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On 16th October 2023, Disney celebrated its 100-year anniversary, and in the handful of decades since video games have existed in the home, there have been hundreds of adaptations of animated Disney classics or totally original tales to come to consoles. Some have genuinely captured the magic of the mouse and co., while others have simply cashed in on one of the hottest family-friendly licences on the planet.
But what of gaming’s most family-friendly console? Does Switch have Disney games? Of course it does, but what’s the best Disney game on Switch? Here we’ve rounded up every Disney game on Switch (including the freshly-released Gargoyles Remastered), ranked from worst to best by Nintendo Life readers.
The User Rating of each game governs the order of the list below, which means it is subject to real-time change as scores fluctuate. Disagree with the ranking below? Simply click on the star to assign a rating out of 10 to each of the games you’ve played and influence the order (you’ll have to refresh to page to see any potential changes). At the time of writing, several of these games only have a handful of User Ratings, so we expect the order to change quite a bit in the first few days before settling down!
We’ve stuck to classic Disney and Pixar-originated IP in this Switch list. We’d be here all day if we listed all the games and properties that Disney has acquired in the last decade or so — you can find the Best Star Wars Games, Best Indiana Jones Games, Best Simpsons Games, and more elsewhere. We have included the Kingdom Hearts games, though (although the mainline games are cloud versions that we don’t recommend — you have been warned!).
It’s also worth noting that there are many classic Disney games from past Nintendo consoles that aren’t currently available on Switch — games such as DuckTales and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers on NES really should be on the console in our opinion. The continued absence of The Disney Afternoon Collection on Switch is an utterly baffling one.
So, let’s don our Mickey ears and take a look at the Best (and Worst) Nintendo Switch Disney games…
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix is a fine collection of games and an interesting demonstration of the first decade of the Kingdom Hearts series. If you have a reliable enough internet connection, this ‘Cloud Version’ is almost as good a way to play Kingdom Hearts as any other; if you don’t, absolutely leave it on the digital shelf. Our experience — with robust and rapid internet — was patchy. If you have any other way at all of playing these games, we recommend you do so.
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
While both Dream Drop Distance and Fragmentary Passage are good stuff, this is a much more niche product than the first compilation, and far more difficult to recommend. It’s essential if you’re a fan, but… let’s face it, if you’re a fan, you’ve already played these games. And on a system on which they run natively, rather than this erratic, temperamental Cloud Version. If you can buy this package for another system we’d earnestly implore you to do so — it may not be handheld, but at least it would be yours to keep and it would run reliably and consistently. As it stands, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue on Nintendo Switch is a massive compromise. Using Ethernet while docked helps, but it’s still putting a sticking plaster on a glaring wound. So, once again, this is a good package presented in the worst way. And slightly less good than the first one.
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
Kingdom Hearts 3 + Re:Mind on Switch is impossible to recommend without caveats as long as Cloud gaming relies on an erratic, unreliable provision of service. When it does work, it’s a joy; every bit as good as any given title in the series, a dream to explore and thrilling in its spectacle. But then it falters, the input lag kicks in, and the illusion is taken away in a matter of moments. Buy this game and you are effectively renting an imperfect version for the duration of the Cloud service’s lifespan. Want to play Kingdom Hearts on handheld? Well, there’s always the Steam Deck, we suppose.
Publisher: Bandai Namco / Developer: B.B. Studio
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival is an inoffensive minigame collection that tries to deliver a little of that Disney charm, but it feels like the type of lacklustre Wii title that was abundant during that console’s golden era. With the availability of Super Mario Party or even Carnival Games, it’s hard to recommend this – unless you’re a really big fan of Tsum Tsums. Not Disney, just the Tsum Tsums.
Publisher: Disney / Developer: Empty Clip Studios
Gargoyles Remastered is an okay remaster of an okay game. Its moody 16-bit visuals and challenging difficulty will no doubt appeal to some, especially fans of the show, but its short length and often unfair design certainly hold it back from greatness. We’d say this one might be worth picking up if you can find it on a pretty decent sale down the road — it’s entertaining enough despite its shortcomings — but you’re not really going to be missing out on a ton if you choose to pass on it.
Publisher: Gameloft / Developer: Gameloft
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a frictionless, relaxing spin on life sims that manages to remain heartwarming and charming. Dreamlight Valley’s unique identity relies heavily on fresh interactions with your in-game friends, and developer Gameloft will be adding to and supporting it with regular updates to keep the Night Thorns from creeping back in — which will be essential for the game’s longevity. However, what arrived at launch was surprisingly touching and thoughtful right off the bat, cleverly playing on the nostalgia of anyone who’s ever counted themselves a Disney fan. Let’s hope it keeps on growing.
