Top 100 / Best Indie Shooting Games on Nintendo Switch

Nuclear Throne

Though it’s pretty clear in places that Nuclear Throne has aged a bit since its original release, its unapologetic degre...

Assault Android Cactus+

Starting with the basics the game gives you a starting roster of 4 androids to choose from, with another 5 that you’ll u...

DUSK

When I played just a demo of this well over a year ago at PAX East on the Switch hardware I knew it had massive potentia...

Strange Brigade

Having played through the full campaign of Strange Brigade with my daughter on PC, and having a terrific time with it, I...

Sniper Elite 4

The Sniper Elite series has always been an interesting red-headed step-child off to the side of the FPS genre. There’s n...

Atomicrops

For me, Atomicrops is a story of early frustration, followed by a slow warming up, which eventually became a pretty deep...

Metro 2033 Redux

Set in a post-Apocalyptic Russia, primarily taking place in the labyrinth of subway tunnels and other areas below the su...

Tesla vs Lovecraft

As a massive fan of shooters you knew there would have to be some love thrown in that direction. While there were many o...

Steredenn: Binary Stars

Moving in a very different direction Steredenn is a bullet hell roguelike space shooter that has some truly bonkers weap...

Enter the Gungeon

At the time of its announcement as one of the most anticipated roguelike shooters for the Switch among the people "in th...

Aces of the Luftwaffe - Squadron

The classic arcade shooter 1943 and its many variants are among my favorites of all time and Aces does an incredible ...

Jamestown+

The Switch has most certainly been blessed with a wide variety of excellent shmups since its release and with the rel...

Neon Chrome

I'd originally fallen in love with Neon Chrome on PC where I beat the game 4 times and it kept getting more inten...

Graceful Explosion Machine

What fascinates and has surprised me about GEM, it that it somehow has created a serene experience for more casu...

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

The Sniper Elite series has been a pretty consistent source of stealthy Nazi body count accumulation on the Switch, and ...

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: Remake

Ah, the classic arcade light gun genre, remembered fondly for how bonkers it could be and a bit less positively for how ...

SOL CRESTA

If you’re an old-school arcade shooter fan the Nintendo Switch was already bordering on a dream console. Now, with the a...

Boomerang X

With indie titles I’m always tickled when I encounter something just a bit different that feels fresh and challenging, a...

Mushihimesama

While there are certainly more modern takes on bullet hell shmups from the past it’s always interesting to see an OG cla...

EARTH DEFENSE FORCE: WORLD BROTHERS

While I’ve generally heard good things about the Earth Defense Force series, to date it’s one that I’ve never had the pl...

RUINER

With its visual flair, dystopian world, and what appeared to be a penchant for tense and violent action, Ruiner has been...

Rigid Force Redux

When it comes to shmups on Switch the tendency is to see either games that tap firmly into nostalgia, adopting classic l...

Jet Lancer

With so many high-quality shooters of all types and styles it takes some effort to put something new on the table, parti...

Void Bastards

While I’ve seen a few titles try to step up to the plate to establish a solid roguelike FPS to date nobody has really na...

Metro: Last Light Redux

Released at the same time as Metro 2033 Redux, the original chapter of the series (you can get them together on the Metr...

Juicy Realm

When it comes to roguelike shooters I’m both a tremendous fan and often a picky critic. We’ve been absolutely spoiled on...

Freedom Finger

When I originally caught this title at PAX I was drawn in by its sheer attitude, blending together some great voice acti...

Hotline Miami Collection

Shadow dropped as a surprise this year, Hotline Miami was one of those indie darling titles that had shocked me continui...

My Friend Pedro

All in all My Friend Pedro handily delivers what it promises, bonkers gunplay, challenging scenarios, and when you’re on...

Hell is Other Demons

All things considered, Hell is Other Demons is a very good platforming shooter that plays smart, is challenging, and ult...

Airheart - Tales of broken Wings

This is a game that splices together twin-stick shooting, careful exploration, and crafting, but then throwing in roguel...

Stardust Galaxy Warriors: Stellar Climax

To think that when this title snuck onto the eShop I almost missed it. Since I'd not heard of it in advance of its relea...

Super Hydorah

While inspired by the classics like R-Type and Gradius, Super Hydorah has a great feel and style all its own. You're abl...

