The Nintendo Switch's games library is massive and is continuously growing thanks to an offering of quality indie, AA, and AAA titles. And while most folks would expect Nintendo's family-friendly image to get in the way of the Switch having a huge array of more mature experiences, that's actually not the case. There's a great selection of titles available for Switch owners that feature the type of storytelling and gameplay that caters to the themes they're most entertained by. If you're one of those folks that don't need to pull out their Driver's License just to buy an M-rated game at GameStop, then this list is perfect for you. Here are 20 of the very best Switch games for adults that you'll definitely want to add to your playlist queue and enjoy during your indoor/outdoor excursions.
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The 20 Best Switch Games for Adults
Switch Games for Adults
1. ‘Bayonetta’ (series)
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
PlatinumGames is the development studio behind one of the most exciting and outlandish action games franchise of all time. The first three mainline entries in that series referred to as Bayonetta are all available on Switch, so you can get sucked into all the angel/demon hunting that the famed "Umbra Witch" gets into during her wild escapades. Once you master the activation of "Witch Time" and become a master at pulling off varied combos with Bayonetta's arsenal of melee/ranged weapons, everything will start to click and convince you of PlatinumGames' action game-making prowess.
2. ‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Geralt of Rivia is at the heart of The Witcher books, which have now been given the video game treatment to a satisfying degree. The marquee entry in that series of games is The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which gives players the chance to peruse through a huge open world filled with war, strife, and all types of fantastical beasts to do battle with. The storyline at the heart of this game, which revolves around Geralt doing everything in his power to protect a young warrior from an encroaching force, has so many mindblowing reveals that'll enrapture first-timers. This edition of the game that comes with all the previously released story expansions is the one that'll give you the most bang for your buck.
3. ‘DOOM’ (series)
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
DOOM keeps it simple - demons are bad, they come from Hell, and you're tasked with blasting them to bits. The Switch offers a comprehensive collection of the series in the form of the DOOM Slayers Collection and DOOM Eternal. On the compilation front, the original 1993 DOOM, DOOM II, DOOM 64, DOOM 3, and DOOM (2016). Once you've made your way through all of those titles, you'll be fully prepared for Doomguy's latest war with the unforgiving forces of Hell in DOOM Eternal. Pick up that BFG and prepare for the bloodiest and goriest war in first-person shooter history.
4. ‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
Development studio MachineGames shocked us all when it got handed the reigns to the Wolfenstein series and managed to reboot it to near perfection. Make sure you check out Wolfenstein: The New Order on another console so you appreciate its sequel even more, which is called Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. In this sequel, William "B.J." Blazkowicz makes his grand return to continue the fight against the Nazi regime. You'll feel like the ultimate American hero once you double-wield B.J.'s shotguns and go to town on the evil forces that want to eliminate you. If you love DOOM, then we're confident you'll have the exact same way about Wolfenstein.
5. ‘Resident Evil: Revelations Collection’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Survival Horror
Capcom's Resident Evil series is spread out across a ton of amazing mainline games and spinoffs. We're going to shout out two of the finer spinoffs right here, which feature all the original survival horror elements that fans have championed since the very start of the franchise. The Resident Evil: Revelations Collection presents some terrifying treks through an abandoned cruise and a creepy island, which are both packed with walking/crawling horrors that want you dead. You'll get to mix it up with series veterans such as Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, and Claire Redfield as they're tasked with fighting for their lives against inhuman threats hidden around so many dark corners. When it comes to the best Switch games for adults, this double-pack of Resident Evil games deserves a mention.
6. ‘Diablo III: Eternal Collection’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
Diablo as a whole offers the most hard-to-put-down dungeon-crawling experience that avid RPG fans have spent hours playing since it launched on PC. Diablo III: Eternal Collection should satiate the desire of fans who want to take their adventuring on the go and feed their addiction for loot gathering & monster-bashing. We had to place this top-down RPG classic on this collection of the best Switch games for adults since it offers the most comprehensive package for the game - what you're getting here is the full baseline experience, plus the DLC expansions Reaper of Souls and Rise of the Necromancer.
