The Switch is over a year old, now, more than surpassing its predecessor, the Wii U, in every way commercially and critically. However, while the Wii U had a small userbase, that userbase is also incredibly loyal. Especially on GBAtemp, where the homebrew community has kept the Wii U relevant, even after official support has ended. In fact, the Wii U is beloved as an emulation box, offering virtual console, backwards compatibility, and emulation for many of Nintendo’s past consoles’ and handhelds’ games.

Just like the previous entry of this series, today, we’ll be taking a look at the Wii U has to offer, and putting a spotlight on the greatest the console has in terms of games. Are you interested in grabbing a Wii U to try some exclusive games, or have you owned one for a while now and have been thinking about revisiting it for some titles you might have missed? You’re in luck, because this is a highlight reel of sorts, listing out games you should definitely give a try.

Seeing as pure objectivity can’t be reached, everyone will of course have differing opinions, but I hope to make a list that’ll make for a great starting point for anyone interested in the Wii U. Each category will have its own unique entries, so there won’t be any duplicate mentions.

Best Indie Games

With Nintendo finally having a modern online storefront for its home console, and Nintendo pushing for independent developers via the Nindies program, many indie games found major initial success on the Wii U. Here are some of the best available:

1. Shovel Knight
2. Freedom Planet
3. Axiom Verge (Official GBAtemp Review)
4. Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition (Official GBAtemp Review)
5. Binding of Isaac
6. Severed (Official GBAtemp Review)
7. Steamworld Heist
8. Affordable Space Adventures
9. Don’t Starve: Giant Edition
10. Fast Racing NEO

The indie selection here is full of games that were modeled after beloved classic franchises. You have Axiom Verge, which is styled very much like older 2D Metroid games, along with Freedom Planet, a game that started off as a Sonic romhack early on. Then, there's Fast Racing NEO, which will fill the F-Zero shaped hole in your heart, with its blinding-speed futuristic racer gameplay. And then, we have our top entry at #1...

After a Kickstarter campaign that fulfilled its promise, Shovel Knight released onto Nintendo platforms to rave reviews from critics and players alike. The gameplay was simple, and hearkened back to the days of NES platformers that often had a challenging difficulty. Yacht Club Games outdid themselves with Shovel Knight, creating a brand new experience, yet also one tinged with nostalgia. To this day, the company is still releasing free content updates for the game.

Best Ports

Whenever a new console launches, it tends to lead to lots of ports from the previous generation being brought over, either in order to give them a new lease on life, or to add new features and content. Though far more limited in regards to other systems, the Wii U still had a handful of great new-old games.

1. Bayonetta (Official GBAtemp Review)
2. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
3. Resident Evil: Revelations
4. Need for Speed: Most Wanted U
5. Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition
6. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag was from the days during the Wii U's lifespan where Ubisoft was still a strong supporter of the console. Though it wasn't as impressive graphically as the competing PS4 and Xbox One versions, it still looked and played well on Nintendo's hardware. One of the best Need for Speed games also managed a port, making itself the best racing game to play at the time. Then, Resident Evil: Revelations saw an HD makeover, moving from the 3DS to the Wii U.

When SEGA couldn't find anyone willing to sign on to make a sequel to Bayonetta, Nintendo ended up stepping to up to the plate, bringing both Bayonetta 1 and 2 to the Wii U. The Wii U version of the game was by far the best way to play Bayonetta, at least, until the PC version released. It felt like a weird match for Nintendo, but it was a mix that worked incredibly well.

Best Action/Adventure

The Wii U was home to quite a good amount of action and adventure games. From long world-spanning adventures, to octane-fueled action romps, these are the best of the best.

1. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD / The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
2. Rayman Legends
3. Lego City: Undercover
4. The Wonderful 101
5. Star Fox Zero (Official GBAtemp Review)

PlatinumGames's didn't only supply Bayonetta to the Wii U, we also got the quirky little action game The Wonderful 101, with its colorful characters and typical solid Platinum-styled gameplay, this was a real gem. We also finally got a new Star Fox, after years of waiting, though for many people, it didn't live up to the hype. LEGO fans also got one of the best LEGO video games in recent years, with the crazy-antics of Lego City: Undercover. There was also the very beautiful Rayman Legends, which built upon Rayman Origins in every way, creating an instant classic.

And of course, what else could possibly take the #1 spot here for this genre, other than the beloved Zelda franchise? We not only got one, but two HD remasters, for Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. If you want to play either of these games, you better have a Wii U, because this is the definitive way to experience them.

Best Online

While the Wii was the first home console that really had online multiplayer, it was an abysmal feature. Nintendo took note, and although the Wii U's online is still flawed, it was leagues better than the previous attempt.

1. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate
2. Pokken Tournament
3. Minecraft
4. Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing: Transformed
5. Wii Sports Club

Wii Sports Club allowed players to take their simulated motion-gaming to the next level, by letting you face off against people online. It ended up being a game that most ignored, but if you can't get friends to play this with you locally, this brings something new to the table. Minecraft, which might as well be on every console now, is a must-have for any library, and the Wii U is no exception. Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing: Transformed brought along a strong competitor to Mario Kart, while Pokken let us duke it out with some of our favorite pocket monsters.

Finally, we have Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate, a game that really brought life into the series, as dedicated fans helped keep the online portion of the game alive and well, even with a small playerbase. While far clunkier than newer entries, it still brought people together, and likely helped boost the series, even if a little bit, to where it is now.

Best Local Modes

Nintendo tends to never disappoint, at least, in terms of games that offer local multiplayer.

1. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
2. Mario Kart 8
3. Mario Party 10 (Official GBAtempp Review)
4. New Super Mario Bros. U + Luigi U
5. Nintendo Land

Super Smash Bros. reigns supreme, taking home the title for the best local-multiplayer game. We also got an amazing new Mario Kart, a middling Mario Party, more 2D co-op Mario fun, and the tech-demo for what the Wii U could fully offer: Nintendo Land. There's certainly some household staples here, if you enjoy playing games with family or friends.

​

Salad Mix

The salad mix is what I like to call all the games that couldn't really make a category of their own, but still deserve some attention. These games might not be for everyone, but if you're a fan of a respective series, there might be something here for you to try out.

1. Bayonetta 2 (Official GBAtemp Review)
2. Yoshi’s Wooly World
3. ZombiU
4. Warriors Orochi 3: Hyper
5. Child of Light
6. Kirby And The Rainbow Curse (Official GBAtemp Review)
7. Scribblenauts: Unlimited
8. Sonic: Lost World
9. Game & Wario
10. Paper Mario: Color Splash

There's some interesting titles here, like the once-exclusive ZombiU, which was one of the few games to take advantage of the GamePad. Then, the adorable Yoshi's Wooly World, where our favorite green sidekick (no, not you, Luigi) goes on a yarn-filled adventure! Rounding out the rest of the list, we have a Kirby spinoff, a very contentious entry into the Sonic franchise, a love-or-hate-it Paper Mario game, and a short, creative RPG in the form of Child of Light.

This list-topper might just be the most unexpected game to be announced, especially for a Nintendo console...at least, until the third game was revealed for the Switch. Our best of the assorted here is Bayonetta 2, a sequel that takes everything from the first game, and cranks it up to eleven. PlatinumGames once again creates a chaotically fun game with just absolutely lovely combat. Thanks to the Wii U, the Bayonetta franchise is here to stay.

Best eShop Titles

Sometimes, publishers just can't afford to release a physical copy of a game. That's what makes the eShop such a great thing, as there's loads of fun digital-only games to choose from.

