5 Nintendo Switch Games To Play While Quarantined

The coronavirus pandemic has most of the world stuck at home. Worrying times can lead to unrest. The cool thing about gaming, however, is that it's great at distracting you from an otherwise tumultuous reality. With extra time on your hands, why not make the most of quarantine life by sinking your teeth into some good Switch games? If you're one of the lucky ones who managed to bag a Switch before or during quarantine (they're basically sold out everywhere right now), maybe one of the following 5 games are the perfect accompaniment?

Let's dive right in!

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is easily the hottest Switch game to own right now. It's not only perfect at entertaining you for a several hours on end, but it's such a calm, fun & easy game to get into.

The game begins with you arriving at a desert island courtesy of Tom Nook's getaway package. After becoming a resident of this island (that you get to name FYI), you quickly become a part of this incredibly cute and friendly community. You will go about your everyday island life developing the land, encouraging new residents to move in, as well as exploring other islands within the game for resources and materials that can help spruce up your ACNH life.

ACNH is one of the most creative and complex in the line of Animal Crossing games, allowing you to customize your look on a daily basis, creating your own outfits, flexing your interior design skills, contributing to the building of an island museum, all while making friends who regularly trade gifts with you. Real life friends and family can join in on the fun too as the game gives you the option to travel to their island and make memories alongside them.

With plenty of fish, bugs and fossils to collect and money to be splashed on a ton of cool gadgets within ACNH, players can be rest assured that their time will be spent well. 

2. Splatoon 2

If you’re super into team-based shooter games then Splatoon 2 might just be the thing you need to get you through quarantine life.

The main game mode of Splatoon 2 is an online-only Turf War whereby you engage in a crazy four vs four race to mark the map in as much of your team’s color ink as possible. Another popular mode is Salmon Run which, once again in a team of four, you splash as many monsters in ink as possible and collect the golden eggs that they drop once hit.

Splatoon 2 is most famous for its endless stream of multiplayer and co-op fun. The game expects team effort and collaboration, while also encouraging competitiveness as you try to climb to the top of Ranked Battles or League Battles. With so much to achieve as a collective, Splatoon 2 could have you hooked for hundreds of hours on end while keeping you connected with friends and family in line with quarantine safety rules.

3. Pokémon Sword & Shield

The best way to deal with being stuck at home is to find a game that is all about travelling and exploring different parts of the world it’s set in. The Pokémon franchise is all about going on long outdoor voyages where you’ll get to meet new pokémon’s, catch them and bolster your team, while beating other trainers along the way in order to become the best of them all.

The Sword and Shield games are a refreshing change of pace in the Pokémon franchise, offering plenty new pokémon’s to familiarize yourself with, new enemies to overcome, and plenty of cutting-edge mechanics to get accustomed to. The gym battles alone will take your breath away, due to the new Dynamax ability and battling in stadiums full of lively fans.

If you want to roll back the years and forget about the troubles of now, Pokémon Sword and Shield are the perfect remedy for that.

4. Celeste

Celeste’s main character of the game is someone who struggles a lot with her mental health but, as her partner in crime, you are there to help her climb a very tall mountain. Each platform is designed to challenge the character in her journey to the top and, alongside her, you will struggle plenty. But with patience and determination, the hope is that together you will eventually overcome the any hurdles thrown at you both.

Does all of this ring a very current and familiar bell? Isn’t that what we are all trying to do during these unprecedented times? As such, you may find this to be a truly therapeutic and grounded gaming experience.

5. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild offers an incredibly vast open-world fit for hours of exploring. You’ll come across hundreds of shrines that you have to solve in order to advance in the game. Along the way you’ll meet foes that want to halt your journey which is just as well because the combat mechanics are truly something to behold. You can tell a lot of care and love went into designing Breath of the Wild.

The game offers over 75 side quests and 900 korok seeds to collect in this almost overwhelming open-world RPG. Become the hero of Hyrule as you go on a gaming adventure you’ll never forget. 

Next up, Super Mario’ Celebrates 35th Game Anniversary With A UNIQLO UT Collab