All 12 'Pokémon' Switch Games, Ranked

• User Score: 3.9

Perhaps this is a little unfair considering Pokémon HOME isn’t a game per se, but it’s still an official Pokémon application available on the Switch, so we decided to include it anyway. It’s completely free (more on this later) and acts as cloud-based storage for your Pokémon.

There is a mobile version of the game and of course, a Switch version. The Switch version boasts some exclusive features, including access to the "Basic Box" where 30 Pokémon can be stored. Pokémon from Let’s Go Pikachu!, Let’s Go Eevee! and Pokémon Sword & Shield can all be stored here. Plus you can transfer your favorites from Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Pokémon Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

A key criticism of HOME is that if you want to use the full breadth of it and if you’re a hardcore Pokémon player, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to pay for the Premium plan which allows you to store up to 6,000 Pokémon. A 30-day subscription will cost you $2.69 while a full year will put you $14.39 out of pocket.

• Metacritic Metascore: 64

The growing success of Minecraft meant that a bunch of franchises tried their hand at voxel-stylized games and Pokémon Quest is Game Freak’s attempt. Set on the appropriately named Tumblecube Island, the new cube-shaped Pokémon we see here are called Pokéxel. There are four parts to the gameplay: base camp management, expeditions, catching Pokémon, and training Pokémon. Much like Pokémon Café Mix, Pokémon Quest is considered to be a good enough game that it provides an ample distraction from everyday life, but it lacks the depth needed to compete with some of the games that appear later on this list.

• Metacritic Metascore: 64

Developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, allow us to show a bit of appreciation for Pokémon Café ReMix, just like Pokémon HOME, is completely free. It’s not your average Pokémon game where you have to catch Pokémon. Instead, it’s a puzzle game.

You and Eevee own a Café and serve customers, who are Pokémon. Every time an order is placed, a puzzle is triggered. You must clear matching icons on a screen by linking them in a ring, with a particular focus on items that the customer has just ordered. Every time you complete an order successfully, you’re given the means to upgrade the café, which will, in turn, attract more kinds of Pokémon.

The art style is great, but players have criticized the longevity of the game to some extent. If these kinds of puzzle games that generally appear on mobile aren’t your thing, this game isn’t going to change your mind. But with a price tag of free, it’s worth a try anyway.

• Metacritic Metascore: 69

Released in 2020, this game is a remake of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team & Red Rescue Team. It was the first remake of a Pokémon game that wasn’t a main series game. You start as a human who turned into a Pokémon and which one you turn into is decided by a personality test you take at the beginning. From there, you pick a Pokémon to be your partner and take on the jobs that you’re given. These can be anything from rescuing Pokémon to delivering items. Similar to criticisms of other games that have already appeared on this list, many felt that the game could feel like too much of a grind which took the fun out of it, though considering it a worthy spinoff title it’s hard for a Pokémon fan to ignore.

• Metacritic Metascore: 70

Pokémon meets League of Legends? No one knew they wanted that weird amalgamation of genres until Pokémon UNITE came out of nowhere to showcase another entry into the MOBA genre. Selecting series faves such as Scizor, Dragonite, Blastoise, and more to head into heated team battles is pretty exciting, especially since your chosen Pokémon's strength gradually grows to give your team even more of a chance at victory. The abundance of microtransactions that sadly turn this game into a pay-to-win affair keep it from getting placed much higher on this list, however. Even still, Pokémon Unite's more strategic approach to its mainline battle mechanics is commendable.

• Metacritic Metascore: 72

The latest generation of catching them all in a vast region comes courtesy of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The open-ended open-world approach to turning yourself into the greatest Pokémon trainer of them all was built upon the features seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. While a litany of performance issues and unavoidable visual glitches keep this set of games from reaching its maximum potential, they're still worthy of being considered among the top releases within the mainline Pokémon series.

The Paldea region is full of lovable new creatures to capture, multiple storyline routes to tackle at your heart's leisure, and a four-player co-op play that turns fans' dream features into a loving reality. Utilizing a Pokémon's "Tera Type" during battle also gives these games a cool gimmick that deserves a ton of credit for freshening up the appearance and movesets of familiar Pokémon.