1. NES Remix
2. Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse
3. Trine 2
4. Little Inferno
5. Star Fox: Guard

After years of hype, Project Guard released to a mixed crowd, having what felt like a random Star Fox label slapped onto it. Even still, it was an interesting, albeit short tower defense game. Trine 2 made its way over to the Wii U, as well, giving us another lovely co-op puzzle platformer to play with friends, or on your own. Shantae, a series that originally started on the Game Boy, danced back onto Nintendo system, and flourished in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

NES Remix is an odd game. It was announced during a Nintendo Direct, leaving watchers skeptical of what was to come. Luckily, NES Remix turned out to be enjoyable, taking classic Nintendo Entertainment System games and changing them up so the games felt fresh, even decades after release.

Best First-Party

Ah, and this is where Nintendo shines brightest, with games made by their first party studios. These were what people bought a Wii U for in the first place. Here's the best of what we got:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Official GBAtemp Review)
2. Splatoon (Official GBAtemp Review)
3. Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze
4. Hyrule Warriors (Official GBAtemp Review)
5. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

The Wii U was an era of experimentation for Nintendo. Captain Toad was yet another baffling release we got on the Wii U, and with a title like Captain Toad, expectations were low. The good news, is that it turned out to be an incredibly fun little puzzle game, surprising many, and becoming a cult classic. Nintendo also revealed a brand new IP, and we got Splatoon, which took the typical shooter genre, and flipped it in a revolutionary way. In yet another shocking reveal, Nintendo partnered with Koei Tecmo, to make a Warriors/Musou game, but with Zelda characters. Retro Studios gave us one of their best games ever; Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, proving they had the level design skill to match Rareware's older games.

...Did you expect anything else, other than Breath of the Wild? Though it was far more popular and optimized for the Wii U's replacement--the Switch--BOTW had been teased for years for Wii U owners, and Nintendo finally delivered. We got a fairly competent version of one of the biggest Zelda titles ever, cementing itself as one of the best games bar none on the console.

Best Exclusives

With the Wii U being over 5 years old, now, it was expected that some of the best games from this neglected console would find their way onto the Switch. However, these ones are games that you can't fully experience anywhere else. At the time of writing, there's five solid games that are Wii U only.

1. Super Mario Maker (Official GBAtemp Review)
2. Super Mario 3D World
3. Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
4. Xenoblade Chronicles X
5. Pikmin 3

All of these games cater to different crowds, and a lot of people out there could argue that these games are worth owning a Wii U for. The game that stands out the most, however, would be Super Mario Maker. Though we got a 3DS port of it, it didn't come close to capturing the magic of what makes this version such a creative experience.

That's a wrap!

That’s 56 titles for the Wii U that are at least worth checking out, if you’re a fan of the console. Though the Wii U’s time in the spotlight is over now, there were still many fantastic games for the system, some of which are now part of its successor’s library, containing the Wii U’s legacy. So get going, pick up that GamePad, and go play some Wii U games!

What are your thoughts? Are there any games not listed here that you think deserve to be on this list? Did you enjoy this article? If so, be sure to leave a comment down below!

 

[HaloEliteLegend]

Not a bad set of games for someone lookin' to stock up their "newly used" Wii U! Although Switch seems to be stealing a lot of the Wii U's great games, further pushing the system into irrelevancy, its backwards compatibility with Wii and GameCube, plus its solid emulation abilities means it's still a solid system to hack and enjoy with a very large library spanning decades. Good article!

 

[NexoCube]

Black Ops 2 is/was a great online fps for the Wii U, even tho we didn’t had DLC’s.

 

[DarthDub]

Time to start buying the games up before they become too rare.

 

[leon315]

i have all games mentioned on disc, excluding those eshop ones, must say wiiu had a little but significant success, GREAT ARTICLE!

 

[Reploid]

BB, WIIU, never gonna miss ya.

 

[Xzi]

Time to start buying them up before they become too rare.

Not really a good reason to buy any console. Used and refurbished units will be around forever, so might as well not jump on a WiiU or a Virtual Boy any time soon. IMO Wii is a better emulation/homebrew box, and Switch is simply a better overall console, so between the two of them they cover all of WiiU's use cases in a more functional manner.

