The Switch's facility with local couch co-op games is one of the key selling points of the console. The ability to crack (read: carefully slide) off the Joy-Con and get involved in some same-screen multiplayer mayhem is super convenient, although the introduction in September 2019 of Switch Lite — the portable-only console variant which doesn't have removeable controllers — means that local wireless play (meaning Switch-to-Switch, no internet connection required) has grown in popularity, too.
While far from guaranteed, the likelihood that there's more than one Switch in your household is growing all the time, so below we've assembled a selection of local wireless multiplayer games which arguably function at their very best when everyone's got their own Switch (in fact, multiple Switches are a necessity for the first entry on the list).
On related topics, our guide to which Switch Games don't work with Switch Lite might prove helpful, and if you're a solo gamer packing two Switches (lucky you!), our guide on sharing games and saves across Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and/or Switch OLED might also be useful.
So, let's look at the best local wireless play Switch games. Before we begin, it should be noted that although you don't require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play local wireless multiplayer, you will need not only multiple consoles, but also multiple copies of whatever game you want to play (except in a couple of welcome cases which we highlight below). Yep, things can start getting expensive!
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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Switch)
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is the only game here where you positively require two or more Switches to engage in multiplayer. The game itself is a free download on the Switch eShop, but you'll need plenty of hardware to play multiplayer (you can choose from Mario or Luigi karts, although the game will function just fine if you've got two of the same variety).
Happily, the game supports up to four players, so if you've got three friends with Switches and karts, there's a very good time to be had.
Rocket League (Switch eShop)
Still a riot in split-screen (and Psyonix say that same-console split-screen is returning after going AWOL for a time), but this beautiful game arguably works best when you've each got your own full screen to help you keep your eye on the ball. Handily, Rocket League is also free-to-play now, making it one of the cheapest local wireless play options going on Switch.
ARMS (Switch)
We love ARMS here are Nintendo Life, and while it caters for four-player split-screen battles, things get even more interesting if up to four players prop up their own Switches on a table in the centre of the room and each face inwards for a motion-controlled bout of fisticuffs, each combatant skipping and ducking and weaving in their own corner.
Alternatively, if you don't have our flair for the theatrical, you can just play sitting on a chair or something, like a 'normie'.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection (Switch)
Up to four players can team up and battle their way through the demon horde in Diablo III: Eternal Collection without the need for an online connection. It's a thoroughly good time, although you might want to bring a pair of specs for your multiplayer session if you plan on reading any text.
Minecraft (Switch)
Minecraft multiplayer functions fine in split-screen in a pinch (reduced resolution and screen real estate isn't going to get between an eager Minecrafter and their game), but the larger canvas of your own screen feels much more fitting when indulging in some local multiplayer mining and/or crafting.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch)
While we've never had huge problems with online play, there's no denying that lag-free local matches are the best way to take on all-comers in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate if you want the best possible experience (short of a LAN party, of course). Smash on Switch can be played over local wireless connections, too, and you may well find it easier to track your movement when things get super chaotic if you've got your own screen to concentrate on.
Bayonetta 2 (Switch)
Possibly not the first thing that springs to mind when you think of multiplayer games on Switch, but Bayonetta 2 features a Tag Climax co-op mode that sends two players through a series of battles from the main story and enables you to make bets on your performance. It's available online or in the same room with local wireless play and offers a fun multiplayer alternative to the solo witchy-whup-ass you may be accustomed to.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (Switch)
When things get heroically hectic while giving Thanos a sound thrashing and saving universe as we know it, it's probably a good idea to have your own screen. Fortunately, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order caters for up to four Switches syncing together via local wireless play to make just that happen. Excelsior!
Namco Museum (Switch eShop)
Namco Museum features a host of classic Namco arcade games, it's Pac-Man Vs. that's the real show-stopper here — the reason this game makes the list. One player takes the role of the pill-muncher and the others his ghostly pursuers, although the twist is that the ghosts can't see where ol' PM is on their screen. This is a port of the GameCube original, which used Game Boy Advance connectivity to give everyone their own screens, but in this version two Switches can be used: the ghosts play on one (preferably connected to the TV) while Pac-Man plays alone on the other. And voila! You've got the set-up for one of the best party games ever made.
