The Nintendo eShop is home to a wide variety of games, both big and small, that players can purchase for their Nintendo Switch. The device has quite an extensive library that features both first-party classics as well as some solid indie hits. No matter what kind of game people are into, they can find something on the eShop.
That said, there is always a chance that players are on a budget or that they just want to purchase a cheap game to see if it's worth the money. While there are plenty of titles under $5 on the digital storefront, only a handful really stand out.
Updated on April 1, 2022 by Chris Birsner: When it comes to storefronts that are constantly getting updates, the Nintendo eShop keeps on getting new games on a daily basis. That is why the library is impressively deep, especially with all the smaller games that have been added over the years. While most major games on the Switch are worth $60, and most other releases tend to be about a third of that, there is still plenty of room on the eShop for quality Nintendo games that are less than $5. Whether it's an old game that is being sold at a cheap price or a small indie game that isn't looking to empty the wallet, there are even more Nintendo Switch games under $5 to try out.
15 Hidden Paws
It's nice to have a chill game to pick up once in a while, and hidden object titles tend to fall under the umbrella of relaxing experiences. One of the Nintendo Switch games under $5 that fits under this brand is Hidden Paws. The game is set in the middle of winter and the goal of the game is to find cats that are hidden around the snowy area.
Across 12 different levels are 120 different cats to find. While there are some cats just standing around, others are well-hidden to the point that players will need to interact with specific objects to reveal the cat hiding within it. There are also some Christmas-themed extra levels for those who enjoyed the base game.
14 Mom Hid My Game!
Remember as a kid having technology taken away as a punishment? Well, in Mom Hid My Game!, players take on the role of a kid who has this happen to him. Each level puts the kid in a situation where he must turn over his living room to find the device his mom hid along the way.
Meanwhile, his mom is watching the boy's every move, so players must be careful when looking as to not alert her. This puzzle game takes a lot of wild and unexpected turns, and it can scratch the itch of any WarioWare fan out there.
13 MouseBot: Escape From CatLab
Sometimes, there is nothing like a simple, fast-paced platformer. That's why MouseBot: Escape from CatLab should be on the radar when looking for some games to experience at a cheap price. Players are a robot mouse that is trapped in a lab run by cats.
The goal of the game is to reach the end of 88 different levels to collect the cheese and also find out what the cats have up their sleeves. There are also abilities that players can gain as they advance through the solo campaign as well as cosmetics. There is also an arcade mode if players want a real challenge.
12 KUUKIYOMI: Consider It!
Speaking of a microgame collection like WarioWare, players who are into something that has a lot lower stakes but will judge the player on their decisions is KUUKIYOMI: Consider It! The objective of the game is to experience each scenario that is presented to the player.
In each one, players must play around with the situation and figure out what is the most considerate thing to do given the circumstance. Players will be judged at the end by how considerate they were throughout the round. The game has both a single-player mode and a co-op experience.
11 Goblin Sword
It's fun to have a game that involves just hacking and slashing through enemies. Goblin Sword is an action platformer where the main goal is to kill anything that would get in the player's way. There are also traps that need to be avoided in each stage, but its worth it if players can collect any loot along the way.
There are a total of 89 levels in this game, not including the 13 bosses that need to be taken down. There is a wide variety in the different abilities that the player can have since there are about 30 different weapons and 30 different relics that grant powers. Players can also dress up their player in 14 different costumes.
10 Dragon Quest
Any video game lover out there should always consider going back to play the games that influenced generations of games after their release. For fans of role-playing games, a unique entry to check out is the upgraded version of the original Dragon Quest.
The game that sparked a long franchise came out in the late 1980s. The game revolves around a character who must rescue the princess of Alefgard and take down the evil Dragonlord. Dragon Quest has received updated controls so it can play well on the Switch system.
9 Om Nom Run
Back in the early days of the apps, there were quite a few games that would be considered under the category of endless runners. And while the genre isn't as strong as it used to be, iterations on it continue to be released every so often. Om Nom Run is a mobile game that has become one of the best Nintendo Switch games under $5.
