What do we mean by ‘adult Switch games’? We’re talking Switch games that may deal with mature themes that aren’t appropriate for kids or younger gamers. They may be graphically violent or feature disturbing stories. Naturally, many horror games fall into this category, but games across all genres can be adult-only affairs. In this list, we’re highlighting some of the very best 18+ games on Switch.
What do we NOT mean by ‘adult Switch games’? We’re not necessarily referring to games showcasing substantial bosoms, nakedness, or sexual themes and references. Those aspects may well crop up in the software below, but we’re not going to flood this list with the many horny ‘Hentai’ puzzlers on Switch eShop; not down to any moralistic objection, you understand — simply because they’re not very good. If you like ’em, have at ’em! (And if you feel there’s something we’ve overlooked that is genuinely ‘Best Adult Switch Games’ material to hang with the likes of Witcher 3, feel free to let us know.)
So then, enough prevarication about the bush. Let’s take a look at the best games for adults on Nintendo Switch…
Publisher: CD Projekt Red / Developer: CD Projekt Red
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains a masterpiece, and being able to take such a grand and engrossing adventure on the go is something well worth celebrating. The Switch’s Complete Edition is a truly impressive achievement, and although performance isn’t perfect, it’s still an incredible and impactful role-playing experience. The Witcher 3 set the bar for modern RPGs back in 2015, and this port is a startling reminder that it has yet to be bettered.
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Publisher: Bethesda Softworks / Developer: Panic Button
DOOM is one of the best first-person shooters we’ve ever played — an incredible game, flaws and all — and it’s certainly one of the best in its class on Switch. There’s a certain magical quality about having a game this good on the go. Its brilliant campaign is reason enough to pick it up, but DOOM’s multiplayer was also surprisingly good, with small arenas that make matches feel reminiscent of the halcyon days of first-person shooters when Unreal Tournament reigned supreme. While it’s perhaps not as polished as it is on other formats, having DOOM in portable form is a revelation, and developer Panic Button deserves high praise for porting over id Software’s classic title so brilliantly.
And if you’re after more of the head-splitting same, there’s always DOOM Eternal to (rip and) tear through.
Publisher: Limited Run Games / Developer: Novectacle
The House in Fata Morgana is over 40 hours long, and in those 40 hours, you’ll maybe get to make about three decisions. It is a visual novel in the strictest sense of the word, and you must be prepared for that going in. But with a fantastic, original, slow-burn story about love, loss, hurt, forgiveness, and recovery, it’s one of the best visual novels out there — and your patience will be paid off in the end.
Publisher: RebellionInteract / Developer: Rebellion
Sniper Elite 4 is the best entry yet in this long-running franchise with great big meaty missions stuffed to bursting point with Nazis to snipe and stab in glorious slo-mo X-ray vision. There’s a new-found flexibility to the gameplay, with Karl now able to shimmy and scurry vertically around levels and enemy AI that’s much more up to the task than in previous iterations. There may be some slightly rough edges, with duff writing, naff characters, and gameplay that doesn’t change much from start to finish but, overall, this is a playful, stealthy sniper’s paradise and a truly impressive Switch port.
Publisher: New Blood Interactive / Developer: New Blood Interactive
Dusk is one hell of an impressive piece of software and possibly the single best Unity port to Switch we’ve ever seen, sidestepping typical performance problems and delivering a brilliant experience of a brilliant game. It’s not as good a game as Quake, but almost nothing is. There’s a relatively limited arsenal of weapons — they’re all great, but there’s no iconic gun here, just your usual pistol, shotty, assault rifle, explosives, et al. We’re being churlish with our criticisms here, though — ultimately, Dusk is another absolute cracker in Switch’s FPS roster.
Publisher: Capcom / Developer: Capcom
A remarkable breath of fresh air for a franchise that was getting a little stale, Resident Evil 4 is one of the best video games of all time and put the series on an action-based path away from the fixed-camera, pre-rendered, ‘staged’ survival horror of the previous games. What you lost in nail-biting tension was more than made up for by the brilliantly chunky gunplay and impeccable progression through a story that continually ups the ante and adjusts difficulty automatically to keep you on the edge of your seat without pushing you off entirely.
Ditching standard zombies for the more intriguing ‘Ganados’ and draining the colour palette helped make Leon and Ashley’s story distinct from previous games. The excellent Wii Edition added pointer controls which worked fantastically well, although they might have made things a little too easy. Still, they were totally optional and there really aren’t any bad ways to play RE4 on Nintendo platforms; whether you choose the original GameCube option, the friendlier Wii port, or the sharper Switch edition, you won’t regret taking this European sojourn, in spite of the less-than-friendly locals.
Publisher: Techland / Developer: Techland
Dying Light on Switch is quite a remarkable achievement. Its ambitious open world full of zombies is unlike anything else in the Switch’s library and, between the core campaign and six years of constant DLC updates, there’s potentially hundreds of hours of enjoyment to be had here. Granted, all of this comes at the cost of performance that can be middling compared to other platforms, but this is neatly balanced out by the convenience of playing in handheld mode and developer Techland has done a mighty fine job getting this open world running well on portable hardware. Switch owners who rarely play in portable mode may want to pause and consider buying it elsewhere, but we’d strongly encourage handheld gamers to consider this excellent Switch port.
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks / Developer: MachineGames
While Wolfenstein II‘s graphical downgrade is hard to miss, that doesn’t detract from the fact that this is one of the best single-player FPS experiences you can have on Switch right now. The lack of a multiplayer mode (the versions on other consoles didn’t have one either, so don’t worry about being short-changed) still grates, but with its brilliantly written story and intense action, not even 2017’s excellent DOOM port can stand up to B.J.’s latest war on the Reich.