Even better, a free multiplayer download on the Switch eShop enables you to play this mode with just one purchased copy of the game. Wrapped and bagged!
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Switch)
Even with Monster Hunter Rise's release in 2021, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate remains a 'traditional-style' high point of the series, and while its online functions well, co-ordinating attacks and strategies to take down huge monsters with up to four friends is arguably at its very best with everyone in the same room.
Rise and its DLC expansion Sunbreak are also brilliant to play with three other friends when you're all in the same space together. There's no better way to coordinate hunts. So, whichever Monster Hunter you choose, you're in for a good time.
GRID Autosport (Switch eShop)
It took a while for the multiplayer update to arrive, but GRID Autosport now sports up to eight-player local wireless play on Switch for racers who prefer to burn rubber in proper cars, not RC karts or the digital equivalent while lobbing bananas and green shells at other drivers.
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch)
Combining fifty-one (or thereabouts) classic tabletop games and curios onto a single release, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics allows you to play many of them with two-four players, each with their own Switch. There's also a free downloadable trial version that gives you access to four of the games, and also enables local multiplayer for any of the included classics when at least one member of your entourage has the full game. Zoink!
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch)
The online multiplayer portion is a very welcome addition to Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury on Switch, although in practice you're likely to encounter hiccups if any one of you has a suboptimal internet connection. The Local Wireless option, however, lets groups with their own Switches and copies of the game engage in some local multiplayer mayhem very smoothly indeed. Simply hit the 'R' button on the map screen and you'll get the option to create a room or join an existing one with up to three other players. It's also worth noting that each Switch can handle two players in this mode, meaning four people can spread out between two tabletop consoles and perhaps avert a social distancing disaster.
3D World's local multiplayer functions very well on a single console, of course, especially if you're docked to a big TV, but what with one thing and another it's often nice to have a little space to yourself — a little elbow room, no? This brilliant game arguably shines brightest with four people and, for our money, the local wireless option offers the absolute best experience.
![Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury [Digital Code]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/13286/100x100.jpg)
![Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury [Download Code - UK/EU]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/18468/100x100.png)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is brilliant on a single console with up to four players, but using local wireless you can get races going with up to eight people. By our calculations, local eight-way races are twice as fun as the standard four-ways, so be sure to check this one out with local wireless play if you get the chance. And the Booster Course Pass is making Deluxe a mainstay for multiplayer nights for a long, long time to come.
And would you look at that — this entire list is a Mario Kart sandwich! Mmm, Mario Kart sandwich...
Got any nominations for this list? There are many other games that feature Local Multi-Card Play options for multiplayer battling, trading and the like — Splatoon 2, Luigi's Mansion 3 or Animal Crossing: New Horizons for example — although playing on a single console or online offers a similar or better experience in our estimates.
Still, there's nothing quite like multiplayer gaming with your partner/opponent in the same room, so if you think we've missed an essential local wireless gem, feel free to let us know down below and we may add it.
This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.
Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!
If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.
Comments 30
Great to see a other car game then mario kart
@EngineerMario Yep, Mario Kart Home Circuit! 🤪
You put ARMS on the list but not Clubhouse Games or Mario Maker 2!?
@Lindhardt I think @EngineerMario meant...
aw man what's a funny joke I can make?
OH WAIT!
...Minecraft
@HotGoomba oh those are perfect, thanks!!
A little surprised by the lack of Animal Crossing.
I didn't even know some of those had local wireless multiplayer! As my in-law family have Switches we've played Smash, Mario Kart 8, Minecraft and I think Rocket League on the local wireless. Need to try Clubhouse games on the local wireless too.
As a big fan of local wireless play myself with multiple Switch consoles and doubles of most of the games that support local wireless play. I'd like to add to the list.
