In the year 2021, who would have imagined that a quirky video game about moving into a new home could result in one of the most cathartic pieces of interactive entertainment of the year? Unpacking delivers exactly what you'd expect from a video game about unloading boxes of personal possessions, and yet the game is more than just zen-like tranquility with effortlessly charming retro visuals. These results may be a bit surprising, with Nintendo only having two entries in a top ten list that is dominated by games that range from a polished retro FPS violence to a charming moving simulator, visual novels with hard-hitting themes, and a classic puzzle game that provides the ultimate audio and visual experience.
Metacritic collects tons of reviews from a wide variety of respected outlets and comes up with an average score dubbed the Metascore. If you picked up a Switch this year or are simply looking for new stuff to play, we've rounded up the highest rated games of 2021 on Metacritic, GameSpot's sister site. 2021 even saw the arrival of the Switch OLED, a lovely edition to the Switch family. Able to provide a thrilling experience in any of its configurations-if we're not counting the Switch Lite that is-Nintendo's popular console also has access to an incredible library of first-party main event titles and darling indie games. The Nintendo Switch has been a game-changer since it arrived in 2017 as a hybrid console that balances the demands of home entertainment with the convenience of mobile gaming.