Open-world games give you an opportunity to escape into a game with endless exploration and the freedom to explore the world how you want. Despite its limited power, the Nintendo Switch has some truly remarkable open-world games for you to take on the go with you.
The Top Five Nintendo Switch Open World Games (November 2023)
The Nintendo Switch allows players to play some amazing open world titles on the go. With so many options out there, it can be hard to choose which one to play. Lucky, we have just the list for you.
Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy is a massive open-world game released on the Nintendo Switch in late 2023. As with many large games added to the Switch, some sacrifices had to be made. The textures are less defined than other platforms, and there can be some framerate issues, especially in combat. The game also suffers from long loading times. While this isn’t necessarily bad, it can severely slow down gameplay, especially when waiting for Hogsmeade and all its stores to load. Despite these changes, Hogwarts Legacy is still an expansive game with tons of content and is worth playing, especially if you don’t have any other way to experience it.
Minecraft
Minecraft, an open-world sandbox game, offers unlimited possibilities in a randomly generated world without defined goals. Its virtually endless world allows for limitless exploration with different resources and frequent updates to keep you entertained regardless of the hours already put in.
On the Switch, Minecraft maintains a targeted 60 FPS frame rate with minimal drops. That said, you will notice some drops when a lot is going on, like during a large explosion or extensive builds. This can be a common occurrence across the consoles due to the game’s freedom.
The Witcher 3
The Witcher 3, an action RPG and open-world game, made its way to the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The game has you control Geralt on his quest to find his adopted daughter, Ciri, in a vast world filled with extensive content. The main storyline takes at least 50 hours to complete, but additional DLCs and having a completionist mindset significantly increase the amount of gameplay.
Initially released on the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, the Switch version needed to undergo some changes to accommodate its hardware. While textures appear less detailed, something more noticeable in docked mode or compared to other versions, it maintains a consistent 30 FPS performance, albeit with occasional drops in busy areas and some cut scenes. Fortunately, these minor issues don’t significantly detract from the overall game experience.
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is a Western-themed action-adventure game. In it, you control John Marston as you complete missions and perform other activities, such as gambling and hunting. Initially released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it was improved and released for the Nintendo Switch in 2023. In handheld mode, Red Dead Redemption runs at 30 FPS at 720p, while it runs at 30 FPS at 1080P when docked. There are also no noticeable issues with framerate drops, regardless of if you’re in a highly populated area or battle. Considering the improvements made compared to the original game, this is well worth playing on the Nintendo Switch.
Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom, the sequel to Breath of the Wild, takes place several years after its predecessor and utilizes the same map. However, the sequel expands it further, making several changes, including adding the Skies and Depths regions. This installment is even more impressive than the first and offers many activities, like combat, resource gathering, and farming, to keep you entertained for hours on end.
Performance-wise, the Tears of the Kingdom is stable in both docked and handheld modes, running at a consistent 30 FPS. However, you may have some occasional frame rate drops, especially if you like building complex Zonai devices.
