Guide: The Easiest Nintendo Switch Games

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe delivers addictive, unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel, and with features that make doing just that extremely easy, it's one of the most approachable games on Switch.

That's not to say it's bland in any way — far from it. MK8D is one of the most action-packed games on the system, with anti-gravity sections and riotous racing across the known Mario universe and beyond that can get pretty manic even on the simplest course. However, with a host of auto-control options, including auto-steer, with a bit of luck, even the worst driver can get a podium place.

Not online, of course. People are crazy good (and competitive) online. Offline, though, Mario Kart 8 is as easygoing as you want it to be.

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Tetris Effect: Connected (Switch eShop)

This sublime game is arguably Tetris, for people who love the idea but are rubbish at Tetris. Tetris Effect: Connected has been designed to wash over you, prioritising the sensory experience over the high score. There's challenge for those looking for it, but the barriers to entry have never been lower than with this particular iteration of the most famous puzzler in video game history. It's never been easier to get into Tetris, go with the flow, and have an extraordinary time with it.

Super Mario RPG (Switch)

A breezy 12-15 hours of roleplaying, Super Mario RPG is one of the most approachable and entertaining entries in a massive, highly varied genre. A remake of the Super NES original, it was always an easy game and the Switch version changes nothing in that department. It would serve as a great introduction to the genre for curious players, too.

Shoutout to Paper Mario: The Origami King — a lovely adventure which dials the challenge right down, but is also a little too languorous in parts. Its combat, in particular, is unengaging and feels like padding in a way Mario RPG's doesn't. Origami King's gorgeous visuals and excellent writing might keep you entertained enough to overlook its faults; for us, Super Mario RPG has the distinct edge, though.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a blissful life sim with no real fail state, and is therefore very easy to get into and take at your own pace. The game has entire mechanics that you may never interact with. Some people spend all their time designing cool outfits, while others are still wearing what they put on years ago. If you're an avid amateur entomologist, have at the various bugs flitting around your island! Alternatively, don't — that's cool.

It's Animal Crossing's easygoing way that has made it such a hit with gamers of all sorts. You really can't go wrong with it.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! (Switch)

Pokémon games have been getting easier over the years — at least if you're just looking to mainline the story to the Elite Four — and Let's Go, Pikachu and Eevee reimagine the original Game Boy games on Switch with a motion-controlled capture mechanic that marries the series' old-school turn-based gameplay with the approachability of catching Pocket Monsters in Pokémon GO.

Throw in a heavy dose of nostalgia for anybody who's caught 'em all (or some) in Kanto before, and this is a nice and easy pairing.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch)

Sometimes you just want to bash some scenery, vacuum up some shiny bits, and move between areas standing on switches and hitting baddies on the head as you go. All of the above is the licensed Lego games' bread and butter, usually with a healthy dollop of slapstick humour and some drop-in/out co-op play thrown in. You know exactly what you're getting with a licensed Lego game, and The Skywalker Saga is one of the best.

Alternatively, there are plenty of other Lego games if you don't like Star Wars. Check out our picks of the best below: