Best Arcade Games on the Switch

The arcade games worth playing on the Nintendo Switch start with Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Ring Fit Adventure.

The Switch and Arcade Games

A home console you can take with you, which turns out to matter more than raw power. The strongest first-party library of any modern machine, plus an indie catalogue that fits portable play perfectly.

Arcade Games are a solid rather than a defining part of this library — worth knowing, but not the reason anybody owns the machine.

Filtering to arcade means you want short runs and a score, not a campaign. It is the right filter when what you liked was the one-more-go feeling.

The Arcade Games Worth Playing

  1. 1. Super Smash Bros Ultimate

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  2. 2. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  3. 3. Ring Fit Adventure

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  4. 4. Muse Dash

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

  5. 5. Thumper

    Follow the link for hand-written recommendations if you want more like it.

What Makes a Good Arcade Game

A complete experience in twenty minutes, and a skill you keep. Arcade design is measured in the moment after you lose.

Story and progression. Arcade games repeat on purpose, and if you want to be pulled somewhere they will not do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best arcade game on the Switch?

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the usual first answer, and there are 5 in the library we cover.

Was the Switch good at arcade games?

It is a solid rather than a defining part of the library.

Why are arcade games so hard?

They were designed to end. A machine that let you play for an hour on one coin did not earn its floor space, so difficulty was the business model.

Do arcade games still get made?

Constantly, mostly by small teams. Several of the best beat-em-ups and run-and-guns of the last decade are new games built on forty-year-old design rules.

How is this list put together?

From the games this site covers on the Nintendo Switch, matched against hand-mapped gameplay categories rather than a storefront's genre tag. A page only exists where there are at least four, which is why some console and genre combinations have no page at all.

Arcade Games on Other Consoles

More From the Switch

Or browse the whole Nintendo Switch library.