The 22 best Nintendo Switch games (November 2023)

Searching for one of the best video games on the Nintendo Change? What follows is a residing record of the 22 Nintendo Change video games we advocate everybody play or watch, in case you’re new to the system or simply need one thing new to play.

Why 22 video games, although? Good query! It’s a strong variety of titles, unfold throughout a wide range of genres, with alternatives for households, youngsters, and adults. However 22 isn’t an overwhelming quantity, and we needed to deal with one of the best of one of the best for this information to the important releases of the platform. Discover one thing you want, and see what you suppose. And simply in case you get caught, we’ve included a hyperlink to our information for every recreation when potential, simply in case you want somewhat assist.

And if the record of twenty-two video games up prime isn’t sufficient for you, take a look at a couple of additional suggestions we threw in on the backside. The Change is certainly one of Nintendo’s hottest consoles in a while, with a recreation library to match. Have a look — we hope you discover one thing you want.

Our newest replace added Jet Lancer, Hades, Metroid Dread, Unpacking, Metroid Prime Remastered, Dredge, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel.

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Tremendous Mario 3D All-Stars

Tremendous Mario 3D All-Stars is an ideal re-creation of an imperfect batch of video games. Within the case of Tremendous Mario Sunshine, these imperfections are far too constant and devastating to advocate the sport.

Tremendous Mario 64 and Tremendous Mario Galaxy, although, are each implausible. The standard of each titles is so excessive that some unlucky drawbacks (dated visuals within the former, movement controls within the latter) aren’t sufficient to stymie the pure excellence readily available.

If something, Tremendous Mario 3D All-Stars reveals the breadth of what a 3D Mario recreation could be, and far of that’s actually glorious.

Although severely, y’all, Mario Sunshine sucks. —Russ Frushtick

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Metroid Dread

Picture: MercurySteam, Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

For 20 years, Metroid Dread was a failed plan. Yoshio Sakamoto, who produced and directed a number of video games within the collection because the unique Metroid, initially conceived of Dread as a sequel to 2002’s Metroid Fusion, which had given him the concept for the EMMI robots that stalk Samus in Dread. Again within the early 2000s, nonetheless, online game know-how simply wasn’t there but to appreciate his imaginative and prescient. Many years later, it was Sakamoto’s partnership with MercurySteam for the Samus Returns remake, in addition to the capabilities of the Nintendo Change, that lastly made Metroid Dread potential.

Typically, a long-held dream doesn’t really measure as much as what its creator imagines, not to mention what followers have thought up over years of ready and questioning. Not so with Metroid Dread. To cite my colleague Russ Frushtick’s assessment: “I discover myself enraptured by Metroid Dread in methods I haven’t felt since 1994’s Tremendous Metroid. […] Dread reimagines the Metroid format with confidence and care, and it trusts the participant to make leaps alongside the best way. Whereas following its interwoven path of epic boss fights, satisfying upgrades, and otherworldly environments, all I might suppose was that that is the Metroid recreation I’ve been ready for.”

If it weren’t on trendy {hardware}, that includes enemies with talents that solely new tech might presumably accommodate, Metroid Dread would really feel like an ideal time capsule — a recreation that ought to’ve been launched again within the 2000s, quickly after Metroid Fusion. Now, as a substitute, it’s proof that Samus Aran’s journey was removed from over, and her future is brilliant with the blaze of tremendous missiles. —Maddy Myers

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Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel

Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel is an excellent romp of a 2D Mario recreation. Whilst you can play it as you’ll some other 2D Mario platformer, this recreation accommodates a bunch of quirky secrets and techniques. In every stage, you could find a Marvel Seed that may immediate a psychedelic change in surroundings and remodel the extent. In an early a part of the sport, this implies your ordinary easygoing grass space is graced with a whole musical quantity sung by Piranha Vegetation. What’s much more superb is how Nintendo implements a scene like this into each single one of many recreation’s ranges.

Exterior that, the sport efficiently delivers on the tried-and-true wonders followers have come to count on from a Mario recreation. New powers just like the Elephant Fruit permit Mario to rework into an absolute unit, and gamers can add on further bonuses with the badge system. It’s an awe-inspiring recreation that’s good to play alone or with associates. Given all this, it makes Tremendous Mario Bros. Marvel an awesome consideration to your recreation library and an ideal send-off for the Nintendo Change. —Ana Diaz

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Metroid Prime Remastered

Picture: Retro Studios/Nintendo

Again in 2002, an American studio known as Retro Video games put out a really totally different kind of Metroid recreation. The Nintendo-created Metroid collection had all the time consisted of 2D platformers heavy on exploration, environmental puzzles, and positioning. As intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran collected power-ups and new talents on hostile planets, the participant might watch her physique and her weaponry change, positioning the heroine completely to satisfy each new problem.

