Try a game for free with the complete list of Nintendo Switch game demos available on the Nintendo eShop in North America and Europe.
A good demo can make or break a game. The most famous example, perhaps, is the Xbox 360 demo of Irrational’s 2007 classic, Bioshock. I know I’m not alone in saying that the demo sold the entire game to me in a heartbeat.
In recent years demos have fallen out of favour, with publishers keen to push pre-orders and all too aware of how a negative player response can impact sales. So although demos are not as prevalent as they once were, there are still opportunities to try a game before it’s released. In some cases a game may also receive a post-release demo to reinvigorate sales, as seen with the Switch-port of ChromaGun.
The demos available on Nintendo Switch are a mixed bag. Just as the small sample of Bioshock sold me on the game, the Switch demo of Lost Sphear – a game I was looking forward to – had the exact opposite effect. A sale lost, but £30 saved.
So here’s the complete list of free demos available on the Nintendo Switch. Also on the list are two Nintendo Switch pinball games. Although they’re not demos, strictly speaking, they both feature free content with additional tables available as paid DLC.
We’ll keep this list up-to-date, but if you spot something we’ve missed, drop us a line. We have also marked some of our favourite games.
North American and European eShop demos – Last updated: October 1, 2019
- 10 Second Run Returns
- 99Vidas
- AeternoBlade
- Aegis Defenders
- Airfield Mania
- Animated Jigsaws: Beautiful Japanese Scenery
- Ape Out ♥
- Arms
- Art of Balance ♥
- Automachef
- Awesome Pea
- Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku
- Baobabs Mausoleum
- Bad North ♥
- Bear With Me: The Lost Robots
- Black Hole
- Blaster Master Zero
- Bleep Bloop
- Block-a-Pix Deluxe
- Boreal Blade
- Bot Vice
- BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! ♥
- Brawlout
- The Bridge
- Cadence of Hyrule ♥
- Cafeteria Nipponica
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker ♥
- Castle of Heart
- Caveman Warriors
- ChromaGun
- Cinderella – An Interactive Fairytale
- Collidalot
- Combat Core
- Contra Rogue Corps.
- Croc’s World
- Croc’s World 2
- Croc’s World Run
- Daemon X Machina
- Dark Witch Music: Episode Rudymical
- Death Squared
- Deemo
- Deep Ones
- Demetrios – The Big Cynical Adventure
- Detention
- Desktop Bowling
- Desktop Soccer
- Devious Dungeon ♥
- Disgea 5 Complete
- Domiverse
- Doodle God: Evolution
- Dragon Quest XI – Echoes of an Elusive Age ♥
- Dragon Quest Builders
- Dragon Quest Builders 2
- Drowning
- Dungeon Village
- Earthlock
- Earthworms
- Eat Beat Deadspike-san
- Embers of Mirrim
- Energy Cycle Edge
- Fitness Boxing ♥
- Fill-a-Pix: Phil’s Epic Adventure
- Forma.8
- Forgotten Anne
- Flat Heroes
- Freedom Planet
- Gabbuchi
- Gakuen Club
- Game Dev Story
- Gelly Break
- God Eater 3
- Graceful Explosion Machine ♥
- Grand Prix Story
- Grass Cutter – Mutated Lawns
- Happy Birthdays
- Heroes of the Monkey Tavern
- Hob: The Definitive Edition ♥
- Horror Stories
- Hot Springs Story
- Hyper Sentinel
- I and Me
- Implosion
- Instant Tennis
- Inversus Deluxe
- Iris School of Wizardry – Vinculum Hearts
- Jewel Fever 2
- Just Dance 2018
- Just Dance 2019
- Just Shapes & Beats
- Katamari Damacy Reroll
- Kid Tripp
- Kill la Kill – IF
