The Nintendo Switch was a massively popular video game console hybrid. Thanks to the joy-con controllers, players can take their console on the go as a portable device. However, detaching these joy-cons will offer players some more motion-focused control mechanics. As a result, there have been a few video games released that are based around keeping players a bit more active. If you’re after some video games to burn calories or just to keep you moving around, then check out some of these video game titles listed below.
#12 Jump Rope challenge
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : June 15, 2020
Genre : Exergaming
Jump Rope Challenge is an extremely simple game. Developed by Nintendo and released for free on the Nintendo eShop, players are tasked with jumping a skipping rope through the use of the Nintendo Joy-Con motion controllers. The goal is to go through a different set number of jumps each day. While the game was released for free and again very bare-bones in terms of the gameplay mechanics, Nintendo didn’t plan for this game to stay available on the marketplace. It was originally just something to keep players active during the pandemic which continued to become a worldwide problem. There are plenty of players out there that can’t get into the gym right now and as a result, Nintendo has decided to keep the game available for those that want to download and enjoy it for the foreseeable future. Again, we can’t guarantee it will be available for download down the road so being free, it’s worth grabbing a copy while you can.
#11 1-2 Switch
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : March 3, 2017
Genre : Party
1-2 Switch was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch platform and it heavily used the joy-cons as a means to demonstrate all the features they offered. Players were meant to compete with another player with players only needing one joy-con each as they completed a series of minigames. There were minigames based on all kinds of different events such as playing around with makeshift katanas, wands, shaking sodas, and even milking cows.
#10 Knockout Home Fitness
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : September 28, 2021
Genre : Sports
Due to the Joy-Cons of the Switch, there is all manner of exercise games you can do. Knockout Home Fitness is the title you want to try if you want quick, short workouts that will test you and burn calories. You can download a demo right now to see if it suits your needs. Through personal trainers within the game, you’ll have works that can be as easy as 3-minutes or as prolonged as 15-minutes. These exercises are based on fighting styles like boxing, karate, kung-fu, and Muay Thai. So they’re not random; they’re focused. You can pick the trainer you want based on the kind of person you want to help you. Whether kind or strict, you’ll find someone who matches your needs.
#9 Zumba Burn It Up
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : November 19, 2019
Genre : Music, Productivity
Zumba is a fitness dance class that blew up after it was crated up in the 1990s. This class puts participants into a fitness regimen with an instructor showing how to dance along with the music in order to workout different areas of your body. For this point we have Zumba Burn It Up, a game that’s quite a bit like Just Dance. Similar to Just Dance, players can pick their difficulty and go through the different dances by mimicking the instructor. Meanwhile, the moves are based around different upbeat music. If you enjoyed Zumba but can’t make it to classes or have an interest in trying it out for the first time, then now you can decide when to give it a try whenever you’d like at the comfort of your home.
#8 Fitness Boxing Series
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : January 4, 2019
Genre : Sports
Fitness Boxing was developed as a spiritual successor to Shape Boxing for the Nintendo Wii. In this game, players are going through different boxing workouts. It’s simplistic but grows more difficult by players constantly updating their progress such as height and weight over some time. Meanwhile, the gameplay itself has players going through daily workout routines and an avatar instructor to help motivate you along the way. Players will be doing different punches and dodges while the game players through a collection of soundtrack songs. As mentioned, this is a series and so far there are two installments available. They don’t play much differently from each other, but there are some differences in terms of the soundtrack provided with each game.
#7 Just Dance Series
Platform : Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia
Release Date : Varied
Genre : Music
There are many different ways to work out, and the Nintendo Switch honestly features plenty of them. With the Just Dance series on Switch, you’ll use the Joy-Cons to dance to the best modern and classic songs and truly get your sweat on. We can attest to this personally, when you get the right song going and you’re throwing your body into all the motions and beats, you’re going to burn some calories. So imagine you doing this to a whole set of songs over the course of an hour!
