Welcome to Nintendo Insider’s first-ever Game of the Year feature. For 2025, a landmark year for Nintendo, we decided to not only do awards for both the original Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, but also a few categories to cover notable aspects of the current Nintendo ecosystem. One more thing to note is that we are counting games we were able to play between 1 December 2024 and 1 December 2025. This is not specifically games released within that period, but games we were able to play then. Without further ado, you can find the Nintendo Insider Game of the Year awards for 2025 below.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Indie Game of the Year
Hades on the original Switch was a good version of a fantastic game. Hades II Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, on the other hand, is both a fantastic port and a fantastic game. It also happens to be an incredible follow-up to the original and Supergiant’s first-ever sequel that builds on the original with unique mechanics, new music, a stunning aesthetic, and more.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Runner-up Indie Game of the Year
Simogo Legacy Collection Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is one of the best examples of preservation done right, and it also brings together some of the most creative indie games together into a unique package that is a superlative handheld experience on Switch 2.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Indie Game of the Year
While Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines was released before on PC, the Switch port arrived with the Overtime expansion, and it plays amazingly well on Nintendo’s hybrid system. hcnone’s Endless Monday was already an incredible and relatable experience with stunning art, but it shines on Nintendo Switch OLED, making it the best way to play it. Hopefully, it gets a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade in the future.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Runner-up Indie Game of the Year
VIDEOVERSE, like Endless Monday, is another indie that debuted on PC before seeing a Switch port in 2025. If you were on the internet during the early 2000s internet and social networks when they used to be good. This is one for the Miiverse sickos and those who remember MSN Messenger.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Port of the Year
Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition is by far one of the most impressive ports of anything to a Nintendo platform ever. It retains the visual identity of the main game that pushed more-powerful consoles and PC platforms while delivering a superb handheld experience. If you want a technical showcase for Switch 2, Star Wars Outlaws Gold Edition raised the bar beyond anything I expected.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Runner-up Port of the Year
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition remains one of my favorite launch titles for the Switch 2, and while it does excel over Star Wars Outlaws in its game quality by quite a bit, the technical issues during the Phantom Liberty content hold it back from being our Port of the Year. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, like Star Wars Outlaws, features cross-save and it is a great companion version to playing Cyberpunk on PS5 or Xbox.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Port of the Year
Kaizen Game Works’ newest title played and felt completely different from Paradise Killer. Promise Mascot Agency combines resource management, open world exploration, card battles, and a story that would fit right at home in a Yakuza game. It excelled with its strong art direction and music, but it was really impressive to see the whole open world realized on Switch hardware despite its cutbacks. Promise Mascot Agency is begging for a Switch 2 upgrade, but I still remain impressed by what the team accomplished on Switch hardware.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Runner-up Port of the Year
When Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter was revealed, it was showcased as a Switch exclusive. Given the Trails franchise’s middling technical history on the console, I didn’t expect it to play well on the hybrid. When it finally launched, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter on Switch ended up being a more polished and impressive release than the Switch 2 Edition release. While it isn’t the best Trails Switch port, it was the first game since Trials of Mana to fully realize a big, colorful JRPG world on Nintendo’s hybrid console as well.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Physical Release of the Year
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition wasn’t just impressive on a technical level when it was released as a launch title for Switch 2. CD Projekt Red continued the tradition of investing more into a proper physical release after paying for a 32GB cartridge on Switch with The Witcher 3. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on Switch 2 was and still is one of the few RPGs to get a proper physical release on Switch 2. The only downside here is that the team didn’t include a full foldable map.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Runner-up Physical Release of the Year
Just like with Hades, Hades II Nintendo Switch 2 Edition’s physical release was distributed by Nintendo. It includes the Switch and Switch 2 Edition on the same cartridge with a bonus art booklet, reversible art, and code for the soundtrack.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Physical Release of the Year
XSEED Games and Marvelous USA have been amazing with Switch physical releases since the beginning, and Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma is easily one of the publisher’s best so far. The North American release shipped with a color inner art cover, a full-color booklet that serves as a manual with art, and it was more notable with the Limited Edition, which even included some DLC right on the game card.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Runner-up Physical Release of the Year
NIS America continues its trend of great physical releases with The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II. This one shipped with a reversible cover, color booklet, and digital code with the full game included on a cartridge. Port quality aside, I appreciate NIS America’s commitment to making the physical releases on Switch more than worth the asking price with bonuses like this. It is a shame about what they are doing on Switch 2, though, with Game Key Cards.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Edition Release of the Year
For cross-generation releases or Switch games that got upgraded on Switch 2, No Man’s Sky Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is by far the best of the best. It was already a miracle port on the original Switch, but the Switch 2 version makes it go from a great port to a great version of No Man’s Sky. It is incredible how much has been added to the game over the years, and the Switch 2 version with cross save is a fantastic version to get if you’re new or already play No Man’s Sky elsewhere.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Edition Runner-Up Release of the Year
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was an incredible follow-up to Breath of the Wild, but one that suffered from notable performance issues on Switch hardware. On Switch 2, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is a humongous visual and performance boost to the original, with rock-solid performance, faster loading, and improved clarity across the board.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Game of the Year
The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy is a massive adventure with tactical RPG battles that managed to take what I loved about Danganronpa and turned things to 11 multiple times in a row to deliver a game that is unlike anything we have seen or likely will see in games ever. It shouldn’t exist, but it does, and it is the best game on Switch in 2025.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch Runner-up Game of the Year
Instead of just porting the Wii U game, Nintendo enhanced Xenoblade Chronicles X with the Definitive Edition release to bring in new quality of life features, many visual improvements, and some new content. While the new content isn’t really worth the price of admission, having Xenoblade Chronicles X on Switch itself is something I’m ecstatic about.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Game of the Year
Donkey Kong Bananza is the only game I played in 2025 that reminded me of both Super Mario Odyssey and Limp Bizkit’s Break Stuff in the best possible ways. After a slow build-up for a few hours, it kept getting better, and I should probably stop writing about it and boot up the game to get back and break things. While some of the post-launch updates and content have been handled weirdly, the core experience is fantastic, and it remains *THE* Nintendo game to buy on Switch 2 right now.
Nintendo Insider’s Switch 2 Runner-up Game of the Year
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Nintendo Switch 2 Edition managed to perfectly capture what made the original 3DS game great while being its own thing, brimming with quality content and one of the most addictive gameplay loops yet. Not just content with delivering a great sequel to Fantasy Life, Level-5 basically released three games in one with Fantasy Life i, and it is an essential purchase on Switch 2.
[Special thanks to my friend thoraxes for help with photographs for Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma and The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II.]