7. ‘South Park: The Stick of Truth’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Role-Playing Game
It took forever and a day to get an actual good South Park game (the first-person shooter that came out on N64 was not it, bruh!). Funny enough, Ubisoft and Obsidian Entertainment (most known for developing Fallout: New Vegas) adapted the super crass yet hilarious animated series into a well-made turn-based RPG. South Park: The Stick of Truth makes you "The New Kid" and gives you access to one of these character classes so you can join the other kids in battle - the Fighter, Thief, Mage, and (we're not making this up!) the Jew. Go on a cosplay journey with Cartman, Butters, Stan, Kyle, and more during this fantastical take on South Park.
8. ‘South Park: The Fractured but Whole’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Role-Playing Game
So you've already played through the entirety of the South Park's crew medieval fantasy RPG adventure. So now you've gotta hop into the follow-up that totally apes the superhero struggles that play out on the pages of Marvel and DC Comics. Now The New Kid can choose to do battle as either a Brutalist, Blaster, Elementalist, Cyborg, Psychic, Assassin, Gadgeteer, Plantmancer, or Martial Artist. The fact that you can fart to skip an enemy's turn points to just how insane South Park has been and always will be when it comes to its amazing sophomoric humor.
9. ‘Dark Souls: Remastered’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
If you're up for the high challenge factor that "Soulslike" games present, then you'll have the time of your life with Dark Souls: Remastered. Once you create your character and pick their battle class, you'll be free to navigate the many sinister locales within the vast world of Lordran. Be prepared to die...like, die a whole lot. But once you finally defeat a boss that's been dominating you for far too long, the sense of satisfaction you'll get from that victory will make all the previous losses all worth it. As one of the best Switch games for adults, Dark Souls: Remastered is incredibly feature-rich as it comes with the main campaign and the Artorias of the Abyss DLC.
10. ‘Resident Evil 4’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Survival Horror
Resident Evil 4 revolutionized the third-person shooter genre with its over-the-shoulder character control and more precise aiming/shooting that's super prevalent today. And as a Resident Evil game, it propelled Leon S. Kennedy to a new level of fandom and tapped into a more action-heavy feel (for better or worse). You gotta try this one due to it being regarded as one of the greatest games of all time. You should also make sure you revert back to the more traditional games in the series via the Resident Evil Origins Collection, which includes Resident Evil 0 and 1 (the fabled remake, by the way).
11. ‘Borderlands Legendary Collection’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: First-Person Shooter/Action Role-Playing Game
Those famed Borderlands games will definitely resonate with fans of first-person shooters, cel-shaded visuals, and lots & lots of loot collecting. The Borderlands Legendary Collection brings together the first game in the series under its Game of the Year edition moniker, its sequel (which everyone refers to as the best game in the series), and the spinoff oddity known as Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Make your way around Pandora as you find all sorts of wild weapons and take on all comers alongside your fellow "Vault Hunters."
12. ‘Dying Light: Platinum Edition’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Fans of games that take place within a world riddled with zombies will enjoy each and every minute that they spend with Dying Light. This edition of the game comes with a kitchen sink content slate for those who've never taken it for a spin (and you're crazy for not playing it beforehand, by the way!). We've chosen to crown Dying Light Platinum Edition as one of the best Switch games for adults thanks to its satisfying amalgamation of fluid parkour exploration, meaty melee combat, and terrifying runs through the evening hours that truly test your survival instincts.
13. ‘Darksiders’ (series)
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
The Darksiders games center around the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse," who are placed in quite a world-ending predicament that involves them trying to find out why it started in the first place. Players take on the role of "War" in Darksiders Warmastered Edition, "Death" in Darksiders II Deathinitive Edition, and "Fury" in Darksiders III. What you're getting with all three games are massive open-world adventures that incorporate the best parts of God of War, Devil May Cry, and The Legend of Zelda. Side note - if you enjoy this game's overarching plot and love top-down action RPGs, be sure to check out Darksiders Genesis.
14. ‘Assassin's Creed: The Rebel Collection’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Before the Assassin's Creed games went full action RPG, Ubisoft's AAA franchise about the ongoing conflict between Assassins and Templars stuck to its stealthy action/adventure roots. Two fan-favorite entries are included in this compilation - Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Assassin’s Creed Rogue. And if you're desperate for some swashbuckling adventures that feed into the everyday life of a pirate, then both of these games will provide you with everything you're looking for and more. Navigating the high seas of the Caribbean and handing out justice as a badass Assassin is the name of the game here.
15. ‘World War Z’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
World War Z has emerged as one of the more underrated licensed games we've ever played. You'd think that a run-of-the-mill zombie survival game that pits teams of three against vicious hordes wouldn't be all that great. But the game's fun mission structure, a clever mixture of character classes, and heartstopping moments where hundreds of zombies decent on your & your crew help this game stand apart as your next multiplayer haven. This game is way better than you'd expect, we're telling you!
16. ‘The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
At this point, everyone and their grandmother have taken "an arrow to the knee" and belted out a random "Dragon Shout" in public thanks to this beloved action RPG. If you're one of the few out there that has never even spent a single second with it, then now's a better time than never. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the greats action RPGs of all time thanks to its abundance of content in the form of main campaign mission and side content. As one of the best Switch games for adults, it features some exclusive Nintendo content - using different Amiibo figures while playing will activate cool stuff, such as a Link figurine blessing you with a chest while the famous Legend of Zelda jingle plays in the background.
17. ‘The Outer Worlds’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action Role-Playing Game
Fallout fans have a ton of love and respect for Obsidian Entertainment. And that's because they're the development studio behind one of the better series installments, Fallout: New Vegas. Obsidian’s 2019 action RPG release, The Outer Worlds, offers everything you loved in previous Fallout games but does so in an alternate future set in 1901. Mega corporations are in control of various planets due to colonization efforts. As a now unfrozen and newly awakened spaceship passenger who was set to start a new life on a space colony, you chart out a new path and interact with galactic factions during a joyous (and sometimes hilarious!) space-faring voyage.
18. ‘Sniper Elite 4’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
The Sniper Elite series is known for delivering that feeling of euphoria to its fans thanks to those signature slow-motion X-Ray camera kills that emerge from them. Sniper Elite 4 sticks to what works but gives you more of a challenge when it's time to take down the opposition from afar due to the game's improved AI. With more expansive locales to trek across, players have even more freedom to tackle their missions and find better ways to cut down the Nazi regime residing in Italy.
19. ‘BioShock: The Collection’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
Three of the most narrative-heavy and thought-provoking first-person shooters of all time exist within the BioShock franchise. BioShock, BioShock 2, and BioShock Infinite, and all of its DLC are contained within the comprehensive journey through the remains of the underwater city "Rapture" and the sky dystopia known as "Columbia." You'll get so much satisfaction out of wielding a firearm in one hand and using all types of wild powers in the other hand during your first-person clashes with twisted foes. And we promise you this - your mind is gonna be blown by the final stretches of your treks through each game.
20. ‘Alien: Isolation’
- Rated M for Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Taking a classic franchise back to its roots is Alien: Isolation, credited with not just being a good horror game of the bunch that has made its way to the Switch, but genuinely one of the better ones ever made. Set on a space station, this final pick on our list challenges players to navigate its many dark corners while the threat of death is breathing down your neck. From a first-person perspective, you play as Amanda Ripley, and along with the main obvious enemy are hostile humans and androids, who will always keep you on your toes. Taking on this game's relentless Xenomorph alien provides an unforgettable experience as one of the best Switch games for adults.
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