Switch classic games: How to load your console with over 1600 retro titles

Switch classic games are a constant debate in certain gaming circles.

The Switch Online service provides players with access to an instant library of NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA and Mega Drive games, but many still argue that they would rather have a larger library of classic games that they can buy individually, as with the Virtual Console service on the Wii, Wii U and 3DS.

What some may not realise is that the Switch actually has over 1,600 retro games in its library already, meaning players with a soft spot for the good old days already have healthy access to a host of titles.

This article is designed to help you unleash your Switch’s potential as a retro gaming system by detailing the various ways you can access older titles on the console.

Note: There are countless debates over what counts as ‘retro’. For the sake of this article, we’re counting everything from the PS2, GameCube and original Xbox era and earlier.

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Switch Classic Games: NES

Total (to date): 79 NES/Famicom games (100 including ‘special’ versions)

The most obvious place to start with Switch’s classic games library is the aforementioned Switch Online, which is primarily designed to be a subscription service for Switch owners who want to play online but also provides a host of retro games as part of its subscription fee.

The NES service launched in September 2018 with 20 games available on day one, and over time this has grown to nearly 80 titles.

Naturally, all of the first-party classics are on there: all three games in the Super Mario Bros series (plus the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2), both Legend of Zelda games and the Donkey Kong trilogy are on there, as well as the likes of Kid Icarus, Metroid, Punch-Out!!, Kirby’s Adventure and Balloon Fight.

There are also some impressive third-party games included such as Double Dragon I and II, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Tecmo Bowl, Gradius, Blaster Master and Ninja Gaiden.

While the selection may initially seem a little random, the games chosen are generally entertaining and the majority remain playable today.

A lot of games from the NES era have aged drastically and struggle to hold up to today’s standards, but most of the games included here are, at the very least, responsive enough to entertain.

One thing they don’t have, though, is the tutorial sections that have become the norm in modern gaming, and as such many of them can be a little hard to get into to. To combat this, Nintendo has also included optional ‘SP’ versions of some of the trickier games.

The SP version of The Legend of Zelda, for example, starts Link off with a bunch of gear and rupees already in his inventory.

Another thing to bear in mind is that if you have access to the Japanese Nintendo eShop you can also download the free Famicom version of the app.

This app simply looks for a valid Switch Online subscription regardless of region, so if you play the app with your local account, you’ll get access to the Japanese library instead.

This includes some extra titles that aren’t available on the western version of the app, including HAL Laboratory’s Adventures of Lolo 2, the sequel to Clu Clu Land, Konami’s Yie Ar Kung Fu and Sunsoft’s fun racing maze game Route-16 Turbo.

Since the Japanese app uses the Famicom versions of games instead of the NES ones, there are also some slight differences.

The Famicom’s additional sound channels mean the likes of The Legend of Zelda and Kid Icarus (which are based on the Famicom Disk System versions) have better music in the Japanese app, and Super Mario Bros 3 is more difficult than it is in the west because if you get hit while wearing a suit you instantly become small Mario (instead of transforming back to Super Mario).

Switch Classic Games: SNES

Total (to date): 68 SNES / Super Famicom games

The addition of the NES library was received well enough that the following year Nintendo did the same with the Super Nintendo.

Launching in September 2019, the SNES app also started out with 20 titles, a list which has now grown to nearly 70.

Since the SNES was a 16-bit console as opposed to the 8-bit NES, many would argue that most of its games are more approachable to modern players who may be discovering them for the first time.

Much like the NES library, there are some timeless classics in here, many of which are first-party gold. Mario fans get Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario All-Stars and Yoshi’s Island, as well as the brilliant Mario’s Super Picross, which was only released in Japan.

Meanwhile, the likes of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Metroid and the Donkey Kong Country trilogy are similarly fantastic, as are Star Fox, Kirby Super Star, Stunt Race FX and Pilotwings. You even get Star Fox 2, the unreleased SNES game that was previously only available in the SNES Mini.

In terms of third-party games, most of the best additions come courtesy of Capcom. The Breath of Fire RPGs, Demon’s Crest and Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts are all brilliant titles that are well worth trying out.

The Japanese eShop trick works here too, meaning you can also access the Super Famicom version of the app. This gives you access to a few new games, though some of these (like Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei I and II) are practically unplayable if you don’t speak the language. You do get quirky fighting game Sugoi Hebereke though.

