Best Nintendo Switch Graphics - The Most Beautiful Switch Games

Cuphead, Ori, Wonder Boy, and Luigi's Mansion 3 are my favorites on this list visually.

Luigi Mansion 3 is most beauitful game ever made.

BoTW definitely has some of the most beautiful graphics I’ve seen on a Switch game, but I prefer the art style of Link’s Awakening more. I’m also a little surprised that Transistor or DQXI isn’t on the list.

No game on Switch has impressed me visually as much as Alien Isolation. Playing it in handheld mode with headphones is unbelievably immersive. The lighting and reflections are so beautiful.

Cuphead, Ori, Mario Kart 8, and Mario Rabbids are also fantastic.

I really love dem pixel graphics and the modern twist/spin Octopath Traveller and The Touryst gave them. I also really enjoy Shakedown Hawaii, even though it's a really traditional 16-bit affair there (which ain't bad at all).

I'm not much of a graphics junkie and I don't really judge games based on that too much, but I have been pleasantly surprised by a few Switch games. Octopath always warms my heart, and I keep thinking about Astral Chain's visuals as well. I didn't really enjoy Mario Odyssey, but I admit it was a gorgeous looking game. I played the demo of the new Bravely Default and something about that looks incredible especially during battle (although the gameplay seemed a bit tedious).

I always go extreme with my depth of field effects so Octopath Traveller is always near the top of my list, but most of Nintendo's games have looked great so far.
They don't push next-gen graphics but they're always sharp with great art direction.

Where's Pokemon Sword/Shield?

@mariomaster96 Game Freak has never been known for their graphics. I kinda wish Nintendo would develop Pokemon.

No Dragon Quest or Witcher 3... And Wonder Boy instead of Monster Boy. Ok, I'm out.

Most impressive for me is
Luigis mansion 3
Fast rmx

Mario kart must be on here. My wife and I once stopped racing and drove round looking at all the beautiful decorations and touches. If you havent it is well worth doing

Octopath still takes my breath away every time I sit down to play it.

@the_beaver So true! I agree! What they were thinking? Even Starlink had great graphics for Switch and it's not in the list too!

What is impressive is Assassin's Creed rogue collection Black Flag.

Witcher is terribly. To say it looks truly remarkable on Switch is a step to far. It may be remarkable in that it was on the Switch at all, yes, and for that reason it may be worth putting up with the muddy graphics, the popups and all the other faults the reviewers listed, just to play it on the go.

Black Flag does look good, but it is Black Flag, a four year old game and it is not the new Assassin's Creed.

Some where between the 5 year old PS games ported to the Switch and the bucket load of indi games, is what the Switch was built for. The Nintendo games and third party Switch exclusive games that are made knowing the Switch's limitations are most likely the ones with the best graphics.

It is mostly best to play games how they were ment to be played. Made for the PS or xbox, played on the PS or Xbox.

I liked Yoshi's latest art style

It’s good to see the list is based on actual quality of graphics, not ‘oh it looks nice for Switch’. TWEWY has really crisp sprites but Breath of the Wild takes it for me as the lighting is seriously pretty at times.

Luigi’s Mansion gets my vote. It’s a stunningly beautiful game.

Hard disagree on kingdom and animal Crossing.

I'd put Astral Chain in there myself.

I LOVED FAST RMX and its WiiU iteration, but Asphalt 9 is the BEST racer and BEST looking racer on the Switch.

You guys forgot mario kart and splatoon...

Dragon Quest 11 S and Astral Chain.

I’s forgotten about Touryst, must get give that a go, it looks great.

Astral Chain, Bayonetta 2, Alien Isolation.

Hollow Knight definitely should have been included!

I thought graphics were for snobs.

Assassin's Creed Rogue looks really good in handheld mode.

@sixrings I am a graphics snob. I love great graphics with great gameplay.

@Dman10 same but a lot of Nintendo fans make it sound like gameplay all that matters. If link was a stick character it would be good enough because damn the gameplay is the best.

BoTW, Astral Chain, xenoblade chronicles 2

@sixrings Which is true. It's the reason Nintendo Fans love old games. Cause they have good gameplay. Sure NES games can't compare to modern art, but they are still amazing.

I think best art style would’ve been a more appropriate name for this list as there are some graphically technical marvels which deserve a shout such as Alien Isolation and GRID Autosport for what they do from a graphical perspective. But Luigi definitely deserves a shout from a technical perspective

Astral chain is a favourite for me but that’s more art style, if the graphics were crisper I think it should have made this list.

Personally I have always valued performance as an essential element of the graphics, so I am happy Shin’en are getting some recognition here. I agree with most other choices (glad that the much-underrated ARMS is getting some love) but I would also add Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and Rocket League (60 fps goodness), as well as the recent remasters of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot, especially Crash Team Racing, for managing to stand shoulder to shoulder with their PS4/Xbox counterparts (all versions run at 30 fps).

PS: Digital Foundry have praised some Switch ports like Alien: Isolation, Call of Juarez, and the Metro collection as great showcases of Switch graphics.

I suppose 'visuals' is a much more appropriate umbrella term than 'graphics' as these days you have motion video, hand drawn animation and all sorts of styles along with other types of areas for critique such as resolution. I'll do my best to start saying visuals I guess.

But...but those graphics in Luigi's Mansion 3 tho...

There is so many great looking games - Some favs not mentioned: Donkey Kong TF (it's just so sharp and smooth in handheld), The Metro games for not being blurry in handheld. SMM2 for the 3D World Style. The First Yooka Laylee is stunning in both modes (unlike the second game which is rather fuzzy and non-native in handheld). Mario+Rabbids!

