24 Best Nintendo Switch Science Fiction Games You Need To Play

Sci-Fi games are usually pretty awesome for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which is that the setting, weapons, monsters and everything in between are usually over the top and fun to play with. So if you want that kind of title on the Nintendo Switch, here are some games for you.

#24 Risk of Rain Returns

Platform: PC Switch
Release Date: November 08, 2023

Steam | Nintendo

What’s more sci-fi than being on a spaceship that is damaged and has to take refuge on a planet full of monsters and now has to survive what’s down there? That’s what we thought.

Risk of Rain Returns is the remaster of the classic title that aims to give players more than they could’ve ever wanted! For example, there are over a dozen survivors to pick from to take on the planet’s creatures. Each of these survivors has skills and weapons that are different from one another, so choose the one you think you can use the best!

Then, head to the planet and loot it to get even stronger!

#23 Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp

Platform: Switch
Release Date: April 21, 2023

Nintendo

At first glance, Advance Wars: 1+2: Re-Boot Camp might not seem like a sci-fi title. After all, the people you play as are humans. The world they live in is very Earth-like outside of certain things. And just as important, the units you use are all based on the real world.

However, there are some sci-fi elements to the title that help make it stand out. For example, every commander has a special ability that they can use to bolster their forces in the heat of battle. Some of them can heal all their units, while others can extend their units’ range or improve their firepower.

Plus, there’s an evil organization named Black Hole. If that’s not sci-fi, we don’t know what is.

#22 Pikmin 4

Platform: Switch
Release Date: July 21, 2023

Nintendo

It’s sometimes easy to forget that the worlds that Captain Olimar and the rest of the Rescue Corps go to can be counted as “sci-fi planets,” and yet, it’s true! In Pikmin 4, you’ll head to an equally sci-fi planet and attempt to rescue Olimar and the others from the predicaments they’ve found themselves in.

But the sci-fi elements go beyond the basics of collecting Pikmin and battling aliens! This time, you’ll have a dog-like alien named Oatchi to help you around.

Furthermore, underground sections will push the gameplay and setting to new depths. Plus, there are night-time missions where you’ll use ghost-like Pikmin to fight rage-filled beasts!

So yeah, a classic sci-fi adventure.

#21 Metroid Prime Remastered

Platform: Switch
Release Date: February 08, 2023

Nintendo

For intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran, there’s no such thing as an “easy mission.” In Metroid Prime Remastered, you’ll see the start of the “Phazon Saga” with updated graphics and mechanics. You’ll head to the mysterious planet Tallon IV.

There, the villainous Space Pirates, headed up by Ridley, are trying to do experiments with the Phazon substance. But what are their end goals? What makes Phazon so powerful? Furthermore, what makes Tallon IV so dangerous?

You’ll find out after you end up on the planet and have to search its remains to expose the truth, regain your abilities, and stop their plans.

#20 Citizen Sleeper

Citizen Sleeper is a very unique kind of sci-fi RPG. Because you’ll find yourself set on a space station that is both in ruins, and yet is the home to many. That’s not all though, you are an artificial person trying to escape your owners by blending into the society that is around you, and it’s not going to be easy.

Your choices will not only decide what you do in the game, but how you get away from those trying to hunt you. Spend your time wisely so you can build yourself up, but be sure to explore so you can see all that this unique station has to offer you.

A deep story awaits in Citizen Sleeper.

#19 Axiom Verge

For those who want a Metroidvania style title that feels entirely different from its namesakes, you’ll need to get Axiom Verge (or its sequel).

In the title, you’ll play as a scientist, who naturally has an accident and finds themselves in a place they do not recognize, but is filled with threats. Now, you have to explore this place in order to figure out what is going on, where you really are, and the truth about the accident.

In true Metroidvania style, you’ll go and wander back and forth, get new weapons and abilities, and gain access to new areas that’ll help you uncover the truth about the thin line you’re walking on.

#18 Rebel Galaxy Outlaw

Want a fun but gritty adventure in space? Then check out Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, because this is a “blue collar, white knuckle” sci-fi title that you can enjoy at your own pace and do just about anything you want in. even if all you want to do is just get in trouble.

Here, you’ll play as a person of your own making. You’ll choose between a couple of classes and then get to work…or don’t. You have a massive sector of space to go and play in, and you can do things the way the game guides you to, or ignore it and make a path worthy of an outlaw. The story is ready to be told, so go and tell it.

