The recommended amount of exercise per day is just 20 minutes, but that can feel like forever if there aren’t any points being earned, coins being collected, or a completion bar being filled. Luckily, gamers trying to be more active this year can look forward to dancing, fighting, and competing through the best exercise games on the Switch!
1 Ring Fit Adventure
When Ring Fit Adventure was first released, Nintendo struggled to meet demand as people quickly realized just how much exercise they could get through while playing. Arguably one of the best exercise video games available, Ring Fit Adventure manages to make running in place feel rewarding while the full-on exercise moves are actually pretty fun, especially the victory pose at the end of each track.
The game comes with a resistance ring and a leg strap, both of which use the Joy-Cons to track movement. There are additional accessories too, but other than what’s in the box, all that’s needed is ample space to stretch out and move.
The difficulty can be slightly adjusted to force longer runs and more repetition, plus players can choose from a wide variety of exercise moves to use as attacks. What’s great about this selection is that there are four types of exercise moves, color-coded to let gamers know what they’re working on during their adventure: arms, legs, abs, and yoga. Not only do these options let players choose what to focus on, but it also allows for different levels of skill to begin the game. For instance, the yoga T-pose is much easier to do than 20 squats, yet both offer a physical challenge.
While people who are already very active and exercise regularly may find Ring Fit Adventure to be more of a warm-up, people who never exercise or only do light workouts will definitely feel the burn. This fitness game also has surprisingly deep lore.
2 Nintendo Switch Sports
In 2022, the long-awaited return of Nintendo’s sport mini-games finally arrived in the form of Switch Sports. While the name may imply that there are tons of activities to do, the gameplay largely relies on the Joy-Con’s motion controls. However, if exercise isn’t something that’s normally done, players may be out of breath sooner than they think.
Games like bowling and golf may not be very movement-based, but the rest of the activities can really make someone sweat. Chambara is especially active because who doesn’t want to play with swords? Plus, blocking and timing swings are fairly important during matches, so it’s easy to get caught up and start really lifting, tilting, and swinging your arms. Likewise, tennis and badminton get competitive fast, especially when playing couch co-op.
Soccer and volleyball offer a good medium between the nearly motionless games and the more intense ones, with gamers simply needing to lift an arm or leg in order to win. Overall, this variety of intensity is what makes Switch Sports an awesome exercise video game. No matter what level of fitness a player is at, they can have fun while burning a few calories!
3 Knockout Home Fitness
The newest fitness game to come to the Switch, Knockout Home Fitness is ideal for gamers that need a schedule to stick to and want to pick up some real boxing tips. Unlike other fitness games, there isn’t much gamification going on with Knockout Home Fitness. Players are largely left to use the honor system when exercising, as there is no leg strap or other accessory that tracks leg movements and a simple wrist flick can complete most moves. Additionally, there is no narrative and the only reward for working out is a daily stamp with occasional new moves being unlocked.
However, players looking to follow along with proper boxing form and understand which muscles are being worked will be happy with this exercise game. The main mode is personal training, and it uses information players provide (like weight and height) to give a curated workout session, mixing different moves each day to give variety to the workout. This mode is only available once per day for 30 minutes though, so it’s not a great option for resistance or endurance training. After completing personal training, gamers can choose from 60 quick workout moves that last 3-5 minutes. Using these exercise moves, players can do warm-ups, boxing, and even Muay Thai.
For gamers tired of doing basic stretches and looking to add to their Pokemon Go or Pikmin Bloom exercise, Knockout Home Fitness offers a structured way to stay on top of muscle-focused exercises.
4 Just Dance 2023
Just Dance 2023 is here again and while it isn’t offering anything too unexpected, gamers will be able to dance away their calories all the same. As with all Just Dance games, there’s plenty of color and style for eyes to feast on while dancing along to bangers like Britney Spears’s “Toxic.” EA is still going along with their subscription-based songs, but players get 40 tracks when they purchase the game.
Possibly the best change is that you can now turn off the constant notifications and adverts for the Just Dance+ subscription service. EA has introduced another big change to their game: online matches. Yes, players can now sync up and have a dance battle against five others. Along with these changes, Just Dance 2023 also comes with a narrative mode that can force players to try songs they’d normally just skip over without a second thought, and there are expanded customization options for avatars, emotes, and more.
Finally, there’s plenty of gamification in use to keep players engaged and wanting to do their dancing exercise every day. Goals and checklists make it easy to track skills as they improve, and the songs have been organized a bit better to help players choose songs for workouts, partying, or more relaxing movements. Gamers who like good music and easy-to-follow dancing will have fun with Just Dance 2023.
5 Zumba: Burn It Up!
Zumba: Burn it Up is another dancing exercise game, but it’s much more tailored to gamers seeking a solution to their workout routine problems. While Just Dance pumps up the volume on music and fun, Zumba: Burn It Up is closer to a video exercise than an exercise game.
First and foremost, the gamification is limited. There are of course some points to score and stars to have filled out, but players are mostly expected to follow the video moves to get their exercise in. Despite this, players familiar with Zumba will probably have a blast. The Joy-Cons do help track your body and doing the moves correctly is key to scoring any points at all.
There are 30 songs to choose from and while they aren’t the most well-known hits, they are choreographed by real Zumba trainers who bring all the energy and excitement needed for this exercise routine. It can take some getting used to for players who aren’t familiar with going to a Zumba class, but it’s a fantastic way to acclimate to such a setting and maybe go join a class IRL someday.
The Zumba: Burn It Up exercise video game is perfect for players who aren’t interested in the flashy atmosphere found in Just Dance and would rather have a fun dancing game that focuses much more on getting an actual workout done.
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