- Kirby Star Allies
- Kitty Love – Way to Look for Love
- Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
- League of Evil
- Lethal League Blaze
- Lode Runner Legacy
- Lost Sphear
- Max: Curse of the Brotherhood
- Mahjong Solitaire Refresh
- Metropolis: Lux Obscura
- Mega Mall Story
- Mega Man 11 ♥
- Midnight Deluxe
- Mighty Gunvolt Burst
- Miles & Kilo
- Mistover
- Monopoly for Nintendo Switch
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom ♥
- Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate ♥
- Monster Puzzle
- Morphite
- Mugsters
- My Big Sister
- The Mystery of Woolley Mountain
- ‘n Verlore Verstand
- NBA 2K20
- Neo Cab ♥
- Neonwall
- Nine Parchments
- Ninja Village
- Ninjin: Clash of Carrots
- Oceanhorn – Monster of Uncharted Seas
- Octahedron
- Octopath Traveller ♥
- OkunoKA
- One More Dungeon
- Oninaki
- Ori and the Blind Forest – Definitive Edition
- Our Flick Erasers
- Out There: Ω The Alliance
- Ovivo
- The Path of Motus
- Pic-a-Pix Deluxe
- Pic-a-Pix Pieces
- Piczle Colors
- Piczle Lines DX
- Pillar
- Pinball FX 3 ♥
- Pixel Action Heroes
- Pixel Junk Monsters 2
- Planet Alpha
- Plantera Deluxe
- Pocket Academy
- Pocket League Story
- Pokémon Let’s Go. Eevee ♥
- Pokémon Let’s Go. Pikachu ♥
- Pokken Tournament DX
- Portal Knights
- Professor Lupo and his Horrible Pets
- Puyo Puyo Tetris
- Puzzle Puppers
- Qbik
- Quest of Dungeons
- Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
- Retimed
- Riddled Corpses EX
- Risk: The Game of Global Domination
- Robonauts
- Robothorium
- Robbotto
- R-Type Dimensions EX
- Semispheres
- Shift Quantum
- Shining Resonance Refrain
- Slime-san ♥
- Snipperclips – Cut it out, together! ♥
- Songbird Symphony
- Space War Arena
- Spelunker Party!
- Squareboy vs Bullies: Arena Edition
- Star Ghost
- Stern Pinball Arcade
- Stikbold! A Dodgeball Adventure DELUXE
- Strikey Sisters
- Swim Out
- The Sushi Spinnery
- Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido ♥
- Super Chariot
- Super Dragon Ball Heroes World Mission
- Super Kickers League
- Super Mega Baseball 2
- Super One More Jump
- Super Phantom Cat: Remake
- Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum’n’Fun!
- Tetra’s Escape
- The Tenth Line
- Them Bombs
- Tic-Tac Letters
- Tied Together
- Trials Rising
- Trivial Pursuit LIVE!
- True Fear: Forsaken Souls – Part 1
- TorqueL Physics Modified Edition
- The Tower of Beatrice
- Toy Stunt Bike
- Tumblestone
- Twin Robots: Ultimate Edition (Currently EU only)
- Urban Trial Playground
- Ultra Space Battle Brawl
- Uno ♥
- Wanderjahr TryAgainOrWalkAway
- Word Puzzles
- Word Search
- Word Sudoku
- Word Wheel
- World Cruise Story
- The World Next Door
- Valkyria Chronicles 4 ♥
- Valthirian Arc: Hero School Story
- Venture Kid
- Venture Towns
- Violett
- Viviette
- Voez ♥
- Vostok Inc.
- Voxel Sword
- Xenon Valkyrie+
- X-Morph: Defense
- Yellow Fins
- Yoku’s Island Express ♥
- Yoshi’s Crafted World ♥
Exclusive Japan eShop demos
- Crypt of the NecroDancer
- Dragon Quest Heroes I & II
- Order Land
- Plantera DX
- Sonic Forces
- Sumikko Gurashi: Sumikko Park e Youkoso
More from Thumbsticks
- The 3D Super Mario games ranked, from worst to best
- Which Nintendo 3DS games have Download Play?
- 11 things the Nintendo Wii gave video games
- Does the Nintendo Switch have an indie problem?
For more Nintendo updates follow Thumbsticks on Twitter.