In all, while there are currently fewer SNES games than NES ones, the quality is generally higher, making it arguably the best source of cheap retro gaming on the Switch.

Switch Classic Games: Game Boy

Total (to date): 23 Game Boy / Game Boy Color games

Given that the Switch is mainly a handheld, players had been asking when Switch Online would start adding handheld games to its retro service.

The answer finally came in February 2023, when Nintendo launched a Game Boy app for Switch Online.

The app launched with nine games, but now has more than 20, with more to come.

This includes not only games for the original Game Boy, but also the enhanced Game Boy Color model.

While there are some obvious gaps here, such as the Pokémon games, there are still some brilliant games in here. The original Game Boy is represented by the likes of Super Mario Land 2, Kirby’s Dream Land 1 and 2, Metroid II: Return of Samus and, of course, the legendary Tetris.

The GBC side of things offers another bunch of gems, including  Wario Land 3, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis and three Zelda games – Link’s Awakening DX, Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons.

Pokémon fans aren’t entirely left out, though (so far) the only game in the series featured here is the GBC version of the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

As ever, the Japanese eShop trick still works with the Game Boy app, though it’s slim pickings at the moment. Using the Japanese app gives you access to mahjong-themed launch game Yakuman, though if you can speak Japanese Nintendo has said its cult RPG The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls is coming at some point.

Given that the Game Boy library is only a year old, you can expect to see more GB and GBC games coming to the service in the future.

Switch Classic Games: Sega Mega Drive / Genesis

Total (to date): 45 Mega Drive / Genesis games

In October 2021, Nintendo launched the Expansion Pack for Nintendo Switch Online.

This is an extra bolt-on to the Switch Online subscription which adds new features, including access to more retro games.

Specifically, the Expansion Pack adds Mega Drive and Nintendo 64 libraries to your Switch, which are updated in a similar way to the NES and SNES ones.

The Mega Drive service launched on October 25, 2021 with 15 games, and has since increased to around 45 titles.

As with the NES and SNES offerings, there’s an interesting mix of well-known favourites and more niche hidden gems in here.

The classics are well represented with the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Ecco the Dolphin and Golden Axe.

However, there are also some deep cuts, including Treasure’s brilliant run-and-gun game Alien Soldier and Capcom’s remake trilogy Mega Man: The Wily Wars, neither of which were never physically released in North America during the Genesis’ original run.

Like the NES and SNES collections, you can use the region-switching trick to download the Japanese Mega Drive version of the app, though there’s perhaps less incentive to do so here because there’s only one difference: Puyo Puyo is Japan-only, mainly because in the west it was reskinned and became Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (which is in the western app).

Switch Classic Games: Nintendo 64

Total (to date): 32 Nintendo 64 games

Also available as part of the Expansion Pack in Switch Online is an ever-growing list of Nintendo 64 games.

This is a pretty big deal as far as retro goes because the N64 has always proved somewhat troublesome when it comes to video game emulation (putting aside the obvious fact that it’s a grey area anyway).

While the N64 emulation on the Switch got off to a pretty rocky start, the N64 app has received a number of updates since it launched in October 2021 and now it does a pretty good job of presenting these classic early polygonal games in high definition.

The N64 app launched on October 25, 2021 with just nine games, but that has since expanded to more than 30.

While this is still fewer than the NES, SNES and Mega Drive libraries, the fact that many N64 games sell for fairly ridiculous prices online, coupled with the fact that they’re obviously more advanced than the 8-bit and 16-bit titles, means the 20+ titles available here are a treat.

The list of games available to date is packed with absolute classics, including the likes of Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Mario Kart 64, Pokémon Snap and Star Fox 64.

Recently, Nintendo and Microsoft were even able to come to an agreement over GoldenEye 007, meaning Rare‘s classic FPS gem is also available.

As with the other Switch Online apps, you can download the Japanese version by changing your region. This is perhaps less compelling than the NES and SNES apps, though, because the two Japan-only titles currently on the service – Custom Robo and Custom Robo V2 – are packed with Japanese text.

Switch Classic Games: Game Boy Advance

Total (to date): 17 Game Boy Advance games

On the same day the Game Boy and Game Boy Color app was added to Switch Online, a separate app for the more powerful Game Boy Advance was added to the Expansion Pack.

The GBA app launched with just six games, but this has now grown to 15 in the west, with a further two available in Japan.