 

[Txustra]

I totally agree with the list (specially Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♥), but I miss one game so much on it... That game is, with no doubt, Project Zero V: Maiden of Black Water (AKA Fatal Frame). Another of the best exclusive games on the console and one of the best games in the franchise.

 

[Spendy39]

Not really a good reason to buy any console. Used and refurbished units will be around forever, so might as well not jump on a WiiU or a Virtual Boy any time soon. IMO Wii is a better emulation/homebrew box, and Switch is simply a better overall console, so between the two of them they cover all of WiiU's use cases in a more functional manner.

I prefer my Wii U for Emulation as it has HDMI and picture is far superior over the Wii that lacks the HDMI output. Wii games look shocking on any decent TV so you would need to run it on a rubbish CRT TV. I have a WII, WII U and never ever touch my Wii anymore.

 

[Xzi]

I prefer my Wii U for Emulation as it has HDMI and picture is far superior over the Wii that lacks the HDMI output. Wii games look shocking on any decent TV so you would need to run it on a rubbish CRT TV. I have a WII, WII U and never ever touch my Wii anymore.

Well, the best picture is gonna be a PC anyway, before even mentioning upscaling options with emulation. Short of that a hardware upscaler will do for something like Wii, which is cheaper than WiiU and plays 2/3rds of its library. The other third is mostly HD remasters and a couple successful franchises that have spawned sequels on Switch (Bayonetta 2, Splatoon). Even among all the shovelware, Wii's library was far better overall. Goes without saying that GCN's was as well.

 

[DinohScene]

I must admit, The Wii U has some good games.
Just to bad there's only a few.

 

[Deleted User]

Mario Party 10 (Official GBAtempp Review)

 

[Dr.Hacknik]

Wow. Need for speed most wanted U was a good port? I own the game, and never thought people actually appreciated it. Still a great game.

 

[Taleweaver]

The wiiu was a marketing disaster, but a very good console. I still play on it from time to time (yes, it's still connected to my television).

 

[RedBlueGreen]

Not really a good reason to buy any console. Used and refurbished units will be around forever, so might as well not jump on a WiiU or a Virtual Boy any time soon. IMO Wii is a better emulation/homebrew box, and Switch is simply a better overall console, so between the two of them they cover all of WiiU's use cases in a more functional manner.

You have more options for emulation on the Wii U, though I do understand how the Wii might be better because you can use a GameCube controller (and there's the Sega VC if you use injects). I haven't modded my Wii U and probably won't be anytime soon.

 

[R0B0T0]

You have more options for emulation on the Wii U, though I do understand how the Wii might be better because you can use a GameCube controller

You can use GC controllers on the Wii U as well, with Nintendo’s official adapter (or a 3rd party clone). Works perfectly for Gamecude games with Nintendont, and with Retroarch for other systems.

 

[Azmort]

I completely agree, I have a lot of games on this list and there are some that I want to play as Well, with it's emulation capabilities it is the best retro console ever (the only Bad Part is the Snes FX Chip games) and in general is very enjoyable, I still use mine from time to time even owning a Switch.

 

[Taleweaver]

You have more options for emulation on the Wii U, though I do understand how the Wii might be better because you can use a GameCube controller (and there's the Sega VC if you use injects). I haven't modded my Wii U and probably won't be anytime soon.

While true, it's a selective way of looking at the situation.

-only the first batch of wii's had gamecube controller ports and memory slots. Later ones didn't have it "because nobody was using it"
-when hacking's involved, the wii is probably still up to par with the wiiu. If not for anything else, because they use the same program (nintendont)
-both versions have multiple input methods (including PS4 controllers, if I recall correctly), but it would surprise me if the wii version allows you to play it on your wiiu gamepad, on the wiiu gamepad screen.

 

[Bimmel]

I love my WiiU more then my Switch. There, I said it.

 

[Sonic Angel Knight]

No body ever puts Pier Solar and the great Architects on any list, Shocking for people who like classic rpg games.