Some of the best video games ever made come from Nintendo, whose name has become synonymous with innovative design and fun-oriented classics. From Donkey Kong taking over arcades to Super Mario Bros. gracing home consoles, Nintendo has been at the forefront of popularity. In the past decade, their games have only gotten stronger, with some standing out as titles that everyone should get to play at least once.
A recent Nintendo Direct showcase for 2025 showed off even more impressive games coming to the new Nintendo Switch 2 console. This latest piece of hardware is set to host a number of promising-looking entries, from Metroid Prime 4 to the just-announced Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. However, even if 2025’s best Nintendo games are in competition, there are still plenty to celebrate from past years.
2015 — Splatoon
Colorful Battles Created Something New And Fresh
Splatoon remains one of Nintendo’s most innovate titles of the last decade, creating one of the first truly competitive games in its library. This game sees teams of players use various weapons to spread paint across a battlefield, with one side trying to cover more of the landscape with their color than the other.
The vibrant artsyle, characters, and mechanics of this game were bold and new, instead of repetitions of classic Mario, Kirby, or other characters. In a year marked with remasters and ports to a lackluster Wii U console, Splatoon was a rare gem that players loved enough to create a benchmark for Nintendo, leading to two future sequels.
2016 — Pokémon GO
An Unprecedented Phenomena That Will Never Happen Again
Those who remember Pokémon GO‘s release back in 2016 will think back to flooded streets of people desperately trying to capture Pokémon in different locations around their community. Even now, it’s hard to state just how impactful this game was, captivating both casual players and dedicated fans alike.
Pokémon GO took the simple formula of the Pokémon games and made it even easier on mobile devices. However, it made it so Pokémon “spawned” in the real world, encouraging players to go to places in their neighborhoods to catch rare Pokémon that showed up there.
Events and new Pokémon releases kept players engaged for a long time, with new regions being introduced quickly to keep up with the game’s rapid audience growth. The three teams you pick from in Pokémon GO also helped establish fun factions between players, long before battles were added later.
For a time, months were dominated by Pokémon GO‘s influence, even being referenced in popular media. With the game still having millions of players in 2025 with regular updates, this is still likely Nintendo’s most successful property, bringing people together for a time in a way that’ll likely never be repeated.
2017 – The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Reinvention Of What Action And Adventure Could Be
Despite Super Mario Oddyssey perhaps representing the pinnacle of platforming games, I would say that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is still the Nintendo title that was the strongest in 2017. This game reinvented the Zelda series, taking it into an open-world for the first time, giving players endless freedom simultaneously.
From the moment you wake up as Link in this game, you can go anywhere and do anything within the world. While you can find clear direction, the way you approach the world is entirely your own. This adventure is accentuated with fresh survival mechanics too, making it stand out from any other game in the series.
2018 — Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Greatest Roster Of Characters Ever Assembled
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate made a simple promise — to bring together every character that had been in the series into one massive game. This title was the peak of what a platform fighting game could be, including 89 characters over multiple waves of DLC that brought together both Nintendo stars and icons of gaming as a whole.
This game had hundreds of hours of music, both from different series’ libraries and original tracks composed for the title. The most famous instance of this was the inclusion of Terry Bogard, whose DLC addition came with 50+ tracks from the SNK library.
From Persona 5‘s Joker to Sephiroth from Final Fantasy 7, the DLC for this game was full of endless possibilities. At its core, though, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was an evolution of everything that came before, with easy-to-learn mechanics that had plenty of depth for veteran players to sink their teeth into.
Tons of stages that best represented the unique worlds of each character created awe-inspiring battlegrounds for matches that could host an astounding eight players at the same time. Items created more cameos from different series, but the “World of Light” mode also forged a single-player experience that ensured this Nintendo title would be an instant classic.
2019 – Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Choices Between Factions Led To Strategic Stories
The strategic battles of Fire Emblem: Three Houses set it apart from other strong contenders in 2019, which ranged from Luigi’s Mansion 3 and Astral Chain coming out on Nintendo consoles. Much like Breath of the Wild, though, this title brought interesting innovations to a long-standing franchise, including the titular “Three Houses” faction system.
When you begin this game, you chose between three separate factions of students to teach, influencing which characters will be present in your available party. This crafted three unique stories, where different characters led far different lives with or without your influence.