Super Lucky Tale is freaking beautiful, Mincraft for being the best handheld version ever. Yoku's IE, Splatoon 2, Diablo 3, Doom 3, Snake Pass, Rive, Abzu, Everspace, Spyro, Skyrim for being nice and sharp. Okami, Superhot. And thats avoiding pixel games like Gungeon and Wargroove.

It's a shame regarding Luigi's Mansion 3 though. Millions of us still cannot play it nearly 6 months after release because they won't patch in the inverted y axis. We who play the right way cannot revert back to the dark ages of 3D gaming, and gyro aiming really isn't helpful. This would be an amazing game, if we could play it, but NextLevelGames gets no praise for this title especially when their last two featured this by default. Pro-consumer accessibility options that have been standard for well over a decade shouldn't be a concern, but even worse than that missing is the fact that media outlets like this one failed gamers entirely by not making it well known. $60 paperweight since launch, paid DLC released, but no pro-consumer accessibility options patched in. Shame on them, shame on the media.

Not on the list but the guacamelee games are stunning to play

@mesome713 I think you’ll find some NES games are amazing. Like all things, some games have just aged badly. Then there’s those that have just always been crap like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Luigi's Mansion is probably the best technically with more complex lightning and animations used in those tiny rooms
But Zelda is just stunning (when it doesn't drop resolution)
Nice to see Arms there, it has has some pretty nice looks and animations
Splatoon 2 looks great too, and could be included
In the end, the best looking 3d games are the ones made specifically for the console, maybe with the exception of the Feral Games ports

Btw, didn't know about Kingdom: Two Crowns, maybe I'll pick it on sale

I really think Hellblade looks pretty sharp.

@nessisonett Yeah, bunch of games gameplay has aged poorly. We don't play old game for the graphics. We play them cause they're fun.

Animal Crossing has “Incredible Vistas”?

Octopath Traveler isn’t ugly but I wouldn’t say its one of the best looking games. One big issue I have is the water in places looks out of place with the surrounding environment.

@GoblinKing86 "We who play the right way cannot revert back to the dark ages..."

Weird flex but okay. The option to invert controls should be there I agree but given that it's not happening just sell the game on eBay for 45 bucks instead of complaining about your 60$ paper weight.

@zool you sound so bitter!!! You don't know what it means to be a gamer. Just know alot of us here do have a powerful pc & consoles like ps4/xbone. We know about all they have to offer. However, the switch brought about a change of pace whereby you can play ur AAA games on commute or whatever on the go(with decent enough graphics to boot) so try to grasp before you make comments unrelated.

@BenAV agreed, and the frame rate drops were infuriating too

Alien Isolation and GRID are definitely up there for me, the latter with the HD texture pack looks fantastic. Alien speaks for itself, just need to finish it off!

If we're talking art-style then Hollow Knight should be on there surely? Great styling, can't wait for the sequel.

I am missing Dragon Quest XI and The Messenger (that switch between 8bit and 16bit is an insane idea!)

@mesome713 At the same time, some old games are really visually impressive. Not a lot of NES games apart from that Batman one, Kirby and the Gradius games but I’d say SNES graphics have aged like a fine wine. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever played a game for the graphics but I do find certain old 3D games hard to take seriously such as Resident Evil when the graphics are that poor.

“ While 2D pixel art games are ten-a-penny, few of them are quite as breathtaking as Kingdom Two Crowns. Performance might not be perfect”
No sorry a modern pixel art game shouldn’t have performance problems 🤦‍♂️

@sixrings one thing are graphics and other are artstyles..... you mock up a stick link.... but you would think that when someone first pitched a Paper Mario someone would have called them crazy or mediocre... just like you're doing right now.

This list could be a lot longer. Just for Nintendo-published games, I'd definitely throw Xenoblade 2, Mario Kart 8, Daemon X Machina, Yoshi's Crafted World, and everything from Platinum on the pile. Then there's a laundry list of smaller scale games. There's a huge variety, from the beautifully detailed Hollow Knight, Wenjia, and Transistor to the simple but satisfying PAN-PAN and Just Shapes & Beats. Or the the super saturated light-shows of Trine, Sparkle, and Abzu to the storybook aesthetics of Child of Light, Liar Princess and the Blind Prince, and I Am Setsuna. Not to mention the intricate pixel art of Hyper Light Drifter, Dead Cells, Owlboy, and Katana Zero and the nostalgic animated look of games like Forgotton Anne, Sundered, Tangle Tower, Wulverblade, and Jotun. And for everything I've mentioned, there's at least twice as many that I've missed. Yep, there's definitely no shortage of gorgeous games these days.

@mist Not that I can recommend being up at that time, but the sky at 5 am is absolutely gorgeous. I got a couple great shots during the cherry blossom event, too. A lot of Animal Crossing's best visuals are only possible to get with specific times of day, seasons, events, and weather.

@Jshores Senua's Sacrifice? Mm, not too sure about that. While I enjoyed the game a lot, it was definitely blurry in a lot of cases, and sometimes it reminded me of a GameCube game. That didn't really lessen my experience while playing the game, but even I can admit that the Switch version of Senua's Sacrifice won't be winning a lot of Best Graphics awards.

Honestly, I've played a ton of games that look amazing on the Switch, especially in handheld mode. But the one game that will forever stand out to me when discussing best-looking games on the Switch is ARMS. That game looks fantastic. It is literally my best looking Switch game by a mile. The detail in literally everything. The charm of the characters. The rock solid 60FPS. The animations don't seem janky in any way whatsoever, giving the whole game a sense of "natural" that you really don't see in any other video game. At least not to the degree of ARMS, I would say.

