Don't Spend a Penny to Buy Games for Your New Nintendo Switch: Check out Top Nintendo Switch Free Games to Keep Your Family Enthralled for Hours (2021)

Nintendo Switch is one of the most successful gaming consoles launched by Nintendo to date. In a little over 4 years since launch, more than 85 million units have been shipped worldwide. This is a tectonic shift from its predecessor, the Nintendo Wii U which was a spectacular failure. Nintendo Switch is now competing for head-on with the other gaming consoles like the PlayStation from Sony and the Xbox from Microsoft. There are many reasons for Nintendo Switch's path-breaking success and some of the main factors are:

A portable handheld console so that you can play games on the go? Check. A control scheme that allows you to go multiplayer to single player in a snap? Check. Versatility of usage is at the core of Nintendo Switch’s success. With detachable Joy-Con controllers that allow both multiplayer and single player gaming and a portable console that doubles up as a home console, the Nintendo Switch has erased the gap between portability and ease-of-use. With the Switch, it doesn't matter where you play your favourite in-depth title games – on-the-go while waiting for a plane, or (let's be honest) on the toilet, or reclined on your couch after a classic ‘hard day at work’. The device adjusts to your lifestyle and work routine, and not vice versa. Gaming that’s mobile but just as powerful as your home console!

Since its launch, the Nintendo Switch has taken the mantle for the best free and paid games possible on a gaming console. Apart from updating its game library with new first-party indie games every month, Nintendo focuses on a variety of gaming features, like co-op and multiplayer, generational classics and more. Many Switch exclusive games, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, often host up to 4 players on the same screen (sometimes even up to 8 like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), unlike Xbox and PS4’s dual player limitation.

The very diversity of its game portfolio puts its competitors at a major disadvantage. With a steady beat of big, first-party games every month like, “ARMS’, “Super Mario Odyssey'', the Switch focuses on delivering effectively to its diverse fan age group ranging from 25 – 50 years, which forms almost 50% of its buyer base. According to excerpts translated from Nintendo Everything, Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Nintendo’s two most successful games, The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros., cited the unique architecture of the Switch as the main reason why it is so appealing to many first party indie game developers, being easy to develop for multiple mobile platforms and gaming experiences.

Wii U was a disaster in multiple ways, and Nintendo has come a long way in every aspect since then, even marketing. You only need to take a look at the Switch’s 2017 ad to realise the difference in the two. For one, this time Nintendo focused on a sharp, clear and precise marketing strategy, unlike in the case of Wii U which reflected in Wii’s abominably low lifetime sales. Commercials were designed to target a wide range of customers and they made Nintendo Switch's functions very clear, while also highlighting its major ground-breaking features. The video was also simple enough for non-gaming mainstream audiences to understand the core concept of Nintendo’s Switch.

Nintendo Switch Online is the Switch’s rich game repository and has been another major reason for its success. Some of its most popular features include:

With its powerful backup on e-store option, you don't lose your favourite, hard-earned games even if you lose the console. Yes, you read that right! A large number of games available on Nintendo Switch exist solely in digital format, which means that not only is it impossible to lose any of your progress but they can also never be damaged. Having a digital library also facilitates backing up your games to your computer, for that rare moment when you lose your SD card.

Online security and a digital library have other advantages too. For example, it eliminates the need to change cartridges. For games like ARMS and Splatoon, this is splendid as you don't need to worry about carrying easy-to-lose cartridges while you play back and forth throughout the year, on the go.

With Nintendo Switch Online, it's easier to switch between games seamlessly and also keep a track of your purchases and free access to online multiplayer games like Warframe and Fortnite Battle Royale.

At just US$ 20.00 (about ₹ 1,500.00) a year, Nintendo Switch Online is a big no-brainer. The rich library gives access to Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games, offered at reasonably low prices. While some of the most popular ones are completely free, you can also subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online services and gain access to a larger variety of popular Switch exclusives from both Nintendo’s own classics, RPGs (role-playing games) and first-party developers’ monthly updates.

There are many reasons to fall in love with the Switch’s library but one reason surpasses them all – its wide assortment of games. It doesn't matter what you like because Nintendo has something for everybody. The Nintendo Switch is capable of running AAA games (pronounced triple-A games), sports games, RPGs (role-playing games), casual games and the cherry on the cake, Nintendo Classics and its exclusive collection.

Classic Tetris is a beautiful game: just you against endlessly falling blocks arranged in neat rows. It has been around much longer than the Switch and is already established as one of the classics. So, how do you modernise an already popular game for something as advanced and dynamic as the Switch? Someone thought pitting 99 players against one another might do the trick. And it worked!

In Tetris 99, you are up against 98 other online players, and every time you clear one or two rows, you get to increase other players' problems by flinging garbage blocks to increase their work. Brutal, isn't it? Tetris 99 has grown to become as popular as its predecessor, even more so, due to its tough competition.

If your thing is robotic suits and hard-core wars, then this game might be an experience you would not want to skip. In order to play the game, you select and customize a "Warframe", a hi-tech suit of armour, and progress your way through a variety of missions either single-handed or cooperatively with up to three players. This is one of those few games where you can make a lot of progress and go a long way, without spending a dime. Like a smooth TV show, War Frame is slightly intimidating to start with, but once you've chosen your suit and skills, things seem a little easier and you can focus on how slick and fluid the shooting actions are, almost as good as PS4's, and yet completely free.