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive / Developer: TT Games
LEGO The Incredibles is exactly the kind of inoffensive and family-friendly action adventure fun you’d expect from a TT Games offering. You’re better off watching the film before you buy as it’ll ruin the plot without a second thought — obviously — but with its activity-filled sandbox and the usual mix of platforming and puzzle-solving, it’s an ideal way to keep younger fans happy once they leave the cinema. It’s slight but generally satisfying popcorn fare.
Publisher: Bandai Namco / Developer: h.a.n.d.
Disney Magical World 2: Enchanted Edition is a fine remaster of a 3DS game that many may have missed the first time around. For players both young and old who love the classic Disney characters, spending time in Castleton may well prove a joyous experience. Some aspects — chiefly the poor character creation tool and rather basic combat — could have done with a bit more TLC in this updated version, but if you’re after a decent life simulation game, this is a nice Disney-flavoured addition to an already-thriving genre.
Publisher: Gameloft / Developer: Gameloft Barcelona
Disney Speedstorm delivers solid karting action with fantastic handling and clearly spends a lot of care and attention on its characters and courses. Its performance on Switch lets it down, though, especially on handheld where it’s a blurry, stuttery mess, and those not interested in the live service setup will struggle to get along with it. Still, it went free to play in September 2023, so with the barrier to entry so low, it’s certainly worth giving a try.
Publisher: Disney Interactive / Developer: Digital Eclipse
Disney Classic Games is an unfortunately tough release to recommend. Though Digital Eclipse did a fantastic job of emulating these games and throwing all manner of extra features in to sweeten the deal, the hard truth is that these titles just haven’t stood the test of time very well. Aside from the excellent presentation quality, the years haven’t been at all kind to them, and given the wealth of similar retro content available on the Switch eShop now, it’s tough to recommend that a newcomer pick them up.
A DLC pack for this title launched in November 2021 and added Capcom’s SNES version of Aladdin in addition to three versions of The Jungle Book, and you can buy these games in physical form with that DLC included. If you played these games as a kid and want a nice walk down memory lane, this is by far and away the best way you could possibly experience them, and that’s not something to be dismissed out of hand — just beware that they’re a tougher sell if you’re not wearing nostalgia goggles.
Publisher: Disney Games / Developer: Dlala Studios
While you could certainly argue that Disney Illusion Island is perhaps more of a Metroidvania than it is a straight-up 2D platformer, we reckon it strikes a wonderful balance between the two genres that it could honestly fall into either category. Its focus on combat-free exploration makes this an excellent gateway into the genre for younger audiences, and its ability to support up to four players via local co-op means that it’s an excellent option for families who want to spend a bit of time with some of the most iconic Disney characters imaginable. You can also hug each other to regain health. What more could you ask for?
Publisher: Square Enix / Developer: Square Enix
Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is a game that’s obviously designed as a love letter to longtime fans of the franchise, but it also bears almost no resemblance at all to the gameplay that made the preceding titles such a hit. As a rhythm game, it’s a perfectly enjoyable and content-rich entry in the genre, but a substantial amount of its meaning and appeal will be lost on rhythm fans who don’t have a background with the previous games. Either way, we think Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory is certainly worth your time. It’s a fun and engaging rhythm game with potentially hundreds of hours of replayability and a killer setlist of music to back it up.
Publisher: Bithell Games / Developer: Bithell Games
TRON: Identity won’t wow anyone with its puzzles, but it does a great job of telling a tight story that changes with each playthrough. The short playtime of this excellent Disney-licensed game encourages you to explore the world a bit more and uncover new truths that you missed because of your previous actions. If this is the start of a series of Tron visual novels, which the plot certainly feels like, then we’re hopeful we get to continue our journey with Query very soon.
Surprised by the result? Think we’ve missed something from the House of Mouse that has a home on Switch? Let us know in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Disney games are coming to Switch in 2023?
2023 saw the release of Disney Speedstorm in April (before going free to play in September) and Disney Illusion Island in July. That’s all the announced Disney games coming to Switch at the time of writing.
Is there a Disney game like Animal Crossing Switch?
Sort of — you’re probably thinking of Disney Dreamlight Valley. It’s in the list above!
How do you get Disney Dreamlight Valley for free?
The game launched in paid Early Access in 2022 in Standard, Ultimate, and Deluxe forms, so many people have been asking the same question: When will Disney Dreamlight Valley be free to play?
Publisher Gameloft has said sometime in “2023”, although it hasn’t committed to a specific date.