This replayability lended well to strong RPG mechanics, such as unit customization that allowed you to pick different classes for specific people. With bonds that could grow between your party members, this Nintendo title continues a classic series tradition of making battles seem more intense due to your own personal investment in your allies.
2020 — Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Cozy Island Adventures Fosters Player Creativity
No other Nintendo game from 2020 compares to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a title that promotes comfy, relaxing gameplay that captures the hearts of an extremely loyal audience. Animal Crossing games have always been received well, but the amount of content in New Horizons provided even series veterans new tools to play around with.
An honorable mention from 2020 is Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which helped spark additional Xenoblade remasters due to this title’s success.
Through this game, players can completely customize their home, community, and character, allowing them to slowly build the perfect island in their vision. A core aspect of this game’s prominence was how players were able to share their creations with others, visiting different islands and even collaborating to make shared experiences they could sink into for hundreds of hours.
2021 – Metroid Dread
Return To Form For The Sci-Fi Legend
Metroid Dread beats out other Nintendo titles like Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Bravely Default 2 for 2021, solely for how it brings back the Metroid series without changing too much. This game returns Samus to her roots, placing her in a hostile 2D environment where she has to slowly regain her abilities to escape a futuristic facility.
The bounty hunter’s return sees some of the tightest, well-designed environments in any Metroid game. A huge wealth of collectibles, upgrades, and abilities are well-hidden, forcing players to rely on their own ingenuity to enhance Samus’ skills against a wealth of new enemies.
Bosses and enemies are incredibly unique, with new systems like Samus’ parry adding an extra, exciting layer to combat. The inclusion of the terrifying E.M.M.I. robots also added tension to different sections, harkening back to the almost horror-like elements that made Metroid such an iconic Nintendo series to begin with.
2022 – Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Long-Awaited Shake Up Of An Aging Formula
Nintendo’s success in 2022 can be traced to a variety of games, from the anticipated Splatoon 3 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 sequels to innovative titles like Kirby and the Forgotten Land. However, Pokémon Legends: Arceus showed the most innovative ideas, finally changing Pokémon‘s usual formula away from what Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were criticized for doing the same year.
This game approaches Pokémon differently, sending players back in time to the Hisuian era of a known region. Here, Pokémon were not found in set encounters, but rather roamed a nearly open-world, giving players a chance to explore detailed environments without a set path.
Fans praised Legends Arceus for how it changed combat as well, putting some new spins on the turn-based battles. With new regional forms for established Pokémon, a unique roster of starters, and an interesting story, it’s no wonder that this game’s follow-up, Legends: Z-A, is one of the more popular titles coming out in 2025.
2023 – Pikmin 4
The Ultimate Display Of Careful Coordination
Pikmin 4 released in a year with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but I have to say that the former is absolutely the more polished product. This game sees you control the titular Pikmin in large groups, using them to solve problems, defeat enemies, and overcome obstacles.
The real draw of Pikmin, though, has always been about the careful distribution of the Pikmin you command. Some Pikmin are the only ones who can survive in water, while others are equipped to deal with electricity. You have to be in constant communication with your Pikmin, going through levels carefully to ensure each one is fulfilling exactly the right role.
The adventures of Pikmin are highlighted by incredibly witty and challenging puzzles that test every aspect of your leadership skills. Pikmin 4 is undoubtedly the most well-thought-out version of this philosophy.
While Tears of the Kingdom has a huge open-world, the adventure of Pikmin 4 feels more rewarding for how one obstacle you solve cascades into more logical ideas. In Pikmin 4, you are constantly coming up with new plans for how to use your Pikmin, making it a game without any tedium at all.
2024 — Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
One Of The Greatest RPGs With Charming Visuals
The original 2004 title came back for the Nintendo Switch for its 20th anniversary, making Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door an RPG that new fans could enjoy. This game came out in a year when Nintendo held back on a lot of releases, no doubt to prepare for the Switch 2 console’s upcoming launch.
That being said, The Thousand-Year Door is a classic, featuring a straightforward combat system and tons of adventure across areas that are a joy to explore. With the game’s signature whimsical artstyle, it’s easy to get lost in talking to other characters, doing side quests, and doing just about everything offered.
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