Not so in Metroid Prime, the primary in a trilogy of first-person video games that put the participant immediately into Samus Aran’s energy swimsuit (with the one exception of morph ball mode, as a result of, properly, even Retro Video games couldn’t determine that one out). The surprise-dropped Metroid Prime Remastered modifications nearly nothing in regards to the unique 2002 expertise besides its look. The gap between save factors continues to be simply as punishing, the payoff of each environmental puzzle simply as rewarding. In 2002, Metroid Prime was a masterpiece — and now, on the Nintendo Change, it’s somewhat bit higher. —M. Myers

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Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo by way of Polygon

You end up on a abandoned island and a big raccoon presents you with a home mortgage. Welcome to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one of the crucial weird — but broadly interesting — video games on the Nintendo Change.

The collection has all the time been about residing amongst animal villagers whereas finishing easy duties like fishing and bug catching. However New Horizons, with its attractive graphics and unimaginable customization choices, has actually stepped the franchise up dramatically. Your entire island is now open to customization, letting you place every little thing from the position of rivers to the design printed on vendor stalls that line your streets.

New Horizons can also be profoundly kid-friendly, permitting children to create their very own houses on a shared, household island. For those who’re trying to join with individuals outdoors of your loved ones unit, there’s full on-line connectivity for as much as eight gamers without delay.

Searching for a chill expertise to wind down after a tough day? There’s actually no higher possibility than Animal Crossing: New Horizons. —Russ Frushtick

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Pokémon Sword and Protect

Picture: Recreation Freak, The Pokémon Firm/Nintendo

Nintendo’s first Pokémon recreation on the Change — Let’s Go! Eevee/Pikachu — was a strong remake of the unique 1998 Pokémon journey. However it wasn’t a brand-new recreation. Pokémon Sword and Protect is precisely that, with a brand new solid of monsters to catch and a brand new world to discover.

Granted, there’s been a whole lot of drama about the truth that not each single Pokémon from each earlier recreation is obtainable in Sword and Protect. But when that’s not a deal-breaker for you, you’ll discover a actually pleasant journey right here. The sport’s new area, Galar, is impressed by the UK, with all its rolling hills, lakes, and forests simply teeming with cute beasties.

Hardcore Pokémon followers will recognize enhanced endgame options just like the Battle Tower and breeding performance. However for everybody else, the 20- to 30-hour journey is crammed with enjoyable characters and exquisite vistas, making it really feel like a real journey overseas. —RF

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Luigi’s Mansion 3

Picture: Subsequent Degree Video games/Nintendo

Luigi’s capricious collection has solely seen three entries since 2001, however the newest on Change is the strongest by far. Fairly than a mansion, Luigi has to clear a haunted motel of ectoplasmic beasts in a quest to save lots of Mario, Peach, and a handful of Toads.

Mechanically, the sport hasn’t modified a lot over the past 19 years. Luigi nonetheless slowly creeps from room to room in search of levers to drag and ghosts to suck up in his vacuum. However because of the elevated energy of the Change, the rooms at the moment are crammed with all kinds of enjoyable junk to suck up and swing round, which is enormously satisfying.

Child-friendly themes and co-op assist all through the marketing campaign additionally make this an awesome decide for those who’ve obtained a teen in your life. Even children as younger as 5 ought to have the ability to deal with the low-stakes position of Gooigi, Luigi’s weird, intangible alter ego. —RF

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Picture: CD Projekt Crimson/CD Projekt

The announcement that The Witcher 3 was coming to Change was greeted with shock and surprise. Despite the fact that the makers of one other large open-world RPG, Skyrim, had pulled off the feat, The Witcher 3 was much more visually bold than Bethesda’s recreation. Would it not even be playable? Apparently so!

The Witcher 3 on Change isn’t fairly the stunner that it’s on the PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox one. However it’s nonetheless fairly playable, and having one of many best RPGs ever made in a transportable format is a big perk. Geralt’s predominant quest is definitely 60 hours lengthy, however with the added DLC, you’re one thing that’s liable to take 100 hours to finish, if no more. With a recreation that massive, it’s all the time good to have the ability to chill on the sofa whereas looking for herbs.

