Maybe you received a Switch for your birthday or Christmas, or maybe you just felt like joining the nearly 10 million players that have purchased one already, and decided to get one for yourself.
And what better way to dive into the system’s experience than by playing some of the best games for the system?
There’s already 4 hits on the Switch, what with Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but dropping $300 on a console in a addition to several full priced games is a steep asking price.
And that’s where demos come into play.
Below is the quick and dirty on how to download every available demo on the Nintendo Switch.
How to Download Demos
While free, demos are technically a digital purchase, and like all digital purchases on the Nintendo Switch, they are run through the eShop.
The eShop is to the Switch what the PSN Store is to the PS4 and the Xbox Live Marketplace is to the Xbox One. In other words, it’s a digital storefront contained within the Nintendo ecosystem.
To download a demo on the Switch you’ll want to head on over to the eShop and set everything up with your Nintendo Account. Then, and only then, will you be able to access free demos in addition to paid games.
Once complete, ignore the labeled tabs on the left hand side of the eShop and instead select the search box.
Here, you will see the option to click on text that says “Games with Demos” which, as you might expect, will take you to a page that has all games with available free demos.
Alternatively, you could also search for the exact demo and this is actually required for certain demos, namely Project Octopath Traveler.
As to why there isn’t a labeled tab on the home page of the eShop, well, this completely eludes me. We can only hope that this simple quality of life feature is added in the future.
Best Switch Demos to Check Out
If you’ve recently gotten a Switch and want to compliment your games with some free demos, there’s a couple that I would highly recommend.
First up is Project Octopath Traveler.
It sports a modern/retro hybrid aesthetic and is developed by reverent Japanese developer Square Enix. Apart from unique visuals and great music, it offers classic turn based gameplay, something that has yet to hit its stride on the Switch with the absence of giants like Pokemon.
The game is due out sometime in 2018 and is already one of the most anticipated titles for owners of the console.
Another great demo to check out, something to scratch that multiplayer itch, is Pokken Tournament.
Pokken Tournament pits your favorite Pokemon against one another in a 3D arena, making use of hallmark features of the fighting genre.
It’s the obvious choice for those who don’t yet own a game that can be played locally with friends and family.
Just as with full fledged titles, the demo selection on the Nintendo Switch is sure to mature as time goes on. Be sure to check back with Click Press Play to learn about the best new demos to release on the Switch.
Lover of games, tech, nature, and strange electronic music. Shaped by Sega, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox – platform agnostic ever since. Currently overwhelmed by choice on my Xbox Series X thanks to Game Pass.