For a lot of people out there, gaming and fitness are about as opposite as any two hobbies can be. However, long gone are the days when gamers were only laying back on the couch and hardly moving to play. Ever since the Wii hit it big, physical motion has become more and more incorporated into how we play games. Many developers decided to take advantage of that by designing games specifically to get people moving while also providing fun gaming experiences at the same time. Since we can all use a bit more motion in our lives, the rise of fitness-focused games has reached a point where they’re not only a good workout, but fun too.
The Nintendo Switch has all the best features of the Wii, but in a more portable form, with stronger hardware and even better fitness games that take advantage of the console in new ways. Since Nintendo has always been an advocate of health just as much as fun, it makes sense that the platform has become home to some of the best games to help improve your fitness, no matter what level you’re starting from. With so many new options available, there’s a ton of variety to choose from regarding the kind of experience you want to help you get the blood flowing while playing. Here are all the best fitness games for Nintendo Switch.
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Ring Fit Adventure
E10
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Sport, Adventure
Developer
Nintendo EPD
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
October 18, 2019
Perhaps the most high-profile fitness game to come to the Switch — which, for a while, was so popular many people who wanted it couldn’t even get it — is Ring Fit Adventure. This title aims to give you a full-body workout through various modes and obstacles. The game comes with and requires the use of two accessories: The Ring-Con and a leg strap. By slotting the regular Joy-Cons into these accessories, the game can ask you to do some moves that require resistance and track your form to better guide and instruct you. The main mode is framed as an RPG where you team up with a Ring to try and take down Dragaux and an evil, bodybuilding dragon. As you move through the world, enter dungeons, and fight monsters, Ring Fit Adventure will ask you to run in place, jump, and attack in turn-based battles by performing different exercises. The better your form when doing an exercise, the more damage you do, encouraging you to really learn the mechanics of each move. The game itself is a ton of fun, making you almost forget the sweat you’re working up, and the progression system and unlocks will keep you coming back day after day. But if all those game elements aren’t your thing, or you just want a more direct fitness experience, Ring Fit Adventure also offers modes where you can simply follow a guided fitness class of sorts or even play a rhythm game. Ring Fit Adventure even has a quiet mode for people living in shared spaces that replaces louder exercises, like running in place, with silent ones so you don’t disturb housemates or neighbors.
Read our full Ring Fit Adventure review
Nintendo Switch Sports
E10
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator, Sport
Developer
Nintendo
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
April 29, 2022
Who doesn’t remember the best pack-in game of all time, Wii Sports? This single title could possibly be responsible for more people, young and old, playing games, possibly for the first time ever. It all came down to two major factors: Playing sports everyone already knew and enjoyed, and using motion controls that were intuitive to everyone. Nintendo Switch Sports is that same concept but brought forward onto the Nintendo Switch. With six sports available at launch — soccer, volleyball, bowling, tennis, badminton, and chambara — you can relive all those family get-togethers of passing the controller around to play some classic sports. As a fitness game, Nintendo Switch Sports is dependent on which sport you’re actually playing. Bowling, for example, will at least get you on your feet, but chambara, which is a sword fighting game, asks a bit more from the player in terms of movement. Because of just how easy this game is to pick up and play, whether alone, in a group, or playing online, Nintendo Switch Sports is a perfect excuse to get a bit of extra fitness time in during the day when you’re too busy or the weather doesn’t permit playing sports for real. Plus, you never know, playing some of these games may inspire you to go out and try the real thing!
