This article is part of a directory: Complete guide to the Nintendo Switch
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The Nintendo Switch is a console that's become a real treasure trove of impressive indie games, many of them only available through the eShop and often priced extremely generously.

We've played countless cool and surprising titles that weren't necessarily published by huge multinationals, and have gathered some of the most compelling ones right here for you to check out.

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Untitled Goose Game
1. Best overall

Amazing humour

A simply hilarious stealth action game disguised as a meme.

Pros
  • Stunning art style
  • So funny
  • Brilliant music
Cons
  • It's over too soon

Starting as an internet meme, Untitled Goose Game eventually became one of the most talked-about videogames of modern times. You can find out why through the Switch version, which gives you control of one of the most irritating lead characters around.

It even has co-op now, too, so you can really go to town on a little English village, tearing it up and ruining everyone's day in search of a shiny bell.

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Hollow Knight
2. Best for exploring

Superb Metroidvania

This haunting platformer is one of our all-time favourites.

Pros
  • Beautiful map to explore
  • Fun, touching story
  • Masses to discover
Cons
  • Challenging difficulty

Made by a tiny team, Hollow Knight has achieved sensational success as a result of how brilliantly it perfects the Metroidvania genre, letting you explore a dark and beautiful hand-drawn underground kingdom at your own pace. It's got a long-awaited sequel on the way in the form of Silksong.

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Neon White
3. Best for speedrunning

Frantic fun

This slick speedrunning game is a must-play for anyone who likes a sense of speed.

Pros
  • Ingenious levels to speedrun
  • Cleverly motivates experiments
  • Loads of side-content
Cons
  • Silly story

This ingenious run-and-gun platformer sees you navigating through hectic levels as quickly as you can manage, drafted in to kill demons by the rulers of heaven. Neon White is a funky, anime-infused good time that will leave you breathless, and it looks really great on the Switch.

Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper
4. Best for story

Superb writing

A really interesting text-based RPG that will reel you into its spacefaring world.

Pros
  • Amazing setting
  • Great writing
  • Fun judgement calls
Cons
  • No voice acting
  • Font is small in handheld mode

This intriguing role-playing game drops you onto a space station as a technically non-sentient robot, tasking you with figuring out what's happened to you and scraping by in a harsh environment.

Its dice-based action system is like a clever sort of gambling, but it's the righting that really hits home, with a range of interesting characters to get to know and see if you can help.

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Stardew Valley
5. Best for chilling

Farming fun

This farming simulator is like a gorgeous comforting blanket to curl up in.

Pros
  • Endlessly comforting
  • Looks and sounds great
  • So much to discover
Cons
  • Can take a while to progress

Sweet and simple in graphical style, this part RPG, part farm simulation indie game has won hearts and minds on every platform on which it has been released.

It seems perfect for the Nintendo Switch too, thanks to the console's portability and the casual nature of dipping in and out of the game. There is plenty of depth in Stardew Valley, but it's a game you can play your way, whenever you fancy. And that's the mantra for the Switch too.

Inscryption
Inscryption
6. Best for deckbuilding

Deckbuilding fun

A creepy and interesting deck-builder with an escape room bolted onto the side.

Pros
  • Art style
  • Loads of cards to find
  • Off-beat premise
Cons
  • Can be a little hard
  • More surprises would be welcome

Inscryption is a very weird game, starting with your character awakening to find they're locked in a cabin with a figure shrouded in shadow - one who's forcing them to play a deck-building card game.

You'll soon start being talked to by cards, with hints about exploring the room beyond the game, all with a creepy aesthetic - but it's the excellent card game that forms the game's real heart.

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Spiritfarer
7. Best for slow pacing

Learning lessons

A heartfelt game that will have you meditating on the point of it all.

Pros
  • Great story
  • Lovely art
  • Memorable characters
Cons
  • Might be emotionally taxing for some

This is a soulful game about, well, souls - you play as a ferryman to the dead, but the game is more about learning to accept and come to terms with the end of our lives.

It's a gentle management sim that is nice and relaxing to play, but make sure you don't forget your tissues, as it gets pretty emotional at points!

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Chicory: A Colorful Tale
8. Best for colouring

Colouring charm

This game is a perfect fit for the Switch thanks to its touch controls.

Pros
  • Great colouring mechanic
  • Looks really nice
  • Quaint, sweet story
Cons
  • A little easy at times

A gorgeous adventure game all about painting, Chicory is a perfect pairing with the Switch, as you paint and draw your way through puzzles and platforming to save your world from a dark corruption.

There's a lovely story to savour about self-belief and confidence at its heart, too, and you'll leave its map with a totally unique look and feel.

Heaven's Vault 1
Heaven's Vault
9. Best for linguists

Linguistic intrigue

An excellent adventure game with a fascinating setting, Heaven's Vault makes the pursuit of language fun.

Pros
  • Superb story
  • Unique ideas
  • Great for non-gamers
Cons
  • Can be a tad obtuse

This enchanting story lets you play as an archaeologist uncovering signs of an ancient civilisation and translating its language bit by bit as you uncover more words and sites of interest. It's engaging and beautifully written, and a real treat to gradually play through.

Storyteller
Storyteller
10. Best for puzzles

Fun story games

This lovely little puzzle game has been a long time coming, and arrives as a fleshed-out and enjoyable, chilled-out option.

Pros
  • Fun puzzles
  • Nice and simple
  • Charming art
Cons
  • Not hugely long

Storyteller was in the works for many long years, going through prototypes and versions, but its final form is a delightful puzzle game. It's all about figuring out the right sequence in its panels.

The logic is adorable, the art is fun, and Storyteller quickly gets complicated and rewarding. It's also a fairly short game, for those who don't want to get too obsessed.

How to choose an indie game on Nintendo Switch

The indie scene is simply massive on the Switch - its eShop offers literally thousands of options from smaller publishers. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to narrow down your options.

What genres do you like?

The things that's great about the indie scene is that it spans all genres - you can find indie games that let you shoot things, farm, play sports, discover stories and solve mysteries, among other things. This means that if you're a particular fan of certain genres of game you should easily be able to find some indie gems that tick the same boxes.

Are graphics key for you?

Becuase they typically have much smaller teams of developers working on them, it's often the case that indie games don't have the same level of graphical fidelity as mainstream releases - they can still look phenomenal, but that's often down to art direction.

If you don't mind trading realism for impressionistic visuals, then you'll be right at home, and have more games to pick from.

Do you like shorter games?

Another great thing about a lot of indie games, in our opinion, is that they're often much less long than bigger AAA releases, which jam in loads of content and huge open worlds. This means you can often play a few of them in the same time it would take to complete the latest Assassin's Creed.

So, consider looking up roughly how long a game takes to beat before you buy it, to give yourself an idea of what to expect.