The 20 Best Co-Op Games on Switch

Old-school and new-school gamers will have the time of their lives experiencing the traditional side-scrolling 2D platforming this game delivers. Super Mario Bros. Wonder provides a four-player local co-op option, which is honestly the best way to enjoy all the mind-bending effects that pop up whenever someone gets their hands on a "Wonder Flower." The addition of new powerups that turn Mario and the rest of the "Mushroom Kingdom" gang into elephants, gives them the ability to blow bubbles, and place a drill on top of their heads definitely adds to the game's co-op fun factor.

Before you hop into Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (which is only single-player, sadly...), bring a friend along with you on a crossover adventure that features Nintendo's iconic Mushroom Kingdom lineup and Ubisoft's chaotic "Rabbids." Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a turn-based tactics game that lets you command the battle-ready abilities of four party members at once. This game's jolly co-op component revolves around special combat challenges where two players each take control of two party members in their bid to overcome the opposition.

What we have here is a puzzle platformer that places the spotlight on a male and female version of Toad that must make their way through a gathering of easy-to-hard stage setups. Both players will need to properly maneuver the camera to see which pathways will lead them to a completion star, pull plants out of the ground to use them as projectiles against enemies, and discover hidden collectibles. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a slower-paced co-op experience that manages to make your and your buddy's brains work a bit harder in comparison to some of the other games on this list.

Are you and your friend up for a friendly game of Doubles in Mario Tennis Aces? If that tennis scenario sounds enticing, then you and your Joy-Con swinging friend will pour dozens of hours into this arcade sports game. Keep in mind that you and your friend can also hop online to match up with other two-player squads. Witnessing you and your local teammate pull off an impressive trick shot that really throws off the opposing team just never gets old.

One of the best co-op games on Switch is an action-packed beat 'em up that features a who's who of Marvel Comics characters. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order provides local and online four-player co-op playthroughs that let all four players adopt their favorite character and proceed to bring the fight to a host of cannon fodder enemies and supreme supervillains during hype boss fights. This game's playable roster is amazing - if the prospect of being able to choose from Deadpool, Elektra, Rocket Raccoon, Spider-Gwen, and more sounds compelling, then you and your three friends will love this game.

Snipperclips: Cut it Out, Together! is one of the games on this list that launched right alongside the Switch back in 2017. This title's cutesy art style and puzzle mechanics focus on "snipping" its oddly shaped characters in order to change them into other shapes and solve platforming puzzles. The co-op gameplay component of this Switch launch title is available for up to four players - everyone will have to figure out the best ways to configure their avatars in the best ways needed to complete each puzzle setup.

A lot of great Wii U games have been ported over to the Switch and been upgraded via improved visuals and additional content. One of the best ones that also happens to be a local co-op option that's perfect for gamers of all ages is Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe. With four players in control of Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Bandana Waddle Dee, everyone will simultaneously navigate a wide swath of whimsical 2D platforming stages. The Kirby player can rely on the copied abilities of enemies by sucking them up, of course. The other three players have access to their own attacks, so the Kirby player won't have to worry about them defending themselves against the baddies of "Dream Land."

Luigi started his career as a paranormal exterminator back on the GameCube. Now Mario's lovable sibling is up to his third game full of ghost vacuuming in creepy locales thanks to the Switch co-op classic, Luigi's Mansion 3. The cool part about this game's two-player co-op is the implementation of an assistant called "Gooigi," who can actually traverse areas that the regular Luigi player can't make their way into. So when you run into a spike trap, the Gooigi player can walk across it with no problem and possibly find a way to help you get across safely as well. You and your gooey buddy are going to have a ton of fun sucking up all sorts of troublesome spirits during Luigi's latest solo endeavor.

Those WarioWare games have always produced some of the funniest and quirkiest minigame compilations of all time. The latest one, WarioWare: Get It Together!, is out on the Switch and it offers the same high dosage of hilarity and bizarre seconds-long "Microgames" the series is cheered so much for. With two players standing next to each other with a Joy-Con in hand, both buds can play through the game's wild story mode and play through a series of trippy minigames that require both players to put their body in weird positions and pull off all manner of strange requests. Make sure you and your local Joy-Con-holding friend are super attentive whenever demands such as "SQUEEZE!" and "CONNECT!" pop on the screen.

Donkey Kong and the rest of the Kong gang (which includes Diddy, Cranky, Dixie, and Funky) come together to beat back a crew of Viking penguins in one of the greatest platformers ever made. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze lets two players run through some of the most creative and challenging 2D stages ever created with their perspective Kong character. The cool part about the Kong clique is how each one has their own respective ability, such as Cranky being able to take out enemies by bopping them with his pogo walking stick from above. The fact that the Cranky player can hop on the back of the Donkey player while they run along is so wholesome.