Because the GBA is the only Switch Online system with a widescreen display as standard, its games fit better on the Switch’s screen, making it a great way to play them.

Although the GBA library is currently the smallest of the bunch on Switch Online, there are nevertheless some absolute classics on offer that should keep you busy for ages.

Zelda fans can play The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, while the likes of Metroid Fusion, Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, Fire Emblem, WarioWare and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity ensure that a bunch of Nintendo IPs are represented.

RPG fans can sink their teeth into Golden Sun and its sequel Golden Sun: The Lost Age, while the brilliant Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is in there too.

Speaking of Mario games, as well as Mario Kart: Super Circuit there’s also the full four-game Super Mario Advance series, offering enhanced remakes of Super Mario Bros 2, 3, World and Yoshi’s Island.

Once again, the Japanese eShop trick works with the Game Boy Advance app, but at the moment there are only two Japan-exclusives games. Both are absolute bangers – Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Mother 3 – but both really do need you to be able to understand Japanese.

There are plenty more brilliant games that Nintendo could add to the Game Boy Advance app in the future, so we’re looking forward to seeing what it comes up with.

Switch Classic Games: Arcade Archives

Total (to date): 301 arcade games

Tokyo-based Hamster Corporation launched its Arcade Archives series on the PS4 in 2014, and has since brought it to other series including the Switch.

The company specialises in releasing individual arcade titles at an affordable price (usually $7.99 / £6.29 each). While the sheer number of games released to date means it would cost a small fortune to buy them all, the idea here is similar to the Virtual Console on older Nintendo systems, where players can choose which specific games they want to own.

Incredibly, Hamster has released a new Arcade Archives game or ACA Neo Geo game (see below) on the Switch every single week since the console launched.

The Arcade Archives collection spans the entire 1980s and early ’90s, with a few outliers on either side – 1979’s Galaxian is there, as is 1998’s Tetris: The Grand Master.

The catalogue covers retro releases from the likes of Konami (Frogger, Track & Field, Sunset Riders), Taito (Bubble Bobble, Elevator Action, Darius), Technos (Double Dragon, Renegade, Super Dodge Ball) and Namco (Pac-Man, Rolling Thunder, Mappy, Dig Dug).

Each game offers the standard game as well as a Hi Score Mode (where you have to score as much as you can with a single credit) and a Caravan Mode (where you’re given 5 or 10 minutes depending on the game and have to score as highly as possible). Both modes have online leaderboards.

By far the most interesting thing about Arcade Archives on the Switch is that Hamster was given permission to release a number of Nintendo arcade games. There are 20 Nintendo arcade games on here, none of which were ever made available to buy in the past.

These include the arcade versions of the Donkey Kong games, the twin-screened Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! and the extra difficult VS Super Mario Bros.

Easily the most exciting release for historians, though, is Sky Skipper. After an initially poor reception, Nintendo scrapped the game and turned its cabinets into Popeye ones. There’s only one cabinet left in the world – in Nintendo of America’s archives – and only four known copies of the arcade board.

Nintendo’s own board was used for the Arcade Archives release, making it the first chance to officially own and play Nintendo’s ‘lost’ game.

Switch Classic Games: ACA Neo Geo

Total: 108 arcade / Neo Geo games

One company dominated the arcade scene like no other throughout the 1990s, and that was SNK with its Neo Geo system.

The Neo Geo hardware came in two forms, the MVS and the AES. The MVS was an arcade board that supported special cartridges, meaning arcade owners could swap in and out games without having to buy new cabinets or expensive upgrade kits.

The AES, meanwhile, was a home console that was just as powerful as the arcade version, meaning players could play arcade-perfect versions of the games at home. This came at a price, though – the console was $649.99 (about $1300 adjusted for inflation) and the games were $200-$300 each.

ACA Neo Geo is a spin-off of Hamster’s Arcade Archives series that deals solely with Neo Geo MVS and AES games. Each game is emulated perfectly and comes with the same Hi Score Mode and Caravan Mode you get in the Arcade Archive releases.

There are a little more than 100 of these games available to buy separately on the eShop for $7.99 / £6.29 each, and while once again it could be argued that this adds up if you buy a bunch of them, we’re sure if you told Neo Geo owners in 1990 that one day those $200-$300 games would cost less eight bucks each they’d be stunned.