Games like BoTW and Astral Chain, and even Super Mario Odyssey look amazing. But ARMS? One of the best-looking games I've probably played this generation, and for good reason.

Wish you guys went artsy and captured some images with it.

The best looking game not mentioned on this list for me is Her Majesty's Spiffing. Very Aardman inspired, super animated as if it was a 90's adventure game in 3D. It's quite short but the visuals left a great impression on me.

@Nerdfather1 I'm surprised hollow knight or Castle Crashers are not on here

This sounds all good to be true as someone was paid to make this comparisons for sure. What about BOTW and Witcher 3 v3.6 something smells fishy and it's not Link's Awakening.

Luigi's Mansion 3 wins this by a landslide.

The title should’ve been: games with the best art style. Not many here are hardly graphically impressive.

Where’s doom. 1,2 and 64 🤔

😱where’s Xenoblade!!!

The Witcher 3 since the update in January should definitely be up here. It's not as good looking as it's counterparts but it's still really damn beautiful.

Astral chain!

And yeah Xenoblade 2 should be here. As much as I don't like the game itself, it's one of the most visually stunning games on the console.

Stupid list.be yourself man be proud of who you are and even if it sounds corny, Never let anyone tell you you ain’t beautiful.

the graphics and animations of Luigi Mansion 3 are so top notch and look like a Pixar movie or ever better then this.

@Razer Gotta agree on both counts, XC2 didn't really grab me but damn is it beautiful.

All the games I’ve played are listed here and I’m not complaining because they are beautiful, not got around to New Horizons yet so can’t comment on that but I’ve seen videos and visually it looks okay but I’ll be playing handheld so might look a little better

Some mention XC2 and I agree, but I would say Torna looks even better.

@zool wow, great grammar and spelling, man! almost as good as the translations of some NES games!

@sixrings If Link was a stick man people wouldnt like it. Graphics are important as much as Nintendo fans seem to think it isnt. Sound design is also really important. Every part of a game that makes it complete is important imo.

@Ardisan Graphics are a gimmick, it's all in one's head. You may think one tree looks better than another tree. But who cares, it's all about imagination.

I think Luigi's Mansion 3 has the best graphics on the system.

I think Mario Kart is missing from the list.

I really like the graphics on Overwatch on the Switch. I understand it's better on PC but I think they're very nice here too

@dkxcalibur As the author stated, he didn't want to add games that look better on other devices. Otherwise, I would have added Overwatch too. That game has an amazing artstyle.

@leon_s_k Believe me I love Xenoblade 2. But the visuals of that game are atrocious. While most games run at 720p portable Xenoblade runs at 360p

Farm together is not bad looking

No Witcher 3 😡 What kind of bs list is this

Are you sure you meant graphics and not artstyle??? Because I see a lot of artistically unique games here but not very graphically advanced.!
Where's Doom, Witcher 3, Hellblade, Divinity 2, Wolfenstein, Warframe??? GRID Autosports, Ailien Isolation, Smash Bros Ultimate, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Everspace, Snakepass. I could go on.
This is a terrible list

I'm not someone that gets hooked on graphics, and other that Luigi Mansion 3, Fast RMX and Animal Crossing, I'd say Mario Kart 8 DD is the one that constantly impresses me. Star Link and Bloodstained are both pretty games, and I love the speed, style and effects in Horizon Chase Turbo.

@Rpg-lover it's called an opinion. It may not be how you see things but....

Just because Witcher can be squeezed onto a Switch card so it can be played on the go, does not make the graphics great, which is the topic of this thread. The Switch has its limitations and the Witcher shows how limited they are.

To say the Witcher on the Switch has some of the best Switch graphics is clearly wrong. If you can't see that then maybe you are not the gamer you suggest you are. 😮

I really think that if we are referring to GRAPHICS here and not just ARTSTYLE, then GRID Autosport did some unbelievable job.

Xenoblade 2, Torna and Astral Chain are jokes for you ?

@zool you're a strange one aren't you??
Do you really understand what this thread is about to start with???
From what you're saying, I'm very sure you don't. The thread is about "featured: best Nintendo switch games with best graphics for the system" it may not have the 4k or quality of the other big consoles but it still stands it's own grounds considering the limitations of the system. So they're not here to criticize the switch PAL! unlike you. Your opinion yes but it's not meant for this thread. No one here is seeking for opinions, just best graphics games on the switch is the only opinions needed for the thread and not vice versa. So try to know what the situation is at hand before rushing over to type because you think you can... And yes Witcher 3 graphics for the switch is superb for the handheld/console. Everyone here says the same if you don't think so. You know nothing about being a gamer. If you have other consoles then you have nothing to start a gaming WAR because every console have their own merits and demerits in it's own ways.

What about bayonetta 2.i mean they are pretty cool looking graphics and it runs like a smooth caramel 😎

@ROB_64 my name is ryan? What is my racing with ryan?

@electrolite77 thanks pal for putting it straight to him @zool cause I'm sure he doesn't get what the thread is about as per se.

missed Dragon Quest 11 S the games visuals look great docked

Opinions, eh? My top five best-looking games on Switch are The Witcher 3, Breath of the Wild, Octopath Traveler, Super Mario Odyssey and Link’s Awakening - probably in that order, though the first two are maybe interchangeable. I don’t have Luigi’s Mansion 3 - it would bump out Link’s Awakening if I did.

I appreciate The Witcher 3 looks better on more powerful platforms, but there are not many better looking games on Switch. All of these games, though, have occasionally been pretty enough to make me stop playing for a moment and just admire the view. The only other Switch game to make me do that is Xenoblade Chronicles 2 during a petal shower.

