Credit: Nintendo

Sure beats staring at the wall all day.

One of the upshots to being a nerd in an era where you’re discouraged from going outside is that you have no shortage of entertaining ways to spend a day. If you’ve never played a video game before, it’s a pretty dang good time to start. If you don’t want to get too carried away from the word go, though, I’d recommend getting yourself a Nintendo Switch. Not to diss on the Xbox One or PS4, but the Switch’s library is a little more accommodating to the uninitiated (plus it’s cheaper). If you’ve just obtained a Switch and you’re in the market for some quality software, you can’t go wrong with these ten games.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Credit: Nintendo

Past Zelda games, while being a little more open-ended in terms of side stuff, usually had a pretty straightforward line of progression. Breath of the Wild doesn’t go like that. You wanna beat the dungeons to progress the story? Sure, do ’em in any order. You wanna go climb that mountain in the distance? Go right ahead. You wanna hunt a giant lake dragon? Sure, why not. Breath of the Wild is a truly open-ended Zelda experience you can really lose yourself in.

Super Mario Odyssey

Credit: Nintendo

In a similar vein to Breath of the Wild, Odyssey is one of the more free-form Mario games to date. Rather than only a handful of objectives to find in a world or a linear progression, Odyssey plops you in a big area, gives you the tools you need to get around, and lets you run free to uncover its secrets. It’s so much fun to just jump around, checking every nook and cranny of a world in search of Power Moons to get your ship to the next world. Even when you beat the game, it’s fun to just bum around the worlds again, looking for stuff you missed.

Ring Fit Adventure

Credit: Nintendo

If your fitness regimen has been disrupted by current circumstances, I’d like to recommend a special fitness aid: the Ring Con. By slotting your Switch’s Joy Con controllers into the Ring Con and leg strap, you can go on a massive adventure with jogging as your means of travel and exercise as your weapon of choice. It’s a surprisingly high-impact experience; I’ve been playing Ring Fit for a few months now, and my waist has gotten crazy tight. It’s a very accommodating experience too, regularly reminding you to stay hydrated and take breaks while also encouraging you to up the intensity and push yourself.

Kirby Star Allies

Credit: Nintendo

If you’d like something a little more laid back that you can enjoy with a friend, Kirby games are a must. Star Allies supports up to four-player cooperative platforming with a bevy of different characters and powers to try out. The levels are simple enough for casual play with younger kids, but there’s also a lot of hidden depth to the game for the more hardcore crowd. And besides everything, it’s Kirby. Who doesn’t love Kirby, honestly?

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Credit: Nintendo

If you’re in the mood for a more puzzle-centric adventure, Luigi’s latest spooky outing is a contender. Trapped in a haunted hotel with his friends and family kidnapped, Luigi dons the Poltergust vacuum to bust some ghosts, no matter how scared he might be. Don’t worry, it’s not a scary game; in fact, thanks to Luigi’s exaggerated reactions, it’s a pretty funny time, with some creative setpieces and boss battles.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Credit: Nintendo

If Kirby wasn’t laid back enough for you, it’s time to hit peak comfy. Animal Crossing is perfect for when you just want something calm and pleasant to take your mind off things. Start your own island community full of cute, lovable animal people, and customize it with a massive catalog of items and decorations. My house has a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a rec room, all decorated by yours truly. As soon as I pay off my current loan to Nook, I’m thinking a study next…

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Credit: Nintendo

Fighting games aren’t always the best choice for those new to gaming as a hobby, since their myriad systems make for a pretty high entry bar. Luckily, Super Smash Bros. provides a pretty accessible fighting game format that appeals to both the hardcore one-on-one crowd and the wacky party game crowd. With a star-studded roster of over 75 different characters from all genres of games, you’re guaranteed to find a favorite that meshes with your play style.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Credit: Nintendo

When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with Mario Kart. No matter who you’re with or where you are, odds are everyone will be down for some casual karting action. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features 48 different tracks to roll down, as well as a big roster of karters with customizable karts. Swap out the parts to change the stats and build your dream machine, then take it online and challenge the whole world!

Golf Story

Credit: Sidebar Games

Considering the Switch eShop’s affinity for indie developers, we had to have at least one of the little guys on here. Golf Story isn’t just a story about golf- well, actually I guess it is, but it’s a pretty good story. The game’s simple pixel art aesthetic hides a surprisingly in-depth golfing system that accounts for wind resistance, terrain types, and the kind of club you use. In addition to regular matches, there are scores of sidequests that put interesting spins and challenges on sinking that ball.

Astral Chain

Credit: Platinum Games

Alright, full disclosure: this is 100% a personal selection. I could not, in good conscience, let this list end without a plug for one of my favorite developers, Platinum Games, the modern masters of character-action games. Astral Chain is their newest work, placing you control of a police officer in a futuristic city beset by monsters from another dimension. Your secret weapon is the Legion, one of those monsters tamed and brought under you control. By simultaneously controlling your officer and the Legion, you double-team enemies in some seriously awesome action setpieces. It’s got a bit of a learning curve to it, but the cool factor more than makes up for it.