Switch Classic Games: Sega Ages

Total: 22 arcade, Mega Drive and Master System games across 19 releases

Sega has used the Sega Ages branding a number of times over the years to re-release some of its older games. There were Sega Ages series on the Saturn, PS2, Xbox 360 and PS3.

The Switch series, though, is arguably the best of the bunch. Developed by retro experts M2, each Sega Ages game provides a perfect recreation of the original game as well as extra features to make them the definitive versions.

The additions included a widescreen 60fps version of Out Run, the ability to play the arcade version of Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time and a brilliant tutorial mode in the otherwise complicated Herzog Zwei.

If you only get one game in the series, get Virtua Racing, which has been entirely remastered in 1080p and 60fps and looks incredible, its basic polygonal graphics giving it a beautifully clean minimalist look these days.

Every title is worth buying if you can afford it, though: it’s such a shame Sega pulled the plug after just 19 releases before getting round to the Dreamcast and Saturn games it was teasing.

Switch Classic Games: Retro Compilations

Total – 845 games across 63 compilations

If you want an instant themed selection of retro games there’s no better place to look than one of the numerous multi-game compilations available on the Switch.

There have been more than 60 of these released for the system to date, each containing a ready-made batch of games, sometimes with extra features like behind-the-scenes galleries or remastered versions.

For the very best examples we recommend the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection, the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection and Konami’s Anniversary Collections, but naturally, if you have an interest in any of the games or series listed below you should check out their respective compilations.

Here’s a list of compilations available to date. Note: when it comes to counting the total number of retro games available on the Switch, we’re only counting games from the PS2/Xbox/GameCube era and earlier. In Super Mario 3D All-Stars, for example, we aren’t counting Super Mario Galaxy in our total.

• Aleste Collection (5 games)
• Anniversary Collection: Arcade Classics (8 games)
• Atari Flashback Classics (150 games)
• Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection (103 games, counting 97 in this article)
• Blizzard Arcade Collection (8 games: 5 games in multiple formats)
• Capcom Arcade Stadium (32 games)
• Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium (32 games)
• Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle (7 games)
• Capcom Fighting Collection (10 games)
• Castlevania Advance Collection (4 games)
• Castlevania Anniversary Collection (8 games)
• Collection of Mana (3 games)
• Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend (3 games)
• Contra Anniversary Collection (10 games)
• Cotton Guardian Force – Saturn Tribute (3 games)
• Darius Cozmic Collection (16 games across two collections or one special edition)
• Darius Cozmic Revelation (7 games)
• Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King (9 games, Jungle Book DLC adds 3 more)
• Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle (18 games)
• Dragon’s Lair Trilogy (3 games)
• Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster (6 games)
• Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (3 games)
• Grandia HD Collection (2 games)
• Hidden Gems: Volume 1 (4 games)
• Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection (7 games)
• Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series (2 games)
• Kunio-kun: The World Classics Collection (18 games)
• Langrisser I & II HD Remastered (2 games)
• Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story (42 games)
• Lucasfilm Classic Games: Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol (2 games)
• The Making of Karateka (14 games)
• Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection (10 games)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection (6 games)
• Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 (4 games: only counting 2 in this feature)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection (4 games)
• Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 (4 games)
• Mega Man Zero / ZX Legacy Collection (6 games)
• Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection (8 games)
• The Monty Mole Collection (5 games)
• Namco Museum (11 games)
• Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 (11 games)
• Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2 (11 games)
• Neo-Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (10 games)
• Neo-Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 (10 games)
• Pac-Man Museum + (14 games, counting 9)
• Psikyo Shooting Stars Alpha (6 games)
• Psikyo Shooting Stars Bravo (6 games)
• R-Type Dimensions EX (2 games)
• Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection (7 games: only one isn’t already part of the ACA Neo Geo series)
• Sega Mega Drive / Genesis Classics (57 games)
• Serious Sam Collection (3 games, counting 2)
• SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (32 games: 24 games, some with both arcade and console versions)
• Sonic Origins (4 games)
• Space Invaders Invincible Collection (11 games: only counting 8)
• Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection (13 games)
• Super Mario 3D All-Stars (3 games: only counting 2)
• Taito Milestones (10 games)
• Taito Milestones 2 (10 games)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection (13 games)
• Terra Trilogy (3 games)
• Tomb Raider I–III Remastered (3 games)
• Turrican Flashback (4 games)
• Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection (21 games: 6 games in different formats)
  

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Switch Classic Games: Individual releases

Total: 99 individual re-releases or remasters

A number of retro games have also seen separate releases on the Switch, either physically or on the eShop.