Read our full Nintendo Switch Sports review
Jump Rope Challenge
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Sport
Developer
Nintendo
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
June 15, 2020
There are a few activities that just scream childhood fun. Things like hopscotch, tag, and, in this case, jump rope all come to mind. While fun enough on its own, jump rope is a fantastic exercise to get the blood flowing and release some energy. However, if you’re indoors, it can be very hard to find a space big enough to facilitate swinging a rope around. Enter Jump Rope Challenge. This free download made by Nintendo lets you simulate the rope in jump rope by using your Joy-Cons, and it was made during and for the lockdowns. It was intended to only be available for a few months, but due to its popularity (and, no doubt, the relief it offered players), it’s still available to this day. Jump Rope Challenge is a game that encourages you to play each day by showing you a graph of your progress and streak. Each day you play, a little bunny character will jump along, counting how many jumps you do and encouraging you to keep going. There’s a two-player mode, plus different accessibility modes, such as silent modes where you can either bend your knees without leaving the ground or rotate your arms. You can start at any level and work your way up, seeing how you improve day after day with this quick and easy way to jump rope almost anywhere.
Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Music, Sport
Developer
Imagineer
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
December 03, 2020
Boxing can be a very intimidating way to exercise, even if you’re not actually fighting anyone. The intensity is often seen as very high or brutal, like Rocky punching a slab of meat in a freezer. Thankfully, Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm and Exercise gives you all the best parts of training as a boxer without going over the top or feeling inaccessible. By combining boxing-style moves with the format of a rhythm game, it almost feels more like a dance routine than boxing at times. Plus, you don’t need to worry about buying any gloves or punching bags. You will follow along to different courses, learning different boxing moves while bouncing along to upbeat music for a full-body workout. The virtual instructor, of which you have nine to pick from, can even help tailor your experience to best suit your needs. If you’re more advanced, the No Mercy mode will be sure to push even the hardcore fitness fans out there. Since you don’t need anything but the Switch and the two controllers, this is a great tool to exercise at home or even on the go.
Zumba: Burn it Up!
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Music
Publisher
505 Games
Release
November 19, 2019
Zumba has become a very popular exercise class over the last few years, and for good reason. It is a high-energy, fun, and fast-paced way to get a full cardio workout. Unfortunately, classes are harder to come by now, and even if they are offered near you, you may not have the time or money to spend on a membership to make it worthwhile. That’s where Zumba: Burn It Up comes in to fill the gap. This title features real-life instructors to lead you through each class, featuring over 30 of the top Zumba songs and routines, including many pop favorites from artists like Cardi B, Ciara, and original artists. Different courses let you modify the intensity, length, and even style of moves you do so you will never get bored. Set your fitness goals and share your progress with friends online, or even invite some over for up to four-player Zumba fun together. With classes ranging from as short as 15 minutes to up to an hour, you can get a real sweat going with Zumba: Burn It Up. This will feel more like a game than a workout, too, so you will want to come back every day to have a great time while working up a sweat wherever you are.
Yoga Master
E
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator, Sport
Publisher
My World
Release
March 12, 2020
Workouts don’t have to be all about sweating, jumping, or lifting heavy weights. In fact, flexibility and stretching are the most important part of a fitness routine to avoid injury and keep your body healthy over time. Yoga is the gold standard for organized stretching and mobility work, but those who are new may easily be scared off from joining a class or embarrassed to start due to a lack of natural flexibility. If that’s the case, starting off at home with Yoga Master is the perfect way to learn all the benefits yoga has to offer. Designed by top yoga experts, this game is focused on helping you not only improve your physical balance but also your mental balance. You will learn over 150 poses from various subsets of yoga, all while the instructors demonstrate and go through motions with you. Or, if you want to focus on mindfulness, you can customize your lesson to focus on meditation and breathing exercises to calm your mind. Yoga Master also offers a BMI calculator to show you how your body is changing over time. If you want to take care of your mind and body all at once, Yoga Master is the way to go.
Knockout Home Fitness
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Sport
Developer
Marvelous Europe Ltd.