Vampire Survivors is one of the most addictive games on the Switch - the phrase "ONE MORE GAME!" will be uttered countless times while you and your three fellow survivors band together to wipe out an unending army of night terrors. This game's rouge-lite elements constantly provide fresh enemy arrangments to vanquish, plus the new suite of abilities that come each player's way makes every new run a chance to put those offensive tools to good use.

Anyone who ever played a LEGO game knows all about its main co-op mechanic where a second player can instantly drop in and drop out to join in on the fun. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga covers all nine films across George Lucas' "Jedi"- and "Sith"-filled galactic universe. Two players can choose their favorite Star Wars character who's immortalized in LEGO form and go on some fun adventures on foot and in the annals of space within the confines of iconic spaceships. LEGO games have a ton of playable characters and that's the case here - both players will have a large offering of famous and not-so-famous franchise characters to play with as they get into laser blaster battles, "Lightsaber" duels, and platforming challenges.

The Overcooked games are guaranteed to get a whole room of gamers and even non-gamers to scream and laugh at the top of their lungs due to how fun they are. Overcooked! All You Can Eat is a quality four-player local/online co-op game compilation that features both games and all of their additional content. Incredibly frenzied cooperative cooking is the focus here as four chefs have to work like a well-oiled cooking machine across a nice variety of wild stages. Prepare yourself for the type of game that lets you cook up delicious delicacies while floating atop huge blocks of ice. Younger and older gamers will definitely have a great time screwing up orders and eventually succeding at fulfilling orders.

Diablo III: Eternal Collection is the go-to action RPG destination for Switch owners who love to tear through countless creatures, raid expansive dungeons, and leave with all sorts of worthwhile loot for their chosen character class. Four local or online players will get the opportunity to choose their avatar from seven classes (Monk, Witch Doctor, Wizard, Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Crusader, and Necromancer) and head out into the monster-filled realm of "Sanctuary" to get sucked into Diablo III's base game content and DLC expansions (which are "Reaper of Souls" and "Rise of the Necromancer").

The main plot thread and themes apparent in It Takes Two make it the perfect game for lovers who are going through a bit of a rough patch and want to make an effort to fix their relationship. That's because the story being presented here follows a married couple on the eve of divorce that ends up being turned into dolls and making their way through a variety of environments & changing playstyles in order to return to their human selves. Even folks who aren't in a relationship will enjoy all the platforming, third-person shooting, and top-down action RPG elements that pop up in this varied experience. Local/online two-player co-op is the name of the game here for It Takes Two!

Fans of beat 'em ups and 90s gaming as a whole need to dedicate a couple of hours to this unexpected sequel to one of Sega's classic IPs. Streets of Rage 4 brings back series regulars Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter and features newcomers Cherry Hunter and Floyd Iraia for a new crusade against a fiendish crime syndicate. In order to save "Wood Oak City" from the Y Twins and their goons, four local players and two online players must rise up to beat up everyone who tries to stop them. The Anniversary Edition of this title features the Mr. X Nightmare expansion, which comes with more characters and a special Survival Mode that's also a must-play for fans of co-op beat 'em ups.

The first Unravel game introduced gamers to a photorealistic world that begged to be explored by a cute little avatar made completely of yarn. Unravel Two lets another local player join you as this sequel lets you peruse an expansive island and tackle tough platforming challenges. Your red version of Yarny and your local friend's blue version of Yarny will get to leap and climb across a bevy of beautiful locales in this one. The zen-like vibes produced by this calm platformer make it another viable pick for gamers on the lookout for the best co-op games on Switch.

Cuphead is definitely not the type of game that's mindless and it's certainly not a total breeze to play through - this side-scrolling shooter holds the title of being one of the toughest games you'll ever play. Don't let this game's gorgeous Golden Age animation aesthetic fool you into thinking it's a cakewalk, either! Make sure you call upon the assistance of a seasoned gamer who's just as nice at video games as you are so you can attempt to defeat every boss and complete every platforming challenge during an intense couch co-op session. Stay vigilant and see if you & your local buddy can overcome Cuphead's tough main campaign and Delicious Last Course expansion for this tough yet highly entertaining run 'n' gun shooter!

Ubisoft's limbless platforming wonder and his charismatic array of rambunctious buddies are all here and accounted for in Rayman Legends Definitive Edition. This beautifully animated 2D platformer gathers them all up for another round of fast-paced hop-and-bopping action. You and three other friends can come together to test your combined platforming prowess across a collection of fun levels, especially the music-themed stages that play along to your actions as the song at hand plays out.

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, April O'Neil, Master Splinter, and Casey Jones team up once again to save New York City from Master Shredder, his loyal "Foot Clan" ninjas, and gigantic animal baddies transformed by the "Mutagen" ooze in this retro-stylized beat 'em up. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge feels like a long-lost 90s arcade game and we're glad it was made that way. This co-op brawler features local/online for up to six players, plus its Dimension Shellshock DLC offers a fun survival mode expansion that provides plenty of replay value. This quality TMNT beat 'em up is another worthwhile pick for gamers on the lookout for the best co-op games on Switch.