For those who’ve been fiending for one thing to fill the Breath of the Wild-sized gap in your coronary heart, The Witcher 3 matches the invoice admirably. —RF

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Hearth Emblem: Three Homes

Picture: Clever Methods, Koei Tecmo Video games/Nintendo

The Hearth Emblem franchise is a weird amalgam of many genres, from technique to relationship simulator. The primary Change installment, Hearth Emblem: Three Homes, maintains the robust technique roots whereas fleshing out the occasions between battles. There’s now a completely explorable faculty the place gamers can work together with their items, give them presents, and even take them to tea! The academy succeeds in making gamers really feel emotionally connected to those characters, which makes dropping them in fight much more brutal.

The sport’s three campaigns are large, every taking round 50 hours to finish, with loads of branching choices and a number of endings. The sheer size of it makes it an ideal match on Change, the place it’s simple to cease and begin at a second’s discover.

For those who’re in search of a method epic with the scope of Recreation of Thrones (however with extra tea events), Hearth Emblem: Three Homes succeeds mightily. —RF

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Tremendous Mario Maker 2

Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

With regards to recreation design, you might suppose it’s finest to depart it as much as the professionals. However Tremendous Mario Maker 2 proves that even the least succesful amongst us have a stage or two up their sleeves. The sport’s approachable controls and interface make tossing collectively your individual Mario creation a breeze. Plus, having the ability to do all of it on the go together with the Change means you’ll be able to make the most of the touchscreen for quicker placement and higher precision.

If designing ranges isn’t your factor, Tremendous Mario Maker 2 comes with its personal batch of Nintendo-made levels. It additionally means that you can play an never-ending provide of fan-created ranges, siphoning solely one of the best creations to the highest of your record.

Followers of the 2D Mario period will love all of the distinctive twists to traditional mechanics, and a robust on-line neighborhood means there ought to be loads of ranges for years to come back. —RF

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Dredge

Picture: Black Salt Video games/Team17

As an outdoorsy New Englander who owns a kayak, I take frequent benefit of entry to ponds and lakes carved out by Ice Age glaciers, now crammed with water that’s clear all the best way to the underside. Paddling and fishing in such locations is the alternative of scary; it’s probably the most soothing passion you can think about. However alongside these experiences, I’ve additionally met with the horror of their reverse. I’m speaking about brackish, brown ponds filled with fish which can be unsafe to the touch, not to mention eat. I’m speaking about that notorious “soiled water” of the Charles River. And I’m speaking in regards to the water in Dredge.

If in case you have by no means paddled or fished in water like this, you might not perceive how unnerving it may be, particularly if you’re removed from the shoreline and also you see one thing — you’re undecided what — shifting someplace deep beneath you, however not fairly deep sufficient. That mentioned, Dredge is as a lot a “cozy recreation” as it’s a horror recreation; a lot of your time enjoying it is going to be spent fishing, and a few of what you catch might be fairly peculiar at first. However as you proceed in your exploration of those unusual shorelines, finally searching for beings that may solely be caught within the blackest of night time, when your sanity is on its very edges of remaining intact… you’ll perceive, maybe, why I want to sail in clear water. You simply by no means know. —M. Myers

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Baba Is You

Picture: Hempuli Oy

Baba Is You appears prefer it might have come out 30 years in the past. Its graphics are simply throughout the scope of what the NES might pump out. Regardless of that, it’s an extremely trendy puzzle recreation, turning established online game ideas on their ear in unimaginable methods.

The fundamentals: Baba is a rabbit. Transfer Baba to a flag to finish a map. However shifting blocks of phrases on the map (like “Wall is Cease”) will change the parameters of what Baba is able to (and even change Baba himself).

The most effective puzzle video games appear extremely easy at first look, however beneath the floor, Baba Is You is a captivating dissection of the style. With only a handful of parameters, it manages to create an approachable but mind-bending expertise. There aren’t a ton of puzzle video games on Change, however Baba Is You is without doubt one of the finest. —RF

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Tremendous Smash Bros. Final

Picture: Bandai Namco Studios, Sora Ltd./Nintendo

There’s a kitchen-sink side to the newest installment of Tremendous Smash Bros. Each single character, stage, and merchandise that has ever appeared within the franchise returns on this outrageously scoped package deal.

