It’s a monster mash of building-sized proportions!
Adapted from a Japanese word that loosely means “strange beast,” kaiju can take on many shapes and sizes (for this list, we went with the “building-sized creatures with crazy powers” kind). Sometimes terrifying and sometimes confusingly adorable, kaiju can often be seen doing pro-wrestling moves in the middle of famous cities. Just one of the many reasons why we love them!
Each of these Nintendo Switch™ games has earthshaking beasties on display. In some games, the monster is after you, while in others, you are the monster. And, uh, sometimes you’re raising them like pets.
Enjoy, everyone! Don’t cause too much mayhem*.
Something big is happening in the Blue Hole (and we do mean big). That’s right, the legendary monster Godzilla is coming to Dave the Diver via DLC**! Do some monster-battling in a submarine and see if you can collect monster figures scattered throughout.
Fight in a chaotic arena and rise as King of the Titans! Play as either a rampaging Titan or a Titan-hunting mecha; summon lightning from the heavens, use a radio tower as a baton, or roll a whole district into a single massive snowball. You can also add some familiar kaiju to the mix with extra DLC** packs.
The cataclysmic battle between giant monsters has begun in this manga-inspired, side-scrolling, kaiju beat-'em-up! Titanic creatures known as Nephilim have invaded Earth, and the only hope of stopping them is DAWN (Defense Alliance Worldwide Network) and its own cast of colossal combatants.
Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher is a collaboration between Ultraman, a famous Japanese Tokusatsu work, and Monster Rancher, a popular role-playing simulation series. This game introduces iconic Ultra Kaiju such as Alien Baltan, Zetton, and Gomora to the popular gameplay mechanics of raising and battling monsters from the Monster Rancher game!
Strut through multiple locations in this over-the-top climax action game! Talking about certain kaiju-related scenes would spoil some of the moments, but trust us—there’s some colossal madness going on in this game.
Play out a kaiju movie as the mayor of Floatio city, tasked with holding off the overwhelming strength of a kaiju attack with a hopelessly outclassed military. Defend your city as five unique and devastating kaiju grow in power with every attack.
Wait, why is Minecraft on this list?! Well, earlier this year, the Godzilla DLC** stomped onto the scene. You’ll find four adventures based on many iconic Godzilla films—play your way by escaping Godzilla’s wrath or even destroying the city as the blocky beast itself. To find the DLC, search for “Godzilla” on the Minecraft Marketplace.
Play as a giant monster and wreak havoc on humanity in this retro city smash ‘em up! Embark on a rampaging trail of total devastation across multiple stages as one of four recently defrosted monsters.
While there was some debate if these monsters are kaiju or not, the monsters have won out in the end! Set in the ninja-inspired land of Kamura Village, explore lush ecosystems, and battle fearsome monsters to become the ultimate hunter.
Originally released by SNK in 1991, players choose from one of six monsters and battle their way across Japan to claim the title of strongest monster!
Originally released by SNK in 1992, the monsters are back with a vengeance—choose one of three monsters to thrash aliens around the world and become the undisputed King of the Monsters!
A sci-fi mystery epic that spans thirteen intertwining stories. Uncover the truth and delve into a 2D side-scrolling adventure featuring gorgeous art and environments. Then, battle kaiju in fast-paced, top-down combat.
In this turn-based strategy game, the remnants of human civilization are threatened by gigantic creatures breeding beneath the earth. You must control powerful mechs from the future to hold off this alien threat.
Yeah, this is not quite your conventional kaiju game…but it does feature two of the most famous movie monsters out there! Play three monstrous tables and become king of the leaderboards.
*This, of course, is a joke. Cause all the mayhem that the game allows!
**Full version of game required to use DLC for that game. Sold separately.