Guide: Every Nintendo Switch Online NES Game Ranked
Nintendo Life has updated its ranking of every NES game available through the Nintendo Switch Online service, now adding Ninja Gaiden III, R.C. Pro-AM II and Ikari Warriors in a September 2026 update. The list, which covers close to 90 'Nintendo Classics' titles, is compiled from reader ratings and shifts over time as fans continue to score games, so it offers a live snapshot of which retro titles are rated best and worst by the community.
Working up from the bottom of the rankings, the article singles out several weaker entries: Donkey Kong Jr. Math is dismissed as a joyless edutainment title, while Volleyball and Urban Champion are rated among the poorest of Nintendo's early sports and fighting games. Baseball, Soccer and City Connection fare only slightly better, valued mainly as historical curiosities, while Golf is noted for its historical significance as the game Satoru Iwata hid inside the Nintendo Switch's firmware in 2017.
In short
- Nintendo Life updates its full ranking of NSO NES games.
- September 2026 update adds Ninja Gaiden III, R.C. Pro-AM II, Ikari Warriors.
- List is reader-rated and changes as users vote.
Explained simply
Nintendo Switch Online is a paid subscription service that lets players use online features and access a library of older games. Its “Nintendo Classics” collection includes games originally made for the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, Nintendo’s home console from the 1980s.
Nintendo Life is a website covering Nintendo games and hardware. Its rankings use scores submitted by readers, so they reflect community opinions and can change as more people rate the games; they are not official Nintendo rankings. Some NES titles are remembered for their place in gaming history as well as how enjoyable they are to play today.
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