While there are plenty of amazing games to enjoy on Nintendo’s hybrid console, it’s not all fun and games, and sometimes what you think is a promising purchase turns out to be a real stinker. So we’ve compiled a list of some bad games on Switch so you can avoid them entirely – or pick them up and try them for yourself, we won’t judge. This list comprises some of the worst-rated Switch games – not apps, shovelware, or mobile ports – with Metacritic scores under 50.
If you want some recommendations of actually good games, then here’s our list of the best Switch games, the best indie games this year, the best mobile games, and some Switch games for kids.
Let’s take a look at some bad games on Nintendo Switch.
Mortal Kombat 1
My expectations were low, but this is ridiculous. No matter how much may or may not have gotten a fix with a hefty post-release patch, the state that Mortal Kombat 1 released in is disgraceful. Cutscenes run in a stunning 10-30fps, load times are way too long in the character menu, and there are even moments when the game just freezes for a second before continuing. All for the low, low price of $69.99.
Granted it doesn’t look particularly good on the Steam Deck either, but the Switch version is laughable. Here’s a full comparison video so you can make up your own mind.
Cooking Mama: Cookstar
Sadness is all I feel when thinking about Cooking Mama: Cookstar. I was unbelievably excited about a new game where I can cook with mama, and on Switch? Perfect. Sadly, that’s not the case.
At first, Cookstar was allegedly a front for a cryptocurrency farming program, but that was thankfully a false claim. However, we didn’t actually uncover why the game disappeared from Nintendo’s eShop, never to be seen again – was it copyrighted music? Dodgy code rewrites after the removal of blockchain tech? Or because of the Coronavirus situation? Perhaps we’ll never find out, but those who did manage to play the game said it performed terribly, featuring poor motion control integration and no substance. Talk about half-baked…
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
I’ll leave this entry up to Tilly and her rightly salty opinion on the quite frankly awful Grand Theft Auto ports. “Performance issues take all of the fun out of literally everything that makes GTA what it is, and that’s heartbreaking…it’s staggering that such a big company would handle these beloved classics this way”.
That summation barely scratches the surface – if you were thinking of getting the collection on Switch, do yourself a favor and read her full GTA: The Trilogy review.
Balan Wonderworld
Balan Wonderworld? More like banal. Do I even need to say what’s wrong with this? In our Balan Wonderworld review, we said that no other platformer “feels quite this awful to play”.
Our stance hasn’t changed. This game didn’t go over well on any platform, but the performance on the Switch port made the game even worse somehow. Avoid.
FIFA 21: Legacy Edition
It’s no secret that EA releases questionably performing games consistently. Let’s hear what my fellow writer Connor has to say about FIFA on Switch –
“FIFA 21 on Switch sucks. In fact, sorry EA, but FIFA on Switch just sucks in general. It’s like the Diet Coke equivalent of the game on other consoles, lacking the sweet stuff that pulls you in. Honestly, I’d have more fun playing Pro Evo Soccer 6 on my old PSP, had the battery not exploded. Until EA offers a comprehensive version of the game everyone else is getting, steer clear of soccer on your Nintendo Switch.”
Hello Neighbor
Hello Neighbor could be great if it got some proper TLC during development. The Switch version performs particularly poorly, with glitches and bugs rife at every turn, which really takes you out of the suspenseful atmosphere that Hello Neighbor needs to thrive.
It’s also got some wonky controls mixed in for good measure, and puzzles that don’t quite work. The best part is that the Switch version actually costs more than other platforms, for significantly worse performance!
Pokemon: Scarlet and Violet
Yes, you read that right. Take away the Pokémon name and nobody would rate this very high. Sure, the cutscenes are cute and the new legendary Pokémon’s personalities are great, but for a triple-A title on Switch by a long-running industry veteran studio, the performance is terrible. I don’t know a single person who had no issues, and I myself had near-game-breaking glitches all over Paldea.
The textures look horrendous, there are frame rate issues in gym challenges, and let’s not talk about how many characters melt into the floor, each other, or their Pokémon. The very disappointing performance really dampened this game for a lot of players.
Waifu Impact
Amazingly, there are only two games rated less than 20 on Metacritic. One of which is Waifu Impact, with a glowing score of 15 making it the lowest-ranked Switch game on the site.
Why is it so badly rated? Well, to start, Waifu Impact is a weird mishmash of genres – specifically, battle royales and open-world titles like Genshin Impact – where pretty girls shoot at each other using water guns on an island paradise. As a game, it’s just badly put together and relies on the scantily clad ladies to either tantalize or scandalize. That didn’t work, evidently.
Decay of Logos
Decay of Logos, by Rising Star Games and Amplify Creations, didn’t exactly sweep the board, but its worst reviews came from its Switch port. Earning a meager 3/10 from NintendoLife, this game is bad from every angle. Framerate issues are rampant, and the look of the game itself is off-putting – even without the glaring glitches.
In terms of gameplay, Decay of Logos suffers from repetition and half-baked fantasy ideas, bringing it further down into true decay.
My Time At Sandrock
My time At Sandrock has potential, if future updates help its performance. For now, however, we recommend you steer far away. We have a full My Time At Sandrock review if you’re interested, but here are the cliff notes.
Performance, as you can see in the picture above, is not great. Bushes and furniture pop in constantly and the grass appears in a checkerboard format, which as far as I’m aware, isn’t how it’s supposed to grow. The game stutters if you dare to sprint, and the menus are a little fuzzy and rather slow. If you can, buy this on PC instead.
And there you have it, a list of truly bad games to avoid on Switch. For something a bit more fun, check out these Genshin Impact codes, Honkai Star Rail codes, and AFK Arena codes for extra goodies in great mobile games.