#17 Starlink: Battle for Atlas

Starlink: Battle for Atlas was ironically a title that had been in development for a while and was meant to be the next grand space adventure. It didn’t really turn out that way, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.

In the game you will play as various starship pilots as you try and save the Atlas system from the various threats that plague it. But what really makes the game special is the Switch version. Because in it, you’ll get a special story and pilot via Star Fox himself! That’s right, you’ll get to be Fox McCloud and battle against Star Wolf and others. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

#16 Everspace

If you’ve wanted to see space from the perspective of someone flying through it at basically the speed of light, then Everspace is the one you want to check out.

In the title, you’ll be a pilot roaming through a universe in any way that you want. You’ll deal with various roguelike gameplay elements and have to think fast at times to fight off enemies, solve puzzles in space, and more!

But don’t think there’s not a story here, because there is. You’ll travel across the universe to learn more about yourself, and how fast you learn the truth is very much up to you, so don’t miss out on trying this title!

#15 Transistor

Transistor is made by the same people who made the great title of Bastion, and they decided to take things to a much different sci-fi level here. Because in the game, you’ll be put with a weapon of an unknown origin. But the mysteries of this blade only start there. You’ll seek out its former owners in a futuristic city, and have to battle using its special abilities!

The game does its best to integrate a unique battle system that is fast, responsive, and tailors to your playstyle in certain ways. Add that to a world that is full of atmospheric storytelling and you’ll see why so many are high on this title.

#14 Astroneer

If you’re itching for another space game to go and play, you’re in luck, because Astroneer is here for you to enjoy.

In this title, you’ll be a part of a space agency who is trying to colonize various planets. The good news is that not only can you do that, you get to do it by terraforming just about everything in sight. That’s right, you’ll have free reign over a set of planets to do what you want with it. Make something above ground, or make something below it.

The choice is yours, and you’ll want to explore every inch of every planet to ensure that you get the maximum amount of fun.

#13 Subnautica

Subnautica isn’t your typical sci-fi title, but it’s one that makes up for that with its unique gameplay.

In the title, you crash land in the waters of an alien world, and now…you have to survive in them. Good luck with that!

Seriously though, your only way to make it through is to find supplies and slowly build, and then expand, a home for yourself beneath the waves. Just be cautious, you’ll have to endure not just exploration in the waters, but fighting off the creatures that live within it!

What is this strange world that you’ve crash landed on, and how long can you last there? Jump in and find out!

#12 Hyper Light Drifter

And now for something a bit different. Because Hyper Light Drifter won’t look like a lot of the games on this list due to its very colorful and old-school art style. But beneath that coat of paint is an all-time classic game featuring you doing across a savage land looking for treasure, fighting monsters, and exploring what happened here.

A dark history lies within this world, and you’ll have to fight your way across it. Plus, the Switch version runs at 60FPS! So you’ll have a truly smooth and beautiful experience as you play. So if you haven’t tried out this classic title before, now is the time.

#11 Metro Redux

The Metro franchise has often blended genres to make sure players got the maximum experience. Because it’s at times post-apocalyptic survival game, mixed with horror elements, and of course, sci-fi flair.

Metro Redux will be giving you quite the set of tasks to handle as it’s giving you not one but two games in one to go and play. You’ll have access to Metro 2033 as well as Metro Last Light.

Both games will put you in dire situations that require a large manner of exploring and tactical combat. All the while enjoying a gripping story across both titles. The future only happens if you survive long enough to witness it!

#10 Alien Isolation

One of the things that the Alien movie tried to convey when it came out was a sense of dread, as viewers (and the characters) knew that the Xenomorph was out there, but didn’t know where until it was often too late.

In Alien Isolation, you play as the daughter of Ellen Ripley who is trapped on a space station with a Xenomorph. Now, she must evade it long enough to get the station back online and get free of it. But be mindful, it can be anywhere, and everywhere, and if it finds you, you won’t survive.

Will you be able to last long enough to get free?

#9 Doom

At one point in time, the Doom franchise was one of the most hardcore things out there. Mainly because it was a game that wasn’t afraid to show all manner of blood and gore and have things like the BFG (you know what it stands for) within it. But, after a while, the game kind of…died out.

But then, Bethesda got a hold of it and decided that it was time for a rebirth, and that rebirth eventually included a port to the Switch so you can enjoy blowing up monsters on the go. So go and get in your armor and grab as many guns as you can, because you’ll need it to go and take down all the monsters that are coming after you.

