Highlights

• Nintendo consoles are known for their family-friendly image, but there are mature games available, such as The Witcher 3 and Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy.
• The fact that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on the Nintendo Switch is impressive, even though it may not be the ideal way to experience the game.
• Sakura Succubus Games provide an alternative experience on the Nintendo Switch, with visual novels that lean into fan service and anime fantasies.

The console wars have led to fans having to make some interesting decisions when it comes to their video games. Each console tends to have its own advantages and areas where it differentiates itself from the competition. Nintendo is a company that skews more towards innovation and creative gameplay over more advanced processing power, especially in recent years.

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Another area in which Nintendo has stood out from the rest of the pack is its more family-friendly image. This doesn’t mean that more mature games are impossible on Nintendo consoles, but they’re certainly more uncommon. Accordingly, here are some of the most mature games released on Nintendo consoles.

Updated September 9, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Nintendo is synonymous with family-friendly entertainment, but exceptions always exist. In recent times, the Japanese company seems to have grown more willing to allow adult games on Nintendo consoles, at least within reason.

18 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

In this case, the most impressive thing is that, somehow, CD Projekt Red got The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt running on the Nintendo Switch. One of the best RPGs of the eighth console generation, The Witcher 3 brings Geralt's story to a close in spectacular fashion.

With intelligent writing, great side quests, and an expansive world ripe for exploration, this game is considered a masterpiece for good reason. The Switch version is not the ideal way to experience The Witcher 3 but the fact it is a possibility is nothing short of amazing.

17 Doom

While this entry specifically calls out 2016's Doom, it can be considered a placeholder for any entry from the franchise. Doom Eternal and Doom 64 are also great picks. The Doom Slayer returned to prominence in a big way through id Software's soft reboot of the series.

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Gory kills, aggressive enemies, and satisfying combat define Doom. This is a first-person shooter that devotes itself entirely to its gameplay, offering wave after wave of demons for the player to mow through with stylish efficiency.

16 Sakura Succubus Games

• Release Date: April 22, 2021 - May 26, 2022
• Platform: Nintendo Switch

Somehow, the Nintendo Switch has become a great console to experience the Sakura franchise. For the uninitiated, this series consists of short visual novels that lean very heavily into fan service, although they typically fall short of showing anything too graphic. A sub-series, Sakura Succubus consists of five games that drop players into a harem where they can live out their anime fantasies.

Compared to some other visual novels, Sakura is rather tame, which is why its games tend to struggle to make a splash on a platform like Steam. However, they stick out on the Nintendo eShop.

15 Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition

Prior to Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, Rockstar's franchise had yet to release one of its 3D open-world entries on a Nintendo console. This trend persisted for multiple hardware generations, and it started to seem like Rockstar had no intention of ever crossing that line. Then, GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas made their way to the Switch in one neat little package.

Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launched with plenty of problems and wound up being a mess. Still, Nintendo fans finally have the option to try a mainline 3D GTA game.

14 Max Payne

A Max Payne game has yet to be released on a Nintendo home console, and Remedy's upcoming remake is not set to change that. Despite that fact, the first Max Payne was adapted for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, and this iteration is surprisingly faithful to the original game.

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Played from an isometric perspective, Max Payne on the GBA retains most of the features and story beats found in the home console versions. While not the best way to experience this tale, the Nintendo port is a competent alternative that, frankly, has no reason to exist.

13 Mortal Kombat 11

Ever since its debut, Mortal Kombat has publicly represented "Mature" games. It is the first franchise that tends to pop into the minds of people when violent, bloody games are discussed. While Nintendo used to be quite welcoming of the franchise around the turn of the century, Mortal Kombat 11 was the first main entry to appear on one of the company's systems for over a decade.

Naturally, concessions had to be made to get Mortal Kombat 11 running on the Switch, with the visuals and effects being considerably worse than on other consoles. However, the combat is still fun and gory.

12 Narc

Quaint as it might seem nowadays, Narc was a huge deal back in the last '80s. An arcade title that eventually found its way onto the NES, Narc follows two agents as they work their way through a drug cartel, arresting and shooting enemies along the way.

Along with its mature themes, Narc was very violent for the era, even featuring blood. The NES version reduced quite a bit of the drug references but kept the rest of the game mostly intact.

11 Conker's Bad Fur Day

Conker’s Bad Fur Day is a particularly unique case because it takes a cute and adorable character and then gives them a major attitude adjustment and throws them into a world that’s saturated in violence and sex. Not many Nintendo 64 games begin with a cinematic that references Saving Private Ryan and A Clockwork Orange.

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It’s a strange change of pace for Rare, but one of the best decisions that they made. The Nintendo 64 had very few M-rated games, so a title like Conker’s Bad Fur Day really stands out.

10 Chiller

Back in the late '80s, there was a strange lawlessness to video games, largely because the limitations of the hardware acted as a form of censorship in and of itself. Chiller started as an arcade game but received an unlicensed port for the original Nintendo and even morbidly made use of the NES Zapper.