@Rpg-lover you obviously don't understand the thread either. You are being critical of the person writing their viewpoint, who you don't know, rather than their point of view. Why don't you explain why the Witcher graphics on the Switch are so good?

Most Witcher reviews, say that if you have an Xbox or PS buy Witcher for them, it's cheaper, and only consider the Switch if you want to play on the go, or don't own another console. Good advice.

@electrolite77 most everything in these threads are just opinions. And this threads topic is very subjective. Define best graphics? My point is Witcher graphics on the Switch are poor, but that's not taking away anything from the achievement of getting it to play on the Switch at all.

And yes I would include the PC if that your gaming platform of choice.

@electrolite77 it's ok to disagree on with the point made, without being personal.

Opinions are just that, opinions and some are more valid than others. To say the Witcher graphics are best on Switch is not really valid.

@DonutYoshi ehm what? is this a joke i don't get or are you drunk?

@zool The Witcher 3 is much better on all other systems than it is on Nintendo.

But even if that is the case. Amoung all the games that are on the Nintendo Switch.

The Witcher 3 is one of the best looking games visually.

I mean... Have you seen it? Have you played it since the update?

It looks reallllly good. Compare it to other games on the system.

There really are not many games that can hold up.

@zool i don't need to know you to see the point you're trying to make.

And your own point of view is obvious, which is to say never buy the witcher 3 for the Nintendo switch because it's trash to you so everyone needs to purchase it for the bigger console versions, yet PC is still the best platform to play the witcher 3 than ps4 or xbone. So if I'm going with your point of view I won't be buying the witcher 3 for either consoles other than the PC version because it was built from ground up using the PC and it needs to be played only using the PC is that it?.. So we have different demographic of people playing a game the way they want. Yes it's subjective to say in your own terms you don't like it on the switch than saying it's terrible looking game on the switch to influence others thinking to buy it on the switch for the mere purpose of having fun how they want to(that the game isn't any good on the switch).

Finally Witcher 3 on the switch is still superb based on the graphics for the switch hardware. You can keep having your own opinions if you want because it's entirely subjective...

@zool and honestly portability alone makes the Switch version of The Witcher 3 one of the best games on the platform.

@Rpg-lover you still feel that you have to object to a point of view I have rather than give your own thoughts on why you agree with the premise of the topic, that graphically the Witcher could be one of the best Switch games.

@Razer I agree, if portability is your thing. I enjoy Black Flag undocked, although my Switch never leaves the house.

@electrolite77 Witcher will have the best graphics it can manage on the Switch, given the limitations it is up against and the fact it was not designed originally for the Switch. Like many five year old ports.

But are you really placing it above BoTW, Mario Odyssey, Luigi's mansion, Black Flag, Xenoblade?

@zool well Black Flag was also not made for the Switch and honestly. I have both and I have played both.

Both are great games but visually The Witcher 3 blows Black Flag out of the water on the Switch. It's really not even close, especially since the update to the Switch version.

It's very good next to BOTW too but obviously Zelda used a different art style that's very unique and one we haven't seen a lot of, so that makes it more interesting.

But how are you going to include Black Flag on here?

Makes me wonder if you've ever played Witcher 3 on the Switch.

Because it really does look a lot better than Black Flag.

Don't get me wrong though. Black Flag is a damn fine game, looks and all.

@zool in fact.

Here you go.

https://images.app.goo.gl/nFTMBQJMTWtmSnGcA

This is since the update and as you can see, it looks pretty damn good even beside the PS4 and Xbox one versions.

When it comes down to squeezing every last ounce out of the tablet to produce graphics as detailed, rich in effects or realistic as possible, I do have to vote for Hellblade. Going through it right now and witnessing this fidelity coming out of that tiny device in between my hands is giving me the biggest wow factor I've had since Crysis on PC in 2007. It made XC2 look like a last gen game when I played it afterwards.

When considering the actual design of the game and world though, XC2 is far ahead and I'd have to vote for the likes of Okami, Ori or BotW.

@zool you can go and see what digital foundry has to say about the witcher 3 on Nintendo switch based on the latest update to the witcher 3 game for the switch before we can continue if not, I'm not going along with your replies.

Already have. Not so good is it?

I'm playing BOTW again, the first time since I originally played it, and the style/graphics are pretty great. Yes some textures are muddied and there is some blurriness but the amount of stuff they pack in an image, like being able to see the red laser from the four beasts anywhere on the map, etc, is pretty amazing. The grass and trees, etc, give this game life that is really something to behold.

Still, I'm certainly one of those people that would love to see Nintendo up the ante with a pro model for those of us who would be willing to fork over the money (and perhaps use Nvidia's learning algorithm to improve existing games with little effort from the developer like DF is suggesting could happen).

'Yeah, but can it run Crysis?'

Got to admit, that should be an interesting conversion when the remastered edition lands on the old Switch (IF it does of course?) allegedly it's coming, but we'll see.

Personally I'm not arsed about graphics nowadays. I got bored of the whole graphical "progression" a good three generations ago to be honest! Sheer polygon rendering counts are about as appealing to me nowadays as the whole pc "master race" VS console players! Ie.. I couldn't care less!

Give me a game with a cracking ambience to it any old day of the week. Currently revisiting Super Metroid on the Switch and you know what? It's still a joy to get lost in and witness. Graphically, of course it's aged! But the feeling of isolation generated by its still Stella atmosphere, sound, colour palette, etc, everything really. It really is a testament to the games design and long-term appeal.