This arcade action game's main goal is to run to the finish line while dodging any roadblocks, but the game is split into three modes: Multiplayer, campaign, and free run. In addition, the campaign mode is split into four different modes and multiplayer can be set up in two different ways. Plus, there is a ton of character customization with up to 20 base models to choose from.
8 Islanders
Building up a personalized world in a virtual space is something that can be done in Switch games such as Animal Crossing: New Horizons. However, if players want to have a nice building experience at a decent price, it's worth checking out Islanders.
It dubs itself a "minimalist city builder" where players are given a set of buildings in their inventory that they must figure out the best way to place them. Creating the perfect placement will earn the player points and will keep their session going until they run out of pieces to use or places to put them.
7 Chex Quest HD
Licensed games can always be a doozy. They tend to be poor examples of product placements, but sometimes a game will end up being a surprisingly good time. Chex Quest was one of those games back in 1996 but has since gotten an HD remake that released and became one of the Nintendo Switch games under $5.
This first-person shooter was a walking advertisement for Chex Mix, but it had some fun gameplay elements. Players could choose from six members of the Chex Mix Squadron with the goal of "zorching" Flemoids who have taken the citizens of the planet Bazoik hostage.
6 Toree 2
There were some truly special platformers back in the 1990s. From Mario to Sonic, platformers were on another level of popularity that hasn't been matched since. However, it's always fun when an indie developer takes their crack at making a platformer stylized after that era of games. That's what Toree 2 is.
A sequel to another solid platforming game, the game focuses on making players feel good as they move through nine different levels that each have their own unique look and concept to it. The game also aesthetically looks like it's from an arcade cabinet.
5 Downwell
It's nice to try games that experiment with genres, and that's what makes Downwell so unique. Described as a "curious" game, this vertical platformer combines shooting and roguelike elements that make it so each playthrough of the game is procedurally generated to make the experience different each time.
The protagonist is a young human who is trying to dive into a well to find treasure and is armed with Gunboots, the main weapon of the game that releases a ton of bullets on the enemies that exist below them.
4 Retro Bowl
One of the all-time classic football video games Tecmo Bowl has seen plenty of influence over the years. One of the most recent examples of this is a game similarly named Retro Bowl. The player serves two roles in the game. One is running the offense of their team and the other is being the acting general manager of the team.
The main goal is to try to get the team to a Retro Bowl championship game and win it all. The game has won the hearts of many due to its easy-to-learn mechanics, so much so that it gained notoriety on social media. In February 2022, it was released beyond mobile and became one of the Nintendo Switch games under $5.
3 Pico Park
Most consumers will always way how much value the experience of a game could be when thinking about purchasing it. A co-op experience in Pico Park is an easy purchase for those who love playing a quirky game with friends.
In a game for up to eight players, each level of Pico Park revolves around finding all the keys for a specific level and then making it to the end of the level. There are 48 levels, each with their special feature that make them unique. Along with co-op, there is also a battle mode that can pit friends against each other.
2 Bit.Trip Runner
A game that has been on Nintendo systems since its appearance on WiiWare, Bit.Trip Runner is the first game in the Bit.Trip series that put players in control of the main protagonist of Commander Video. This 2D platformer has the commander automatically running to the right of the screen.
Using control prompts, players must be able to dodge obstacles that may be in their way. The moment that Commander Video is hit, the level starts over from the top. There are a total of 33 levels across three stages.
1 DOOM (1993)
As discussed with Dragon Quest, classic games are always worth checking out. One of the most influential games on the first-person shooter genre, and on the industry as a whole, is the original DOOM (1993).
This was the world's first introduction to Doomguy with the goal of the game to simply kill a plethora of demons while attempting to navigate to the level's exit. In addition to the game's iconic single-player campaign, DOOM also has local multiplayer experiences. There is both a four-player deathmatch mode and a four-player co-op.