Tremendous Smash Bros. Final is probably the most bold multiplayer recreation Nintendo has ever made, however regardless of the size, it’s extremely pleasant to newcomers. You’ll begin out with simply eight characters to select from, slowly constructing the gang as much as over 70 contenders. A brand new single-player mode affords up a pleasant strategy to experiment with unplayed characters whereas gathering a whole bunch of artifacts from gaming historical past.

For those who’re having associates over, this and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are must-haves to your Change. Simply ensure you have sufficient controllers. —RF

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Hades

Picture: Supergiant Video games

Any record of one of the best Nintendo Change video games that doesn’t embrace even a point out of Supergiant Video games’ “godlike” roguelike dungeon crawler hardly qualifies as a definitive record in any respect.

Hades was Polygon’s 2020 recreation of the yr and the Change is (arguably) one of the simplest ways to play it. The sport follows Zagreus, the rebellious son of the god of the underworld, who makes an attempt to flee his father’s realm to achieve Mount Olympus in a quest to be reunited along with his lengthy misplaced mom. To take action nonetheless, he’ll have to beat a gauntlet of his father’s strongest servants and commanders earlier than going through off with the previous man himself.

Hades is a compulsively playable roguelike, full of satisfying moment-to-moment gameplay; a wealth of variability when it comes to weapons, upgrades, and diverse powers; and quite a few secrets and techniques and challenges that may check even probably the most skilled of avid gamers. That’s not even mentioning the sport’s story, a branching narrative that completely paces itself as Zagreus undergoes his many, many trials to flee from the Underworld and uncover the thriller of his estranged household’s previous. With the sequel simply across the nook, now’s pretty much as good a time as any to acquaint your self with one of many absolute best indie titles to grace the Change. —Toussaint Egan

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TowerFall

Picture: Matt Makes Video games

The Change was designed with multiplayer in thoughts. Exterior of first-party Nintendo releases, few video games take higher benefit of same-system multiplayer than TowerFall. At first look, TowerFall seems to be a 2D clone of Tremendous Smash Bros. In reality, it’s much more approachable than Nintendo’s brawler. Heroes geared up with arrows interact in minute lengthy battles to the loss of life, utilizing stomps, dodges, and soar pads to slaughter their competitors.

The brilliant, colourful graphics pop so properly {that a} group of 4 gamers crowded round a tiny Change display can nonetheless play simply, having fun with a variety of multiplayer matches with out dropping sight of their very own character and their rivals. Greenback for greenback, TowerFall could also be one of the best aggressive multiplayer recreation on Change, so for those who’re trying to make some enemies, look no additional. —RF

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Unpacking

Picture: Witch Beam/Humble Video games

I really feel like a contemporary archaeologist whereas enjoying Unpacking. On this recreation, you unpack packing containers one merchandise at a time and organize objects in a house. With every accomplished stage, you’ll transfer into a distinct scene, like a dorm room or your first condominium. By unpacking merchandise by merchandise, you’ll slowly uncover a narrative behind the characters that inhabit these areas, what issues most to them and what makes them tick. It’s a surprisingly emotional recreation and a very good addition to your Nintendo Change library.

Developer Witch Beam managed to pack loads into this quick recreation. Unpacking options luxuriously detailed pixel artwork so you’ll be able to inform the distinction between small gadgets, like kitchen utensils. The straightforward act of unpacking is enriched with satisfying animation of paper unwrapping and textured audio — the builders added over 14,000 foley audio information to seize each potential sound that may include choosing up, unwrapping, and inserting gadgets. Total, it’s a real jewel of a recreation the place each element issues. —AD

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Jet Lancer

Picture: Code Wakers/Armor Video games Studios

Jet Lancer is without doubt one of the nice hidden gems of the Nintendo Change. It’s a side-scrolling aerial fight shoot-’em-up with quick and frantic gameplay that makes for an expertise that’s completely suited to the benefit of enjoying handheld.

The debut title from indie recreation studio Code Walkers, Jet Lancer pits gamers within the position of Ash Leguinn, a rookie aviator who irreverently turns into the pilot of a mysterious prototype plane as you tackle freelance gigs defending convoys from rogue mercenary pilots. After partaking with quite a few resurrected AI-powered weapons, you’ll embark on a globe-spanning journey as you soar to new heights in your ascent to changing into a legendary pilot.

With a prolonged story-driven marketing campaign consisting of 30 complete missions, a variety of customizable weapons and enhancements to select from, and a implausible guitar-driven soundtrack, Jet Lancer is a enjoyable and thrilling recreation that’s properly value choosing up. Take to the skies and seize your future! —TE

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Hole Knight

Picture: Group Cherry

It took a short while for Hole Knight to lastly arrive on Change after a profitable launch on PC, however that delay paid off. It might be the best Metroidvania ever made, and it has discovered an ideal dwelling, particularly when performed in handheld mode.

