Summary
Although more and more games developed in Japan have been getting localized for other territories in the last few years, there are still many that remain exclusive to the country. A handful of these titles are also console exclusives onNintendo Switch, likely due to its popularity.
Some of these Japan-exclusive Switch games are enhanced ports of games that previously launched internationally but weren’t re-released overseas due to lackluster sales, while others are new entries in long-running Japan-exclusive series. Some are even new IPs that, for some reason, never left Japan. Many are great, but only some can be considered the best.
Updated on July 14, 2025 by Caden Rogers:Though more games than ever have been allowed to leave the land of the rising sun and be played by Switch owners worldwide, we’re still waiting on some of the console’s best offerings to make it overseas, and with the Switch’s lifespan coming to an end, it’s not likely any of these Japan exclusives will get Western releases before the launch of the successor to the Nintendo Switch, if at all. Now more than ever, we lament the greatest Switch games that will (probably) forever remain Japan exclusive titles.
15Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Mario Isn’t The Only Odyssey On Switch
You might be surprised to hear thatAssassin’s Creed Odysseyeven has a Switch version. This critically acclaimed action RPG launched for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2018 and featuresstunning graphicsand a vast open world. It’s a miracle that it runs on the Switch, but it shockingly never launched outside of Japan.
The only downside is that it’s a Cloud version. While it’s a shame that you need an internet connection to play it, it’s currently the most accessible way for Switch owners to experience this Game of the Year-nominated adventure.
14Super Robot Wars T
Japan’s Tactical Hidden Gem
If you like mecha anime, then you’ll loveSuper Robot Wars. It’s a tactical RPG series by Bandai Namco, where you get to pilot massive robots during strategic battles. Think of it likeFire EmblemorAdvance Warscombined with over-the-top sci-fi anime action.
Unfortunately, the series rarely leaves Japan, and Super Robot Wars T joins the ever-growing list of Japan-only Switch games. The game combines visual novel story segments with fast-paced combat. There are even cameos from famous anime series, like Spike from Cowboy Bebop.
13Jake Hunter Detective Story: Prism Of Eyes
For Ace Attorney Fans
You may remember seeing a couple of Jake Hunter games on the DS or 3DS, but unfortunately, this detective series is mostly Japan-exclusive. It’s a mystery visual novel series similar toAce Attorney, except with a more neo-noir tone.
In Detective Story: Prism of Eyes, you play as Jake Hunter, a gritty private investigator tasked with solving a series of mysteries. You talk to witnesses, search for clues, and make deductions that lead to the truth. Its thrilling plot makes it one of the more fascinating Japan-exclusive Switch games, with plenty of jazz music and inner monologs to evoke that film-noir feel.
12Natsumon: 20th Century Summer Break
Cozy Summer Vibes In Rural Japan
The spiritual successor to Millennium Kitchen’s classic Boku No Natsuyasumi series, Natsumonis a cozy summer delightwhich will be right up your alley if you enjoyed Kaz Ayabe’s take on Shin-Chan back in 2022.
As a child whose parents run a traveling circus troupe, you’ll take control of young Satoru Moroboshi during the troupe’s one-month stay in the quiet town of Yomogi. You’ll spend your time catching bugs, fish, and maybe even glimpses of the town’s local urban legend as you play andexplore Natsumon’s open world at your own pace.
11Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban!
For Fans Of Fortune Street
The first Nintendo Switch exclusive entry in Konami’s Japan-exclusive Momotaro Dentetsu series, Momotaro Dentetsu: Showa, Heisei, Reiwa Mo Teiban! has you travel by air, land, and sea to gather wealth fromsuccessful business transactionswhile also dealing with any rivals you encounter.
Games in the Momotaro Dentetsu series are primarily known for their board game-like gameplay. To those outside of Japan, this gameplay may seem similar to Monopoly, which the series has often been compared to. It’s also been compared to the Japanese board game Sugoroku, which inspired theMario Partyseries and minigames in theDragon Questseries.
10Power Pro Kun Pocket R
Batter Up!
Power Pro Kun Pocket R is a 2021remake of the first two gamesin the Power Pro Kun Pocket baseball video game series, which initially launched on the Game Boy Color in 1999 and 2000, respectively. The series also spun off fromKonami’s Jikkyo Powerful Pro Yakyuu series, which changed its name to eBaseball: Powerful Pro Yakyuu.
Power Pro Kun Pocket R includes a story mode where you recruit and train players, a co-op multiplayer mode for up to four players, a survival mode, and several other game modes and minigames.
9Buddy Mission BOND
A Story-Based Treat For Visual Novel Fans
A game by Ruby Party,Koei Tecmo’s primarily female development team, Buddy Mission BOND is a visual novel mystery adventure game where you pick two of four characters to investigate cases by searching for clues andtalking to NPCs.Once you’ve gained enough information for a case, you can infiltrate the base of the primary suspect, with the clues you found affecting how you do so.
The main character, Luke Williams, wants to be a hero like his late father, who died in the line of duty. To reflect this, the game features a Hero Gauge, which increases or decreases depending on your choices, resulting in a score after completing the mission. It’s one of the more interesting story-based Japan-exclusive Switch games.
8Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020
A Home Run For Classic Namco Fans
Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 is a baseball video game byBandai Namcoand is part of the primarily Japan-exclusive Famista or Family Stadium series. Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 is exclusive to Nintendo Switch and features 12 professional baseball teams and select players from nine additional teams.
The game’s most notable feature, however, is its story mode. This includes the Namco Stars team, which is full of classic Namco characters likePac-Manand Mappy. In the story mode, the team must save the Earth from being invaded by aliens by playing against them. In other words, this game is Space Jam, but with baseball and Namco characters instead of basketball and Looney Tunes.
7Yo-Kai Watch 1 For Nintendo Switch
Gera-Gera Po!
An enhanced port of the firstYo-Kai Watchgame for Nintendo 3DS, literally titled Yo-Kai Watch 1 for Nintendo Switch, launched for the console in October 2019. This was four months after the base version of Yo-Kai Watch 4 had launched.
Because it changed platforms from Nintendo 3DS to Switch, this enhanced port adds several changes and improvements to the series' debut title, including updated graphics, voiced dialogue boxes, new control schemes, and online battles against other players. A mobile version, Yo-Kai Watch 1 Smartphone, launched in July 2021.
6Medarot Classics Plus
Eight Classic Games In One Convenient Package
Medarot Classics Plus is a collection of eight games from the Medarot series, known as Medabots outside Japan. These titles were initially launched onGame Boysystems between 1997 and 2002. Because most of them had two versions — the Kabuto version and the Kuwagata version — this collection does as well.
The collection adds digital versions of the original manuals, a Meda-Album where you can see what you’ve collected in each game, save states, a speed feature where you can double, quadruple, or octuple a game’s speed, and a skip feature that lets you automatically win battles.
