Summary

• The Nintendo Wii U had a strong lineup of hit games, including Super Mario 3D World and Shovel Knight.
• Despite its low sales numbers, the Wii U is still a fun console to play on, especially for experiencing its best games.
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which was released on both the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch, received critical acclaim.

Despite being labeled as a commercial failure, the Nintendo Wii U console had a lot of things going for it, including an incredible catalog of hit games. The Wii U made its debut in 2012 and was around until the launch of the Nintendo Switch in 2017. During those five years, impressive titles that have left a longstanding mark on the gaming community were released, including ones such as Super Mario 3D World and Shovel Knight. Others, such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, initially started on the Wii U and have found a home on the Nintendo Switch as well.

Though more games are being ported to the Nintendo Switch regularly, because the Wii U was such a recent system, several of its titles have not made the jump yet unless they were released around the same time as the Nintendo Switch. Contrary to its low sales numbers, the Wii U is a good console, which mainly suffered from the high sales of its predecessor, the Wii. The Wii U is still quite fun to play on, however, particularly when one gets to experience the best games the platform has to offer.

10 Pikmin 3 (2013)

Real-Time Strategy, Puzzle

Pikmin 3 is one of the cheerful puzzle games that was originally released on the Wii U in 2013 and then re-released as Pikmin 3 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. The third in the Pikmin series, the game features puzzles revolving around mysterious plantlike creatures and alien planets. Brave miniature explorers work together with Pikmin to rescue others and complete their missions. Pikmin 3 for the Wii U was highly regarded and received a Metacritic score of 87.

9 Mario Kart 8 (2014)

Racing

Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U kicked off a decade of Mario Kart fun, as not only was it one of the best games on the Wii U, but it was also re-released as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch and has continued to receive new content for the Deluxe version ever since. In fact, the game has seen such great success over the decade that it has left some wondering if it will create a problem for the Switch 2 when it makes its appearance. Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U has a Metacritic score of 88, with an 8.7 rating.

8 Shovel Knight (2014)

Side-Scrolling Platformer

Shovel Knight is a well-known series these days, but when it was released for the Nintendo Wii U and 3DS systems in 2014, it was a brand-new experience. The retro side-scrolling platformer was originally crowdfunded and became such a success that the iconic knight has now shown up in several other games for cameos, including Fall Guys, with more games having been released since. For those wanting the original game, the Wii U is the best place to play Shovel Knight, which has a Metacritic score of 88.

7 Super Mario Maker (2015)

Game Creation System, Side-Scrolling Platformer

For the creative Super Mario lovers in the gaming community, Super Mario Maker provided the tools to create levels of many of the original Mario games and even share them with friends and strangers online. The tools were surprisingly easy to use, and even those who didn't want to make or share unique levels found it fun to be able to choose from a nearly endless array of -created levels. Super Mario Maker achieved a Metacritic score of 88 and went on to have a sequel, Super Mario Maker 2, on the Nintendo Switch.

6 The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (2013)

Open-World Action-Adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker was originally released in 2002 for the GameCube but was re-released in an upgraded HD graphics format for the Nintendo Wii U in 2013. The first iteration of Toon Link, the adventure game quickly gained the attention of many fans with its very different art style for a Zelda title and, particularly in its HD version, showed much more expression and emotion than prior games. Despite many wanting it to come to Nintendo Switch, so far, the Wii U is the best place to play Wind Waker, which has a Metacritic score of 90.

5 Bayonetta 2 (2014)

Action-Adventure, Hack And Slash

Despite the first Bayonetta game being released for many systems, Bayonetta 2 was launched as a Nintendo exclusive. The game allows players to play as Bayonetta as she fights angelic and demonic enemies who are attacking the world. With a mixture of melee and gun attacks, it is filled with action and exciting gameplay, leading to a successful Must-Play Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.

4 Rayman Legends (2013)

Platformer

Rayman Legends is the fifth entry in the main Rayman series and a direct sequel to Rayman Origins. The wild and wacky platformer leads Rayman and his friends on an adventure to punch evil magicians into space. The game was released on several platforms, including the Nintendo Wii U, and included many new features. It can be played single-player or multiplayer, with the Wii U said to be the best for co-operative multiplayer for Rayman Legends with its handheld gamepad. The Wii U version of the game has a Metacritic score of 92.

3 Super Smash Bros Wii U (2014)

Platform Fighter

Regarded as one of the best iterations of the Super Smash Bros. series, the Wii U's version of the multiplayer fighting game earned itself a high Metacritic score of 92. Offering 58 playable characters from across the gamut of Nintendo franchises and beyond, the Wii U version included a special 8-Player Smash mode where up to eight people could play at once. Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U also included the Smash Tour, Special Orders, and Event modes, which were not available on the 3DS version of the game.

2 Super Mario 3D World (2013)

Platformer

Super Mario 3D World was the first Super Mario multiplayer platformer set in a 3D world where up to four players could team up to play cooperatively. It also debuted the cat-suit power-up for the Mario universe and was so successful that the game was released again in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. The fun of Super Mario 3D World's platforming on the Wii U earned it a Metacritic rating of 93.

1 The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (2017)

Open-World Action-Adventure

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild changed the way the world looked at the Zelda franchise. The massive open world includes many new game mechanics, hidden features for players to find, and side quests to distract Link from the main goal of saving Hyrule. Breath of the Wild won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2017, and rightly so.

The game captivated its players and remains one that is heavily replayed, despite its sequel, Tears of the Kingdom, now being available as well. Breath of the Wild was released for both the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch, and on Metacritic, the Nintendo Wii U version has an amazing rating of 96.

Sources: Metacritic (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)