Best Kirby games on Nintendo Switch

Important takeaways

• Kirby Star Allies on Switch offers co-op fun with an array of characters and challenging post-game content.
• Super Kirby Clash is a free download with boss rush content and loot based gameplay for a vet level challenge.
• Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a 2.5D adventure combining copy abilities, lore and significant series finale.

Kirby is one of Nintendo's longest running series, which has had a whopping 44 main and spin-off entries since 1992. Fans will be happy to know that the adorable hero has seen a lot of love on the Nintendo Switch. Including Nintendo Switch Online offerings, nearly half of Pink Puffball's back catalog is playable on Nintendo Switch.

From Kirby's first grand 3D adventure to classic franchise starters, from loot-based boss battles to a golf-based puzzle game, there's a wealth of great entries to explore in one place. For any Kirby fans out there with some time to kill, these are 10 of the best Kirby games on Switch worth knowing about.

10 Kirby Star Allies

Experience a Kirby adventure with friends

The first new mainline on the console, Kirby Star Allies, was a mixed bag for some fans, offering excellent fan service and a significant amount of new lore that slightly complicated established canon to include additional characters. The game is a tight and satisfying Kirby adventure that once completed unlocks access to play a shortened version of the campaign as one of 40 playable characters.

Many of them are common enemies, effectively picking off a single copy, but there's also an impressive array of Dream Friends, made up of friends and enemies from previous games, each with their own moveset. It's the best co-op experience in the series, with a range of characters to master and post-game 'Soul Melter' content providing a genuine challenge for long-time fans.

9 Super Kirby Clash

An action-packed Boss Rush Mode for Kirby and friends

Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai also created Super Smash Bros. series, which formed the basis of Kirby Fighters and Kirby Clash spin-off series. Super Kirby Clash is the latest in said spin-off line and is available as a free download on Nintendo Switch. Boss rush modes are common in the series as post-game content, Super Kirby Clash focuses on that with a loot-based system that sees players accumulate currency to purchase more powerful suits to challenge increasingly powerful enemies.

There are four classes to choose from: the nimble swordsman, the hammer tank, the ranged magic wielder, and the healer. Each has a ranking of unlockable costumes and weapons from across the series. It's a good challenge for veterans. Players must have a balanced party that takes full advantage of their roles and block and dodge mechanics to defeat the toughest bosses.

8 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards

The epic and wholesome 3D finale

The series' first attempt to venture into the third dimension, Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards comes out on a charmingly blocky 2.5D. The game's mechanical innovation allowed Kirby to combine copying abilities, ingesting new enemies while already having another ability to create powerful hybrids like the infamous Fridge Kirby.

Most of these would prove unwieldy and less useful than their traditional counterparts. The feature would not return in future games, making it the only chance to experience the new mechanic. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards is also a very important game in general, marking the end of the initial trilogy and showcasing Kirby's final battle with longtime antagonist Dark Matter.

7 Kirby's Dream Course

A classic golf game for Kirby

One of the best puzzle games in the Kirby series, Kirby's Dream Course is basically a golf game set in a fantastical world. Players must guide the spherical hero through a treacherous course in a certain number of strokes, avoiding the pitfalls and the lack of guardrails.

The tracks are full of enemies that must be eliminated by shooting Kirby into them, some of which will grant a special copy ability needed to navigate other obstacles. When all but one enemy is defeated, the last enemy will become the hole for the player to make the putt and advance to the next level. It's a surprisingly robust experience for a 30-year-old game that offers a more casual challenge.

6 Kirby's Adventures

The OG adventure to experience Kirby's origins

Kirby's first console release arguably launched the franchise as it performed significantly better than the moderate success achieved by its predecessors, Kirby's Dreamland on Game Boy. The first game to feature Kirby's signature copy ability, Kirby's Adventures was a very technically impressive platforming experience for the time.

It set the benchmark for HAL Laboratory's intentions to experiment with the series, something that matched Nintendo's ambitions and would see the Kirby series take advantage of the latest peripherals with games that Kirby Tilt n' Tumble and Kirby: Canvas Curse. An important progenitor that allowed the series to grow into the franchise giant it is today.

5 Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe

A refreshing return to Kirby's aesthetic and design

Kirby's return to dreamland (also released as Kirby Adventure Wii) was a firm fan favorite, often hailed as the best modern attempt to recapture the magic of the previous games, and featured one of the popular antagonists Magolor. The game wasn't particularly easy to get hold of due to its late release in the Wii's life cycle, making it a prime candidate for a full remake, the latest Switch entry for Kirby.

Uplifting graphics but maintaining the characteristic charm, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a textbook example of revitalizing an older game. The developers also added some new additional content revolving around Magolor, filling in narrative events about what happens to the little wizard after his climactic battle with Kirby.

4 Kirby And The Amazing Mirror

A tough Metroidvania that challenges Kirby and fans

Ah, the mirror dimension. Where would fiction be without it? Where friends are enemies and enemies make unlikely allies. Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is one of the hardest games in the series to complete but maybe not for the reasons you might think. Changing focus again Kirby and the Amazing Mirror is more of a Metroidvania experience with the entire game consisting of a large maze.

Players must navigate the overlapping levels to locate the mirror shards within and defeat the bosses on guard. It's a very cool design, but it lacks a fundamental element of the genre, a good map. Paths will lead you around in circles and unlike other games in the series, players can trigger boss fights every time they encounter them. Without an online guide, players can easily find themselves retreading steps and fighting the same bosses. However, it is arguably the most unique mainline and is well worth the satisfaction of cracking the maze.

3 Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

A game that integrates with physics

The pinnacle of Kirby puzzle games finally has the chance to be appreciated outside of its time. As mentioned, HAL Laboratory has often experimented with peripherals as well as mechanics and this was the first key example of that. The original Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble cartridge contained a built-in accelerometer that could measure the movements of Game Boy.

Players must guide Kirby to a target by physically tilting their console in a similar gameplay style Super Monkey Ball series. It was certainly ahead of its time, but the Nintendo Switch Online version takes advantage of advances in technology and uses the same system used in some shrine challenges in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Create a more accurate and better version of the game for new audiences.

2 Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Kirby's Greatest Adventure

HAL Laboratory had plans to take the series to 3D since then Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards as it was a popular leap for franchises of the time. A true 3D sequel was actually planned for release on the GameCube but the project ended up being canceled, leaving it as the only console generation without a new mainline Kirby title.

It would be almost another 20 years before Kirby would make the long awaited leap into 3D and it did not disappoint with one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the entire series. Kirby and the Forgotten Land has successfully added a new layer of depth to the platforming series, most notably in the revamped boss battles. It's an epic and diverse adventure that earned a place among the best platformers on the Switch, but it's still not the best Kirby game on the console.

1 Kirby Super Star (Kirby's Fun Pak)

An anthology of Kirby adventures in one package

Maybe it's the nostalgia that speaks though Kirby Super Star remains the definitive Kirby experience for many lifelong fans, and the critical reception at the time supports that belief. Kirby Superstar featured the original “ally” system, which allowed the player to forgo their copy ability to create an AI companion. An actually helpful and functional AI companion way back in 1996!

Kirby Super Star is an anthology of smaller games, the most notable being The Great Cave Offensive, a Metroidvania that sees Kirby searching for treasure that pays tribute to Nintendo's other franchises, and Revenge of Meta Knight, the only time the popular anti-hero has appeared as an outright villain. One of the most elaborate stories in the series ends with Kirby's epic dash on top of Wheelie to escape the halberd before it plummets to the ground.