Nintendo Switch: 10 Most Time-Consuming Games That We Can’t Put Down

For many players, the Nintendo Switch is a gamer’s best friend, as it contains all the punch and power of a console with the option to take the gaming on the go in handheld mode. Fortunately for any non-stop pixel junkies, Nintendo offers a wide variety of games with an intoxicatingly addictive nature.

Whether that’s achieved by replayability, repetition, or immersive storytelling, these games tend to absolutely devour hours and hours of playtime. From hard-hitting adventures to puzzling platformers with arcade-style action, these titles are some of the most fun ways to kill a little time on a Nintendo Switch.

10 Skyrim

This popular entry in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series has been played across a multitude of consoles, from the XBox 360 to the PSVR. Still, there’s something to be said about the port to the Switch, some players are even calling it one of the more popular editions of the game. Plus, wielding Link’s gear in Tamriel is a fun twist.

Skyrim isn’t just a game, it’s an experience that no gamer should be without. Despite its flaws, it’s an incredibly immersive RPG that throws the player into the throngs of adventure in a world of swords, sorcery, dragons, and words of power. There’s hardly a fantasy fan around who hasn’t spent at least a little time under the name “Dragonborn.”

9 Fortnite

A bit cliche, but there’s more than a few reasons Fortnite has become the battle royale juggernaut that it is. Along with its accessibility and addicting gameplay, there are tons of weapons, unlockables, and guest characters, its repetitive nature keeps players dropping out of that Battle Bus time and time again.

Perhaps one of the best things the game has going for it is its overall ridiculousness. Seeing characters like the Mandalorian, Thor, and a giant pink bear mascot chasing each other around a city guns-blazing is not only entertaining but heavy in the fan-service department.

8 Hollow Knight

The Switch is an absolute goldmine for Metroidvanias, but there are few as deep and immersive as Hollow Knight. The insect-themed fantasy is a video game set in a Tim Burton-esque world, and its lore and action are as deep as they are compelling.

The Switch version comes equipped with the additional extra content first released with the game, giving the player more reasons to explore the world further. By the time they reach their journey’s end, they’ll be more than a few nails sharper.

7 Pac-Man 99

Pac-Man is already a giant of the gaming industry whose ghost-filled mazes have kept gamers hypnotized for decades. Multiply that 99 times and slap on a time limit and the result is this arcade-fueled battle royale that will have even seasoned ghost-munchers spiraling for hours.

Players might think they know how to clear a maze, but this game throws out all the stops. Taking a cue or two from Pac-Man: Championship Edition, this rendition of the ’80s classic has players facing off against conga-lines of ghosts, enemy Pac-Men, and themselves to score that number one spot. Players can expect to go on for a few dozen rounds.

6 Tetris 99

The original Nintendo 99 game, Tetris 99 is the classic puzzle that has turned into a massive multiplayer extravaganza. If players thought the original falling-block puzzle was a mind game, they aren’t ready for the nail-biting competition of this fantastic Tetris adaptation.

It’s not enough just to be good at Tetris, but fast and decisive as well. Along with keeping their boards as clean as possible, players have to decide not only where their pieces fall, but how to slow down their opponents as well. A match can last a few solid minutes or a few measly seconds if they aren’t careful.

5 Stardew Valley

Of course, not every time-devouring title is about dragons, battle royales, or endless games of Tetris, sometimes all a game really needs to do is take the player away to somewhere beautiful to explore. Stardew Valley is only one of these games that accomplishes that task, but it’s one of the deepest.

The game allows players to raise a 16-bit virtual farm, mix and mingle with the residents of the adjoining town, fight monsters in a mine, go fishing, or simply just pick an assortment of fruits and veggies to sell at the market. It can be as complex or simple as the player wants it to be.

4 Animal Crossing:  New Horizons

Similar to the previously mentioned title, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has that uncanny ability to pull players from their couches and into a colorful world of their own. A desert island can become a vivacious paradise after scoring enough bells and making enough animal friends.

By its nature, the Animal Crossing games require daily play to be experienced completely, and this one is no different. But what separates it from the crowd is simply the amount of content New Horizons offers for fans to discover.

3 Breath Of The Wild

Breath of the Wild is a game that most Switch owners can agree on being a must-have. As well as being an absolutely gorgeous game the likes of which the Zelda series has never seen, this incarnation of Hyrule has absolutely swallowed both players and their time in its absolutely gorgeous fantasy world.

There’s more to do than just saving the princess in this adventure, as players are given a whole kingdom to explore and enjoy. They can play with physics, seek out shrines, or just bash a few Bokoblins to their heart’s delight.

2 Hades

There’s a reason Hades won Game of the Year, because not only is it insanely addictive, but it’s a magnificent blend of rogue-like, dungeon-crawler, and hack-and-slash set in the colorful inferno of the Greek underworld. As Zagreus, son of Hades, players will spend their time hacking up monsters and making friends with various mythic figures as they try to reach their extended family on Mount Olympus.

Since Zag is the son of the Lord of the Dead himself, death isn’t an end, but a work hazard. Players will die, but not in the Dark Souls sense. Death only gives them a chance to rebuild, come back stronger, and bring pain to every mythological monster that gets in their way.

1 Minecraft

The Switch’s port of the gaming phenomenon that is Minecraft isn’t the best, but to say that it will not consume many gaming hours would be untrue. Whether it’s on PC or on the Switch, the game is so popular it practically has its own subculture in the gaming community, so it was almost impossible not to give it top billing.

Build, explore, create, or destroy, these are the pillars on which the Minecraft experience is built upon. If players can build with Legos, they can build their own 3-D pixelated world. And, sink in dozens of gaming hours while doing so.

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