There’s nothing quite like setting off on an adventure in a video game, whether your quest is so grand that the world is at stake, or your adventure takes place a little closer to home. The Nintendo Switch’s library is many games like this, allowing you to adventure at home or even on the go.
Plenty of classic Nintendo series like Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda fit into this, allowing you to escape into other worlds and step into the role of a hero. Alongside these fan favorites, there are plenty more adventures for you to go on — if you’re just ready to take the first step.
Updated on September 23, 2023 by Rebecca Phillips: Looking for your next adventure on Nintendo Switch? Just check out the titles below, and you’ll soon be ready to embark. We’ve included more details on these entries, such as the ESRB rating, to help you pick the adventure game for you.
10 Monster Hunter Rise
Is there anything more adventurous than being a hunter and slaying huge, monstrous beasts? Not really, and that’s what makes Monster Hunter Rise a fantastic adventure game. Your goal is to improve your skills as a hunter, taking down these hulking monsters with weapons and armor you’ve crafted from your previous spoils.
Whether you’re new to the Monster Hunter series or not, Rise provides thrilling action and adventure for everyone. There’s a wide variety of monsters to encounter as you explore the sprawling environments, making this adventure a dangerous but adrenaline-pumping one.
Monster Hunter Rise
- Released
- March 26, 2021
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Violence
9 Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Frontiers is Sonic the Hedgehog’s first open-world adventure, spanning numerous islands featuring side stories, enemies to defeat, and, of course, platforming challenges for you to take on.
As part of the main story, you’ll be investigating the Starfall Islands to learn more about Chaos Emeralds, and how they might be connected to the islands themselves. Platforming in the open world is one of the biggest highlights of the game, and the boss fights are up there with the series’ best, adding lots of fun to this Sonic adventure.
Sonic Frontiers
- Released
- November 8, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Sonic Team
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence
8 Chicory: A Colorful Tale
When Chicory, the wielder of the Brush, disappears, so does all the color in the world. As her biggest fan, it’s up to you to take up the mantle and start coloring in the world once more.
Chicory: A Colorful Tale has a poignant story to tell alongside its fun gameplay, where you literally take up a paintbrush and color in the world as if it were a coloring book. It’s a great adventure game to play in handheld mode too, as you can use the touchscreen to wield the Brush.
7 Paper Mario: The Origami King
Paper Mario is a beloved series, where the paper-thin version of Mario goes on an RPG-style adventure. In The Origami King, Mario pairs up with Olivia in a bid to take on the Folded Soldiers and stop King Olly, who has taken over Princess Peach’s castle.
Like its predecessors, the game is full of humor and charm, making the adventure fun and light-hearted throughout. The story still has some heartfelt moments, though. The classic turn-based combat makes a return here too, adding a touch of strategy.
6 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
A comprehensive remake of the original Pokemon Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team on the GBA and Nintendo DS, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX pays homage to the fan-favorite spin-off.
The pixel graphics have been traded in for a smooth, watercolor-like art style, but the adventure is just as exciting. You wake up as a Pokemon with no memories and join a Rescue Team to help out local Pokemon, recruiting more members as you explore randomly generated dungeons. What begins as small quests soon turns into something much bigger…
5 The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD
If you’re looking for a traditional The Legend of Zelda adventure on Nintendo Switch, Skyward Sword HD is the ideal choice. As a remaster of a Wii game, it’s been polished and enhanced, allowing you to switch between motion and regular controls as you please.
Skyward Sword has some of the series’ best dungeons, with satisfying puzzles to solve and gorgeous environments to explore. It’s one of the most story-rich Zelda games, too, following Link as he descends from the sky in search of Zelda, who is his close childhood friend, rather than a princess.
4 Ori And The Blind Forest
Taking inspiration from Metroidvania-style games, Ori and the Blind Forest is an enchanting adventure game where you play as a guardian spirit named Ori. As you explore the forest, you’ll gain new abilities, allowing you to access even more areas.
The game’s graphics are stunning, and the art style has a magical quality that immerses you in the world. The story is simple, as you must adventure to restore the forest, but it’s filled with charm that encourages you to keep exploring.
Ori and The Blind Forest
- Released
- March 11, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Moon Studios
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy Violence
3 A Short Hike
Developed by indie game designer Adam Robinson-Yu, A Short Hike is a more relaxing adventure game – there’s no princess to save or grand journeys to go on, but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastic experience.
You’ll explore Hawk Peak Provincial Park, deciding which way you go and where to stop and smell the roses. As you walk through the mountainous landscape, you’ll meet other hikers, find treasures, and much more. It’s a small-scale adventure, but one worth embarking on nonetheless.
2 Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey is one of the best games in the Super Mario series and an adventure you should certainly experience if you have a Nintendo Switch. Alongside Cappy, a sentient cap that allows Mario to possess enemies and objects, Mario traverses various Kingdoms, in hopes of rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser.
It’s the classic Super Mario story, but completely enhanced by the new game mechanics and return to the sandbox-like gameplay seen in previous beloved entries, like Super Mario 64. If you’re going to play any Mario adventure on the Switch, it should be this one.
Super Mario Odyssey
- Released
- October 27, 2017
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
1 The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
The long-awaited sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom is one of the grandest adventures you can have on the Nintendo Switch. After losing Princess Zelda at the beginning of the game, Link wakes up on the Great Sky Island with a new Zonai arm.
Alongside searching for the missing princess, you must investigate the strange happenings across Hyrule. Your adventure takes you across the surface, sky, and underground, meaning there’s always something to explore and discover in this expanded world.