Weekly roundup

Switch deals worth your time: week of Oct. 22, 2026

Eight top-rated Switch games on sale this week, from $2.99 to $14.99, with who each one suits. Prices as of Oct. 21, 2026, in US dollars.

By Dockside · Published October 22, 2026 · 5 min read

Eight top-rated Switch games are on sale this week, from $2.99 to $14.99: from a seven-hour mining adventure to a 25-hour game about diving by day and running a sushi bar by night. Nintendo's Halloween sale, Screaming Deals, is on this week, and most of these eight sales end on Saturday, Oct. 31. They are listed in the order their sales end.

How we chose these games

Every price, discount and sale end date below is the one listed on the US eShop as of Oct. 21, 2026, in US dollars. That day the eShop had 5,866 discounted listings, and 159 games among them cleared Dockside's default bar: a Metacritic score of 88 or higher, or an "Overwhelmingly Positive" Steam rating. Add-ons are left out, and a game sold both as a Switch 2 Edition and as the original is listed once. From there the picks are an editorial choice, aiming for a spread of price, length and genre. Metacritic numbers are the Switch version's own score; Steam ratings are for the PC version. Sale end dates are Pacific time.

This week's picks

SteamWorld Dig 2: $2.99 (was $19.99, 85% off)

• Sale ends Sunday, Oct. 25
• Length about 7 hours (main story)
• Scores 88 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 5,700 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2017 · action, adventure

Who it suits. Players who like a 2D map that opens up as they dig deeper, upgrade their tools and go back for what they could not reach before. Skip it if you want a long game: this is a weekend.

Why it's here. The cheapest game and the deepest discount of the eight, and its sale ends first. eShop page.

Dead Cells: $12.49 (was $24.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Thursday, Oct. 29
• Length about 14 hours (main story)
• Scores 89 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 156,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2018 · action

Who it suits. Players who enjoy short, fast runs that start over when you die, with upgrades that carry from one run to the next. Skip it if repeating the same areas wears on you.

Why it's here. A side-scrolling action game built for play in short sessions, at half price. eShop page.

Inscryption: $4.99 (was $19.99, 75% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 13 hours (main story)
• Scores "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 135,000 reviews, PC version) · 87 on Metacritic (Switch version)
• Released 2022 · adventure, tabletop

Who it suits. Players who like deck-building card battles and do not mind a dark, unsettling tone in Halloween week. Skip it if you want a straightforward card game: the story keeps changing the rules.

Why it's here. It clears the bar on its Steam rating, and at $4.99 it is the second-cheapest game here. eShop page.

DAVE THE DIVER: $10.99 (was $19.99, 45% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 25 hours (main story)
• Scores 88 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 142,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2023 · action, adventure

Who it suits. Players who like two loops feeding each other: dive and fish by day, then run a sushi restaurant with the catch by night. Good in short sessions, since each day is a small goal.

Why it's here. About 25 hours of main story for $10.99: roughly 44 cents an hour. eShop page.

Pentiment: $9.99 (was $19.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Length about 15 hours (main story)
• Scores 90 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 9,200 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · adventure

Who it suits. Readers. A story-led mystery set in a 16th-century Alpine abbey town, played through conversations and choices rather than combat or puzzles. Skip it if you want action.

Why it's here. A 90 on Metacritic, at half price. eShop page.

The Case of the Golden Idol: Complete Edition: $14.99 (was $29.99, 50% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 9,800 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · adventure

Who it suits. Puzzle players who like detective work: each case is a frozen scene to examine, and you solve it by filling in who did what, and why. Skip it if you dislike reading clues closely.

Why it's here. Tied with Undertale for the highest Metacritic score of the eight, at half price. eShop page.

Balatro: $12.74 (was $14.99, 15% off)

• Sale ends Saturday, Oct. 31
• Scores 90 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 160,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2024 · tabletop

Who it suits. Players who like building a deck that breaks the rules: you score poker hands, and collect cards that change how hands score. Each run stands on its own, so it is easy to pick up and put down.

Why it's here. The smallest discount of the eight, on a game whose regular price is already $14.99. eShop page.

Undertale: $9.89 (was $14.99, 34% off)

• Sale ends Sunday, Nov. 1
• Scores 93 on Metacritic (Switch version) · "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam (about 305,000 reviews, PC version)
• Released 2018 on Switch · role-playing

Who it suits. Players who want a role-playing game where fights can be won without fighting: you can talk your way through every encounter, and the story changes depending on what you choose.

Why it's here. The most-reviewed game of the eight on Steam, and the last of these sales to end. eShop page.

If you miss a sale

Most good games come back around: Do Switch games go on sale? shows how often top-rated games were discounted between late August and October, and How Nintendo eShop sales work covers when the big sales run. For anything above, write down the price you would pay, so the next sale is a quick yes or no.

By default, Dockside lists every discounted Switch game that clears this bar, not just eight, with each game's play time and price history. Put a game on your wishlist with the price you would pay, and Dockside sends a notification when the eShop price gets there. Get Dockside free on the App Store.