If I was forced to pick out technically aesthetically pleasing games on the Switch then I'd definitely be pulling up the following (in no particular order)..

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (how many other 7 year old games GENUINELY still look as good? Yeah there's a few, but the majority of them don't)
Hollow Knight
Luigi's Mansion
Animal Crossing (depending on the time of day)
Steampunk Heist (not super varied, granted, but there's definitely some nice little touches on offer)
Grid
Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
BOTW
The Touryst
Transistor
Alien Isolation
Katana Zero

There's literally plenty of good looking ganes on the Switch that hold their own! No the Switch isn't a PS4 Pro, Xbox OneX, monster gaming rig when it comes to throwing sheer polygons and dynamic lightning effects about..

Then again, it's simply never claimed to be any of the aforementioned in the horsepower department.

@electrolite77 “To say the Witcher graphics are best on Switch is not really valid.”
Ah wrong. That is an opinion, and a perfectly valid one to express.

Yes it is an opinion, but it's subjective. I could say ,"Witcher graphics are best, in my opinion".
I could also say "The World is flat, in my opinion". But the earth being flat is not really subjective. But graphics are.

Graphical fidelity is not the only factor, but this thread is about graphics.

No screenshots? No river City girls?

No SSBU? No MK8? No Astral chain?

Despite its age, I truly believe Mario Kart 8 is still one of the best looking. There's just something about it and the mix of 60fps that makes it quite stunning.

Forgotton Anne also has a demo!, for anyone that hasn't taken advantage. (progress carries over if you purchase).
https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/forgotton-anne-switch/

From a purely artistic standpoint, gotta give it to Machinarium. That game is gorgeous to look at.

No xenoblade? thats always a given when talking about aesthetics!

Took me a while to realise that this is a fairly ancient piece.
Was reading through the comments and could not for the life of me understand why people weren't questioning the omission of MH Rise

I just started Tails of Iron and strongly feel that is much better looking than several games on this list. It's quite incredible just how stunningly beautiful it is!

Monster Hunter Rise?

Where’s Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?

Also, I’d say Doom is also very good looking, especially compared to other shooters on the Switch.

I would easily add Okami HD and Hollow Knight. Also Phoenotopia Awakening pixel art is really nice (but not that level like Eastward). 😁

Astral Chain
Breath of the Wild
Cuphead
Ni No Kuni I & II
Baldo

Of course lots of games look great on the Switch, but Witcher 3 is not one of them. To exaggerate by saying it looks good is not recognising the Switch limitations. The developers may have done a good job to get it to run at all on the Switch, but the graphics are poor. Just because it can run on the Switch does not mean the graphics should get extra praise.

And if you disagree then the opposite can be said of the games you listed that have good graphics on the Switch.... they would be even better on the PS5.

Astral Chain getting deserved notice

For me Paper Mario: The Origami King is among the best looking Switch games I own. I remember everyone making fun of "the water" when I was avoiding spoilers of that game. Earlier this year I got it and when I saw the water, my head exploded.

I would be happy to put The Touryst in such a list, were it not for the lack of a free camera, which I found really frustrating playing the demo. Looking great is fine and dandy, but I wanna look around and soak it all in with freedom.

astral chain is cool, wish it was made for a mature/narrower audience instead - its highlights were far and few between to accommodate PR.

metroid: dread might lead the pack for quite a while.

ikaruga is damn hard, but a sight to behold if ever done well (lol, from what I've seen in other players' replays.)

ssb ultimate is always.. ultimate.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom easily beats out Wonder Boy and the Dragon's Trap imo.

For me, Go Vacation , Portal Knights, Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles have very beautiful environments.

Link’s Awakening had so much drag, though! It made the visuals shamefully disappointing.

Narita Boy might not be the most hardware-demanding in its graphics, but it has incredible art style.

While I agree BotW has beautiful art style, I realise after watching people play it with mods on PC that it could have looked so much better. Less aliasing, fuller textures, higher, clearer resolution with 60+ fps makes a world of difference. It's a shame the Switch doesn't have hardware capable of getting anywhere near that level of performance. Hopefully Switch2 will be powered by Nvidia's new Ada Lovelace SoC and remedy the performance situation with DLSS and a bit more raw horsepower.

Where's Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled? As far as I can tell, it literally looks just like the PS4/Xbox versions.

Mario Kart 8 and Crash Team Racing for me. Both look like PS4 games in my eyes.

I'm going to disagree with two games on here, even though I know people will yell and screen that I'm wrong. Octopath Traveler - I just really don't like the pixel art trend. Astral Chain - it's not a bad looking game, but it's really nothing special either. A lot of bland or dark, dismal locations in the real world and the Astral Plain is kind of ugly. But a lot of the enemies look really cool. But overall for looks, I'd say it's near the middle of the pack, not one of the best.

The title almost feels like satire to something.
Maybe to the all the people complaining about the switch being underpowered or something?

I think HAL’s asking to hold their beer with that new Kirby

These games only have beauty that's skin-deep? Apparently not a Toy Story fan, then.

No Hollow Knight is a tragic miss here, gorgeous game through and though. Owlboy is a stunner too!

Looks like mr Gavin Lane have not played the actual best looking game on switch being Dragon Quest Heroes. It looks phenomenal however the performance is crap. But we're talking about looks specifically.

Crusi'n Blast, the game looks (and plays) great.

Alien: Isolation looks better on Switch than on the PS4 and Xbox One. It needs to be on this list harder than the Cross of Coronado NEEDS to be in a museum.

Luigis mansion 3 and astral chain are the two games that I can not believe are running on the switch hardware.

Some of those are really questionable like what..

