If you’re like me, someone who has developed a taste for playing RPGs on Nintendo Switch because of its portability, you must be more than happy, as the Japanese console offers us many options.
I was reviewing several lists of RPG games for Nintendo Switch, but many of them feature games that belong to well-known franchises, so I thought it would be a good idea to include some potentially hidden gems.
In this list of role playing games for Nintendo Switch, you won’t find Pokémon Legends, Mario RPG, Fire Emblem, Ni No Kuni, Monster Hunter, Persona, or Xenoblade, among others. These are probably games you’ve already played.
You also won’t find Action RPGs (ARPGs), because I’ll cover those separately in another guide that you can find here.
So having cleared this out, let’s check our best turned based combat RPGs for Nintendo Switch with JRPG flavor in it.
Top RPGs on Nintendo Switch
The Legend of Heroes, Crossbell Arc and Sequel
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Titles included: Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails into Reverie, Trails through Daybreak
Release dates: 2022 to 2024
Studio: Nihon Falcom
What it’s about:
Follow the political and social evolution of various regions within the continent of Zemuria. It begins in Crossbell with the Special Support Section, a small group that tackles local cases as a larger conflict emerges. It continues with Azure, which raises the stakes of the drama. Reverie brings together routes and characters from different arcs. Daybreak opens a new chapter in Calvard with a more urban and adult tone.
Why you’ll like it:
It offers long stories with characters that grow with each installment. It features turn-based combat that rewards planning and optimization. It develops a coherent world where each region has its own identity. It maintains a solid pace and variety of themes across its four games.
Star Ocean The Second Story R
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: November 2, 2023
Studio: Gemdrops
What it’s about:
It blends fantasy and science fiction in a journey that changes depending on the protagonist you choose. It features multiple endings and relationship events that alter the tone of the story. Combat is in real time with skills that open up different paths for each character.
Why you’ll like it:
Its dual protagonists give you two interpretations of the same adventure. The item creation system affects progress more than it seems. The fights are fast-paced and allow you to adjust patterns for each party member. Its pacing is clearly improved over the original version.
Dragon Quest III HD 2D Remake
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: November 14, 2024
Studio: Square Enix
What it’s about:
Recreates the classic with HD 2D aesthetics and maintains the structure based on travel, exploration, and classes. It starts with a hero who assembles his party and faces a conflict that spreads across several kingdoms. The turn-based system retains the simplicity of the original with modern adjustments.
Why you’ll like it:
The freedom to form your team from the start changes the entire experience. The HD 2D style feels clear and makes combat easy to read. The linear structure with optional routes creates a steady pace. It’s a remake that respects the original design without losing basic modernization.
Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: June 14, 2024
Studio: Atlus
What it’s about:
Set in a devastated Tokyo, you build a team of demons to face off against factions with opposing goals. This edition adds a new route with additional characters and major changes to the story. The trailer combines open exploration with turn-based combat focused on critical hits and affinities.
Why you’ll like it:
The alternate route alters key decisions and adds scenes that change the tone of the game. Demon fusion gives you complete control over your party’s performance. Battles demand precision and punish mistakes, creating tension with every turn. The area-based structure allows you to plan routes and master the terrain without losing momentum.
Unicorn Overlord
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: March 8, 2024
Studio: Vanillaware
What it’s about:
You command an army advancing across an open map divided into occupied regions. You form squads with classes that fulfill different roles and decide routes to liberate territories, recruit allies, and manage resources. Battles are resolved with formations that act according to predefined orders.
Why you’ll like it:
The squad system is deep and forces you to study synergies between classes. The open map gives you real freedom to advance without a fixed route. Each unit has abilities that change the flow of the fight without prolonging combat. The visuals provide clarity and style without distracting from the strategy.
Trials of Mana
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: April 24, 2020
Studio: Square Enix
What it’s about:
You can choose between six protagonists with different stories and motivations. You form a group of three and advance through connected areas while facing threats linked to the power of the mana tree. Combat is in real time with attacks, dodges, and abilities that depend on your class.
Why you’ll like it:
Changing classes modifies your play style and alters your strategy in each section. Your choice of trio defines scenes, bosses, and overall tone. Combat is fast-paced and maintains clear control over movement and distance. It’s a remake that respects the foundation of the original and improves the pace and readability of each fight.
Sea of Stars
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: August 29, 2023
Studio: Sabotage Studio
What it’s about:
Follow two warriors who use lunar and solar magic to face beings that threaten their world. Advance through islands, temples, and secret areas with turn-based combat that requires precision in every action. Exploration uses simple jumps and optional routes that hide equipment and missions.
Why you’ll like it:
Timed attacks make every turn count and prevent passive combat. Bosses have clear patterns and require quick reading. The music and design maintain identity without falling into empty nostalgia. Its structure avoids filler and gives you steady progress from start to finish.
Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: April 7, 2022
Studio: Square Enix
What it’s about:
You accompany Serge in a story that mixes parallel worlds and decisions that alter who joins the group. It features more than forty recruitable characters with their own routes. Turn-based combat uses an elemental system that influences order, damage, and field control. Includes Radical Dreamers, an interactive novel that expands the background story.
Why you’ll like it:
Its elemental system forces you to think about the color of the field and change it to your advantage. The huge cast allows you to create groups with different styles without repeating strategies. Parallel worlds offer clear variations in tone and events. The inclusion of Radical Dreamers adds context that was previously difficult to access.
