It’s time to run down the GameRevolution Nintendo Switch Game of the Year 2022 awards! GR’s staff voted for their favorite Nintendo Switch 2022 games and it’s time to decide the top 10. Which game will win the top Switch GOTY 2022 award?
For more of GameRevolution’s Game of the Year 2022 awards, click here.
10. Cult of the Lamb
Hades x Animal Crossing? This twisted cult simulator is roguelike meets management game, combining fun dungeon-crawling fights and managing a small town. The combat is a little barebones but this is one addictive game.
9. Neon White
One of the best FPSs of 2022 may be a shooter about killing demons but Neon White isn’t Doom. It’s a lightning-fast FPS where all guns and abilities are cards. It’s fast, addictive, and fun.
8. Triangle Strategy
The latest HD-2D RPG from Square Enix is another work of quality from the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler team. Triangle Strategy is an excellent turn-based tactical RPG with a hint of Final Fantasy Tactics to it, and the lovely pixel art style continues to impress.
7. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
The second Fire Emblem Musou/Dynasty Warriors-style game is based around Three Houses and is one of the best games in this style. The story is fun and it adds a level of Fire Emblem-like tactics to the usual over-the-top Dynasty Warriors action.
6. Xenoblade Chronicles 3
The most recent game in the Xenoblade saga is probably the best in the series and one of the best RPGs on Switch. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 doesn’t just offer a rip-roaring adventure across a beautiful open world, it also wonderfully revamps the combat.
5. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
After over thirty games, it takes a lot to make the world sit up and take notice of a Kirby game. Kirby and the Forgotten Land did just that. It’s a delightful 3D platformer with more than a hint of Super Mario 3D World, and the transforming Mouthful Mode makes it all worthwhile.
4. Bayonetta 3
The very, very long-awaited return of Bayonetta thankfully lived up to most fans’ expectations. The ridiculous campaign is filled with great setpieces, more open levels, cool new powers, and (somehow) even better combat than the previous games.
3. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
The first Mario + Rabbids was a fun XCOM-style strategy game but the sequel is vastly superior. The restrictive grid system of the first game is gone, giving Sparks of Hope more expansive, tactical battles. The interactions between Mario characters and the Rabbids are funny, too.
2. Splatoon 3
The third Splatoon is both familiar and wildly improved. While lacking any killer new features, Splatoon 3 renders previous games unnecessary. Salmon Run, fun single-player, tightened gameplay, better graphics, and a cooler hub world are just some of the many improvements.
1. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Pokémon took a wild leap into the 3D open-world RPG genre this year, and while it wasn’t always perfect, Arceus is still the Switch game the team had the most fun with all year. Game Freak dialed back the grind and focused on the catching to create the Pokémon game fans have always wanted but never thought they’d get. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet felt lesser by comparison.