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One AAA game series that hasn’t had many releases on Nintendo’s latest console is Fallout, with just the free-to-play Fallout Shelter being available. Moreover, with Microsoft’s recent $7.5 Billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media, Bethesda’s parent company, there may never be another Fallout entry on a Nintendo console. Thankfully, the Nintendo Switch has plenty of other excellent RPGs, particularly JRPGs, to scratch players’ role-playing itch.
Updated June 3, 2022 by Jack Pursey: With the sheer number of video games released every month these days, it can be tough for players to decide what to play next. This issue will likely be even more prevalent in the coming years, as acquisitions of major companies like Bethesda, Activision, and Bungie from PlayStation and Xbox mean that many players will have to find alternatives to their favorite games if they become exclusives on consoles they don’t own.
For players looking for games like Fallout on Switch, we’ve expanded this list to include some key details, such as each game’s best feature and main story completion time.
15 The Outer Worlds
Initial Release Date: 25 October 2019
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 13 hours
Best Feature: The wonderfully designed planets that suck players into the sci-fi world
The Outer Worldswas developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the same company that developed the critically acclaimed Fallout: New Vegas. This title was originally released on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in 2019, before coming to Nintendo Switch the following year.
This action RPG lets players explore meticulously designed sci-fi environments while indulging in various side quests and a fantastic over-arching story that helped the game win the Game Writing award from the Nebula Awards. The Nebula Awards weren’t the only institution to recognize The Outer Worlds’ quality. The game also picked up the Role-Playing Game of the Year accolade from the 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
14 Wasteland 2: Director’s Cut
Initial Release Date: 19 September 2014
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 39 hours
Best Feature: The well-balanced combat that rewards smart tactical play and planning
Wasteland 2was developed by inXile Entertainment and was originally released on PC and Mac in 2014. The following year, a director’s cut came out, which eventually made its way to Nintendo Switch in September 2018.
Wasteland 2 is a post-apocalyptic RPG that differentiates itself from the Fallout series with its turn-based tactics combat. A sequel, Wasteland 3, was released in 2020 to positive reception from fans and critics. However, this game hasn’t made it to Nintendo Switch as of yet.
13 ATOM RPG
Initial Release Date: 19 December 2018
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Android, iOS
Main Story Completion Time: 37.5 hours
Best Feature: The leveling system
Atom Team’s 2018 indie game Atom RPG takes players to a post-apocalyptic iteration of the USSR, in an alternative history where it was crippled by a nuclear war. The game doesn’t hide its influences from the Fallout franchise, particularly the series’ older releases.
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Atom RPG struggled to impress critics, exemplified by its 65 Metascore for Nintendo Switch. However, the game still deserves a spot on this list. The reception from fans was far more positive, exemplified by an 8.6 User Score on Metacritic and Very Positive All Reviews mark on Steam.
12 Smoke And Sacrifice
Initial Release Date: 31 May 2018
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4
Main Story Completion Time: 10.5 hours
Best Feature: The well-written and continuously interesting story
Smoke and Sacrifice is a survival RPG developed by Solar Sail Games. The game puts players in the shoes of Sachi, a mother who hopes to find her son.
There’s an oddly beautiful charm to this title. Despite the morbid story and often disturbing visuals, the fantastic art design elicits a sense of wonder. The game can be tough at times, but it’s worth persisting. This wonderfully-written story is a great, continued payoff for the hard work.
11 Morphite
Initial Release Date: 19 September 2017
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 10.5 hours
Best Feature: The game’s causal and meditative pace makes it perfect for relaxing after a long day
Most of the games on this list are fast-paced with countless tasks to complete. Morphite, on the other hand, decides to slow things down and offer a more meditative approach to exploration and adventure.
Morphite features a beautiful low-poly game world with numerous planets that players can explore at a meditative pace. Many of the game’s planets are procedurally generated, though there are 15 that are hand-crafted to give a more focused approach to parts of the story.
10 Tales Of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
Initial Release Date: 11 January 2019
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 45.5 hours
Best Feature: The excellent cast of characters
Tales of Vesperia is a fantasy RPG developed by Namco Tales Studio. It’s the tenth entry in the Tales series that has included many fantastic games such as Tales of Symphonia and Tales of Xillia.
The game received praise upon release for its excellent battle combat system and intricate story, but some criticism for its lack of postgame content. Gamespot in particular praised the game’s story and nominated it for their 2008 Best Story award.
9 Octopath Traveler
Initial Release Date: 13 July 2018
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Stadia, Xbox One
Main Story Completion Time: 60.5 hours
Best Feature: The wide range of playable characters and stories
Most games on this list appeal to fans of the modern Fallout games like Fallout 4 and Fallout New: Vegas. On a different note, though, Octopath Traveler’s HD-2D will appeal more to fans of the series’ first two games.
