Nintendo Switch Games Holiday Gift Guide 2024
Our 2024 holiday gift guide for Nintendo Switch games highlights the range of family-friendly offerings released this year.
Posted a month ago
As we head into the holiday shopping season, Restart is here with our recommendations of some of the best games you can buy for yourself or someone else on Nintendo Switch in 2024.
Every game on our list was released this year, meaning there's less chance you'll wind up buying a duplicate of a game your recipient already owns.
While you're here, be sure to check out our holiday gift guides for PS5 and Xbox Series games as well.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Great for: RPG fans, Mario enthusiasts
This stellar remake of the 2004 GameCube title of the same name sees Mario embark on a quest to save Peach from the evil X-Nauts by traversing a world where everything is made of paper (including Mario himself). On his journey, Mario will team up with a unique ensemble of partners, who each bring different skills and abilities to the game’s turn-based battles. Learn more about Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door in our review.
The Plucky Squire
©All Possible Futures, Devolver Digital
- Great for: Readers, writers, Zelda fans
This delightful combination of 2D adventure game and 3D platformer challenges players to help a young hero named Jot defeat the evil wizard Humpgrump on a quest that will take place both inside and outside the pages of a storybook. Along the way, players will be able to manipulate the book’s text to alter their in-game environments in clever ways. The game also offers charming nods to other genres, like one boss battle that’s reminiscent of the original NES title Punch Out. Check out our review to read more about The Plucky Squire.
The Plucky Squire (Digital)
Release Date: September 17, 2024
Digital Only
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD
- Great for: Fans of the supernatural, Nintendo lovers
“Remake” was a major theme in Nintendo’s 2024 lineup, with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD being an updated remake of the 3DS title Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. In Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD, players will help Mario’s frightful brother, Luigi, explore haunted locales full of ghosts that can be sucked up with his trusty vacuum. While defeating ghosts is fairly straightforward, the game also rewards experimentation, as players can find secrets and uncover hidden coins by using the vacuum to interact with everyday objects, like curtains and rugs. Read more about Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD in our review.
Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
©Purple Lamp, THQ Nordic / Restart
- Great for: Disney fans, Mario lovers, artists
Nintendo wasn’t the only company focused on remakes in 2024, as THQ Nordic released Epic Mickey: Rebrushed in September. An updated remake of the original Epic Mickey from 2010, Rebrushed takes players to Wasteland, the previously charming home of “forgotten” Disney characters and animated shorts, which was turned gloomy and dangerous after Mickey Mouse inadvertently created an evil paint monster that went on a rampage.
Armed with a magic paintbrush, paint, and paint thinner, players will be able to help Mickey save Wasteland by painting in missing objects, or make it even worse by thinning objects out, with their actions having a noteworthy effect on the story's progression. Learn more about the game’s paint and paint thinner mechanics in our review.
Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed
Release Date: September 24, 2024
Princess Peach: Showtime
- Great for: Fans of short gameplay sessions, younger players
In the world of Super Mario video games, Princess Peach typically plays the role of the damsel in distress, waiting for Mario to come and save the day. In Princess Peach: Showtime, she takes center stage as the heroine challenged with saving the Sparkle Theater from an evil sorceress named Grape. Each level takes the form of a play, with Peach transforming into different characters – like a baker, figure skater, or swordfighter – depending on the theme. This setup means each level has a different short story and gameplay mechanics to experience, adding tons of variety to the game.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
©Nintendo
- Great for: Zelda fans, puzzle lovers
Similar to Princess Peach Showtime above, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is a unique entry in the Zelda franchise, as it stars Zelda as the main character, rather than Link. Joined by a helpful assistant named Tri, Zelda will embark on a journey to save Link and the kingdom of Hyrule from rifts that have begun swallowing up everyone and everything around the land. Zelda can learn Echoes of the items and enemies she encounters, and then spawn “clones” of these objects to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, or uncover hidden secrets. Learn more about The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom in our review.
Cat Quest: The Fur-tastic Trilogy
- Great for: Cat people, animal lovers, fans of RPGs
Cat Quest: The Fur-tastic Trilogy contains the first three games in the Cat Quest series of open-world RPGs, including Cat Quest III, which was released in August 2024. Each game takes players to a world filled with talking cats, with Cat Quest III in particular being set in the “Purribean” and allowing players to become a “purrivateer.” A first for the franchise, Cat Quest III allows players to explore the seas in their own ship.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
©Nintendo
- Great for: Fans of tabletop games, "family game night" groups
Fun for solo play, but even more so for groups, this latest installment in the Mario Party series allows players to participate in digital board games across new and familiar boards inspired by everything from a race track to a shopping mall and beyond. As they compete for stars and coins, players are free to backstab their opponents, but watch out – you’re just as likely to be betrayed as you are to be the betrayer. Learn more about Super Mario Party Jamboree (and the other game modes it has to offer) in our review.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership
- Great for: Nintendo fans, RPG enthusiasts
The newest game in the Mario & Luigi series of RPGs takes the titular brothers to the land of Concordia, which has been broken into pieces following the destruction of the Uni-Tree. Players are able to travel between colorful islands using the Shipshape Island (which is part ship and part island, naturally) and defeat enemies in turn-based battles. Along the way, players will be able to use special moves and attacks that highlight the bond between the brothers.
Lego Horizon Adventures
©Sony
- Great for: Lego fans, completionists
Proving that the Lego formula can be applied to just about anything, Lego Horizon Adventures brings the gorgeous environments from Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West to a new, blocky dimension, as players are challenged to help hunter Aloy defeat machines and save the world…which just so happens to be made of Lego bricks. When they’re not busy beating down baddies, players can customize Aloy’s home with a variety of unique structures, including a roller coaster. You can learn more about Lego Horizon Adventures in our review.
For even more holiday gift guide ideas, read our collections of PS5 games and Xbox Series X/S games as well