If you don’t want to do it alone, just bring in some friends to dance with you!
#6 Sports Party
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : October 30, 2018
Genre : Sports
Ubisoft even took on the Nintendo motion controls with their release of Sports Party. Similar to the likes of Nintendo’s Wii Sports, Sports Party offers a wide range of different sports that players can go through with the motion controls. In the collection of video games, players can play Frisbee, jet ski, basketball, golf, skateboarding, and beach tennis. The game also allows players the ability to change up their avatar with new items that are unlocked as they progress through the different sport games.
#5 Nintendo Switch Sports
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : April 29, 2022
Genre : Sports
Here is a title you might not think will be that much of an exercise. But as Wii Sports proved a long time ago, when you have motion controls? You will be putting your all into the game, which can make you burn calories. Nintendo Switch Sports was a title a long time coming, and it features games old and new to continue the legacy of its predecessors. So whether you’re doing sword-fighting, volleyball, soccer, etc., you will get a workout. Plus, new games will be added to the title over time. So jump in by yourself or with your friends, and you’ll have a blast.
#4 Mario Tennis Aces
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : June 22, 2018
Genre : Sports
Mario is no stranger when it comes to popping up in different sports games. We’ve seen Mario and his iconic friends pop up in a variety of different sports games in the past and one of the games that can keep you moving around and staying active is Mario Tennis Aces. In this game, players are going through different tennis matches which as you can imagine will allow players the ability to move the joy-cons in a way to mimic hitting a tennis ball along with performing different kinds of trick shots. While you can play in multiplayer along with competing against other players online, this game does feature a campaign mode. In the game, Waluigi and Wario pick up a mystical racket that provides them with some incredible Tennis skill and power but also posses them in the process. To claim the racket and destroy it for good, Mario and his friends will need to join in a tournament and attempt to defeat them in a grand match.
#3 ARMS
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : June 16, 2017
Genre : Fighting
Arms is one of the earlier Nintendo Switch exclusives to launch for the console. It was essentially Nintendo’s new take on a boxing video game but with futuristic cartoonish boxers. Essentially, with this game, players are controlling a fighter that has spring-like arms. When players use the joy-con motion controllers, characters can unleash different styles of attacks. Players could extend their arms to launch their fists out to an opponent while also using different motion-style attacks to deliver more strategic moves.
#2 Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : November 5, 2019
Genre : Sports
Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was a new installment to the Mario & Sonic crossover series. In this game, players follow the iconic characters from both IPs as they participate in a variety of sports events. This included the likes of boxing, soccer, karate, sports climbing, and surfing, just to name a few. However, since this game was released both in the arcades and on the Nintendo Switch, there was plenty of focus around motion controls and using the likes of Nintendo’s joy-con controllers. These games tend to do well and the same can be said for Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. After all, with the pandemic postponing the Tokyo Olympic Games, we at least got to play a makeshift version of it.
#1 Ring Fit Adventure
Platform : Nintendo Switch
Release Date : October 18, 2019
Genre : Exergame, role-playing
Easily the most recognizable workout video game on the Nintendo Switch and likely the first to come to mind is Ring Fit Adventure. This is a turn-based RPG title with on-rails mechanics as well. However, to play this game, players will require the peripherals that come with the game. Included in the mix are the leg strap along with the ring, each of which requires a single joy-con to be docked in. Overall, in the game, players are battling against an evil bodybuilding dragon but to reach the dragon, players are forced into clearing out a variety of dungeons. Each dungeon comes with a slew of enemies to battle against. To deliver different attacks against your opponent, players will need to perform various workout moves. As a result, this is where the joy-cons will come into play as the game can determine how well you are performing these motions. The better you do with the motions the bigger your attack will be. Meanwhile, players can attempt to block attacks by pushing the ring in while resting against your abdomen. Fans took up with the game and it blew up thanks to the coronavirus health pandemic outbreak. In fact, at one point these games were incredibly tough to find with some players forced to pay a higher price from a reseller.