#8 Life is Strange

The Life is Strange series is much more than people sometimes give it credit for. It’s a set of stories set within different locations and with different people and each of them revolve around young people with powers and abilities and trying to figure out what’s going on in their lives.

They’re stories that are meant to tug on the heartstrings and showcase certain mental illnesses while also showcasing the strength within.

With so many titles in the series, and with them now on Switch for you to get, you’ll be able to enjoy them for yourself and see all that they have to offer.

#7 BioShock: The Collection

When the first Bioshock came out, it was a revelation for many people. The second one…not so much. But then they bounced back perfectly with Bioshock Infinite and all was right with the world.

Regardless of when you came into the series, BioShock: The Collection will help you out by giving you all three games in one shot to go and play through. You’ll get to go to the depths of the sea to figure out the mysteries of Rapture, then go high into the floating city above to save Elizabeth from a terrible fate.

Each of these games have something to offer, so you won’t want to miss out on it.

#6 Warframe

The galaxy in which Warframe is set in is…complex let’s just put it that way. But the main crux of the game is that a bunch of beings were able to transfer their souls (kind of, it’s complicated) to entities known as Warframes. These suits of power are varied and have a bunch of abilities. There are over 50 to choose from currently (with a new one announced recently) and you’ll get to wield the one you want, give it the weapon you want, and then send it out to protect the people of the galaxy.

So yeah, that’s a lot. You know what’s not a lot? The price, because it’s free to play!

#5 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Given that the remake is potentially on pause (for who knows how long…), now is the best time to play the OG and still really good Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

While it may not hold up visually, the worlds, gameplay, and quests you go on absolutely do. This is set in a time long before the Skywalker Saga, and you’ll see the Jedi Order and the Sith in new lights as you forge your own path in the galaxy. Become a Jedi or a Sith based on the choices you make, and see where the story goes as a result.

This is one of the best RPGs ever made, and if you haven’t played it yet…you’re missing out.

#4 Doom Eternal

If you’re looking for even MORE Doom epicness and gore, then Doom Eternal is right there for you, and it definitely takes the revamped reboot and turns it up to a million.

Because while the first one was very much about recapturing the glory of Doom in a better 3D aesthetic, Doom Eternal is about putting you against legions of monsters and daring you to survive it. That’s right, this game will try and throw so much at you that it’s overwhelming. But with your incredible arsenal of sci-fi weapons, you’ll be able to kill them all with a smile on your face.

You are the Doomslayer, so why not go do some slaying?

#3 The Outer Worlds

Made by the epic team at Obsidian Entertainment, The Outer Worlds put you in an alternate history where the corporations have taken over the universe more or less (not exactly a surprise given our current worlds’ structure), and you wake up to a colony being ravaged by one of those said corporations.

So…what are you going to do about it? Well, that’s the fun, isn’t it? You don’t have to do anything about it, or, you can take the fight to the corporations and rain fire upon them. It’s well and truly your choice. Be a hero, be a villain, be something in between, as long as you’re having fun and making the choices you want? You’ll have a blast in The Outer Worlds.

#2 Astral Chain

Made by Platinum Games, Astral Chain isn’t just an epic sci-fi title, it’s arguably a love letter to anime (complete with theme song to start the game). You are one of two siblings, survivors in a world where the survivors are huddled together in a megacity. An astral plane just beyond the world’s reach invades Earth at times and it’s to you to stop the full crossover!

You’ll wield Chimera-like monsters known as Legions and use them to take them down. All the while unraveling the mystery of the world and the people you work for. Solve crimes to help grow the city, and fight back against the monsters so that humanity can continue to live!

#1 Metroid Dread

It’s only fair that the No.1 entry goes to a 1^st party Switch title in the sci-fi realm, don’t you think?

Metroid Dread honestly came out of nowhere (after being in and out of development for like 15 years…) and stunned everyone with how crisp and fun it was when it came out. The game takes place at the end of the current line of Metroid titles, and features Samus going to a planet where the mysterious X-Parasite is said to still exist.

As she gets there though, she’s taken by a mysterious enemy, and now has to work her way through the planet, fighting the corrupted enemies known as the EMMI, and figure out the truth of what’s going on.

This is a classic-style Metroid title, and you’ll definitely want to play it.