Chiller features bloody torture chambers, desecrated graveyards, and a shocking amount of dismemberment and deaths. Chiller is an offensive relic of its time that ruffled feathers back when it came out, but it's become an odd piece of history and easily the NES' most mature game.

9 Bully: Scholarship Edition

Rockstar has become notable for its violent open sandbox games that push boundaries and make headlines. Most of Rockstar’s efforts are set in aggressive environments that justify their violence, but Bully is a controversial detour because it centers around teenagers at a boarding school.

Bully features a lot of the same tricks and ideas that are found in Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar's other big series. However, since Bully puts that aggression behind a young protagonist, it’s particularly risky. Bully didn’t debut on the Wii, but it definitely turned some heads when it got ported to the console.

8 Manhunt 2

There are certain video games that feel like they’re intentionally trying to incite controversy and offend people by going over the line as much as possible. Manhunt 2 is such a title, and it was one of the few video games to intentionally receive an AO (Adults Only) rating.

There are many companies that simply won’t release AO-rated titles on their consoles, so Manhunt 2 had to apply minor edits. That being said, it’s still a game that revolves around serial killers and vicious murder, so it’s still an intense experience.

7 Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry

The Leisure Suit Larry franchise has been around since the ‘80s and used to be a mature point-and-click adventure series from the early days of PC gaming. The Leisure Suit Larry franchise definitely feels like an ornery relic of the past, but it’s strangely seen revivals over the years.

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A recent title, Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don’t Dry actually got released on the Switch. It’s the only time an entry in the chauvinistic and oversexed series will likely appear on a Nintendo console. It almost feels like the cartoon design helped it slip through the cracks.

6 Catherine: Full Body

There are some mature games that are of little substance other than their exploitative aspects and how they indulge in their baser instincts. They’re more novelty than games. However, some titles can apply mature themes in a justified way and deliver something powerful and provocative in the process.

Catherine: Full Body is the expanded version of Atlus’ controversial puzzle game. The dark, psychological game mixes together a lot of genres and is absolutely memorable. The Switch port brought the sexualized absurdity to Nintendo fans.

5 Agony

Agony is a hopelessly nihilistic survival horror game from Madmind Studio that deals with a lost soul who’s been turned into a disturbing monster as they find themselves trapped in Hell. Agony digs into Faustian themes and questions about consent in ways that are powerful but feel gratuitous and unearned.

The art designs and monsters in the title are really upsetting, too. Agony is another game that initially saw an AO-rating but then toned itself down to meet standards. The studio has teased an AO patch, but it seems unlikely. All the same, the game somehow got ported over to the Switch.

4 Bayonetta 2

PlatinumGames has built a reputation for being one of the best names in exaggerated action titles, and for many, the Bayonetta series is their crown jewel. The games take everything that Platinum does well and injects it with insanity. The gameplay and controls are a dream, but Bayonetta’s brash character is the real highlight.

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Bayonetta uses her looks in a creative manner and makes sure that her combat is constantly breaking the limits of reality. Bayonetta 2 is even more bonkers than its predecessor and hopefully means that the upcoming Bayonetta 3 will continue the trend.

3 Red Dead Redemption

Red Dead Redemption 2 was unlikely to ever launch on the Nintendo Switch since it would take a miracle for the game to run well on the console. However, in 2023, Rockstar released the next best thing: Red Dead Redemption. Packaged with the Undead Nightmare expansion, the Switch iteration is basically a straight port of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, only with some slight tweaks to the resolution and frame rate. While the lack of significant upgrades might be disappointing due to the game's launch price, Red Dead Redemption is still great by modern standards and manages to impress on Nintendo's hybrid system.

In 2023, M17+ Switch games are no longer that novel or unexpected, and that extends to Rockstar's portfolio. That said, this port was still surprising since it did not seem to be on the cards for the longest time. 13 years had to pass but Red Dead Redemption is finally playable on a Nintendo system.

2 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem is a survival horror title that’s exclusive to the GameCube. Eternal Darkness didn’t go on to have a lengthy franchise like Resident Evil or Silent Hill, but it’s made such an impression that people are still asking about a sequel.

The survival horror game draws inspiration from the works of H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe as it spans many disparate time periods in bleak ways. In addition to the death and violence, the game psychologically attacks the player and tackles topics, like suicide, that are intense for a Nintendo title.

1 MadWorld

PlatinumGames has gone on to make a lot of amazing titles for different consoles, but MadWorld was one of their earliest and most stylized hits that showed that these guys weren’t to be underestimated. The Wii title is an action beat-‘em-up style game that’s become par for the course for Platinum.

MadWorld is presented in gorgeous black-and-white that contrasts with the red buckets of blood that are spilled. It’s an amazing game that conjures the feeling of intense graphic novels and the works of Frank Miller. MadWorld embraces its over-the-top violence and is better off for it.

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