Wheres the xenoblade games ?? And dragon quest 11 and fire emblem 3 houses

@Gwynbleidd Because it looks better elsewhere. I agree it's still great on Switch, but the introduction makes it pretty clear they mean games that look as impressive as anything you'll find anywhere else. Not sure even the things on there all fit those criteria, and there are definitely plenty more I'd throw on given the choice

I would have added the assassins creed games to this list. They look beautiful even three but especially 4.

Switch has super great graphics! No you’re playing with power!

I'm glad to see a couple of my recommendations on the first version of the list made it in. For a few more games with fantastic visuals, I'd like to add Sky for its amazing use of lighting and particle effects, The Room for the great blend of video/audio design that makes it so you can almost feel every button, switch, and gear of its puzzle boxes, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX for looking exactly like the picture books I grew up with. I also really like the kind of geometric anime style of Giga Wrecker, and the beautiful Flood of Light, which looks almost like someone took a pixel art game and redrew the entire thing by hand. I should also mention Monster Hunter Rise because I don't understand how that game runs on Switch and Bonfire Peak for having voxel art that rivals The Touryst. And I'll throw in Spinch, Fatum Betula, and Rain World for the category of "I don't know what they are, but they're definitely something". Plus honorable mentions for Skyward Sword HD and Xenoblade DE, with the former's gorgeous art style still shining through after ten years, and the latter managing to improve upon what were already my favorite world and enemy designs despite some questionable character redesigns.

And just to keep my last comment from being even more bloated, I'll dump some of my top picks for pixel art visuals here: Kamiko, CrossCode, Phoentopia, World for Two, Foregone, Batbarian, ScourgeBringer, Star Renegades, Narita Boy, Touhou Luna Nights, Astalon, Timespinner, Evoland, Eldest Souls, and Death's Gambit

This probably falls under the category of art direction rather than graphics, but every time I boot up Thumper for some very satisfying short-burst gameplay, I'm impressed by how it looks.

And what about:

Narita Boy
Hades
Hellblade
The Trine games
Hob
Dragonball Fighterz

Not sure why MK8D isn't on here given it runs at the Switch's maximum resolution and framerate in both docked and handheld modes. But for me, that's easily one of if not the absolute best looking games on the console. Criminal it isn't mentioned here.

Honestly origami king is my pick. Just replaying it and it looks great. Next is probably luigis mansion 3.

Nintendo and other game developers have really made magic appear on the Switch, with the graphical fidelity they are working with. But games just look too good these days on all consoles. Rather it's more impressive to look back at the games/graphics of the past and see what has held up and what will continue to look good in the future. GC Wind Waker easily comes to mind, along with the Metroid Prime games, Mario Galaxy games, and the high frame rate of the early 3D F-Zero games to name a few. Even the pixel/16-bit art of Mario & Luigi SuperStar Saga, Zelda Minish Cap, and the GBA Kirby games were incredibly pleasing to look at and rival or exceed against similar games produced today. The only Switch games that come to mind that meets this criteria would have to be Luigi's Mansion 3, Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart 8, Smash Ultimate, Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 2, and Astral Chain. Maybe Splatoon 3 and the new Kirby game may also qualify.

Baldo’s more than a pretty game guys but glad it made the list, it’s a beautiful game

I'm not sure how Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and ARMS are missing when discussing best graphics on the Switch. Both are certainly much better than what New Horizons and Paper Mario achieved, which should only be here for its Vellumental scenes. Much of the list is more best art style than best graphics.

It has got to be DOOM (2016) for me. With all the updates to-date, it looks amazing on my 4K TV! REALLY REALLY GOOD!!

@mesome713 I just wish it ran at 60fps

@damien33ad Still have not got that game. I think I'm going to have to change that very soon!

But what about those Xenoblade Chronicles games. The landscapes are such a beauty…

I wish RMX had first person view

Seriously, where is mh rise.

If nintendo could patch both Xenoblade games to run at 1080p they would be the best looking games on the system by a far mile

DQ XI S? I would have included that.

Doom 3, Dragon Quest XI S, Sonic Mania, Final Fantasy X, Cruis'n Blast, Asphalt 9 Legends, Tales of Vesperia, Fast RMX, Skyrim, Ori, Octopath Traveler, Panzer Dragoon, Dragon Ball FighterZ, BlazBlue: Central Fiction, and Fire Emblem: The Three Houses are some of the most gorgeous games I had seen.

Monster Hunter Rise?

I’ll eternally appreciate beautiful graphics in video games. But I’ve never replayed a game because of its graphics. Gameplay is King.

Um, where is Monster Hunter Rise?? Seriously, Monster Hunter Rise people, best graphics on the Switch period. RE Engine is a masterwork of optimization.

Genuinely wondering how Alien, Outlast 2, and Hellblade did not make this list?

@Li_Bae I feel like I already knew the name Narita Boy, but I can't have checked it out, because your post has just prompted me to and it looks fantastic - one of the best game trailers I've ever seen.

@Anachronism Wow... I don't know what to say. You've rendered me virtually speechless, embarrassed, and soon-to-be-bankrupt, by how many interesting and great-looking games you've just introduced me to.

I've just wishlisted 13 games thanks to your post, and it would have been 15 had 2 other games not already been mentioned by others above. I think there's only 2 games you've listed that I've not just added: Evoland (I already have it); and ScourgeBringer (I'm not really into frantic rogue-lites).

Surely the single greatest post I've ever encountered in the realm of game recommendations. I thank you, and my wallet says **** you!

@Deerock69

@gcunit Glad I could be of service. And I sympathize. I'm up to 300+ games wishlisted, and there's always a few going for a great discount. The only thing keeping me from burning $20 a week on 3-5 games is not having the time to play them all.

