Best Nintendo Switch games June 2022: the best games to play this month - from Fall Guys to Mario Strikers

For many, June marks the first month of summer, and while warmer weather usually brings a downturn in gaming activity, the beauty of Nintendo’s Switch console is that it can be played absolutely anywhere.

That means it’s quite possible to sit outside in the sun, soaking up the latest gaming releases at the same time as you catch some rays, free from the sunshine-dodging guilt that comes from staying inside on a sunny day.

So there’s really no reason not to take in our top picks of the games you should be playing this month - here are the best games coming to Nintendo’s hybrid console in June 2022.

Mario Strikers: Battle League

What is it? The Mario Strikers series is to football what the Mario Kart games are to motorsports, chaotic, cartoonish sports recreations that shy away from realism in favour of over-the-top gameplay.

The game follows the basic format of football, with players moving around a field in an attempt to pass and shoot a ball into a goal to win points, but with a lot of artistic licence.

Aggressive tackles and attack are permitted for example and items such as banana peels can be placed on the pitch for players to slip on.

Like Mario Kart and the Strikers games before it, Battle League is likely to be a multiplayer favourite.

When can I play it? 10 June

Fall Guys

What is it? If games like Fortnite are a little too intense for you, you could always give Fall Guys a go, a game that takes the last-player-standing format of Battle Royale games and gives it an It’s A Knockout spin.

The game strips away any gun-based violence, and instead replaces it with slapstick comedy, as you control an unwieldy ‘Fall Guy’ across a series of obstacle courses - at the same time as 99 other players.

If that sounds chaotic, it is. But without the stresses of a more serious BR game, Fall Guys’ comical calamity will have you smiling rather than throwing you controller across the room - even in the face of failure.

The game shines in a party situation too, with multiplayer sessions sure to bond a group of friends even tighter.

The game initially found success on PlayStation 4, but is now being released on other platforms by Epic Games - the studio behind Fortnite.

When can I play it? 21 June

Wreckfest

What is it? One of this writer’s racing game highlights of the last few years, if you’ve ever wanted to rescue a beat up old car from the scrapheap and indulge in some banger racing, Wreckfest is for you.

The selling point here is the game’s incredibly detailed vehicle damage systems, which sees metalwork bend and crumple realistically as debris litters the circuit.

There are even wild tracks that encourage full contact racing, with figures-of-eight and huge dirt jumps ensuring none of the competing stock cars leave resembling the shape in came in as.

Wreckfest makes its debut on Nintendo Switch this month.

When can I play it? 21 June

Sonic Origins

What is it? A new collection of vintage games has been announced as one of gaming’s most iconic mascots celebrates his 31st anniversary.

Sonic Origins is a collection of four classic Sonic games being released to capitalise on the army of new fans introduced to the blue hedgehog by the Sonic the Hedgehog films.

It contains the first four Sonic the Hedgehog games released by Sega: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic CD (1993), and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994), all originally released for the Sega Genesis and the Sega CD.

Origins includes not just the original releases of each game, but also remastered versions that bring them up to date with modern expectations, such as widescreen compatibility and the removal of obsolete gameplay features like lives.

When can I play it? 23 June

• Read more: Sonic Origins: 2022 collection release date on Switch, price, which games it includes - and pre-order bonuses

Lego Brawls

What is it? This year’s Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was a culmination of all that makes the mainline Lego games great; puzzle-platforming, forgiving combat and a charmingly faithful recreation of worlds we all know and love in plastic brick form.

Lego Brawls takes a completely different tack - essentially a brawler in the style of Nintendo’s love-letter to itself, Super Smash Bros, this mobile game first released in 2019 sees you pit classic minifigures from the toy range’s past against one another.

You can choose recognisable characters from your childhood toy box, or create a new hero of your own, before engaging in four vs four-player battles for control of in-game territory.

It’s certainly different, but will it find an audience like the more usual Lego games?

When can I play it? TBC June