Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Black Flag is my personal favourite in the Assassin's Creed series, and I did not expect it to hold up as well as it does on Switch. The open sea is the star. You sail between islands with shanties playing over the wind, spot a distant frigate, and decide whether to engage or chase a whale you clocked on the horizon. None of the newer RPG-era Assassin's Creed games made it to Switch, which actually works in Black Flag's favour because this is the one that deserves to be here anyway. The on-foot sections are the weaker half. But the naval sandbox is distinct enough from everything else on this list that it earns a spot on its own terms.