Many who use the Nintendo Switch have experienced the dreaded Joy-Con drift, and though it's not always easy to get it taken care of, some games can be enjoyed despite the issue. Whether they are games that can be played using only one of the Joy-Cons, or that take advantage of the touchscreen instead, it can be a good workaround in some situations. There are many temporary fixes for the drift and sometimes Joy-Cons can be sent in for repairs, however, often there is a lot of waiting that players experience while finding the permanent solution, during which time some of these games may be a perfect fit.
Despite claims Nintendo is continuing to improve Switch's Joy-Con drift, the issue still seems to be an ongoing one ever since the console's release. For some, it isn't in the budget to be able to replace Joy-Cons when it happens and repairs could take a while, even if they are under a warranty through Nintendo. This doesn't mean that the Switch has to sit and gather dust, though, as some games can still be played and enjoyed on the Nintendo Switch, particularly now with new accessibility options and re-mapping of buttons.
6 Pokémon
Many of the Nintendo Switch's Pokémon games have accessibility features to make them playable using only one hand, so if one Joy-Con has stick drift, the games can be played using only the working controller. In the Pokémon Sword and Shield games, all a person has to do is go into Settings and select the Casual controls option. Meanwhile, in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! one doesn't even need to have settings changed to be played entirely using only one Joy-Con.
5 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Partly due to its calm and slow-paced style, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the best options for players when Joy-Con drift is an issue. With some re-mapping of buttons on the Nintendo Switch, everything can be moved to one Joy-Con, so that the game can be enjoyed leisurely and simply. The only real difficulties come when a player may want to do any terraform work on their island, which can be difficult even with access to all the controls.
4 Slay The Spire
The Nintendo Switch has several very fun and popular games that use virtual deck-building mechanics popularized by games like Hearthstone. In particular, Slay The Spire can have buttons reassigned to just one Joy-Con when the other has drift issues. Slay The Spire's exciting roguelike gameplay combined with the deck-building aspects work together perfectly one-handed because most of the game is played in combat which requires very few buttons as players select cards to play.
3 Fire Emblem
When restricted due to Joy-Con drift, the series of Fire Emblem games are a good option, as long as players don't mind the loss of some of the camera controls. The games can have more of a leisurely pace and with remapped buttons, the game is very accessible with one Joy-Con. Even the latest in the series, Fire Emblem Engage, can be played this way.
2 Civilization 6
One feature that gets overlooked a lot with the Nintendo Switch is the touchscreen it offers. In situations of Joy-Con drift when a player is down to only one Joy-Con, games that use the Nintendo Switch's touchscreen can instead circumvent the need for a controller entirely. Civilization 6 is a perfect example of this, as it is fully playable using only the touchscreen. The Switch does require a controller to be connected to open the game, but after that, the touchscreen is all that is needed for gameplay in this turn-based strategy game about conquering the world.
1 Donut County
A very different option for using the touchscreen as the main controller on the Nintendo Switch when a Joy-Con is drifting is Donut County. This short game is simply a fun little puzzle adventure of a talking raccoon that is making giant holes in the ground to swallow up everything. It is cute, and because of its touchscreen control, does not require a broken Joy-Con to play at all.
Many games aren't listed here which would still be great candidates for gaming with only one controller when Joy-Con drift on the Nintendo Switch becomes an issue. Checking accessibility options in the settings of games like Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2, Bravely Default 2, and Dragon Quest 11 will yield results, or trying to re-map buttons in titles such as Super Mario Odyssey and Sonic Mania can work well enough. Other touchscreen-compatible games include Dicey Dungeon, Thimbleweed Park, and Layton's Mystery Dungeon as well.
Homemade Nintendo Switch Joy-Con drift fixes can be found online, although they aren't always reliable, and ing Nintendo Customer is generally the first thing that a should try. Then, while waiting for a Nintendo Switch's Joy-Con drift to be repaired or replaced players can still enjoy plenty of games such as the ones listed above.
Source: Nintendo Customer