Luigi Mansion 3 is so beatiful, the game look like a CGI animated movie like Pixar, soon Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Dread is gonna join as Switch pretieast games.

@electrolite77 bit of topic, but a hive mind doesn't suggest everybody agrees, as a beekeeper i can assure you they have a vivid democracy (see thomas seeley's honeybee democracy)... they just have a good system to find a solution to problems...

@ChromaticDracula Alien was my first thought. Grim and beautiful.

Great list (I would have raged if Link’s Awakening was snubbed lol) but if you count Wii U ports, those are still some of the best looking games; 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Captain Toad, DK:TF... and sure, MK8D too, why not.

I’d count Pikmin 3 if it ran at 1080p... come on, I’m still not happy about that lol. (Guess in handheld its fine... at least I think it’s 720p in handheld.)

There should be another list for beautiful 2D games... but there probably too many, and most won’t be exclusive either.

Pocky & Rocky: Reshrined comes to mind. Cotton Reboot... what’s that Cave-like Switch exclusive shmup? Crimson something. That looks good too.

I didn’t edit this comment lol

So you haven't play any Xenoblade game I guess.

Just a few more gorgeous games I’ve come across imo:

• Adventure Pals
• Chicory
• Lost in Play
• Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
• Yoshi’s Crafted World
• Labyrinth City
• Shankar and the Pirate’s curse
• Shantae and the Seven Sirens
• HOLLOW KNIGHT
• Unruly Heroes
• Owl Boy

Some others that I find pretty:

• Teslagrad
  Pinstripe
  Child of Light
  Oxenfree
  crash bandicoot 4

Red dead Redemption

Hey! Where is NieR:Automata The End of YoRHa Edition? And, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger? Fighting games deserves a mention too! BLAZBLUE CENTRALFICTION Special Edition, UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH Exe:Late[cl-r], Persona4 The ULTIMAX ULTRA SUPLEX HOLD...

No Metroid Prime Remastered, hailed as possibly the best looking Switch game by a lot of people, but nope, not even on the list according to NintendoLife, lol

It's a great list, but given the Switch's hardware limitations, I'd have put Xenoblade 3 in there as well. I'm still amazed by how well that game runs.
Edit: Oh, and Metroid Prime Remastered of course. Why is that game not on here?

Dragon quest 11s and monster Hunter rise/sunbreak

Alien isolation and dying light are the best ports with the best visual specially the second one because is a open world map

Missed a lot of games. A lot of games listed shouldn’t be on here. I guess to each their own

Hollow Knight must have been an oversight. MUST have.😦

Where’s Scar/Vi and Detective Pikachu 2? /j

Monster Hunter rise!

This is a crap list no matter how many times you repost it.

Astral chain; that game was epic! Very unique gameplay mechanics and pretty decent if not 'out there' story. Very highly recommend!

Can’t take this list seriously until Metroid Prime is on it.

Still not a single Xenoblade game on the list. Way to trade aesthetic awe for polygon/pixel count, kids.🙄😏

Haven’t played all these but Luigi’s mansion is the standout for me

As much as I love Breath of the Wild, I don't think it deserves to be on this list. The art style is lovely, but the technology just isn't where it should be. It's often quite blurry and still has framerate issues. Impressively open and great game, but not the most beautiful on the system in my opinion.

Metroid Prime Remastered really deserves to be on this list, though. Not to mention Monster Hunter Rise and Tetris Effect.

Some questionable choices on this list. Not that any of the games listed look bad, but some don't stand out as much as implied in my opinion.

Luigi's Mansion 3's level of detail to the animation and lighting rivals some of the best within the industry imo.

wheres metroid prime remaster or tears of the kingdom plus theres a few others as well.

@Switch_Pro they should make, imo, a separate list of 2d and 3(.5)D games. If I hear most beautiful switch games I think about 3(.5)D games that push the switch limits, like MH Rise, Zelda.

I mean sure cuphead or rayman legends are one the most pretty games ever but they sure don’t push hardware as much as MH rise or Nier or Dragon Ball fighterZ do.

@BrintaPap It's just quite difficult when it comes to more subjective stuff, really. For instance, I think nobody would disagree that Luigi's Mansion or Link's Awakening looks technically very good, but when it comes to Gris, some people won't vibe with it. On the other hand, Baldo does look good when it looks good, but it's also inconsistent.

astral chain needs a sequel that game was so good.

Imo if it runs at 30fps then it cannot qualify for best graphics. Also framerate>graphics.

I'm really missing New Pokémon Snap in this list. Yeah, the main games are ugly, but Snap looks absolutely precious.
Sakuna of rice and ruin is fantastic as well.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

ToTK..? Smoothed over some of the "issues" of BoTW. If not both, should probably replace BoTW, in my opinion.

Metroid Prime Remastered is probably one of the most visually pleasing games I've ever seen, and the original was already a master class of art design.

I thought Baldo got gameplay patches that improved gameplay drastically

You guys really need to go back and revisit Baldo, they updated it a lot and changed tons with the game including some mechanics.

@Guitario It definitely did, Nintendolife needs to revisit that review and update it. Scores are subjective, but if flaws are fixed, reviews should reflect that. They do it all the time with other games, No Man's Sky is the most recent example I can think of.

Where is Metroid Dread and Metroid Prime Remastered???? Where NintendoLife ????? What is this madness???

I'm surprised to see Yoshi's Crafted World NOT on the list. Good-Feel Ltd. definitely hit the jackpot in the graphics department on the Nintendo Switch and is no-doubt one of the system's best in that regard.

