The Best Nintendo Switch Games For Both Single-Player And Multiplayer

Key Takeaways

• Nintendo Switch offers a variety of games that cater to both solo players and groups.
• Titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing, and Enter the Gungeon provide robust multiplayer experiences.
• Games like Cuphead, Portal 2, and Kirby’s Return offer challenging gameplay in both single-player and co-op mode.

Nintendo has always been famous for its multiplayer offerings. Major franchises like Mario Party, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart frequently bring friends and family together for an evening of chaotic fun. Of course, for many fans, gaming with friends regularly isn’t an option, so single-player offerings are also very valuable.

Some of the best games on the market offer the best of both worlds. These titles have robust support for solo players and groups alike, and some even let fans switch seamlessly between modes, letting friends drop in mid-game whenever they’re free. Here are ten of the best Nintendo Switch games with robust offerings for single-player and multiplayer alike.

10 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Tackling the Track

Nintendo’s iconic racing series has come a long way since the early days of the SNES. The latest title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, has seen extensive post-launch support in the form of the Booster Course Pass DLC, filling out the game’s library with new tracks and characters. This makes the game one of the robust titles in the series, and an excellent option for racing fans with access to a Switch.

From races to battle modes, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offers plenty of opportunities for fans to join up with their friends for multiplayer mayhem. Solo racers also have numerous options, though, including grand prix challenges and the game’s time trial section. Players can race their own best times or take on Nintendo’s own records to achieve speed supremacy.

9 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

A Video Game Vacation

The relaxing island getaway of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a runaway success for Nintendo when it launched in 2020, and it remains a major fixture of the company’s gaming library. This charmingly cozy game tasks players with building an island community, meeting lovable new neighbors, and collecting decorations and creatures to fill out their collections.

The title’s robust multiplayer mechanics let fans team up to enjoy island life together. Local co-op gives nearby fans a chance to move into the island and help decorate and build it out, while online play lets fans visit each others’ islands and trade valuable items. Despite its simple, laid-back appearance, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a lot of things for players to do, and whether they play together or solo, they’re bound to have a good time.

8 Enter the Gungeon

Chaotic Co-Op

Enter the Gungeon is a prominent roguelike dungeon crawler infamous for its massive library of weapons. These increasingly bizarre and outlandish firearms make for some truly chaotic encounters with the difficult bosses and punishing foes that roam the procedurally-generated halls of the titular gungeon.

Fans who are looking for some aid against this insurmountable challenge can take advantage of Enter The Gungeon‘s local co-op mode. A second player can join as a multiplayer-exclusive player character known as the Cultist, who has the special ability to resurrect their ally. Having some fire support can prove invaluable, but luckily, the game’s single-player mode is still excellent in its own right.

7 Spiritfarer

A Gaggle of Guides

The charming boat management game Spiritfarer stars a young girl named Stella, who takes over for the mythical Charon as the ferry master for deceased souls on their journey to the afterlife. Stella is accompanied by her pet cat Daffodil, and if players aren’t prepared to take on the duties of Spiritfarer alone, they can have a friend tag along in the role of the cat.

Daffodil is imbued with the same mystical power and duties as Stella, and can thus perform all the same roles in gameplay, despite his feline form. Together, fans can build up their ship, gather materials, and meet the charming spirits of the dead who must eventually be conveyed to their final fate.

6 Super Mario Bros. Wonder

A Bizarre New Adventure

Super Mario Bros. Wonderreinvented the 2D Mario formula in a number of ways, especially through the addition of the strange Wonder Flower, which fundamentally changes gameplay in a unique way for each level. The title’s full co-op support means up to four players can experience this strange new power together, and there are even characters with special, easier rules so younger and less experienced players can join the fun.

Super Mario Wonder‘s elaborate online mechanics don’t technically allow for full online co-op, but they do let players help each other out online in a variety of ways. Players can put down stands to act as special checkpoints in the middle of a level and revive another player if they see them struggling. In this way, even solo players can benefit from some multiplayer help.

5 Cuphead

Collaborative Cartoons

Cuphead made a name for itself with its striking and nostalgic animation style and the hand-drawn art that went into its incredible levels and bosses. This incredible artistic feat paired with genuinely exciting and engaging gameplay to make an instant classic that’s still challenging fans to this day, especially with the introduction of the Delicious Last Course DLC.

Players can navigate Cuphead’s demonic adventure solo, but the game also supports local co-op, allowing a friend to join as Cuphead’s brother Mugman, and either player can swap to Miss Chalice if they have the DLC. Given the massive challenge of Cuphead‘s various bosses, having a friend around can be invaluable, especially since fans can resurrect each other with good timing.

4 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker

A Charming Expedition

Swapping the bombastic, high-speed antics of Mario for Captain Toad, who can’t run fast or even jump, might seem an odd choice for a Mario spinoff. But Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a delightful game nonetheless. Due to the title character’s relative lack of mobility, more attention is paid to the levels, which can be freely rotated and interacted with like a puzzle box in order to help Captain Toad navigate each obstacle.

This charming adventure also fully supports co-op; a second player can join in as a different toad with all the same abilities as the captain. While none of the gameplay mechanics require a second set of hands, having another player think through the game’s puzzles and tricks can be extremely valuable.

3 Portal 2

Putting the Companion in Companion Collection

Portal 2 and its predecessor are most prominently known as PC gaming powerhouses, but thanks to the Portal Companion Collection, both games are now available on the Nintendo Switch as well. Just like its predecessor, Portal 2 offers a rich single-player campaign full of surprising twists, brilliant humor, and challenging puzzles, all based around the iconic portal gun.

However, Portal 2 also stands out by offering a complete co-op campaign. Two players take control of a pair of testing robots and run through a seemingly innocent series of testing chambers by the AI GLaDOS. This campaign’s puzzles are designed around the combined potential of two players working together, and this makes for some truly memorable moments.

2 Kirby’s Return To Dreamland Deluxe

Kirby & Friends Return

Kirby’s Return To Dreamland was a standout co-op platformer when it launched on the Wii, and the Deluxe rerelease expands its multiplayer potential even further. Solo players can still have a blast guiding Kirby through the whimsical world of Dreamland, obtaining powerful new Super Abilities along the way, but up to three other fans can also join in the fun.

Every level in the game’s campaign can be played with multiple people, and this vastly increases the options available to fans, both for good and ill. Players can inhale and launch each other, for instance, or ride on each others’ backs for increased speed and efficiency. Kirby’s Return To Dreamland Deluxe also introduces Merry Magoland, an amusement park full of PvP minigames for players to compete in if they need a break from the main campaign.

1 Super Mario 3D World

A Platforming Classic

Super Mario 3D World presents a distinctive approach to the Mario franchise by blending elements of 2D-level design with fully 3D gameplay. The result is a striking and creative game that is a delight to play solo but heightened incredibly by full four-person co-op support. A group of fans tackling one of Super Mario 3D World‘s immersive levels will find countless secrets and tricks to explore together.

The Switch rerelease of 3D World also includes Bowser’s Fury, an elaborate expansion that sends Mario to a vast lake region in order to quell the apocalyptic rage of his nemesis Bowser. This expansion allows a second player to drop in as Bowser Jr., but it’s equally thrilling solo, giving fans multiple ways to approach this iconic title.