Publisher
XSEED Games
Release
September 28, 2021
We already gave you a boxing-style workout, so why not include another for those who are fans of the martial arts — or at least performing those moves to get a great workout? The lessons in Knockout Home Fitness aim to give you a short but intense fitness routine that burns as many calories as possible in a short amount of time. It accomplishes this by incorporating moves that use all the major parts of your body, such as punches, knees, and kicks, based on different forms of karate, kung fu, and Muay Thai. You have your choice of four different personal trainers with different personalities and training styles to help motivate you. Some are more eager and will push you, while others offer lighter encouragement. Knockout Home Fitness offers daily exercise programs that can be done in around 15 minutes and can be personalized using the Personal Training Mode to match your current fitness level and goals. Or, if time is tight, you can even do the 3-Minute Fitness Mode that offers plenty of high-energy, quick-burst workouts that you can squeeze in no matter how busy you are. Knockout Home Fitness tracks all your progress in a report system that shows you how often you exercised, how long, and the estimated total calorie burn. Knockout Home Fitness is a perfect choice for anyone on a tight schedule who wants to get a great fitness routine done in as short an amount of time as possible.
Just Dance 2022: Ultimate Edition
Platforms
Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Release
March 11, 2022
Just Dance 2022 is the latest in the yearly dancing series, which hides how good it is as a fitness tool underneath a fun and addicting experience. Dancing, in real life or while playing a game, is a surprisingly fun and approachable way to exercise and improve your fitness. Just Dance 2022, being more than 10 years into the franchise, has just about mastered the blend of being a fun game to play, either alone or with groups at parties, while also using your whole body to groove to the beats. Just Dance 2022 has 40 brand new songs from all the current pop stars like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and dozens more. Each song lets you learn and follow along with the fun and trendy dance choreography, tracking how close you can match the movements for higher scores. Plus, Just Dance 2022 can essentially go on forever if you want. The track list can be expanded to over 700 songs if you subscribe to Just Dance Unlimited, which you’ll also get as a free trial. Just Dance 2022 makes your fitness routine feel more like a dance party — and isn’t that the best way to get in shape?
ARMS
E10
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Fighting, Sport
Developer
Nintendo EPD, Nintendo
Publisher
Nintendo of America, Nintendo of Europe, Nintendo
Release
June 16, 2017
This entry is more aimed at the gamers out there who want to add a bit of movement to their play time, rather than those who want some game systems in their fitness routines. ARMS is mostly a fighting game focused around characters with long spring arms in a 3D, one-on-one fighting game. All the characters are bright, colorful, and unique, and the boxing combat is easy to learn but very tactical and full of depth. So, what makes ARMS a good fitness game, then? The simple use of motion controls. Sure, you could play it with a regular controller, but if you opt to use the Joy-Cons and punch to control which arm your character attacks with, or move to do any of the other actions, it becomes a nice, light exercise. All the game modes make it fun to keep on playing, and since it isn’t overly taxing, you can get a nice session in without getting too tired and having to quit. You can play online in lobbies with up to 20 people or duel in local matches or tournaments. There’s, of course, a single-player Grand Prix mode that asks you to face 10 AI opponents in a row to go for the top prize. Even the odd extra modes, like volleyball and basketball, are good fun and will get anyone moving. ARMS could be a nice little way to sneak in some motion for kids who aren’t all that interested in fitness for fitness’ sake because it’s just a fun game on its own.
Mario Tennis Aces
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Sport
Developer
Camelot Software Planning, Camelot
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
June 22, 2018
Just like our last pick, Mario Tennis Aces is a light workout tucked away inside the wrapper of a fun Mario sports game. It is similar to how the tennis game works in Nintendo Switch Sports, but more fleshed out and, of course, features all our favorite Mario characters. Each character has unique stats and moves, all of which you can pull off with combinations of motion controls and button presses. Like ARMS, this game is more suited for those looking to just get a nice bit of movement into their routines. Volleys can get intense at times, but it never lasts too long, and you always get a breather between sets, matches, or during cutscenes to never feel exhausted or like the game is a chore to play. It features local multiplayer or online and a full-on Adventure mode that changes up the usual tennis match format with different objectives, mini-games, and even boss fights. It’s great for the entire family and friends and is fun enough on its own that kids will want to get on their feet, swing their arms, and get some much-needed motion in their lives without realizing it’s good for them, too.
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