Then again, the graphics are the only good thing I can say about the game...

@Ironcore Yeah, how many 30fps games look twice as good as Mario Odyssey, Metroid Prime Remastered, etc.?

It's hard to compare them, as drawing every second frame is a huge sacrifice to make, but it also gives a huge advantage in terms of processing time. Unless a 30fps game is extremely impressive, I can't get past the fact that the devs had to cut the performance in half in order to edge out the top 60fps games.

Plus, I'd personally choose to play with weak graphics and 60fps over better graphics and 30fps, as the difference constantly affects how the game looks and feels.

No Mario kart?

Or did the dlc make it drop off the list?

And Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom?!?!

Smt5 deserves more appreciation. It is stunning at times. Overall solid

Metroid Prime Remastered & Alien Isolation for me.
I can’t believe how good they made MPR look and AI is up there with the home consoles versions and then some

@Kraven I was wondering about DQ XI myself. Maybe it's on the list for "Best Jrpg on Switch"!

True The Legend of Zelda Breath of the wild, The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening remake and Astral Chain have a beautiful graphics.

Very poor list. A lot of important omissions including the Xenoblade Games, Metroid Prime remastered to name but a few.

Baldo is actually quite playable now! Also Okami HD is still the best looking game, maybe on any console ever.

My top 5 best graphics on Switch:
1. Tears of the Kingom
2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
3. Doom Eternal
4. Monster Hunter Rise
5. Pikmin 4

Yeah this list is terrible.

• Monste Hunter Rise
• Dordogne
• TOTK
• Xenoblade 3
• Pokemon Let's Go

Just to name a few major snubs

I thought Metroid Dread had absolutely amazing visuals.

I own the majority of these. I can testify they look sumptuous.

They must look really good on the OLED (which I don't own)

Metroid Dread, its so great looking, no wonder the game was essentially the showcase title for the OLED Switch.

Others I might include is BOTW, Splatoon 2/3 and Super Mario Odyssey.

Please please PLEASE include a Xenoblade game on here it’s criminal this list doesn’t have any of them

I bought Baldo last week after watching a SwitchUp video showing how much had been improved since launch. While the environments do look pretty in areas, the character models and animations are rough, and feel way out of place with the visual quality found elsewhere. The gameplay unfortunately had several questionable decisions and dragged down the experience. I ended up trading it in.

@Stamina_Wheel agreed. NintendoLife didn’t do their credibility any good leaving that out!

@zool I used to think that too. The Original Xbox and the PS4 were two of my all time favorite consoles. Then I realized that "good graphics" wasn't specifically "realistic graphics." When I realized how much I appreciated fun games that were also attentive to the small details within the gameplay, I realized how good some of Nintendo's AAA games actually were. Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3, etc are all awesome. I don't think TOTK is all that great visually, even though it is one of my favorite games of all time. But to be able to play that game when I'm out and about traveling, it is so much easier to appreciate than it otherwise would've been.

You guys know you have a "Best Pixel Art" list now, right?

Okami

Also, kinda weird that Ni no Kuni 2 made it but Ni no Kuni didn't

Ni no Kuni II - ugh!
I so wanted to like that game - and it has some beauty, but the frame rate is awful and overall - when you compare it to Zelda BotW or TotK in action, it just looks terrible.
I'm surprised to see it on this list it DOES NOT belong here.

Too many indie games here that are nice and all, sure, but aren't really "technically" impressive. Weird list.

I'm not usually one to jump on lists, but this might be one of the the worst lists I've ever seen Almost reads like a bunch of games plucked at random.

There are so many random indie games on it with completely unremarkable visuals while ignoring the games with the absolute best visuals on the Switch such as MK8 - which still looks amazing to this day - plus BOTW, Alien Isolation, DL Platinum Edition, Monster Hunter Rise, Xenoblade 3, Grid Autosport, Bayonetta 2, RDR, Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, Super Mario 3D World.

There really are so many games that look better than most of this list, it's just bizarre.

Townscaper is lovely, but without anyone actually being there it can be a bit eerie. I wish they’d update it to give us people living in our little island towns.

I find it difficult to call any Switch games visually beautiful. The aged hardware is holding the artists back so much. Totk is probably the best looking game on the console but it could look so much better if the hardware could handle textures, anti-aliasing, shading, lighting better. I've seen BotW running in 4K on PC (emulator) and it is truly glorious. I just wish Nintendo would catch up so their games finally reach their full potential visually. And not just that - if they had better hardware behind them all the games would run at better frame rates instead of being stuck at sub 30fps. Nintendo's artists have done wonders to make BotW and Totk look as good as they do. But now i've seen them running at 4K 60fps with better textures, I want it to happen officially and legally. Switch 2 can't come fast enough.

Maybe it's just me, but I think Splatoon 3 deserves a spot on this list!

This list is all over the place.

@Poodlestargenerica I still find it unbelievable that was a PS2 game originally, the graphics are just timeless. That game could have launched first on modern consoles today and nobody would complain about it looking dated- not many games from that era you can say the same for at all.

@cyrus_zuo I think it’s impressive that they got it running on Switch and when you’re in anything but the overworld it looks and runs great IMO but that overworld- yikes. Looks pretty bad and the frame rate is awful. If Switch is your only option or you want to play it handheld it’s still a fine way to play it but yeah some of it is rough.

I’d rank Tears of the Kingdom as my favorite graphical Switch title. It’s got a great art style, everything is surprisingly well detailed, and it runs great considering its hardware.

I've got Luigi's Mansion 3, Link's Awakening, Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Odyssey.

Where’s Splatoon 3?