Octopath Traveler takes players to the fictional land of Orsterra. Players will follow the interweaving stories of eight separate characters over the game’s impressive 60-80 hour runtime.
8 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Initial Release Date: 3 March 2017
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Wii U
Main Story Completion Time: 50 hours
Best Feature: The incredible game-world that revolutionized open-world gaming with its size, detail, and physics
The iconic Legend of Zelda series received its 19th main series entry in 2017. The game received incredible praise from fans and critics upon release, many of whom branded it as the best Zelda game yet.
Breath of the Wild differentiated itself from the vast majority of games in the franchise by bringing the series back to its roots. Much like the original NES game, there is very little hand-holding. Players can freely complete quests in any order that they choose. Along with comparisons to the series’ original, many critics pointed out similarities to FromSoftware’s Dark Souls.
7 Dark Souls Remastered
Initial Release Date: 24 May 2018
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 29.5 hours
Best Feature: The sense of adventure, particularly in the game’s first half
Speaking of Dark Souls, the modern classic came to the Nintendo Switch with the recent remastered version. Unfortunately, the remaster offered very few changes from the original, but it’s still the best way to play the game if you haven’t picked it up yet.
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Despite receiving little acknowledgment and marketing at the time of its release, Dark Souls has quickly become of the most beloved and influential games of the 21st century.
6 Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age
Initial Release Date: 16 March 2006
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Main Story Completion Time: 40.5 hours
Best Feature: Like most Final Fantasy games, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age stands out with its epic story
One aspect that brings this iconic series acclaim is the unique playstyle and themes that differentiate them from the competition. Consequently, the juggernaut gaming series Final Fantasy may not have many direct similarities to Fallout. Still, when talking about great RPGs, it would be remiss not to include Square Enix’s legendary franchise.
Final Fantasy 12, one of the most critically acclaimed modern entries to the Final Fantasy series, came to the Nintendo Switch in 2019. The remastered game vastly improved the game’s visuals, and also expanded the soundtrack.
5 Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
Initial Release Date: 29 May 2020
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Main Story Completion Time: 51.5 hours
Best Feature: The game’s beautiful remastered world that is begging to be explored
From one remastered RPG to another, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition came to the Nintendo Switch in May 2020. Despite the cartoony art style, Xenoblade Chronicles has many similarities to the Fallout series.
The game’s huge open-world is filled to the brim with items to discover and sidequests to complete. Furthermore, the game gives players all the time in the world to explore the landscape. There’s no pressure to get back onto any sort of linear pathline.
4 Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Initial Release Date: 1 December 2017
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Main Story Completion Time: 63.5 hours
Best Feature: The mesmerizing soundtrack
If remasters aren’t your thing, then Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is your better bet. The game was one of the Nintendo Switch’s most highly-anticipated titles when it was announced alongside the console, evidenced by its huge sales figures totaling over 2 million units.
Similar to its predecessor, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a huge open world that is a joy to explore. The game wasn’t as well-received as the original Xenoblade Chronicles, but it still scored a respectable 83 on Metacritic.
3 Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
Initial Release Date: 27 September 2019
Available Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, Stadia
Main Story Completion Time: 57.5 hours
Best Feature: The epic story that manages to stay engaging despite its 50+ hour length
Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition isn’t just long in name, but in the runtime too. According to HowLongToBeat.com, the game has an impressive completionist time of 129 hours.
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The latest release in the main series of Square Enix’s Dragon Quest, the game was universally praised by critics and picked up the 2017 Titanium Award for Best Role-Playing Game.
2 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Complete Edition
Initial Release Date: 19 May 2015
Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Main Story Completion Time: 55.5 hours
Best Feature: The huge range of memorable quests
The crown jewel of the recent Xbox One and PS4 generation, CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher 3 was released early in the consoles’ lifespans. This title blew players away by showing off the developer’s true hardware capabilities.
Just over two years after the Switch’s release, the game found its way to the Nintendo console. The game was released as a Complete Edition, which included the game’s two expansion packs, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine.
1 Skyrim
Initial Release Date: 11 November 2011
Available Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Main Story Completion Time: 25.5 hours
Best Feature: The unparalleled level of freedom that players have to choose their own path and form unique adventures
Bethesda hasn’t released any of their Fallout series on the Switch. However, their most recent entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, was released on the console in 2017. Despite releasing a few months after the console, it was an important game prior to its launch. It featured heavily in the console’s trailers and press releases.
Realistically, if you’re a fan of Fallout, you’ve probably completed Skyrim as multiple different characters by now. But for the few that haven’t given the dragon-slaying alternative to Fallout a try yet, players will be in for a treat.
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