The Bug Butcher

This is another title I hadn't heard too much about and almost missed that I'm very glad I go to check out this year. Es...

Velocity2X

Working with a quick-warping mechanic, some tricky stage designs, and an ever-growing arsenal of abilities that you’ll n...

Guns, Gore and Cannoli 2

Another sequel that took what worked in the original and then made it better on all levels, this side-scrolling zombie-b...

Ikaruga

Though it's a carry-over from the previous generation there's still no other space shooter quite like Ikaruga. Not only ...

Bleed 2

While sharing a lot in common with the original title Bleed 2 made critical refinements to make this run and gun shootin...

NeverAwake

An unusual mix of classic side-scrolling shooter mechanics and twin-stick aiming makes for a thoroughly different experience

GoNNER

I'm not gonna lie, GoNNER gets off to a very rough start and it a true roguelike in that it is frustrating and ha...

Aliens: Fireteam Elite

If you have the connection to support this “cloud play” game, it offers intense and compelling squad-based shooting

Squad 51 vs. the Flying Saucers

Undeniably novel and entertaining with its decision to run with the vintage 50s black and white sci-fi look, but just a decent arcade shooter overall

Dust & Neon

Featuring a consistent challenge and tense encounters, this roguelike shooter distinguishes itself in a crowded field

Dezatopia

Feeling like you’ve seen every sort of retro side-scrolling shooter possible? Then get a load of this!

Sine Mora EX

As a full package Sine Mora EX fills in a gap in the Switch line-up unless you’ve been indulging in the NeoGeo ...

Grand Brix Shooter

While I’m a big fan of arcade-style shooters of all types I’ll admit that generating excitement for them ...

Andro Dunos 2

The Switch has undoubtedly been blessed with a wide variety of retro shooters since release, pretty well representing al...

Tempest 4000

Though I wouldn’t say that it was among my favorite arcade games back in the day, there’s no question that the original ...

Space Scavenger

There’s absolutely no denying that fans of twin-stick roguelike shooters, like myself, have an embarrassment of riches o...

QUAKE

OK, so I don’t think anyone needs to tell you that Quake is one of the most influential first-person shooters of all-tim...

B.ARK

What can I say, when you throw some cute pups into a game you’ve got my attention. B.ARK, as pained as that acronym seem...

Trigger Witch

OK, so I’ll admit it, games that do something weird to combine elements I know and love tend to catch me by surprise and...

Mighty Goose

As a classic arcade shooting fan the Metal Slug series has always had a place in my heart for its intensity, variety, an...

Raiden IV x MIKADO remix

With an abundance of retro shooters on the Switch it can be a challenge to differentiate them, but for old school arcade...

ASTRO AQUA KITTY

I like it when games manage to surprise me a little bit, especially when they’re in genres where I feel like I’ve seen j...

Tesla Force

My feelings on this title swung around a bit since, at first blush, Tesla Force has a ton in common with 10Tons previous...

Space Invaders Forever

Retro remix collections tend to be a mixed bag, but for fans of arcade classics even though not every title in Forever i...

Serious Sam Collection

As time has gone on the first-person shooter genre has gone through quite a lot of changes and evolution, generally movi...

Colt Canyon

Whenever a new roguelike shooter arrives on the scene you know I’m there with a degree of eagerness to see how it has tu...

Fury Unleashed

With a comic book-inspired look, a pretty wide array of over-the-top weapons, and challenges aplenty Fury Unleashed is a...

Dead End Job

As a huge fan of twin-stick roguelike shooters, and with plenty of excellent ones already on the Switch, my interest is ...

GALAK-Z: The Void: Deluxe Edition

You’ll play the game as A-Tak, a daring and somewhat brash fighter pilot with plenty in common with Robotech’s Rick Hunt...

R-Type Dimensions EX

I really appreciate the love and effort into bringing the R-Type experience to the Switch. While playing it old school h...

I Hate Running Backwards

Though I initially struggled with it, wanting it to be a twin-stick shooter, once I got into the unique rhythm of I Hate...

Debris Infinity

I absolutely love me some classic arcade shooting action and Debris Infinity was one of my go-to titles for providing th...

Broforce

While playing with friends adds a layer of frustration, and potential for brutal trolling, to the mix, Broforce gets abs...

Hyper Sentinel

Where things get complicated, and nuanced, is in everything layered on top of that. You’ll have to constantly keep an ey...

