Nintendo’s holding another big sale on the Nintendo Game Store, with a wide range of discounts on some of our favorite Switch games. The current holiday sale runs through Dec. 31, so you’ve got three or four days still to pick up some fantastic games at great prices. Whether you got a Switch for Christmas and need to pack out your library, or are a first day Switch owner looking for something new to play, you’ll find something you’ll want to pick up during this sale. Here are our picks for the best deals you’ll find during the Switch holiday sale.
1. 2020 Game of the Year Hades Is 35% Off
Yep, Hades—the best game of 2020 and one of the very best of the whole century so far—is on sale for $16.24. That’s 35% off the normal price of $24.99; it’s not the biggest savings you’ll find during the holiday sale, but you probably won’t play a better game than Hades anytime soon, and this is about as cheap as it’s ever been on the Switch.
2. 2011 Game of the Year Bastion Is 80% Off
Supergiant bookended our game of the year lists last decade with the best games of both 2011 and 2020. The developers of Hades first made their name with Bastion, a cracking action-RPG about loss and corruption that is both emotionally and mechanically powerful. It honestly might be as great as Hades, and right now it’s only $2.99 on the Switch—which is an absolute steal.
3. The Brand New Death’s Door Is $5 Off
Death’s Door, one of our favorite games of 2021, didn’t hit the Switch until late November, but it’s already on sale for the holidays. Normally $19.99, you can land this puzzling mash-up of Metroid and Zelda for $14.99 right now, which is a sweet 25% discount. If you haven’t experienced Death’s Door yet, now is the time to give it a shot.
4. The Great and Underrated Umurangi Generation Is Half Off
Last year I wrote that Umurangi Generation “is a vital, current, powerful game that uncannily captures the mood of its time.” It’s been over a year but we’re still hiding out from a dangerous virus that’s spreading unchecked through all corners of the globe, and violence, unrest, and general uncertainty still loom over our daily lives, so I’d say Umurangi Generation is just about as relevant today as it was, oh, 18 months ago. You can buy this overlooked modern classic for $12.49 right now—exactly half off its regular price.
5. Relive All the Classic NES Mega Man Games for 10 Bucks
The Mega Man Legacy Collection bundles the first six Mega Man games into a single package, making it perhaps the greatest collection of classic 8-bit platforming you’ll find anywhere. Right now it’s $9.99, 33% off the normal $14.99 asking price. And if you want to see how the Blue Bomber handled the jump past 8 bits, you can tack on Mega Man Legacy Collection 2, which includes Mega Man 7 from the SNES, Mega Man 8 from the PlayStation, and then the ‘00s-era retro revivals of Mega Man 9 and 10, also on sale for $9.99.
6. Experience the Magic and Confusion of Kentucky Route Zero for $15
Kentucky Route Zero is one of the best and most important games of the last decade, and the Switch’s TV Edition is currently on sale for $14.99. It’s normally $24.99, so that’s a solid discount. Kentucky Route Zero is a magical realist adventure through the backwoods of a mythic, arcane America, and one of the few games that’s obviously inspired by David Lynch without blatantly ripping him off. It won’t be to everybody’s tastes, but if you don’t mind your games to be slow, thoughtful and esoteric, you might resonate with it. In our opinion, it’s a must-play if you want to fully grasp the potential and possibilities of games as a medium and an art form.
7. Save Over $5 on 2021’s Instant Cult Classic Genesis Noir
Genesis Noir is a hallucinogenic point-and-click adventure that simultaneously riffs on jazz, noir, impressionism, and the endless mysteries of the cosmos. It’s packed full of Big Ideas, and although they might not all cohere into a single cogent expression, the unbridled excitement with which it tears through those ideas is exhilarating. It’s another game you’ll find rather high on a Paste year-end list, and right now it’s only $9.74 on the Switch, which is $5.25 cheaper than the normal $14.99 price point.
8. Prepare for 2022’s Oxenfree Sequel by Buying the Original for Two Bucks
Oxenfree’s a little long in the tooth today—it turns six next month, which is basically geriatric in gaming terms. The creepy mystery game still holds up today, though, and with a highly anticipated sequel coming next year, it’s a great time to try out the original, especially with it only costing $1.99 on the Switch. That’s 80% off the standard price of $9.99, making this a hard deal to resist.
Other Great Deals: Night in the Woods for $9.99; Limbo for $1.99; Minit for $3.99; Into the Breach for $7.49; Hyper Light Drifter Special Edition for $9.99; Donut County for $3.79; Streets of Rage 4 for $14.99.
Senior editor Garrett Martin writes about videogames, comedy, travel, theme parks, wrestling, and anything else that gets in his way. He’s also on Twitter @grmartin.