Bravely Default II
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: February 26, 2021
Studio: Claytechworks
What it’s about:
Follow a group that collects crystals linked to natural disasters. Each region has its own conflicts and bosses that give you asterisks, items that unlock new classes. Turn-based combat uses Brave and Default, a system that lets you advance actions or save them to defend yourself.
Why you’ll like it:
The Brave and Default system gives you complete control over the pace of each fight. Asterisks change your play style and create combinations that adjust damage, support, or control. The difficulty requires planning and punishes bad choices without feeling unfair. The regions offer real variety in enemies and combat patterns.
Octopath Traveler
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: July 13, 2018
Studio: Acquire
What it’s about:
Features eight characters with separate paths who travel the same world for different reasons. Each has a path skill that changes how you interact with villages, shops, and NPCs. Turn-based combat uses break and boost to exploit weaknesses and chain actions.
Why you’ll like it:
The break system creates punishment turns that let you control the pace of each fight. Path skills change how you explore and give you different solutions depending on the protagonist. The HD 2D style maintains visual clarity in areas, effects, and bosses. Its structure allows you to progress in any order you prefer without losing mechanical cohesion.
Terra Memoria
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: 2024
Studio: La Moutarde
What it’s about:
Follow a group investigating magical glitches affecting various regions. Travel through towns and routes where you complete missions, rebuild structures, and find materials to help you progress. Turn-based combat uses a small grid that defines movement and range.
Why you’ll like it:
The construction system allows you to modify areas and open new paths. Battles use position and turn order to create clear advantages without inflating stats. The visual style makes it easy to read the environment and gives each region personality. Its pace is straightforward and prioritizes steady progress.
Live A Live
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: July 22, 2022
Studio: Square Enix
What it’s about:
It features seven stories set in different eras, from feudal Japan to the distant future. Each chapter has its own mechanics and protagonists with clear motivations. Turn-based combat uses a small grid where you choose position, range, and attack patterns.
Why you’ll like it:
Each era offers different rules and rhythms, which prevents repetition. The grid system forces you to measure distance and movement on each turn. The HD 2D style reinforces the identity of each scenario and makes it easier to read the battlefield. Its chapter structure allows you to advance at your own pace without losing coherence.
Cosmic Star Heroine
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: August 14, 2018
Studio: Zeboyd Games
What it’s about:
Follow Alyssa, an agent who uncovers a conspiracy linked to technology and social control. Advance through planets with straightforward missions and fast-paced scenes. Turn-based combat uses skills that recharge only when you decide to pass your turn or change your strategy.
Why you’ll like it:
The rechargeable skill system prevents command repetition and forces you to plan each turn. Encounters are free of filler, maintaining tension from start to finish. The tone mixes science fiction and humor with short dialogues that don’t slow down the action. Its compact design offers steady progress without unnecessary sections.
Ys, Modern Arc
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Titles included: Ys VIII Lacrimosa of Dana, Ys IX Monstrum Nox, Ys X Nordics
Release dates: 2018 to 2023
Studio: Nihon Falcom
What it’s about:
Follow Adol’s travels through isolated regions, cities under surveillance, and territories steeped in local legends. Each installment changes the tone and way of exploring. VIII focuses on an island full of creatures and ruins. IX shifts to a city divided by controls and introduces powers linked to the Monstrum. X takes the story to an archipelago with revamped combat and sea navigation.
Why you’ll like it:
Each game offers different paces without losing its identity. Combat is fast-paced and maintains clear reading of hits and openings. The movement skills in IX open up entire routes and make exploration fluid. In X, the pairing system adds additional control and improves precision. VIII stands out for its island full of secrets and missions that strengthen your base. The series maintains straightforward progress without filler.
Chained Echoes
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: December 8, 2022
Studio: Matthias Linda
What it’s about:
It presents a conflict between kingdoms seeking ancient weapons. You follow a group trying to stop an escalation affecting several regions. It combines exploration with turn-based combat that uses a tension meter to adjust damage, defense, and pace.
Why you’ll like it:
The tension system rewards precise turns and punishes excessive actions. Synergies between roles allow you to create clear groups without inflating stats. Switching between foot combat and mechs adds variety without breaking the flow. The structure avoids empty sections and keeps the pace steady.
Lunar Remastered Collection
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: 2025
Studio: GungHo Online Entertainment
What it’s about:
It brings together remastered versions of Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue. It maintains the classic structure of exploration, dungeons, and turn-based combat with an emphasis on positioning. The scenes maintain a light tone with moments that drive the group’s journey forward.
Why you’ll like it:
The visual improvements bring clarity to maps and battles without altering the original style. The narrative maintains a straightforward pace and features a cast with distinct personalities. Combat uses position to define damage and range, adding tactical depth. The collection allows you to experience one of the most influential series in classic JRPGs in its entirety.
Suikoden I & II Remastered
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Release date: Pending official confirmation
Studio: Konami
What it’s about:
It brings together the first two installments of the series with visual enhancements, redrawn portraits, and clearer maps. You follow political wars where you recruit dozens of characters to build your base and face rival factions. Each game features conflicts revolving around the power of runes and the fate of kingdoms.
Why you’ll like it:
The recruitment system allows you to build a castle full of useful roles and gives a unique sense of growth. Massive battles and one-on-one duels add variety without complicating the mechanics. The redesigns maintain the identity of the original and improve the readability of the scenarios. Both games are short, straightforward stories with decisions that have a real impact on the journey.