Immortal Redneck

As a whole package Immortal Redneck is a bold first step and demonstrates that the FPS genre, too, can definitely benefi...

AQUA KITTY UDX

Overall, I only have positive things to say about Aqua Kitty UDX. It has a focus on a specific experience, delivers it e...

Sky Force Reloaded

While I can appreciate the volume of what can be unlocked a criticism would be that I think the rate you unlock it at is...

Crimsonland

I'm not positive there would be a wide critical consensus on something as old school and generally as basic as Crimsonla...

Guns N' Runs

Delivers some classic and challenging platform shooter action with bits of modern flair and variety

Doomed to Hell

While it’s not terribly ambitious or tough, there’s some solid twin-stick arcade shooting here on a budget

NeuroVoider

While the lack of a clear audio or visual cue for this both forces you to try to keep an eye on your health gauge con...

G-DARIUS HD

It’s always a bit tough to evaluate re-releases of classic arcade-style shooters coming to the system. Even being remast...

Cat Girl Without Salad: Amuse-Bouche

When it comes to weird games I’m a bit of a connoisseur on the Switch, I’ve even set aside an entire cate...

The Knight Witch

Combining Metroidvania concepts with some twin-stick shooting, The Knight Witch swings big… and gets on base

Splatter - Zombiecalypse Now

Top-down zombie shooting that’s satisfying only to a point, but it offers a decent few hours

Knights & Guns

Back in the arcades, Pang (or Buster Bros) was one of the more interesting shooters out there that did things its own...

Cotton Reboot!

If you like your older-school arcade shooting challenging, a bit on the cute side, and with an undeniable weird strea...

Blazing Chrome

As a huge fan of the classic arcade run n’ gun shooters I hold Contra in very high regard, so it’s always...

Time Recoil

The folks at 10 Tons have really done a phenomenal job with releasing 3 games that would, at a high level, be conside...

Lone Ruin

This roguelike twin-stick shooter has its own sense of style, but its somewhat vanilla arcade-like grind detracts from its long-term viability

Bones of Halloween

This budget seasonal shooter may be lack depth, but it valiantly tries to compensate with breadth of modes

Cotton Fantasy

There’s no doubt that the Switch has been a system blessed with some very strong retro representation, and a specific ge...

Z-Warp

Z-Warp is a decidedly old-school looking vertical shooter that packs a challenge and some real fun, but if you’re like m...

Thunder Kid: Hunt for the Robot Emperor

When you’re dealing with budget games it can be difficult to set a fair bar for what to expect when you put them up agai...

Time Blazer

Among classic arcade titles that have seen many variations on their general style pop up over the years Asteroids has se...

Curved Space

Taking familiar gameplay and changing things up to take some risks has always been a core component of my love for indie...

Crimzon Clover - World EXplosion

If you’re a fan of arcade-style shmups you’ve been pretty well served on the Switch as the library of classic and new ti...

Cecconoid

Hey hey, I know there’s nothing quite as exciting as a great deal of a budget game so if that’s your bag you’ll want to ...

Ion Fury

Titles that don’t just tap heavily into nostalgia but fully embrace it are always a risky proposition. There’s something...

Relic Hunters Zero: Remix

With the abundance of twin-stick roguelike shooters on the Switch it makes for tough competition if you want to make a b...

DOOM 64

While I’ve played many iterations of DOOM over the years going back to the original shareware the N64 incarnation of it ...

THOTH

When it comes to shooters minimalist looks can work nicely, but with quite a number of budget shooters already in that v...

Black Future '88

Roguelike shooters have been a staple for me on the Switch, generally providing a great outlet for intense play for some...

MONKEY BARRELS

While run and gun shooters tend to be a side-scrolling affair Monkey Barrels proves it’s a formula that works well from ...

Battle Planet - Judgement Day

As a huge arcade-style twin-stick roguelike shooter fan this is a title planted firmly in my wheelhouse. Feeling a bit l...

Blazing Beaks

To the game’s credit, the monsters tend to be quite unique and it can be tricky. There’s much more of a learning curve t...

SAINTS ROW: THE THIRD - THE FULL PACKAGE

If there was one major series that would seem to be a great fit for play on the go and the Switch it would be Grand Thef...

Nindie Spotlight