As with any Nintendo platform, the main star of the Nintendo Switch game library is Nintendo's own first party games. But it's easy to forget there's also been plenty of great games from third party developers that have graced the little tablet toaster too.

Which year of the Switch's life do you think had the best support?

Notable third party Switch games by year (Off the top of my head)

2017

• Super Bomberman R
• Puyo Puyo Tetris
• Sonic Mania
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
• Doom (2016)
• Minecraft

2018

• Octopath Traveler
• Fortnite
• Hollow Knight
• Dark Souls Remastered
• Mega Man 11
• Valkyria Chronicles 4
• Celeste
• Crash Bandicoot: N' Sane Trilogy
• BlazBlue Crosstag Battle
• Dragon Ball FighterZ
• Diablo III: Eternal Collection

2019

• Mortal Kombat 11
• Daemon X Machina
• Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
• The Witcher III: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
• Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled
• Untitled Goose Game
• Fitness Boxing
• Samurai Showdown (2019)
• Overwatch
• Spyro Re-Ignited Trilogy
• New Super Lucky's Tale
• Alien Isolation

2020

• Doom Eternal
• Hades
• Puyo Puyo Tetris II
• Ninjala
• Ori & The Blind Forest + Will of the Whisps
• Streets of Rage 4
• Hatsune Miku - Project DIVA: Mega Mix
• Among Us
• Trials of Mana
• Gran Theft Auto - The Definitive Trilogy
• Sakuna of Rice and Ruin
• The Outer Worlds

2021

• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
• NEO: The World Ends With You
• Monster Hunter Rise
• No More Heroes III
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Dying Light: Platinum Edition
• Samurai Warriors V
• Fitness Boxing 2
• Worlds End Club
• Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2

2022

• Neir Automata - End of Yorha Edition
• Portal Companion Collection
• Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
• Live A Live
• Triangle Strategy
• Cult of the Lamb
• No Man's Sky
• Persona 5 Royal + 4 Golden + 3 Portable
• Sonic Frontiers
• Rune Factory 5
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
• It Takes Two

2023

• Samba De Amigo: Party Central
• Persona 5 Tactica
• Sonic Superstars
• Fashion Dreamer
• Trombone Champ
• Master Detective Archives: RAINCODE
• Disney's Illusion Island
• Fae Farm
• Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
• Octopath Traveler II
• Dave the Diver
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Batman Arkham Trilogy
• Mortal Kombat 1

2024

• Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
• Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
• Penny's Big Breakaway
• The Plucky Squire
• Gundam Breakers 4
• Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble
• Ace Combat 7
• Stray
• Unicorn Overlord
• Farmagia
• Kingdom Come Deliverance - Definitive Edition

Feel free to let me know of any releases I missed.

2021.

Monster Hunter Rise (Japan's 2nd biggest 3rd party IP after Elden Ring), SMTV, and No More Heroes 3 being timed exclusives makes this easy.

My vote goes to 2022; in addition to those you listed for it I'd add 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and It Takes Two which were both terrific, plus some excellent indies like Lunistice and Prodeus.

2022 for Persona 5 Royal and Rune Factory 5. 2021 comes second with MH Rise and NEO TWEWY

2019 for me, that year also had Final Fantasy 7's debut on a Nintendo console, after 22 years of waiting.

Add in Witcher 3, and this year is by far my most played year for third party games. I still have yet to play Dragon Quest 11, but I will (I already own it).

Gonna go on a tangent, I wanted to write about Dragon Quest anyway, and may as well write it here rather than digging up the Dragon Quest Remaster thread.

It's a franchise I tend to like the original games more (1-5) than the later games on (6 onward). Dragon Quest 9 was loads of fun in its time, but it's kind of like Monster Hunter games (individually), it's a game of its era, and that won't be repeated (unless it gets re-released) to the same degree as there's like one person I know who can play that one with me these days, whereas at the time there were about a dozen or more.

Dragon Quest 1 to 5 is like playing a history of game design:

• Dragon Quest 1, while the most advanced RPG of its time (updating commands to more streamlined turn-based menu selection, integrated story, third person view, etc...), it was still rather primitive basic features for an RPG. it featured just a single character.
• Dragon Quest 2 added in more of everything, including more characters, two allies.
• Dragon Quest 3 had a massive twist, a proper party system, and an absolutely massive map with lots of towns, and way more story than ever before.
• Dragon Quest 4 added in multiple very well developed characters and villains, chapters, and again had a major twist.
• Dragon Quest 5 went more in depth than any story had done by its time, and probably the best story until Final Fantasy 6 or Chrono Trigger. Having the main character starting as a child, then growing up, getting into a romance with one of 2 (or 3, depending on the version) women, getting married, and having kids, and going off and fighting with your kids and wife. This, to me, was the series peak.
• This is just a personal thing, as I know Dragon Quest 6-8 have fans, but these games just weren't my thing. Dragon Quest 6, to me, felt like a failed experiment that got pushed out before it was fully baked, and the concept of the two parallel worlds was cool, but Zelda already did it, and the story just didn't really hold up to DQ5. Dragon Quest 7 and 8 were both cosmetically appealing games, but felt other contemporary games beat both these two at that. Toriyama's art style didn't scale in 3D as well as other art forms, some people don't like Kunihiko Tanaka's, but I found Xenosaga Episode 1 (and 3 which mimicked it) and Xenoblade Chronicles X both looked much more pleasing, but that's me; others like it too, others claim they hate it. Dragon Quest 9 hit gold with the world building and multiplayer, I really enjoyed this experience - and this game was easily my favourite experience on Nintendo DS. But, I respect anyone's opinion if they love Dragon Quest 6-8, or any of the games therein, any fan of the series is cool with me.

Seems like its 2022 for me as I bought 3 on that list.....and none on any other years on those list lol

In terms of standout good games, I would add to the list:

- Hellblade, Sniper Elite 3, and Yooka Laylee & the Impossible Lair for 2019

- Sniper Elite 4 for 2020

- Dusk for 2021

Also, Ori and the Blind Forest was in 2019, and Mortal Kombat 1 was in 2023.

To be frank, I don't think I could honestly target a year specially before I at least look at my collection and sort it year of release to understand which years were the best personally for 3rd party support.

I mean on a personal level, if I remember right, 2023 was truly an highlight for me with some of those releases. 2020 to 2022 were great years too. I think it's only in the first 3 years that I wasn't as much into the 3rd party offerings because there wasn't as much too arguably.