Summary
- The Nintendo Switch is great for playing music games, such as Just Dance and Hatsune Miku, due to its handheld mode and use of Joy-Cons.
- Trombone Champ and Taiko No Tatsujin are fun and unique music games on the Switch that offer different gameplay experiences.
- Just Shapes & Beats and Crypt of the NecroDancer are highly rated music games with intense gameplay and epic soundtracks.
The Nintendo Switch is filled with countless interesting games to play, from simple simulators to sink into action-filled adventure titles. However, besides these games, the handheld console is also great for enjoying less popular titles such as music games.
8 Video Games With Beautiful Original Orchestral Music
Video games are often made memorable by having a quality, iconic soundtrack. These games achieve this with some beautiful orchestral music.
As the name suggests, the music genre includes various titles, such as the Just Dance series that works excellently on the switch due to the use of the Joy Cons to more rhythm-based titles that require the player to press the right buttons at the right time. Being able to enjoy these games from either handheld mode or being active makes these music games some of the best on the Nintendo Switch.
8 Just Dance 2024 Edition
Metascore: 72
Just Dance 2024 Edition
- Released
- November 22, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft
- Platform(s)
- PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and Series S
- Genre(s)
- Musical, Action
Unsurprisingly, one of the greatest music games that can be played on the Nintendo Switch is the Just Dance franchise. While the player's phone can now be used as a remote to track the player's movements, the Nintendo Switch still comes with two great joy-cons that do the same job.
In the 2024 edition of the title, players can go into the next year with plenty of modern tunes and interesting dance choreography to learn, not to mention that the title also contains some classics that players are sure to enjoy.
7 Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
Metascore: 79
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix
Hatsune Miku is a well-known music artist who isn't even a real person. However, her music is so loved that she has had multiple rhythm games over the years with fan-favorite songs included. One such example of this can be found on the Nintendo Switch, known as Hatsune Miku Project Diva Mega Mix.
This game includes various songs from across her albums that not only include Hatsune Miku herself but also other members of the group that is known as Vocaloids. Playing the game in handheld mode is only made better by the various customization options that can be unlocked to dress up Miku and the other members how they see fit.
6 Trombone Champ
Metascore: 79
Trombone Champ
Trombone Champ began its rise to fame on Steam, where players found themselves wheezing out of breath from both laughing and playing the Trombone. This silly music title finally branched out from the PC and made its way to various consoles, including the Switch, where players can use the analog stick to make the note blown lower or higher.
7 Games That Let You Play Your Own Music
Either by adding in their own tunes or allowing players to create unique songs, these games let fans unleash their musical side.
As a music game that shouldn't be taken seriously, players are sure to find themselves giggling at every missed note or frantic attempt to reach the end of a song without gasping for air.
5 Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival
Metascore: 80
Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival
- Released
- September 21, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Rhythm, Action
A rhythm game that truly harnesses the technology of the Nintendo Switch has to be the drumming title of Taiko No Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival. Players can play this game in handheld mode, but the true enjoyment of the game is fully experienced when having a joy-con in each hand. Players use each joy-con as a drumstick for their drum and must act as if the instrument is in front of them to hit the notes at the right time.
Taiko No Tatsujin has an assortment of songs for layers to attempt, from classic instrumentals to popular Japanese hits. Some of these songs may naturally be harder, but players can even up the challenge for themselves by attempting every song at a quicker pace and attempting to hit every note.
4 Just Shapes & Beats
Metascore: 83
Just Shapes & Beats
Music games don't need to be those that have players pressing buttons to a rhythm or dancing to a familiar song. Just Shapes & Beats instead has players enjoying a bullet-hell with epic music in the background all while avoiding shapes. This simplistic premise has seen Just Shapes & Beats become a favorite of the bullet-hell genre on the Nintendo Switch, which pairs nicely with the intense music in the background.
With multiple levels for players to test their luck at, each one has its own unique track made by a talented EDM artist, so the players are sure to find a level they enjoy simply for its music, even if the level itself is a challenge.
3 Crypt Of The NecroDancer
Metascore: 86
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Released back in 2015, Crypt of the NecroDancer has continued to amaze and challenge players across a variety of platforms, including the Nintendo Switch. This intense title combined the roguelike genre with keeping a rhythm to create a deadly dungeon crawler experience that makes timing important.
5 Best Music-Based Puzzles in Video Games
These tune-based puzzles are some of the most unique and best among games.
Players will need to remember to not get lost in the groove as they navigate the dungeons while staying in rhythm all while avoiding the various foes they find down below too. The epic soundtrack made by Danny Baranowsky is sure to never get old, as players complete multiple runs to get either the fastest time or the best score.
2 Melatonin
Metascore: 87
Melatonin
Melatonin is a dreamy and laid-back rhythm game with over 20 music levels to get stuck into. Not every level is the same either, with each soundtrack being set to a different rhythm mini-game. As players adventure across this cozy world, the title fits the handheld nature of the Nintendo Switch perfectly with the controls, being easy to pick up and understand.
Alongside the cozy music is a thoughtful story that touches on the themes of dreaming and reality merging together. All this combines with the hand-drawn art style to make one of the most relaxing, easy-going rhythm games available on the Switch.
1 Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
Metascore: 87
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
Out of all the available music-themed games on the Nintendo Switch, one of the best of them all is a rhythm game that fans of the Final Fantasy franchise will adore. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a rhythm title packed with 385 music tracks from over forty games in the franchise.
Many of these songs players can attempt to beat their high score on are some of the most touching pieces of music from core moments in the franchise. Besides playing songs, players can also put together their dream party of Final Fantasy characters as well as take on the levels with a friend.