Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are the latest role-playing games from the Pokemon universe. Similar to previous installments, Sword and Shield chronicle the journey of a Pokemon trainer who wants to become the ultimate Champion. 

Although some hardcore fans believe the story to be mediocre compared to previous games, thanks to its engaging game loop, Pokemon Sword and Shield is widely considered one of the best Switch RPGs to date. The games feature solid new Pokemon designs, beautiful graphics, enjoyable music, and a new battle mechanic called Dynamaxing.

We didn’t add this game higher on the list is because, unlike Pokemon Sun and Moon, which felt like a step in the right direction for the series, Sword and Shield kind of feels like it hit a plateau. While there is nothing inherently bad about the games, they do not bring enough to the table to be remarkable. The games aren’t flawless, but they can provide a solid base for future Pokemon generations. That being said, we are positive that fans of the series and casual gamers will enjoy them.

If you waste as much time as I do arguing with strangers on the internet, you’ll be aware that not everyone is a fan of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It breaks from the mold of other Zelda games, and it definitely has an Assassin’s Creed “Ubisoft-ish” feel to it.

I think a lot of people slept on Oceanhorn, and I’m glad that I decided to give it a try. It’s not quite the real thing but it’s a whole lot of fun, like going to see a Legend of Zelda cover band.

It takes the best elements from Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and A Link to the Past, and updates the graphics. It doesn’t bring anything new to the Legend of Zelda format, but if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

Oceanhorn doesn’t skimp on fun despite the cheap price, and it will definitely keep your Zelda addiction under control until the Link’s Awakening remake comes out in September. All in all, Oceanhorn is one of the best RPGs for switch at the moment. 

There are two kinds of golf games: golf sims with famous players, photorealistic graphics, and painstakingly true-to-life physics; and the second kind, which is golf games that are fun. The story in this Switch RPG is fairly simple, but it does a serviceable job, and the characters are well done with some truly awesome standouts like your coach.

The writing is funny without trying too hard, and I did find myself coming to actually care about the characters. There’s plenty of equipment and secrets to find, and each course presents a different kind of challenge which keeps it fresh.

The golfing mechanics are deep enough that I found myself forgetting that I was playing a comedy game and you will definitely be on the edge of your seat during the tournaments. You’ll want to play each course many times, which gives Golf Story excellent replayability. This is a fun RPG with great bang for your buck.

Despite the Mature rating, Dark Souls is the first hard RPG that many in the younger generation of gamers have played. It’s also one of the goriest games available on the Switch.

The remastered version includes the Artorias of the Abyss DLC and spruced-up graphics, which help since the massive budgets of 2 and 3 upped the stakes for what people expect from this series visually, and the original isn’t quite old enough to get a free pass due to nostalgia.

If you’re of the opinion that games these days are too easy, and you somehow missed this era-defining title on other systems, you owe it to yourself to give Dark Souls remastered a try.

Many people have claimed to beat the original, but we all know this world is full of liars. Pick this up on the Switch and get some instant street cred. It’s definitely one of the best Switch RPGs out there and a MUST-TRY experience for any serious gamer. The world-building and story-telling in Dark Souls 1 is mind-blowing. 

Undertale, in case you missed it, is one of the biggest smash-hit indie breakout RPGs of the past several years. Like Stardew Valley, it’s hard to believe that this was built by a one-man dev team.

If you normally pass on indie RPGs because their old-school combat matches the old-2school graphics, Undertale is for you. The only way to describe combat in Undertale is… unique.

It’s kinda’ turn-based, and kinda’ arcade joystick “bullet hell” shooter. It never gets old, and it’s been widely praised by video game critics.

Even the critics who you should actually respect. Undertale is also similar in overall style to the Earthbound/Mother game series, which has been great for western fans since we only ever got to play Earthbound 3 in the states. As a fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourelf to check out this game.

Number 11 on our list of best RPGs for the Switch is Octopath Traveler. The art style in Octopath Traveler is so amazing that even if you’re not a fan of JRPGs with the 16-bit aesthetic, you should still give it a try.

It has a seriously long campaign with an episodic format that breaks it up into easily digestible chunks. Even though Octopath has a fixed perspective, the unique way in which it takes advantage of the foreground and background makes it a cut above other faux 3d RPGs.

Mixing and matching the 8 different characters is fun, although some have outside-of-combat special abilities that make them indispensable. The combat is fun, although there are still moments where you’ll definitely want to have the Evasive Maneuvers skill to lower the frequency of encounters.

Even though the Nintendo Switch is becoming a great place to find western AAA RPGs, there are great JRPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that compete with the best that Sony has to offer.

It has a weird, unique open world, satisfying if again weird combat, and a story that manages to hold itself together (unlike a lot of JRPGs, which can be frankly confusing for many westerners).

It’s got a ton of DLC, including what’s basically a fully-fledged sequel. If JRPGs aren’t usually your thing, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is a great entry point into the genre that avoids a lot of the common tropes that western audiences complain about in JRPGs, and hits a lot of the highpoints as well.

A prolific modding community has kept the latest release in The Elder Scrolls series alive on the PC for the better part of a decade now, but vanilla Skyrim is an excellent addition to the Switch’s library of top-tier RPGs.

You may balk at paying full price yet again for this, but at least the Switch version includes all the official DLCs, as well as some Legend of Zelda-themed equipment.

The motion control support for combat also brings a much-needed improvement to a system that can only be called dated in 2019. Since apparently, we’re not anywhere close to seeing The Elder Scrolls VI yet, a return to Skyrim can help make the wait bearable. Until the inevitable sequel hits the virtual shelves, this is one of the best Switch RPGs you can find right now.

The question for the ages: is it Aerith, or Aeris? I don’t know; I’ll let the philosophers ponder that while I’m stacking up cash at the Golden Saucer.

Final Fantasy VII had an absolutely insane marketing budget with one of the best video game TV commercials ever, and it made the original Sony PlayStation a must-have console for the RPG connoisseur.

The graphics may feel dated to some, but the chunky, blocky style remains iconic. With no Final Fantasy VII remake in sight for the Switch, fans will have to make do with the original release. 

If you need a break from some of the heavier titles on this list, try out Fire Emblem Warriors. It’s a fun, fast-paced beat-em-up action RPG that mashes up the Fire Emblem world with the Dynasty Warriors format.

We also included Fire Emblem: Three Houses on the list, because the two games are very different in terms of game-play. While Warriors is a hack-and-slash, Three Houses offers a more tactical experience. 

There’s a lot of DLC, good variety in stages, and trying different combinations of heroes keeps things fresh.

If you’re tired of managing crops and keeping up good relations with the neighbors, nobody does mindless slaughter like KOEI TECMO. 

Next up on our list of best switch RPGs is Collection of Mana. Take your Switch on a trip down memory lane with this nostalgia-tastic collection of three old-school 16 Bit RPGs.

I played Secret of Mana on the Super Nintendo when it first released, and when we got a multi-tap to allow for three controllers it was an amazing couch co-op experience.

I would buy this collection just for SOM, but the fact that it includes the never-before-released-in-English sequel makes this a must-own for any fan of the classic era of console RPGs.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the best Switch RPGs. The console and the game are a match made in heaven. This tactial role-playing-game allows players to take on the role of a teacher who must lead one of the three classes. Every class has a slightly different storyline and unique feel, which adds replayability value of the game.

Furthermore, the game looks absolutely fantastic for a Switch setup. Every battlefield results in satisfying encounters, thanks to the grid-based system and unique character and landscape designs. While it may take some time investement to fully experience this game (around 40 hours), we believe that Fire Emblem is well worth that time.