Racing titles, that too free, are slightly obsolete in the Switch, which puts bets high for Asphalt 9. Luckily, Asphalt 9 is a solid offering. Starting with a humble Mitsubishi, you need to win races to earn blueprints, for newer and better automobiles. With 84 cars available, and a high scope for serious driving, the game does offer plenty of high speed thrills. Though completely free of cost, you can always give yourself an edge by upgrading your cars and buying yourself a vital performance boost.

If playing by the clock and finishing tasks under high pressure deadlines is your idea of thrilling, then Super Mario Bros. 35 has a lot to offer! Available for free (most of the time), Super Mario Bros. 35 is another brilliant co-op take on a classic title. With a completely random selection of courses to be finished under a time limit of just 35 seconds, you will find yourself racing against 34 other players. You can earn extra time by stomping enemies, and the last player standing becomes the winner. Vicious, brutal and dynamic, Super Mario Bros. 35 has found a loyal fan base with quite a large audience across all age groups.

If Tetris and other similar games seem a little too hard-core to you, Color Zen might be a good option to try out. As suggested by 'Zen' in its title, the game offers a good break between those intense Battle Royale duels and white knuckling Joy-Con grips. Let your brain go into screensaver mode as you move coloured shapes around to make sure that the last one that fits your screen is the same colour as the outer frame. Things start easy but can get a lot trickier when only certain shapes can be moved and colours sneakily hide in layers. Relaxing and calm, with a somewhat hypnotic soundtrack, it offers the perfect recipe to your brain, relaxing it while you find yourself chanting the 'just one more go' mantra.

If Tetris 99 is a sensation, Fortnite is an all-time phenomenon. Although it didn't invent the genre, Fortnite at this point definitely defines it, being the most popular game ever played across age groups. An online grand battle game in which you fight 99 opponents to be the last player standing, the developers keep the frenzy alive by constantly introducing newer, more tantalizing updates and a continuously evolving plot line. You need to spend on avatar makeovers but otherwise the game's completely free.

Looking for a simpler version of Super Smash Bros.: Ultimate, with some replication of its frenzy but not of its price? Nintendo offers you the alternative in Brawlhalla. Free, immediate and well designed, the game is a brilliant way to experience most of Smash's fast explosive combats with none of its US$ 50.00 (about ₹ 3,750.00) expense. If Smash's gravity wrangling, weapon raining combat is too much for your 'Street Fighter 3 enriched' soul, Brawlhalla can step in as the beautifully designed scrapper to give you a clear sense of how to manage Smash or even as a standalone game. There's a huge selection of characters, pixel-perfect designing platform and an active, engaging community. Even the crispier, cartoony designs are easier to parse than Smash's boisterous presentations. The micro-transaction feature is another thing to look out for.

Announced and released out of nowhere in 2015, Fallout Shelter lets you realise all those dreams you just didn't know you had of sitting out an apocalypse in an underground vault! Based on the long running Fallout series, this game is a crisp management setup where you are the overseer of a vault, tasked with looking after your population, building rooms and replenishing resources and taking occasional quests on the way. In this way, instead of focusing on the nuclear wasteland landscape and potential adventure schemes, the game explores what happens inside, your survival tactics and managerial techniques.

Although the setup is similar to idle games like 'AdVenture Capitalist', Fallout is a lot more compelling and proves to have a surprising amount of depth. While you are busy balancing food and electricity production with bedrooms and armouries, wannabe vault dwellers line up to become cogs in your colourful machine. You can also largely choose to ignore the in-game purchases as there are no paywalls. Although resisting pet cats is trickier than you'd think!

If you have ever wondered if there could be a cuter version of Pikachu, Pokémon Quest's adorable canary yellow fat cube can be your first concrete clue. Pokémon Quest is of course, no replacement for the mainline, more accomplished Pokémon Switch releases like Shield and Pokémon: Let's Go, but it definitely has the distinction of being the best free alternative to these. Another distinctive feature is that Quest is an action RPG. Action happens in real time and greater focus is paid on gathering the loot.

The game takes place on Tumblecube Island, where all Pokémon have turned into cube versions of themselves. With a limit of up to 3 Pokémon friends by your side, you must travel the land on quests, fight and level up your Pokémon and also cook delicious stews to attract more Pokémon. The game lacks depth but that's definitely nothing in front of delicious stews and adorable cubes to re-experience the Pokémon legacy!

Nintendo keeps its star characters quite reserved which explains the limited number of titles featuring Mario, Link, etc. But with Kirby, Nintendo seems to take the road less travelled, as it has been used in the most experimental ways possible. One of Nintendo’s B-list characters, Kirby is an amorphous pink blob, his only discernible quality being to inhale enemies and absorb their powers. With Nintendo's updated HD version for the largely ignored Team Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby gets a massive upgrade.

The actioner RPG game has a multiplayer format for both online and local gameplay and you can go on expeditions with a maximum of 4 different Kirbys, each having their own unique qualities. Online battles are fun but if you want to go local, AI friends fill up almost too well for each brawl, proving that you don't need any real humans after all. Just spherical amorphous blobs with swords!

A completely free game, Super Kirby Clash is a radical change from the usual Kirby formula, in that it's focused entirely on boss battles, featuring plenty of fighting to save the “Dream Kingdom” after assembling your very own Team Kirby. As Nintendo makes no bones about it, it's a 'free to start' game, which means you'll have to pony up some dough to get the most out of this game.