Mature Games On Nintendo Consoles

The console wars have led to fans having to make some interesting decisions when it comes to their video games. Each console tends to have its own advantages and areas where it differentiates itself from the competition. Nintendo is a company that skews more towards innovation and creative gameplay over more advanced processing power, especially in recent years.

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Another area in which Nintendo has stood out from the rest of the pack is its more family-friendly image. This doesn’t mean that more mature games are impossible on Nintendo consoles, but they’re certainly more uncommon. Accordingly, here are some of the most mature games released on Nintendo consoles.

Updated September 9, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Nintendo is synonymous with family-friendly entertainment, but exceptions always exist. In recent times, the Japanese company seems to have grown more willing to allow adult games on Nintendo consoles, at least within reason.

18 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

In this case, the most impressive thing is that, somehow, CD Projekt Red got The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt running on the Nintendo Switch. One of the best RPGs of the eighth console generation, The Witcher 3 brings Geralt's story to a close in spectacular fashion.

With intelligent writing, great side quests, and an expansive world ripe for exploration, this game is considered a masterpiece for good reason. The Switch version is not the ideal way to experience The Witcher 3 but the fact it is a possibility is nothing short of amazing.

17 Doom

While this entry specifically calls out 2016's Doom, it can be considered a placeholder for any entry from the franchise. Doom Eternal and Doom 64 are also great picks. The Doom Slayer returned to prominence in a big way through id Software's soft reboot of the series.

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Gory kills, aggressive enemies, and satisfying combat define Doom. This is a first-person shooter that devotes itself entirely to its gameplay, offering wave after wave of demons for the player to mow through with stylish efficiency.

16 Sakura Succubus Games

• Release Date: April 22, 2021 - May 26, 2022
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

Somehow, the Nintendo Switch has become a great console to experience the Sakura franchise. For the uninitiated, this series consists of short visual novels that lean very heavily into fan service, although they typically fall short of showing anything too graphic. A sub-series, Sakura Succubus consists of five games that drop players into a harem where they can live out their anime fantasies.

Compared to some other visual novels, Sakura is rather tame, which is why its games tend to struggle to make a splash on a platform like Steam. However, they stick out on the Nintendo eShop.

15 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

Prior to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, Rockstar's franchise had yet to release one of its 3D open-world entries on a Nintendo console. This trend persisted for multiple hardware generations, and it started to seem like Rockstar had no intention of ever crossing that line. Then, GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas made their way to the Switch in one neat little package.

Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launched with plenty of problems and wound up being a mess. Still, Nintendo fans finally have the option to try a mainline 3D GTA game.

14 Max Payne

A Max Payne game has yet to be released on a Nintendo home console, and Remedy's upcoming remake is not set to change that. Despite that fact, the first Max Payne was adapted for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, and this iteration is surprisingly faithful to the original game.

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Played from an isometric perspective, Max Payne on the GBA retains most of the features and story beats found in the home console versions. While not the best way to experience this tale, the Nintendo port is a competent alternative that, frankly, has no reason to exist.

13 Mortal Kombat 11

Ever since its debut, Mortal Kombat has publicly represented "Mature" games. It is the first franchise that tends to pop into the minds of people when violent, bloody games are discussed. While Nintendo used to be quite welcoming of the franchise around the turn of the century, Mortal Kombat 11 was the first main entry to appear on one of the company's systems for over a decade.

Naturally, concessions had to be made to get Mortal Kombat 11 running on the Switch, with the visuals and effects being considerably worse than on other consoles. However, the combat is still fun and gory.

12 Narc

Quaint as it might seem nowadays, Narc was a huge deal back in the last '80s. An arcade title that eventually found its way onto the NES, Narc follows two agents as they work their way through a drug cartel, arresting and shooting enemies along the way.

Along with its mature themes, Narc was very violent for the era, even featuring blood. The NES version reduced quite a bit of the drug references but kept the rest of the game mostly intact.

11 Conker's Bad Fur Day

Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a particularly unique case because it takes a cute and adorable character and then gives them a major attitude adjustment and throws them into a world that’s saturated in violence and sex. Not many Nintendo 64 games begin with a cinematic that references Saving Private Ryan and A Clockwork Orange.

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It’s a strange change of pace for Rare, but one of the best decisions that they made. The Nintendo 64 had very few M-rated games, so a title like Conker’s Bad Fur Day really stands out.

10 Chiller

Back in the late '80s, there was a strange lawlessness to video games, largely because the limitations of the hardware acted as a form of censorship in and of itself. Chiller started as an arcade game but received an unlicensed port for the original Nintendo and even morbidly made use of the NES Zapper.

Chiller features bloody torture chambers, desecrated graveyards, and a shocking amount of dismemberment and deaths. Chiller is an offensive relic of its time that ruffled feathers back when it came out, but it's become an odd piece of history and easily the NES' most mature game.

9 Bully: Scholarship Edition

Rockstar has become notable for its violent open sandbox games that push boundaries and make headlines. Most of Rockstar’s efforts are set in aggressive environments that justify their violence, but Bully is a controversial detour because it centers around teenagers at a boarding school.

Bully features a lot of the same tricks and ideas that are found in Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar's other big series. However, since Bully puts that aggression behind a young protagonist, it’s particularly risky. Bully didn’t debut on the Wii, but it definitely turned some heads when it got ported to the console.