dredge

Dredge is a fishing adventure game with a dark, mysterious twist. You explore a chain of remote islands, catch and sell fish, complete quests, and upgrade your boat to reach new areas and deeper waters. As you stay out later and venture farther from safety, things start to get a little strange—including the unusual Aberrations you can discover along the way.

Genre: Fishing adventure / exploration

Best for: People who love exploring, collecting things, upgrading their gear, and don’t mind their fishing trips getting increasingly weird after dark.

Why I like it: Dredge is such a beautiful game, even with its darker, slightly creepy atmosphere. I love exploring the different areas, catching fish, and upgrading my boat so I can travel farther and stay out longer.

I especially love finding the Aberrations, the strange mutated versions of regular fish. There’s something very satisfying about trying to catch them all and seeing what bizarre thing I’m going to pull out of the water next.

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Games I Accidentally Played Way Longer Than I Meant To

Some games are easy to play for 30 minutes. Others turn into three-hour adventures. These are the games that kept me exploring, building, and playing way longer than I planned.

Games for When I Want to Manage Everything

Discounty

Discounty is pure “small town vibes.” You run a slightly chaotic discount store while getting to know quirky locals, managing shelves, and trying to keep the lights on. It feels like a cozy game for people who enjoy life sims but also secretly love organization and routine.

Genre: Shop management / life sim

Best for: People who enjoy organizing, managing a store, and being in charge of all the little details.

Why I like it: I haven’t played Discounty nearly as much as some of the other games on this list, but what I’ve played has been really fun. You get to run your own store, which means organizing it, stocking shelves, helping customers, and figuring out how to make everything work.

Apparently putting me in charge of a virtual business is another very reliable way to keep me entertained. 😂

Tiny Bookshop

Tiny Bookshop is the definition of cozy atmosphere. You run a little mobile bookshop, recommend books to customers, and soak in soft visuals and storytelling moments. This one is less about “winning” and more about slowing down — perfect for evenings when you just want calm, not challenge.

Genre: Bookshop management / cozy narrative sim

Best for: Book lovers who enjoy talking to characters, making recommendations, and figuring out what people are looking for.

Why I like it: Tiny Bookshop is adorable. One of my favorite parts is talking to customers and trying to figure out which book they would actually enjoy. You’re not just stocking shelves and selling books. You have to pay attention to what people tell you and recommend something that fits.

I’ve only played it for a while, so I’m still discovering everything it has to offer, but the whole idea of running a tiny bookshop and matching people with books is incredibly cute.

Potion Craft

Potion Craft is an alchemy simulation game where you run your own potion shop. Customers come to you with different problems, and it’s your job to figure out what potion they need, gather and combine ingredients, and experiment until you create the right one. As you progress, you can grow your ingredient gardens and expand what you’re able to create.

Genre: Alchemy / shop simulation

Best for: People who enjoy experimenting, collecting ingredients, solving little puzzles, and figuring out exactly what each customer needs.

Why I like it: I love trying to figure out what potion each person needs and then working out how to actually make it. Sometimes the request is straightforward, and sometimes I have to experiment with different ingredients to get where I need to go.

I also really enjoy growing out my gardens. Watching my regular garden expand and building up the crystal garden gives me another little thing to work toward outside of making potions for customers. The more ingredients I have available, the more I can experiment with what I make.

Graveyard Keeper

Graveyard Keeper is a darkly funny management and crafting game where you take over a neglected medieval graveyard. You gather resources, craft items, improve the cemetery, complete quests, unlock new areas and technologies, and gradually figure out increasingly efficient ways to run your very unusual little operation.

Genre: Management sim / crafting RPG

Best for: People who love gathering resources, unlocking upgrades, managing a ridiculous number of tasks, and don’t mind their cozy-ish games having a very dark sense of humor.

Why I like it: I’ve actually owned Graveyard Keeper for a few years. I tried it once, couldn’t really get into it, and basically forgot about it.

Then this summer I saw a TikTok about it. I was waiting for Splatoon Raiders to come out and decided to give Graveyard Keeper another try. Apparently the second time was the charm, because I could not put it down.

I never thought I’d play a game where I would actually look forward to getting another corpse, but here we are. 😂 Once I figured out the progression and eventually started making zombies, I was hooked. Now I’m building my little zombie workforce, putting them to work, gathering resources, unlocking new things, and constantly finding something else I want to improve.

It went from a game I owned for years and barely played to the game I spent most of my summer playing.

When I Want Something a Little More Intense

Splatoon Raiders

Splatoon Raiders takes the colorful world of Splatoon in a different direction, with a single-player adventure built around exploring, completing missions, and spending time with familiar characters from the series.

Genre: Action-adventure

Best for: Splatoon fans who love Salmon Run and want a more intense single-player adventure in that part of the Splatoon world.

Why I like it: Splatoon Raiders definitely isn’t what I’d call a relaxing game. It can get intense, but I love it. I’m already a fan of the Splatoon world, and getting to spend more time in the Salmon Run side of it makes this one especially fun for me.

Sometimes I want a game where I can quietly organize a bookshop. Sometimes apparently I want chaos.

Make Your Switch Setup Work for You

Finding a game you love is only part of it. Having a comfortable setup makes it easier to settle in and enjoy playing, whether you’re using the TV or taking your Switch along.

Playing on the TV at Home

My Nintendo Switch Docked Mode Essentials guide covers my cozy TV setup, with practical accessories and a few extras for longer gaming nights.

Nintendo Switch Docked Mode Essentials: My Cozy TV Setup

Create an easy, comfortable docked Nintendo Switch setup with practical accessories for the original Switch, Switch OLED, and Switch 2—plus a few cozy extras for longer gaming nights.

Playing Handheld or Taking It Along

My Nintendo Switch Travel Essentials guide focuses on protecting your console, keeping things organized, and making portable play more comfortable—even when you’re only traveling as far as the couch.

Nintendo Switch Travel Essentials for Switch and Switch 2

Traveling or gaming from the couch? These portable Nintendo Switch must-haves protect your console and keep you cozy wherever you play.