The majority of these come in the form of remastered editions which take the original game and upscale or recreate the visuals to make them more suitable for modern displays.

There’s a grey area around whether these can truly be considered retro titles, since it could be argued that they aren’t authentic representations of the original games.

For the sake of this article we’ll count them but we’re only counting remasters, rather than remakes. As such, the likes of Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and Panzer Dragoon Remake haven’t been included in our list, because they’re essentially new games designed to play like the originals, rather than modern presentations of the originals.

The individually released retro-themed games on the Switch eShop include:

• Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX
• Another World
• Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered
• Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance
• Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition
• Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition
• Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster
• Blade Runner: Enhanced Edition
• Cel Damage
• Chip’s Challenge
• Commander Keen in Keen Dreams: Definitive Edition
• Commandos 2: HD Remaster
• Commandos 3: HD Remaster
• Constructor Plus
• Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition
• Cotton 100%
• Cotton Reboot
• D/Generation HD
• Devil May Cry
• Devil May Cry 2
• Devil May Cry 3
• Diablo II: Resurrected
• Disgaea 1 Complete
• Doom
• Doom II
• Doom 3: BFG Edition
• Doom 64
• Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition
• Dragon Quest
• Dragon Quest II
• Dragon Quest III
• Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
• Final Fantasy VII
• Final Fantasy VIII
• Final Fantasy IX
• Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition
• Flashback
• Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
• Gods Remastered
• Grim Fandango Remastered
• Guilty Gear
• Gynoug
• The House of the Dead 2
• Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition
• Ikaruga
• Katamari Damacy Reroll
• Langrisser HD
• Langrisser II HD
• Lumines Remastered
• Metroid Prime Remastered
• Mr Driller Drill Land
• Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition
• Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition
• Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath
• Okami
• Onimusha: Warlords
• Panorama Cotton
• Pikmin 1
• Pikmin 2
• Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition
• Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties: Definitive Edition
• PowerSlave Exhumed
• Quake
• Quake II
• Radiant Silvergun
• Resident Evil HD Remastered
• Resident Evil 0
• Resident Evil 4
• Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition
• Rogue Trooper Redux
• Saboteur!
• SaGa Frontier Remastered
• Shadow Man Remastered
• Shantae
• Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster
• The Silver Case
• SNK Gals’ Fighters
• SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium
• Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster
• Star Wars Episode I: Racer
• Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
• Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
• Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
• Star Wars: Republic Commando
• Super Putty Squad
• Syberia
• Syberia 2
• Tales of Symphonia Remastered
• Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
• Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
• Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
• Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD
• Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue HD
• Wild Guns Reloaded
• Windjammers
• Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap
• Wonder Boy Returns Remix

The Final Stats

In all, we’ve counted over 1600 games above, if you include individual games in compilations too.

Some formats are clearly supported heavier than others. There are more than 600 arcade games in the list (more than 100 of which are also Neo Geo titles), mainly thanks to Hamster’s sterling work with the Arcade Archives and ACA Neo Geo series.

Meanwhile, although there are around 80 NES games available through Switch Online, the presence of Mega Man, Castlevania, Kunio-kun and SNK compilations means you actually have access to over 150 NES titles in total – that’s nearly a fifth of its entire western library.

The 16-bit home console era is well represented too, with the SNES and Mega Drive getting a host of titles (mainly due to the SNES Switch Online service and Sega Mega Drive Classics respectively).

Handheld fans have access to the Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance apps on Switch Online, as well some brilliant Neo Geo Pocket Color compilations.

Quantity doesn’t always equate to quality, of course: the Atari Flashback Classics compilation offers an incredible 150 games, but 102 of these are Atari 2600 titles that look positively prehistoric by modern standards and may be a struggle for many gamers to get used to.

Instead, your best bet if you’re an Atari fan is to get Atari 50, which features fewer games (‘just’ 102), but spans a wider range of Atari formats and presents them all in a brilliant timeline format that gives context to each title.

Still, for now those are the results as they stand. Naturally, the constantly changing nature of the Switch eShop means this article is liable to become out of date before too long, so we’ll be updating it regularly as new games are released.

Until then, if there’s anything you feel we’ve missed out, please email us or let us know in the comments and we’ll amend the list accordingly.

Enjoy your newly retro-fied Switch library!