The 50 best Nintendo Switch games right now

Best Nintendo Switch Games #9 – Stardew Valley

Developer: ConcernedApe

Synopsis: Bored and unfulfilled in your desk job at Joja Corp, you accept the gift of your late grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley. It’s run-down at first, but as time moves on you begin to clear the rubble and turn it into a serviceable farm. Do you plant crops, raise animals, explore the depths of the monster-infested mines, build a fishing empire, befriend the townsfolk, or all of it at once? Your destiny is your own; feel free to take your time in this Harvest Moon-inspired sim.

Why it’s one of the best Nintendo Switch games: When ConcernedApe started Stardew Valley, he imagined a game that was just like the Harvest Moon games of yore without all the fluff the series had attracted over the years, and with a few key expanded features. He took a gamble that others might want such a game too, and won it tremendously. Stardew Valley is far better than old-school Harvest Moon–it’s how we remember old-school Harvest Moon, only now we can smooch anyone regardless of gender and waste even more hours digging into an infinite mine in search of elusive, rare ore. Placed on the Switch, Stardew fares even better with its short bursts of play and visual appeal on a handheld device.