Tactical RPGs have been around for many years. These strategy RPGs feel take the turn-based RPG concept and combine it with a chess-like battlefield. Many tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch have come out since its release, but some are better than others. This post will cover the top 8 Best Tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch!
1. Fire Emblem Three Houses
Fire Emblem Three Houses is another great tactical RPG entry in the long-running Fire Emblem series. If you aren’t familiar with Fire Emblem, it originated as one of the Best NES RPGs. The story centers around a mercenary turned professor that starts teaching at a military academy centered between three kingdoms.
In this military academy, there are three houses each a representative of their respective kingdom. You’ll start by choosing one of these kingdoms to align with. This choice will determine your starting team of characters and will influence the story as well.
This game combines a teaching hub world element with traditional tactical RPG combat. You’ll begin with your characters in set roles such as knights, mages, archers, etc. However, as you progress, you’ll be able to class-change these characters into a variety of more powerful classes.
The really fun part of Fire Emblem Three Houses and why it is one of the Best Tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch is that your characters aren’t limited to certain classes. This means that you can customize each one of your characters into specific classes and they can learn any number of abilities.
This variety of options really increases the replay value and makes it a very addicting Switch game. If you like Switch RPGs Fire Emblems Three Houses is a definite must-buy!
2. Disgaea 6
This is the 6th entry in the long-running tactical RPG Disgaea series going back to the Playstation 2. In Disgaea 6 you’ll play as a young zombie Zed who is on a quest to defeat the god of destruction.
The Disgaea series is known for its over-the-top humor and massive level caps as well as addicting tactical RPG combat. Disgaea definitely delivers as one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch.
In true Disgaea fashion, this Switch RPG breaks through the level caps even further and you can push your characters well beyond their traditional 9999 level cap. Typically this could lead to some tedious level grinding but this installment streamlines that with some in-depth AI-powered auto battling.
The cool part is you can really customize your units to work within a series of actions in priority order and I was able to program this to almost my identical play style for most situations. Doing this allowed me to have my team grinding out levels and dungeons in the background while I did other things. It really removed some of the grindy nature of the Disgaea games but also kept some challenging end-game levels to test your powered-up team.
Using the auto battle function isn’t necessary, but be warned that if you overuse it, it can make the main storyline quite easy. Either way, this entry in the Disgaea series is one of my favorites and is definitely one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch worth buying.
3. Tactics Ogre Reborn
Tactics Ogre Reborn is a Tactical RPG for Nintendo Switch that is a remake of a classic SNES RPG. Now this game is going to likely be a more simplified tactical RPG compared to others on this list since it is based on an older game.
However, the gameplay is very addicting and also has an interesting story. The story also gives multiple branching paths and can be influenced by the choices you make throughout the game. The multiple-story endings definitely add to the replay value and were certainly ahead of their time for an early SNES RPG.
You’ll start the game with a variety of hero classes, like warriors, mages, archers, and more. Over time you can learn new skills, spells and abilities for these characters as well.
An interesting mechanic that keeps this game challenging is the fact that it has a level cap system. This means that you won’t necessarily be grinding the entire game to make your characters more powerful.
The game can be more challenging for some, but they streamlined some of the more complex mechanics in this updated version compared to the original. Overall if you want to play a great remake from the SNES and one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch, pick up Tactics Ogre Reborn!
4. Dark Diety
Dark Diety is a retro-inspired tactical RPG for Nintendo Switch that is similar to early titles from the Fire Emblem Series. You’ll follow the story of several students in a military academy that are forced into war before graduation by their king.
It follows more simplistic tactical RPG combat and you’ll control a team of characters consisting of warriors, mages, archers, clerics, and more. The game is more linear and you’ll go from mission to mission, but you can customize your battle team.
These characters can also go through a variety of class changes through each game making them more powerful. You can even take part in side conversations between characters as their bonds increase throughout battle.
The game does not feature permadeath for characters but uses a unique wound system. If your characters die in battle they receive some kind of wound that will permanently decrease some aspect of their stats. This allows the game to be more accessible while still adding a challenge of negative consequences for a character dying.
If you enjoy classic tactical RPGs Dark Deity is a must-play and is one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch!
5. Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem Engage is one of the most recent entries in the long-running tactical RPG Fire Emblem Series. While it does feature some similarities to the previous Fire Emblem Three Houses entry, Fire Emblem Engage does go back to its traditional combat-heavy roots.
