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The Vikings raided and pillaged their way across Northern Europe for hundreds of years. The Viking myths are alive and well in video games, with several Viking games on Switch. If you want to live out your fantasy of raiding the North (or protecting it), check out this handful of Viking games for Switch.
10. Swords and Soldiers
Swords & Soldiers is a 2D side-scrolling tower defense game that features the Vikings as a playable faction. Aztecs, Chinese, and Chief Meat round out the rest of the factions. The Nintendo Switch version of this game includes the ability to challenge a friend on a single touch screen. It also includes the Saucy Sausage Fest expansion as a free DLC.
If you love this game and want more tower defense action, be sure to check out Sword & Solders 2: Shwarmageddon. It features Vikings fighting against Persians and demons in a hilarious new campaign.
9. Volgarr the Viking
Volgarr the Viking returns to the golden era of arcade games, when games were tough. It features simple controls, high challenge, and handcrafted level design. The hand-made pixel art is gorgeous and Volgarr’s skillset is easy to learn, but hard to master.
Volgarr the Viking features seven different worlds to explore set across 30 different maps. There are 40 unique traps and enemies to overcome, including massive bosses to fight. The game is a love letter to classic difficult action games like Ninja Gaiden.
8. Niffelheim
Warriors who die in battle ascend to the realm of Asgard to dine in Odin’s Great Hall. But what about those who don’t? Niffelheim is a side-scrolling survival game about surviving in the harsh Viking underworld called Niffelheim.
Players must uncover all the pieces of the portal of Asgard to ascend. But they are guarded by giants, undead, and spiders. Collect parts from the enemies you kill to create potions and help your Viking survive. There’s lots of replayability here as you learn the combat and strategy for keeping your Vikings alive.
7. Raiders of the North Sea
Assemble a crew of Viking warriors and outfit a longboat to go raid settlements for gold and fame. Raiders of the North Sea is a digital adaptation of a popular board game. Players harvest resources using workers and use those resources to hire Viking crew. Players can also complete several objectives to upgrade their longboat for longer journeys and more raiding opportunities.
Raiders of the North Sea is a turn-based strategy game that features a full tutorial. It features a ten game campaign to learn the ropes and features both single-player AI battles and multi-player online battles.
6. Bad North
Bad North is a rogue-lite tactics game that sees players defending multiple tiny islands against Viking invaders. Each unit features a hero that can be leveled up with successful campaigns and acquisition of gold.
Each island that serves as a level is procedurally generated. Units navigate and engage the enemy intuitively with input from the player. Players can unlock new upgrades to turn their rag-tag militia into a true fighting force.
The Jotunn edition upgrade features new items to find, new Commander traits, and a Codex to monitor progression through the game. The update was provided for free to PC, Switch, Xbox, and PlayStation 4.
5. Dead in Vinland
Dead in Vinland is a survival management game that takes some inspiration from The Banner Saga. The Switch version of the game features all three DLC expansions for the game, including The Valhund, Battle of the Heodenings, and Norse Side Stories.
Players must find and gather resources and secure a food supply to help their family survive. Mental and physical health must be closely monitored as disease and wounds ravage your party. Dead in Vinland is a turn-based game with a management aspect similar to Thea: The Awakening.
4. Jotun: Valhalla Edition
Jotun is a hand-drawn Viking adventure that is a worthy entry on this list. Players assume control of Thora, a Viking warrior who has died an inglorious death. She must prove herself to the Gods to enter Valhalla. Players will explore Norse Purgatory and fight giants to earn the blessing of the Gods.
The Valhalla edition of the game features a new battle mode for facing ever tougher Jotun. The main campaign features nine vast levels steeped with Viking mythology, with details of Thora’s life and death peppered throughout.
3. Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is an amazing narrative experience. Senua is a broken Celtic warrior journeying to complete a ritual for her dead lover. The exploration of the game is a unique experience as Senua suffers from PTSD and the mental battle that entails. You’ll never quite know what’s real and what is a terrible memory.
You’ll need to be okay with being fully immersed in madness to experience what Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice has to offer. If you really want an immersive experience, the Steam version of the game is VR-compatible.
2. Northgard
Northgard is a Civilization-inspired real-time strategy game where players control one of several Viking tribes. Each tribe honors a different animal god that confers unique benefits to influence how the tribe progresses. The game features a full campaign with intuitive controls for Switch.
The only downside is not all the DLC available for the PC version is available on Switch yet. Players will need to purchase individual tribes as DLC to play those tribes later on. The game features a robust multiplayer mode that may need a bit of coordination to set up for Switch. It is one of the best Viking games on Switch for strategy gamers, however.
1. The Banner Saga Trilogy
Much like the Mass Effect trilogy, The Banner Saga plays out over the course of three games. The first game sets up the story and introduces the characters and their epic journey. The play-style is unique and will take some time to master, however. Maiming enemies by using the environment is the key to defeating the hordes you’ll face in this game.
Each game features a conclusion, but the story continues in the next game. All of the decisions you make carry over to the next game, so any characters that die will be gone permanently if you don’t take care of them. Your decisions and tactics determine how the story will play out by the end of the third game.
Bonus: Skyrim
It would be a travesty to have a list of great Viking games to play on Switch without mentioning Skyrim. The world of Skyrim is heavily influenced by Norse mythology, right down to the conflict that is ripping the land apart. While you’ll fight dragons as the Dragonborn, you’ll have to decide between supporting the true heir to the throne of Skyrim or not.
