Over the last two weeks of December, we are announcing the winners of the First Annual SwitchRPG Awards. We’ll be announcing new winners every weekday, leading up to a final announcement on January 1st for RPG of the Year!

Today we move into one of the most popular subgenres of role playing games – the Action RPG. The Switch saw a large number of quality releases in this genre this year – many of which were released to widespread acclaim on other systems. These titles not only engage players with powerful stories, but also get the blood pumping through their intense combat systems, rousing soundtracks, and sometimes crushing difficulty. Each of our nominees represent a different implementation of the core tenets of the genre, providing players with action-oriented adventures that can hold the imagination for hours on end.

The Nominees

Child of Light

Diablo III: Eternal Collection

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana

And the Winner Is…

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Released on December 1, 2017 – the first official day of eligibility for this year’s awards – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has risen to be not only a fan favorite game among the SwitchRPG community, but also for gamers across the spectrum. While the game’s MMO-inspired combat system may not perfectly fit the more high velocity battles of its competitors, Xenoblade’s other merits made it an easy pick for Action RPG of the year. Featuring a beautiful game world, compelling story, and blistering, metal-inspired soundtrack, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 quickly captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of RPG fans. Taken with its 100+ hour playtime (which never gets stale) and the Torna: The Golden Country expansion released later this year (which did nothing but add to an already stellar package) and Xenoblade rose not only to be one of the best RPGs on Switch in 2018, but one of the best games, period.

Community Pick: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Another runaway success on the community poll, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 clocked in with 59% of the overall votes in this category. The Xenoblade Chronicles fanbase is alive and well among Switch owners, many of whom carried over their love from previous titles on the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS entries. The series has quickly risen to be one of the most beloved RPG franchises dedicated to Nintendo consoles, and it doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

How do you feel about Xenoblade’s runaway victory? Does your heart belong to another of our action RPG nominees? Let us know in the comments. And look out Monday for our next winner – Best Roguelike!