The in-depth social simulator aspects have been streamlined in this game and the hub world area has also been simplified. A new addition to this game is the ability of your heroes to combine powers with classic heroes from the Fire Emblem series.
You’ll play as a Divine Dragon who has returned after being asleep for 1000 years and you must fight off the evil Fell dragon. This over-the-top story has you battling over rings that can unleash the abilities of classic heroes.
If you are a long-time fan of the Fire Emblem series you’ll definitely enjoy seeing some familiar faces. This tactical RPG does have the option of permadeath making it pretty challenging, but this can be turned off if you choose. There is also a rewind feature where you can undo mistakes that may allow you to save your team from certain death.
The gameplay is incredibly addicting and is a lot of fun. Fire Emblem Engage is certainly one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch worth playing.
6. Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle
Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle is more of a lighthearted tactical RPG on Nintendo Switch. It’s a mash-up of the characters from the Mario Bros and Rabbids universe and you’ll need to find a way to restore order to the Mushroom Kingdom.
The combat is similar to the XCOM series combining tactical combat with ranged gun-based weapons. It seems like this wouldn’t work in the Mario universe but it does play surprisingly well and is a lot of fun!
The humor of the game is certainly over the top with the crazy Rabbids’ antics and is definitely one of the highlights of the game. You’ll also need to have your team extensively work together and play off each other with combo moves.
Another addicting element is that each battle awards you with a score and striving to get the perfect ranking definitely adds to the challenge and replay value. There are also some light puzzle elements thrown into the overworld map in between battles which can reward you with items and coins.
Characters can gain upgraded weapons and there is an upgradeable skill tree for your characters to improve. If you are looking for a fun Mario adventure this is definitely one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch worth playing.
7. Cross Tails
Cross Tails is a very similar tactical RPG to the original Final Fantasy Tactics. This is great news as Final Fantasy Tactics is often highlighted as one of the best Tactical RPGs of all time.
Cross Tails takes that similar formula and puts you in control of a hero from either one of two warring kingdoms. These are human-like cat and dog kingdoms respectively. The cool part is you be able to play through the entire story from both perspectives depending on the starting character you choose.
The combat is very similar to classic tactical RPGs where you move your characters around the board but gain advantages based on how you position your characters. For example, your attacks will be more effective if you are behind, above, or on the sides of an enemy but weaker if you are below or head-on attacking.
This means that you need to not only build your party effectively and choose the right attacks but your overall positioning matters as well. The level-up and skill progression system is also very robust in this game.
You’ll build your character’s level up but also their class level and you can mix and match classes together. Plus, you can unlock many passive abilities and mix and match those on your characters offering very detailed customization for characters. Cross Tails also features the ability to unlock new classes based on mastering old ones which is very addicting and fun.
If you like classic tactical RPGs and were a fan of the original Final Fantasy Tactics, Cross Tails is a must-play and ranks as one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch.
8. Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy is another tactical RPG for Nintendo Switch that resembles the feel of the classic Final Fantasy Tactics combined with graphics like Octopath Traveler. The overarching story is full of political intrigue and backstabbing as multiple kingdoms are at war over limited resources in the region.
The big draw of Triangle Strategy is its unique branching story which can significantly change based on the choices you make. Often you’ll be faced with scenarios of how to proceed and must vote on how your party will progress. The choices you make also will influence what characters you can recruit throughout the game and likely you’ll play through multiple times to experience all of the options.
In addition to the gripping story, Triangle Strategy has some excellent combat and progression systems. You’ll be able to increase characters’ abilities, and change classes to more powerful versions of a character’s base class. Each one of your characters really has a unique feel and personality to them so mixing your team with the right unite types is essential to victory.
The combat stages also often have unique mechanics where you might be able to do things like light parts on fire and damage groups of enemies. If you haven’t played Triangle Strategy we highly recommend it as one of the best tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch.
Conclusion
Nintendo Switch has a very large library of RPGs and is one of the best systems in years for RPG fans. There are plenty of AAA RPGs that are incredibly fun and even small indie titles that hold up amazingly well.
The same is true if you want to niche down and play specifically Tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch. Hopefully, you enjoyed our list of the Best Tactical RPGs on Nintendo Switch. At the same time there are always new Switch games being released that we haven’t played yet, so if missed any top Switch RPGs, be sure to let us know!
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