This year has been another huge success for Nintendo and their hybrid console known as the Switch.

Data from Nintendo shows the Switch has sold nearly 93 million units to date, and it was the best-selling console of November, outpacing the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5. As the year comes to an end, Switch players have gotten to experience elite titles.

Here are the 5 best games to release on the Nintendo Switch in 2021.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

"Super Mario 3D World" was originally released on the Wii U in 2013 and was met with critical acclaim, as the classic Mario 2D sidescrolling formula transformed beautifully into 3D by offering pleasing visuals and smooth multiplayer gameplay. This year, the game was re-released on the Nintendo Switch, along with a new game open-world Mario experience "Bowser’s Fury." Although it is highly experimental in nature, it showed ambition on Nintendo’s part and a bright future for the Mario series going forward.

Mario Party Superstars

Nintendo has a habit of appealing to the nostalgia of fans, a characteristic that some critics find lazy, or unoriginal. The Japanese gaming giant always has a way of making every game, whether or not it’s based on a previous title, fresh and reformed as proven "Mario Party Superstars." Unlike “Super Mario Party," which took a big step away from the classic formula, “Mario Party Superstars” looks to the series roots for content and does so marvelously. The minigames and boards are all based on previous titles on the Nintendo 64, GameCube, and more, but “Mario Party” has never felt more fun than it has with “Superstars.”

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

In 2015, Japan was blessed with a prequel to the popular “Ace Attorney” series, which puts the player in the perspective of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, an ancestor of popular series protagonist Phoenix Wright. Dubbed "The Great Ace Attorney," it didn’t grace a Western audience until this year, where Capcom decided to localize the titles into one big package titled “The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles.” It takes place in the Meiji era of Japan and 19th century London and follows a young Japanese defense lawyer and his adventures in Victorian England. A masterpiece of storytelling, it borrows narrative elements from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” and includes a soundtrack that screams Victorian London.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl

In 2006, the fourth generation of Pokemon games was released, entitled “Diamond” and “Pearl.” It was an instant hit both publicly and critically, and fans have been asking for a remake for years. 15 years after their release, we were finally given “Pokemon Brilliant Diamond” and “Pokemon Shining Pearl," extremely faithful remakes of the originals that take advantage of the progress the series has made.

Metroid Dread

It’s been four years since a Metroid title was released, but it was definitely worth the wait. “Metroid Dread” gives the series a dark theme akin to the “Metroid Prime” series, but is instead a 2D sidescroller. It’s a modern perspective of a formula that has worked for decades and was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 and won the award for Best Action/Adventure Game.

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