• Metacritic Metascore: 73

One of the other games announced in celebration of Pokémon’s 25^th anniversary was Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl. It will be an enhanced remake of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl which is a fourth-generation game that was released on the Nintendo DS in 2006 in Japan (and in 2007 in North America). Both games' welcome return to the Sinnoh region is a good time thanks to the return of some of the crucial elements from the original games that still hold up in this day and age. However, it must be said that fans were a little miffed by both games' exclusion of the "Sinnoh Battle Frontier" and the enhancements introduced in Pokémon Platinum.

• Metacritic Metascore: 79

Pokkén Tournament DX is an enhanced version of Pokkén Tournament that was first teased way back in 2013. It was released for Arcade in 2015, Wii U in 2016, and Switch in 2017. In Germany and Austria, the game is known as Pokémon Tekken, which should give you an idea about what kind of game it is. It’s a fighting game with a focus on high-octane action that unfolds across both 2D and 3D battlefields. Of all of the versions released, the Switch is the only one that has all 23 Pokémon in it. The game is considered underrated and one of the better fighting titles you can get on the Nintendo Switch, with extra praise going to the Switch version.

• Metacritic Metascore: 79

Yet another remake, coming in at second place, is Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee!, a remake of Pokémon Yellow. These games are unique because they’re made to be a good entry point for new fans as well as older fans who played the original back in 1998. The return to Kanto did its job of providing nostalgia for the original fans. Fans and critics alike applauded the capture system and Pikachu and Eevee as protagonists. These games are pretty much a playable nostalgia trip that spruces up the graphics and gameplay of the series' original journey for a whole new generation of potential Pokémon trainers.

• Metacritic Metascore: 79

In 1999, Pokémon Snap was released for the Nintendo 64 in North America, and to this day, the community is split on how good it was. Some consider it one of the best Pokémon spinoff games ever, while some think it was a little boring. The concept of the game is that you’re a photographer called Todd Snap, and you travel around the world, taking pictures of different Pokémon species. Once you’ve taken 60 pictures, you take them back to Professor Oak, who rates each one.

In 2021, we finally got the sequel to that N64 gem in New Pokémon Snap. Just like in the original, players take on the engrossing duties of an up-and-coming Pokémon photographer who's responsible for taking pictures across numerous island locales. It's up to you to get the best pics and angles of common and rare "Pocket Monsters" to aid the research studies of Professor Mirror and his assistants Rita and Phil. Young gamers will be pushed forward along a predetermined track via the "NEO-ONE" vehicle and embark on an exciting trek so they can photograph cute creatures in their natural habitat.

This game's simple yet highly engaging concept, expanded roster of creatures to snap pictures of, and the jolly nature of it all make New Pokémon Snap such a huge joy.

• Metacritic Metascore: 80

Now it's time to shine the spotlight on one of the most important mainline games in the series that launched on the Switch, Pokémon Sword & Shield. Here, we go back to the classic storyline of a young Pokémon trainer who wants to become champion, this time of the Galar region by dethroning Leon. The lead-up to the game was quite shaky. The announcement that not all pre-existing Pokémon would appear had some fans disappointed and calling for a boycott, but all was well post-release.

The game’s emphasis on freedom and general design was praised and most consider it one of the better games to be released in the entire series, let alone on the Switch. With the addition of unforgettable explorative and battle mechanics, such as cooperative raid encounters, the Wild Area, and "Dynamaxing" and "Gigantamaxing," these titles stand out as a breath of fresh air for series diehards.

• Metacritic Metascore: 83

Finally, we've arrived at our top pick on this list of best Pokémon games on the Switch! Pokémon Legends: Arceus serves as a prequel to Pokémon Diamond & Pearl and in turn the Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl games. And thanks to its open-world design that paints it as this franchise's version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, there's a lot to love here.

While it honors the core gameplay of the games that have become for it, Pokémon Legends: Arceus makes history as it is the first action RPG in the main series and Game Freak’s first attempt at that sub-genre of games. The main focus of this game is to create the Sinnoh region's first-ever Pokédex. And that entails navigating a vast world filled with beautiful biomes where you'll engage with wild Pokémon species in real time. The unique challenges given to the player are a nice departure from the usual gameplay formula, plus the game's huge sense of scale is awe-inspiring.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus' shoddy technical performance can be quite bothersome. But the best parts of it far outweigh its most disappointing ones.