Animal Crossing New Horizons
Borderlands Legendary Collection
Castle Crashers
Contra Rogue Corps
Daemon X Machina
Darksiders Genesis
Dragonball Fighter Z
Dragonball Xenoverse 2
Duke Nukem 3D World Tour
God Eater 3
Killer Queen Black
Mario Tennis Aces
Mortal Kombat 11
OverCooked 2
Red Faction Guerilla Re-Mars-tered
Resident Evil 5 & 6
Resident Evil Revelations 1 & 2
Saints Row The 3rd & 4 Re-elected
Sniper Elite V2
Sniper Elite 3 Ultimate Edition
SNK Heriones Tag Team Frenzy
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
Super Bomberman R
Super Mario Maker 2
Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido
Team Sonic Racing
Trine Ultimate Collection
Ultra Street Fighter 2 the final challengers
WindJammers
Zombie Army Trilogy
My son and I had a ball hunting monsters together in MHGU. Can't wait to pick up Rise and do it all some more.
Ya as @HotGoomba said above I'm very surprised not to see clubhouse games there. I'd also add civilisation to the list. Its a really good game when you get a few people involved although you'd want the entire day free to get the full value.
yes Diablo 3....if you want to bore together with your friend
You need Internet to play minecraft multiplayer on 2 switches
@DTfeartheBEARD
I'll add a few more.
Nine Parchments (though its not amazing)
Torchlight 2
Victor Vran
Titan Quest
Torchlight 3 (out tomorrow, but I dont know how good it is)
All will scratch that Diablo itch. Nine Parchments less so though.
Snipper Clips
Luigi's Mansion 3
Warframe, although it will require an internet connection.
I highly recommend Battleship for Nintendo Switch! It's a great game to play with a partner if you have two Switch consoles!
@DTfeartheBEARD
Battleship
Splatoon 2 salmon run
You know what else has a terrific local wireless mode?
RISK OF RAIN 2
@DTfeartheBEARD Wow! With just one Switch, I don’t think I am doing it right.
Out of all games I disagree with Smash, one screen is just perfect for that game. With 2 Switches I always had lagg issues with that game.
I would also like to add Civilization VI that works with 8 players and 8 Switches.
Mr. writer of this article, @dartmonkey , you seem to have forgotten to include a lot of mainstream games.
@Tandy255 definitely not doing it right. We got four over here with no regrets.
@BrintaPap i had lag with Smash also while playing with my friend right next to me. Make sure you both turn off WiFi and Bluetooth on your mobile devices near you (phone, tablet, ect). After we both turned off wireless on our phones, the lag problems went away.
@Tandy255 it's an addiction for me. Switch is my favorite console of all time. With 3 OG Switch systems and 4 Switch lites. It maybe more of a problem i have instead 😂😂.
@Freddyfred
No, that's not true. In the main menu you can switch to Local Network and then you're ready to go.
But a world created in that mode can not be played in Online Mode.
Regarding the topic: I absolutely LOVE the Local Wireless mode. It's a great feature especially in these days when everything has to be online.
@Cosats Local multiplayer in Civ 6 requires connection to a wifi network.
Also, this is a selection of the best local wireless games — things that are enhanced in some way when everyone's got their own Switch — not a comprehensive list of all local play games. I'm definitely open to adding more (just added Clubhouse) but only ones that gain something from people having their own screens (the majority of 1v1 fighting games arguably aren't improved, whereas having a good view of your own screen might be useful in Smash, for example).
@DTfeartheBEARD yeah but kinda makes it useless in certain situations like when I was at the cinema’s lobby. Waiting an hour for movie and just popping up your switches to smash would be nice but lagg ruined that moment. Of course you can have better experiences if you are in a remote place with no wireless interference.
@Tisteg80 Wish id knew that. I thought local network ment you still have to be connected to the internet
@BrintaPap I suppose that's true. Well I guess in that situation you would just have to play tabletop with a joy con each. Playing Smash isn't bad with a single joy con lol.
There's also super kirby clash. It's a free game as well
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