Although the age of the demo disc is long over, the digital nature of modern gaming means that players are still able to test out a game they think they may be interested in before they make the decision to purchase it. While both the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 have a decent number of demos available, they don't hold a candle to those on the Nintendo Switch.
With over 400 demos available to play, there is no reason why anyone with a Switch can't try out a game they are interested in before they buy, with demos available for both indie and first-party titles. However, some demos offer much more for the player than others and are worth trying out even if you aren't interested in the game.
10 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
The newest Warriors spin-off for the Legend of Zelda series, Age of Calamity takes place during an alternate timeline that begins with the emergence of Calamity Ganon and shows what might have happened to Hyrule if the Champions had never died.
The demo for this game lets the player run through the first two levels of the game as many times as they want, while also being able to level up Link, Zelda, and Impa before transferring the save data over to the full game, should they follow through with a purchase.
While there is a level cap set for the demo, reaching this cap can take many hours of battling and offers newcomers to the Warriors series something to sink their teeth into and see if it is for them.
9 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
A remake of a GameBoy Advance game and the first in the Mystery Dungeon Pokemon spin-offs, the Rescue Team DX demo, like Age of Calamity, allows the player to explore the opening maps as many times as they want to obtain a good number of early game items and Pokemon before being able to transfer their progress into the full game.
While the dungeon-crawling combat is very different for players who are used to the turn-based RPG gameplay of the mainline series, it still has enough of Pokemon's charm and mechanics to draw in new players and is well worth looking into.
8 Pikmin 3 Deluxe
As seems to be common with first-party Nintendo demos, the demo for Pikmin 3 Deluxe allows the player to play through the opening few levels of the game as many times as they want and transfer over the data to the main game. However, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is quite a bit longer than both Rescue Team DX and Age of Calamity, alongside having a lot more reasons to replay the levels over again.
While each level is set to a time limit, there are multiple avenues for the player to take that they are unlikely to be able to complete in one run, meaning that most levels, even in the full game, will need to be run through multiple times in order to find everything there is to offer.
7 Earthlock
There are many titles on the Switch that are callbacks to the golden age of JRPGs, though several of the demos will throw the player into the thick of it and force them into scenarios they aren't prepared for, such as the demo for Lost Sphear or the recent Bravely Default 2 demo.
Earthlock, on the other hand, lets you play through the opening segments of the game, including its tutorial sections, and actually get a handle on combat mechanics. This single feature makes it one of the best RPG demos on the Switch, let alone among other indie titles.
6 Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu & Let's Go Eevee
Like Rescue Team DX, the demo for Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee allows the player to explore a certain area of the game for as long as they want, catching as many Pokemon as they can get their hands on with no time limit while also allowing these Pokemon to be transferred over to the main game.
In this instance, the player can explore Viridian Forest and use the time in the demo to track down certain hard-to-find creatures, such as Pikachu and Bulbasaur, before diving into the main game.
5 Immortals Fenyx Rising
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a game that, unfortunately, doesn't get nearly as much love as it should. While it does fall into the category of "open-world Ubisoft game," complete with all the pros and cons that come with it, Immortals is a truly fun experience no matter your age and will pull the player in for many hours of gameplay.
With that in mind, the demo for Immortals Fenyx Rising is one that more developers should look to as an example of how to make a good demo. Instead of simply being able to explore the opening island of the game, the narrative shifts from Prometheus' narration to Zeus, dropping the player and Fenyx into an entirely new area that allows them to get a handle on many of the game's mechanics while not spoiling any of the actual story.
4 Blasphemous
Although Blasphemous is a metroidvania through and through, it has been compared to SoulBorne games many times due to its difficulty, storytelling, and combat, which isn't an unfair comparison. Due to its difficulty, the ability to try before you buy allows the player to see just what they are in for in the full game without worrying about losing enjoyment due to how hard they find it.
The Blasphemous demo lets the player explore the opening segments of the game, while also refusing to hold their hand through the harder battles and making sure that anyone with an interest in this dark and creepy game knows exactly what they are in for.
3 Trials Rising
Like Blasphemous, Trials Rising is a difficult game from a series of similarly difficult titles that may turn players away if they don't know what they're getting themselves into.
Thankfully, the Switch has a demo of Trials Rising that players can try out before committing to the full game, allowing them to get a basic idea of how the game works by putting them through several tutorial sections that force the player to practice the basics of driving.
2 Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun!
Taiko no Tatsujin is a very strange video game series, even by Nintendo's standards, as well also being a very expensive even for a first-party Nintendo title. This rhythm game isn't for everyone, as it doesn't have the draw of Guitar Hero or Rock Band and is centered around, of all things, a set of taiko drums.
But, the fact that there is a demo available to make sure that the player can see what the game involves without spending a large amount of money makes it one of the better rhythm game demos out there. It also helps that this rhythm game, despite its high price, can be played without the need of an additional peripheral and uses the Joy-Cons as drumsticks.
1 Wonderful 101: Remastered
Although the Wonderful 101: Remastered demo is relatively standard for most action-oriented games on the Switch, what makes this demo stand out is that the player is able to use Wonder Bayonetta in the demo.
This is a character that is otherwise hard to get a hold of in the main game and incentivizes the player to buy the game and power through the story until they can use her once again.