6 Best Nintendo Switch Dungeon Crawler RPGs

With games like Labyrinth of Refrain, Children of Morta, and Darkest Dungeon, dungeon crawler RPGs are a great way to play on the Nintendo Switch.

There are many great games to choose from in the Nintendo Switch eShop. There are lots of fun games to play, from big adventure games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to simple online group games like Tetris 99. But there may be video game fans looking for secret gems in a certain field.

Dungeon crawler RPGs are a fairly niche type of video game. They involve exploring tunnels that are sometimes randomly produced and have RPG features like classes, growing up, and power-ups. It’s possible that some of these games aren’t exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, but they are the best ones that can be bought on that system.

Labyrinth Of Refrain: Coven Of Desk

A party facing living onions in Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk

This dungeon game from Nippon Ichi Software is the most standard RPG you can find on Nintendo Switch. It’s also out on PC, PlayStation 4, and the PlayStation Vita. Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk takes place in a twisted cartoon tale and has challenging first-person tunnels where players can switch between Classes and meet random enemies.

If you like dungeon crawler RPGs, Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk has a world that will keep you interesting. Given that it is a simpler turn-based RPG, though, it might not appeal to people who want a little more action while exploring levels.

Children Of Morta

A player fighting undead enemies in Children of Morta

Children of Morta, which came out in 2019, is about a family of guardians who live on Mount Morta, a mountain full of tunnels, caves, and secrets. During the main story, you can unlock a total of seven available characters. Each one is a different RPG type, such as a Warrior, Archer, Assassin, or Healer.

Children of Morta is different from the other dungeon crawlers on this list because its tunnels are randomly created, which means that each time you play it, you’ll have a totally different experience. By the time the game is over, players may even feel strangely connected to the strange Bergson family. This makes the game both fun to play and cute.

Darkest Dungeon

A player's party facing a party of zombies in Darkest Dungeon

Darkest Dungeon came out in 2016, but in 2018 it was ported to the Nintendo Switch. Darkest Dungeon 2 hasn’t come out for the Switch yet (2023), but the first game is already a lot of fun for dungeon crawler RPG players. The real-time moving makes Spacebar Clicker very interesting, and each run has high risks.

In Darkest Dungeon, players take control of any character they want and explore complex, randomly created tunnels that are buried under a house they’ve acquired. Though it was very hard, reviewers loved the game and liked how easy it was to get sucked into the dark and sometimes scary world below their new homes.

Dreamscaper

A player summoning a black hole in a parking lot in Dreamscaper

Dreamscaper, which came out in 2021, swaps its maze-like tunnels for complicated dreams and fears, making players find their way through a world that is always changing in their minds. Players can fight enemies in each dream, get stronger, and start the next dream stronger than they were before. This is a prize for players who have been playing for a long time.

Beyond Dreamscaper’s fun and endlessly replayable gameplay, there’s also a puzzle at the heart of its story that most players would be stupid to ignore. It’s out on a lot of platforms, like Xbox Series X and PC, but the Nintendo Switch is where it’s at its best because players can take their fears with them.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Shiftry's party confronting Tyranitar, Alakazam, and Charizard in Mystery Dungeon

The first Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games were Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team for the GameBoy Advance in 2005. Since then, they were made over for the Nintendo Switch in 2020 as Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. As a Pokémon spin-off, this series is one of a kind because it is a dungeon-crawler RPG.

The game is played by controlling a group of talking Pokemon through randomly produced tunnels, fighting wild Pokemon along the way and adding them to their team. Overall, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon fans loved this new game because it was better than the last one and had a whole new art style.

Hades

Zagreus battling skeletons in Hades

Few games in the last few years have made as big of an impact on the dungeon crawler RPG genre as Hades. In Hades, which is based on Greek mythology, players take control of the son of the God of Death and try to escape from the Underworld by going through randomly created rooms and fighting very tough enemies.

Along the way, players can get upgrades from the other Greek gods in the form of Boons. However, if they die, they have to start over at the beginning of their trip with no power. It’s a game that awards replaying and can become very addicting, especially for people who love Greek myths. However, it might take a lot of determination to finish it.