Off of immediate memory, here's the collective list of games from each phase I would consider notable first-party releases for the Nintendo Switch, not including ports from other systems. Apologies if their release dates aren't exactly in order, I may have some of them mixed up.
- Phase 1 (2017-2020)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
- ARMS
- Splatoon 2
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Kirby: Star Allies
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
- Super Mario Maker 2
- Yoshi's Crafted World
- Luigi's Mansion 3
- Pokémon Sword & Shield
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Last minute, I also decided to include the Mario Party games, but I can't remember when they came out.
- Phase 2 (2021-2024)
- Metroid Dread
- WarioWare: Get It Together!
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass (I consider this to be equal to a new game)
- Kirby & The Forgotten Land
- Splatoon 3
- Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
- Fire Emblem: Engage
- Pikmin 4
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- WarioWare: Move It!
I may be missing some games, but I want to see which Phase is/was more popular overall.
I've been with the Switch since Day 1 and it's probably the first console generation where I was really a part of the discourse the entire time. My personal opinion on the years is:
2017 > 2022 > 2023 > 2021 > 2019 > 2018 > 2020
2018 was so hated at the time. Kirby was underwhelming on launch, for $60 and 30fps was annoying as well. Then we waited a long time for I think it was Nintendo Labo which I never cared about and most people didn't a week after either, basically just Wii U port after Wii U port, then Smash Bros dominated every Direct which people liked but that was literally it. And oh gee, the first Pokemon game of the generation that had people positing that Pokemon had gone off the deep end, Let's Go. Bad year, only has one real good exclusive IMO.
2020 was pretty similar except I hate it more because it gave me yet another "Paper Mario game" (quotations), and I thought New Horizons kinda blew.
2021 was not that big either technically, but Metroid Dread is such a banger, Bowser's Fury made me change my mind on 3D World (great ass game!!!). I originally ranked it over 2019, but really those are the only two games I really cared about personally. A lot of the games I was looking forward to were not released this year, so it was mostly just those two games. There was some decent third party support too, though.
2019 is such a weird fucking year for me. Because Sword and Shield was my big game and disappointed me, I did not like Three Houses that much, I did not buy Luigi's Mansion 3, etc., but I still count it as pretty quality because I feel like this year just had a good variety and lineup. It was a fun time. Also, Mario Maker 2 I put a shit ton of time into (over 200 hours) and I just always felt like there was new stuff to play.
2023 was great, but it was also a bit disappointing for me. Mostly because while I enjoyed my time with TOTK, I feel BotW left a way bigger impact. Other than that though, I got my new 2D Mario after 11 fucking years. Finally. Holy shit. Honestly, that alone is kind of the biggest reason 2023 is ranked that highly, but also other stuff. Pikmin 4 also is my third favorite Pikmin (which kind of disappointed me, waited so long for that) but it was also a good time overall. Fire Emblem Engage is a Fire Emblem game of all-time, pisses me off that they basically deliberately made a bad story. Metroid Prime Remastered is cool! Definitely a top tier year, if TOTK and Pikmin 4 hit harder for me I think I would have ranked it higher.
2022 is up here for two main reasons. Splatoon and Pokemon. That's kinda it. Splatoon is my favorite franchise, I waited so long for Splatoon 3 and I have dumped literally thousands of hours into it. I love it so much. Legends Arceus is a breath of fresh air, and despite how buggy it is, Scarlet/Violet are also games I loved playing early before the internet became a bitch in my ear telling me it was dogshit. Other stuff includes Kirby Forgotten Land which was also really cool, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the only Xeno game I've beaten despite owning literally all three. It was a great game, definitely worth a go! So basically, IMO this year had a lot of bangers.
2017 is number one and I don't have to say why. Mario Odyssey, Breath of the Wild and Splatoon 2 are all in my top 20 games of all-time. Enough said.