The 25 Best Multiplayer Switch Games

Owning a Switch and not having this top pick in your software library is considered a punishable offense. Nintendo went above and beyond to make sure its crossover fighting game‘s latest entry met everyone’s expectations. The roster is massive and jam-packed with iconic video game characters, who all come with their signature moveset and lovable personality traits. Do you want to find out who’s truly the best amongst your floor full of college roommates? Set up an 8-Player brawl session and settle it in Smash!

Kart racing games that feature the beloved denizens from the Mushroom Kingdom are always multiplayer friendly. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes the Wii U version, retains everything that was amazing about it, and sprinkles in a few new characters and items to play around with. You can get a whole lot of enjoyment out of this addictive kart racer’s 4-player local races, online competitions, 2- to 8-player wireless play, and 12-player LAN gatherings.

The follow-up to the surprise smash hit Wii U shooter is a bonafide classic. Splatoon 2 is all about taking your custom Inkling out onto the battlefield for some colorful ink-filled festivities. Turf War provides the game’s most feverish multiplayer contest, while the new Salmon Run horde mode is an incredibly fun 4-player co-op endeavor. Plus Splat Zones, Tower Control, and Rainmaker provide all the extra online multiplayer fun in Ranked Battles. Splatoon 2’s ink splashing madness never grows tiresome.

Mario Party games are known for breaking up a happy home. But everyone will eventually come together since there’s too much fun to pass up in another Mario Party escapade. Super Mario Party has all the board game and minigame craziness the series is known for. And if you want to search for stars with a buddy, the Partner Party mode is definitely worth a try. Hopping online is all about competing across 10 different minigames against some heated competition, which is a commendable feature debut for the storied Mario Party franchise.

Sometimes you just want to keep things simple and take on your buds in some tried and true board games. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics not only features those types of games, but it also fills out its package via card games, sports games, solitaires, and even a piano keyboard. Enjoying a chill game of Checkers, Backgammon, Chess, Blackjack, etc. can be done via a local 2-player option on the same touch screen, 4-player wireless play, and an online setup. The game’s clever Mosaic Mode even lets four players compete locally and spread out all the onscreen action across multiple screens. Make sure you save your first session of Slot Cars for that one.

You can never go wrong with UNO. It’s been a go-to game at family reunions since forever and it’s certainly worth having on your Switch. You can hop online or keep it local with up to four players in Classic Play or House Rules. Today’s Ruleset feature keeps things fresh with ever-changing playstyles, plus you can play with Ubisoft character-themed card sets for an extra dosage of fun.

Both Overcooked games will make you gain a newfound appreciation for chefs. The insane stage setups this combo set will throw you and your friends into will push you to the limit. You’ll need to work in perfect sync with your buddies as you handle the steps needed to cook up delicious dishes. The first game’s multiplayer is strictly local, while the sequel includes that mode type and equally frantic online play.

Hunting and sucking up mischievous spirits as good old Luigi is way better with a friend nearby. Traversing Luigi’s Mansion 3’s main campaign can be done with a friend as you control the green plumber while your friend uses his slimy clone Gooigi. And when you hop online for even more scares, you and seven other players can work together to take down spirits within the Scarescaper tower. So who you gonna call? Mario’s quirkier brother!

The online community for Super Mario Maker 2 is responsible for producing some of the most creative (and sometimes infuriating) stages in Super Mario Bros. history. This pick on our list lets you work with three other players for some local stage playthroughs, plus you can work with your most trusted online allies for some co-op action. If you’re in the mood for a bout of furious racing/platforming, then Super Mario Maker 2’s versus mode should float your boat.

Even if you’ve been living under a rock, you still have a clue as to how massive Fortnite is. The world’s most recognized battle royale game seems to be getting better with age. Fortnite’s wealth of seasons have introduced skins based on your favorite comic book and movie characters, constant updates have refreshed the game’s meta, and special events have impacted its community in unforeseen ways.  You can hop online to shoot and build with a couch co-op buddy via split-screen. Or you can take on the world as a part of a random squad. Fortnite is pretty much the first game download you should queue up as soon as you cop a Switch.

Super Mario Maker 2 offers up a near-limitless lineup of developer and fan-made levels.  New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe revives the Wii U classic and gives you another serving of side-scrolling goodness to chew on. Up to four local players can hop and bop across 164 varied stages. The game’s Challenges, Boost Rush, and Coin Battle modes are spread out across two campaigns devoted to the Mushroom Kingdom’s heroic plumbing duo.

Catching ‘em all, training them to their fullest potential, and pitting them against your friends’ Pokémon armies has been the name of the game since 1998. Now that the pocket monster franchise finally has a mainline entry on the Switch, its multiplayer aspects have gotten a welcome upgrade. Head to head battles can be done locally/online, plus you can team up with your fellow trainers during epic Max Raid Battles. Trading Pokémon with your friends is still intact, by the way.

ARMS is one of those slept on Switch launch titles that deserved way more attention than it initially received. If you still haven’t given it a chance, now’s the perfect time to make it a part of your Switch multiplayer playlist. Local battles can be hashed out via 1v1 and 2v2 setups. And there are a few fun minigames to take part in when you and your friends want to do something besides punching each other from a distance. If you want to hop online and climb the Ranked Match rankings, you can do that too.

Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest of Dragon Ball Z’s overpowered heroes/villains finally have a 2D fighter worthy of their acclaim. Dragon Ball FighterZ falls into that fighting game category of “easy to learn, hard to master.” Once you put together a team backed by perfect synergy, it’s off to the races as you body your local/online rivals. The online Party Mode that lets six players control a character of their own is the most fun of them all. Dragon Ball FighterZ is up there as one of the Switch’s must-play fighting games.

The Jackbox Party Pack 7 takes a collection of outlandish party games and morphs them into the most fun times you’ll ever have in a sober (or drunken) setting. Five new concepts come with this package, such as a three to eight-player public-speaking game (yes, you read that right). In our opinion, the drawing fighting game known as “Champ’d Up” and the battle of the wits themed “Quiplash 3” are the best games out of the entire pack. Even though this party game compilation can’t be enjoyed online, your local multiplayer sessions can include outside friends via live streams.

It’s pretty wild to see the blocky inhabitants of Minecraft ditch their more wholesome activities for some dangerous dungeon crawling. And surprisingly, it’s way better than you’d initially expect. Taking down mobs of baddies and discovering all sorts of sweet loot while on a quest to defeat the Arch-Illager is fun by your lonesome. But those tasks are far more engrossing when it’s you and three other dungeon crawlers working together to complete them. Whether played locally or online, Minecraft Dungeons is the perfect dungeon crawler for young tykes and veterans of the genre.

Speaking of veterans of the genre, this Switch version of the super addictive Diablo III experience should be right up their alley. This special package features the amazing base game, the Reaper of Souls expansion, the Rise of the Necromancer pack, and even some exclusive Nintendo content to boot. Clashing with the armies of Heaven and Hell can be done alongside three friends locally and online. Going demon hunting and showing off your best loot loadouts to your buds is always a good time. Make sure they see how Godlike your custom Monk armor set is.

Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together! is one of those co-op games that require both players to work like a well-oiled machine. Both players must take control of two lovable paper crafted characters in a bid to solve a series of clever puzzles. The solution to those puzzles can usually be found by working in unison as you and your local ally morph your avatars into different shapes. The game’s 4-player party mode adds some truly dynamic brainteasers to the mix, which increases its fun and replay factors exponentially.

Like Fortnite, Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon that’s transcended the medium of video games. It’s available across a multitude of platforms and can be enjoyed by gamers of all ages. The local co-op option allows for up to four players to gather essential goods during the day and deal with some underground/outside threats during the evening time. Hopping online to get fully immersed in the Minecraft experience works with up to eight players, so there’s even more fun to be had. Eliminating Creepers with your blocky BFF’s can be quite rewarding.

This mashup of iconic puzzle game franchises will throw you and your opponents into intense matches that are contested down to the wire. Up to four players can compete locally and online in several twists to the creature/block matching formula. The local multiplayer suite features unique mode variations, such as one that challenges both players to handle two different puzzle boards as they swap in and out at random intervals. Taking your match puzzler expertise online to show everyone how it’s done in the Puzzle League sounds enticing, doesn’t it? Then you should definitely give Puyo Puyo Tetris a chance.

The sport of tennis is a simple joy worth getting immersed in. Smacking a tennis ball back and forth at different levels of intensity in video game form is pretty riveting, too. Tennis is even harder to step away from when the players that are being showcased all hail from the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario Tennis Aces’ more lighthearted take on the popular sport lets you and your buds engage in some local/online singles and doubles matches. The special abilities tied to the game’s varied roster ratchet up the entertaining madness it all entails.

It took forever and a day to get an official sequel to 1994’s Streets of Rage 3. But it turns out that excruciatingly long wait was well worth it. Streets of Rage 4 is a beautifully animated, combo heavy beat ‘em up that stands out as the best entry in the legendary Sega IP. Four players can bust heads, fling explosives, and eat food off the ground together via a local four-player co-op option. And doing all of those retro activities in an online setting can be done with two players. Now go out there and save the good people of Wood Oak City!

Ever since Fortnite took over the world, it seems like everyone and their grandmother has gone out of their way to produce a battle royale game of their own. When word got out that the falling blocks tied to Tetris would be stepping into the mega-popular sub-genre, a lot of folks scoffed at the very mention of it. Then everyone played it. And that’s when we all realized that Tetris 99 is way better than it has any right to be. Up to 99 players can hop online to clear outlines of blocks in order to disrupt other players’ progress in an attempt to emerge as the ultimate survivor.

Here’s another Nintendo IP that’s been given the battle royale treatment. The world’s most recognizable plumber returns to his NES days for a playable celebration of his rise to fame. Super Mario Bros. 35 throws 35 players online, places them on the same iconic courses, and pits them against each other in a survival of the fittest type of situation. Stomping on Goombas and other familiar baddies send them over to other players’ screens in an attempt to trip them up and eliminate them from the challenge at hand. And just like Tetris 99, this unlikely battle royale game is far better than you might think.

The pink puffball that’s able to imitate other characters’ special moves is back for some 4-player fighting game action. When Kirby’s not going to war with other video game luminaries in Smash, he’s doing the same when pitted against copies of himself and other characters from his universe. Kirby Fighters 2’s big brawls can be played locally and online, so you can put your mastery of the new “Wrestler” rendition of Kirby on full display when it’s time to do battle with your friends or randoms.