The Switch is a great place for these turn-based RPGs.
Don’t look any further than the Switch if you want to relax with a story-heavy or action-packed turn-based RPG. The Nintendo Switch is kind of the right system for playing a turn-based game because it is small, portable, and easy to hold in your hand. Some of these games were even made to look like old systems like the Game Boy or the SNES.
You might be a gamer who wants to feel like they’re playing old video games again, or you might be looking for a new turn-based experience. In either case, these are the best turn-based RPGs for the Nintendo Switch.
Mario + Rabbids
The Mario + Rabbids games show that it’s okay to take chances. People didn’t expect this kind of crossover game, but Kingdom Battle was a good one with fun tactical gameplay and some surprisingly funny exchanges between the Rabbis and Mario characters.
A damaging vortex threw the Rabbids into the Mushroom Kingdom out of the blue, where they are causing chaos. Luckily, not all of them are against each other. Some of them work with well-known Mario figures to get things fixed and get back home. In the follow-up, Sparks of Hope, they go to space to save Sparks.
Pick a class, and the way you set up each one will determine how well you do in fight. Mario + Rabbids is a great SPRG that you should play.
Bravely Default 2
This 3DS RPG was one of the most famous ones. Its name comes from the Brave and Default moves you can use in battle. These moves can also be found in Bravely Default 2. Everything else is the same, but there are new personalities and a new story. You can also give your Heroes of Light new jobs.
You can give each character a main job and a side job, which gives you a lot of options for how to build them. You don’t need to have played Bravely Default to understand this one, but if you have, you’ll really enjoy some of the better gameplay in 2.
South Park: The Stick Of Truth
It’s not always easy to find games based on TV shows. South Park: The Stick of Truth is a big hit, which is good. You play as a new kid in South Park who gets caught in a fight for the Stick of Truth between humans and elves. It’s only meant to be role-playing, but things quickly get out of hand, and you’ll be fighting real non-human beings.
You can change your character’s class, do side quests, and explore in this full-fledged RPG. It does those things pretty well. If you like RPGs with a funny twist, this is the game for you.
Earthbound
When Ness goes to look into a meteorite that crashed in his city of Onette, Buzz-Buzz, a being from the future that looks like an insect, tells him to record the Eight Melodies at the Sanctuary sites to stop the evil Giygas.
The turn-based fight system in Earthbound uses the series’ signature Rolling Meter, which means that characters’ HP won’t go down right away, giving you a chance to fix things. Even though the world is in danger, Earthbound’s charming world brings back a sense of adventure from youth. You can get it on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES virtual device.
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
The Dragon Quest series is what most people think of when they think of turn-based RPGs. Dragon Quest 11 is just as good as the ones that came before it. It takes place in a traditional fantasy world and tells a standard hero’s story. Luckily, you don’t have to play all of them to enjoy this one.
It has a simple, turn-based fight system that is fun to use and keeps you interested. The way the characters interact with each other is also great, and the HD graphics make Akira Toriyama’s character and monster designs even better. In case you miss old-school pixel games, you can play the whole thing in 2D mode as well.
Persona 5: Royal
Persona 5: Royal makes Joker’s normal, everyday life work with his job as a Phantom Thief. It’s a turn-based game where you can hit with either Personas or weapons, giving you a lot of choices.
The Royal edition is the best way to play because it adds a lot of new material to the RPG, which was already very big. Along with the fun fighting system, you can spend time making Confidants with other characters, which makes you feel more connected to the world of the game. The stylized UI and great music make it even better.
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
When you talk about turn-based games, you can’t leave out the Pokemon series. Scarlet and Violet is a new Pokemon game that is the first truly open-world RPG in the series.
You can run, swim, and climb your way across Paldea as you fight Pokemon in turn-based battles. The “gotta catch ’em all” fun never ends in this game, which is based on the idea of an open world where you can play however you want. You can still change how your team looks, and there are more than 400 Pokemon to pick from.
Chained Echoes
With its cute 16-bit pixel art and music that sounds like old-school RPGs, Chained Echoes is a JRPG that feels like an instant classic. The game has a fun story that will keep you entertained for 30 to 40 hours, with lots of riddles for you and your heroes to solve.
Those who like JRPGs and want to feel nostalgic will fall in love with Chained Echoes right away. The fighting is fun and will make you think this is a current classic.
Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy is a deep game that takes you all over Norzelia, a land that is torn apart by war. You will be taken to the battlefield by the game, where you will fight to save the people of Glenbrook from the bad effects of war.
Are you ready to learn what it’s like to fight? You will have to prove your morals in Triangle Strategy by making you make decisions that have real consequences. There’s no doubt that the story is important to the game, so expect a lot of cutscenes with lots of story in between your strategic turn-based fights.
Octopath Traveler 2
Octopath Traveler 2 is a game that keeps giving. You can play as one of eight different travelers in this party-based JRPG. Each has their own set of skills and an interesting story. You will meet the rest of the group and become friends with them as you go on your journey, no matter what character you play at the start.
Characters can get jobs and learn skills that let them change how they fight. Some people may know Octopath Traveler 2 from the first game in the series, but fans all say that the second game is much better than the first and is an overall great experience.
For The King
With For The King, you can play a board RPG on your Nintendo Switch. There are many missions to play through alone or with other people, and you can do both online and local co-op.
The game starts with the king being killed. The land, which used to be calm, is now in chaos, and that’s where you come in. You can fight your way to answers and revenge. The combat system is based on rolling dice like in board games, which keeps you on your toes during every battle. There are different kinds of dangers at night, and it’s up to you whether you try to face them or make camp until morning.
Fire Emblem Engage
The RPG Fire Emblem Engage is part of the Fire Emblem series. It takes you on a long journey and has battles that use new mechanics for the series. There is fun to be had here whether you know the series or not.
Even though the plot is sometimes intense and too much to handle, the combat is quick and fun. It will take a lot of time to play, even if you try to rush through it on the easiest setting.
Slay The Spire
The card battler Slay The Spire is one of a kind and feels brand new. It combines roguelike combat with deck-building wonderfully. There are a lot of fully functional cards and things to find. You might be wrong about card games if you play Funny Shooter 2.
There are three game modes: Standard, Daily Climb, and Custom. This is more than enough to keep the game interesting. You’ll start out as The Ironclad character and can unlock more as you play, which most likely you will do.
The Banner Saga
Vikings? Yes. A rich story? Yes, check. Stop talking. The Banner Saga is a beautiful RPG with strategic battles and choice-based outcomes. There will be more than just an amazing Norse story that will amaze you. There is a chance that some group members will be permanently lost if you decide what happens to them.
Because of the way it looks, the game feels like an animation show that you can play. The Banner Saga is the first game in a series. If you finish the first game, you can continue playing the other games and make new choices.
Legend Of Heroes: Trails To Azure
A few months have passed since the events of Trails From Zero. The game concludes the Crossbell story arc, but people who are new to the story will still enjoy it because the developers put a plot summary in the game’s main screen.
During your turn-based fights, you can learn about a lot of different parts of the world and its history. If you want to get the most out of your time in-game, you can even do side tasks and get extra goods. Trails To Azure is a great old JRPG that you should play.