There’s a stage of copy-and-paste roteness to video games of this style, however Hole Knight manages to create a handcrafted world that’s large, eerie, and exquisite, all of the whereas including to the Metroidvania formulation in quite a few surprising methods. And because it’s a 2D recreation, you’ll be able to discover this world for prolonged play periods with out worrying that your Change’s battery will die inside an hour or two. —RF

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Tremendous Mario Odyssey

Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

Utilizing the constructing blocks of Tremendous Mario 64, Tremendous Mario Galaxy, and its sequel, Tremendous Mario Odyssey layers in a brand new vary of actions for our favourite plumber. By combining jumps, dodges, and a springboard-esque hat named Cappy, Mario is as nimble as ever. By far our favourite little bit of acrobatics entails Mario tucking up in a decent ball and tumbling via the world like a small boulder.

However the true twist to Mario Odyssey is the flexibility to take command of enemies, together with the deviously satisfying Pokio, a chicken that makes use of its nostril to stab into surfaces earlier than flinging itself upward. It feels so good that I’d totally assist a Pokio-led spinoff.

Odyssey is a reminder that Nintendo can nonetheless reinvent Mario in fascinating methods, greater than 35 years since he first battled Donkey Kong. —RF

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Stardew Valley

Picture: ConcernedApe/Chucklefish

The toughest a part of Stardew Valley is getting over the hump that you just’re paying cash for a farming recreation. When you try this, you’ll shortly end up and your hours melting away.

Created nearly fully by a single designer, Stardew Valley locations you within the position of a brand new farm proprietor on the sting of a small city. What begins easy (hoeing the filth, planting seeds, watering seeds), slowly unravels right into a far larger expertise, as you construct relationships, discover dungeons, and take part in occasions that deliver the world to life.

The expertise has discovered no higher dwelling than on the Change, the place fundamental duties could be carried out on a mass-transit commute with no lack of constancy or satisfaction. It’s soothing and Zen-like, an ideal strategy to wind down after a protracted day. And but, at larger ranges of play, it may be surprisingly strategic and difficult. —RF

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Picture: Nintendo

It’s clearly a degree of rivalry, however I imagine Mario Kart 8 is the best installment of the franchise so far. Sadly, it got here out on the Wii U, a console that hardly anyone owned.

Its arrival on Change ensures that crucial side of Mario Kart is maintained: simple multiplayer. Whereas there are many single-player challenges to maintain individuals busy, Mario Kart has all the time been a celebration recreation franchise, and the truth that each Change is already packing two controllers is an on the spot boon.

For those who occur to have a couple of extra controllers (or higher but, associates with a Change or two), it’s remarkably simple to get a squad of 4, six, and even eight individuals in the identical match collectively. All with out the trouble of getting wires strewn about your lounge. —RF

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Picture: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

You’d be hard-pressed to discover a higher recreation to have in your Nintendo Change than The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The follow-up to the groundbreaking The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom is not any much less astounding. This time, gamers embark on an journey as Hyperlink to search out the lacking Zelda after Hyrule is struck with a cataclysmic occasion referred to as the Upheaval.

Whereas it’s not essential to play Breath of the Wild beforehand, Tears of the Kingdom expands upon the world of the earlier recreation — actually. Gamers can discover the sky area peppered with floating islands, the various terrain of the world’s floor, and the ominous underground world of the Depths. Nearly like Legos, you’ll acquire gadgets and match them collectively to construct extraordinary, or if you’d like, fully peculiar, machines and buildings.

Tears of the Kingdom is a technical marvel and can possible be a straightforward suggestion for me to offer for years to come back. For those who’re new to journey video games or the size of this journey daunts you, don’t let that scare you. It’s properly value it to take the leap. —AD

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Different advisable Change video games

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Get it right here: Walmart | Amazon | GameStop | Finest Purchase | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Walmart | Amazon | GameStop | Finest Purchase

Get it right here: Walmart | Amazon | GameStop | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Amazon | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop | Walmart | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Walmart | Best Purchase | GameStop | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Walmart | GameStop | Goal | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Walmart | Amazon | GameStop | Finest Purchase | Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Nintendo eShop

Get it right here: Walmart | Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop | Nintendo eShop

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