With rumours suggesting that Swap 2 may not be launching till someday after March 2025, you is likely to be seeking to fill the time when you watch for the subsequent Nintendo hotness. Thankfully, there are many very large, very lengthy video games on Swap if you happen to’re a time-rich gamer.
Generally you simply need a fast hit of online game goodness to fill a half-hour hole in your schedule, however others you wish to sit again and luxuriate in an absorbing world for hours on finish. Thankfully, Swap caters to avid gamers on each ends of the spectrum, whether or not you are after a quick amuse-bouche or a 12-course blow-out meal with all of the trimmings. At the moment, we’re trying on the latter.
That is proper, we’re right here to kind by way of a choice of the 36 greatest, longest Swap video games — extra particularly, the 36 greatest, longest Swap video games which are truly good. There are many video games you can sink lots of of hours into, however decidedly fewer that you will come away from feeling that that was time nicely spent. We have reviewed each lengthy Swap sport on the record beneath they’ve all scored not less than 8/10.
All of the hour counts included right here come from How Lengthy To Beat, the neighborhood ballot website that gathers playtime information from its customers to present new gamers a good suggestion of how a lot time they will must commit to a sport earlier than rolling credit. Whereas they’ve varied averaged totals, together with occasions for mainlining the marketing campaign and 100% completion, we have based mostly this record on the Principal + Sides/Further totals. So, to place that in Breath of the Wild phrases, you have executed all of the mainline and aspect quests, however you have not gone completion-crazy and picked up all 900 Korok seeds.
The variety of customers who’ve submitted stats varies per sport, so it is value conserving a pinch of salt useful and never treating the acknowledged hour depend as gospel — everybody has their very own tempo, in fact, so consider them as a tough information. We have additionally eradicated F2P, live-service video games, and different titles which really feel like they may go on nearly indefinitely resulting from their day by day check-in construction. Are you able to ever actually ‘end’ Animal Crossing?
Sufficient preamble — let’s get into the amble itself and check out our picks of the most effective lengthy video games on Swap. We begin with the, er, shortest lengthy sport of the 36…
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Clever Techniques
Principal + Sides: 76 Hours
We kick issues off with Clever Techniques’ Three Homes. If 76 hours of high quality first-party technique and research on the Garegg Mach Monastery is not sufficient for you, there’s the 8-ish hours of Cindered Shadows DLC, too.
And if that is not sufficient, you’ll be able to at all times play by way of once more with one other home such because the Black Eagles/Blue Lions/Golden Deer (delete as relevant) to change into a 210-hour ‘Completionist’. That appears like a recipe for turn-based battling burnout to us, however every to their very own. It’s a nice sport.
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Writer: Hi there Video games / Developer: Hi there Video games
Principal + Sides: 77 Hours
With all of the updates Hi there Video games retains including to No Man’s Sky, 77 hours appears like a conservative estimate to us — and HLTB’s ‘Completionist’ hour depend stands at 150 hours. Regardless, it is a stable Swap port of an engrossing sport providing a really nice galaxy to get misplaced in.
Writer: Versus Evil
Principal + Sides: 78 Hours
You possibly can add one other 30 hours if you wish to completely 100% the Full Version of Obsidian’s Pillars Of Eternity, combating your means by way of labyrinthian dungeons, exploring abandoned Dwarven fortresses, turning into Lord of your very personal stronghold, and enterprise quests as various as they’re beautifully-written and acted.
Writer: Capcom / Developer: Capcom
Principal + Sides: 78 Hours
Monster Hunter Rise might need launched within the shadow of World on extra highly effective consoles, nevertheless it definitely did not really feel like some scaled-down aspect story; as a substitute, it is one of many strongest entries into the franchise to this point. As is customary for the collection, there are lots of of hours right here if you happen to’re decided to hunt each monster and get each weapon, to not point out the multiplayer expedition on provide. Throw within the Sunbreak growth and it will greater than double the quantity of stuff to do. Great things it’s, too. Nay, nice stuff.
Writer: Mossmouth / Developer: Mossmouth
Principal + Sides: 79½ Hours
Making your means by way of a single profitable run of roguelite masterclass Spelunky 2 will take you one thing like 27 hours. However whereas surviving a single run would possibly fulfill the time-poor amongst us, there’s a lot extra to dig into within the depths of Derek Yu’s improbable sequel.
Writer: Nintendo / Developer: Sq. Enix
Principal + Sides: 80½ Hours
If “80½ Hours” feels weirdly particular, it is value remembering that HLTB’s ballot stats come from a lot of customers (normally) throughout a number of platforms and that the precise common for this one is listed as 81 hours and 16 minutes. Which is 46 minutes longer, for some purpose — a median between the imply and median averages, maybe? It highlights the necessity to take all these stats with a pinch of salt, anyhow. Estimates take into consideration individuals who blitzed by way of like lightning and people who take a extra meticulous method. Like that one devoted one that’s admirably put 135 hours into Health Boxing. Is that you simply, Shiryu?
Anyhow, the place have been we? Ah sure, Octopath Traveler. Good sport. Lengthy sport.
Writer: Marvelous AQL / Developer: Neverland
Principal + Sides: 80½ Hours
Tying with Octopath, Rune Manufacturing unit 4 Particular apparently takes fewer hours to finish than the 3DS non-special model — an indication of the Swap launch’s quality-of-life updates, maybe. Or that every one those that performed the unique additionally performed particular and knew precisely what they have been doing this time round. Most likely the previous, although.
Writer: Marvelous (XSEED) / Developer: Marvelous (XSEED)
Principal + Sides: 81 Hours
Story of Seasons: Buddies of Mineral City serves up dozens of hours of farm-sim goodness. In reality, we’re stunned the stats aren’t completely crawling with nothing however time-sink farm sims. 4 ‘Completionists’ averaged a whopping 246 hours on this one, so loads of scope right here if gruelling farmwork is your go-to.
Writer: Skybound Video games / Developer: Beamdog
Principal + Sides: 81½ Hours
Obtainable on Swap in a bundle with the primary sport, Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Version is an RPG traditional that performs fantastically on Swap, and you can argue that there is not any different console extra handy for spending dozens of hours in its firm.
Writer: Sq. Enix / Developer: Sq. Enix
Principal + Sides: 82½ Hours
Clocking in a bit longer than the unique, Octopath Traveler II delivers one other eight-pathed epic to lose your self in for every week of 12-hour days. It acquired a bit forgotten within the GOTY 2023 crowd having launched in February that 12 months, nevertheless it’s completely value trying out.
Writer: Pink Hook Studios / Developer: Pink Hook Studios
Principal + Sides: 83 Hours
A dauntingly deep, completely absorbing dungeon crawler that can swallow you up for hours at a time, Darkest Dungeon would not current probably the most nice world through which to spend so many hours, however if you happen to’re prepared and capable of undergo the stress it inflicts, that point will move in a short time certainly.
Writer: NIS America / Developer: Nihon Falcom
Principal + Sides: 83 Hours
If for some purpose you are seeking to calm down to 1 collection that’ll doubtless see you out, Falcom’s storied Legend of Heroes has lots of and lots of of hours of RPG-ing to maintain you occupied. 2024’s Trails by way of Dawn inched ever nearer to the Kiseki video games’ epic conclusion with the aspect quests placing practically 30 hours on the full hour depend.
Up Subsequent: Administration & Tycoon
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 earlier than becoming a member of the location full-time the next 12 months, rising by way of the ranks to change into Editor. He can at the moment be discovered squashed beneath a Swap backlog the scale of Normandy.
