Summary
TheNintendo Switchhas a massive library of exclusives you may easily sink hundreds of hours into. As fun as it is to play titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on your own, there are also a bunch of games that you can play online with friends for seemingly forever.
Nintendo has a rocky history with online multiplayer, but the Nintendo Switch makes it easier than ever to connect with a friend. While there are plenty of third-party experiences like Fortnite awaiting you on the console, we’ve decided to look at the best first-party games to play online with your friends on the Nintendo Switch.
You will need to have a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online to access online multiplayer for most of the games on this list.
The Pokemon series is very malleable and has a bunch of spin-offs that dip their toes into other genres like puzzle games, tile-based strategy, and more. Pokemon Unite launched on the Switch and mobile devices in 2021 and puts your favorite creatures into a MOBA-like experience.
Each match pits two teams of five against each other as they attempt to get the highest score by defeating wild Pokemon and scoring goals. Thereare currently over 60 Pokemon to choose from, and the game is free-to-play, so you can hop in without spending a dime.
Wii Sports was a sensation when it arrived as the pack-in game for the Nintendo Wii. While grandparents still flail their arms to it to this day, later entries like Wii Sports Resort and Nintendo Switch Sports have brought layers of polish to the series, and the latter even includes an online multiplayer mode so you can test your skills against others.
You can enjoy basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, tennis, badminton, or chambara anytime you like by participating in casual or ranked tournaments online. It’s fun to hop in against other players to see where you stand, and you might learn a thing or two by watching someone else play your favorite sport.
For the longest time, Pokemon trainers were stuck in their own worlds, only catching a glimpse of another human being when bonded by the power of a link cable. Things have changed drastically since Pokemon Red and Blue, and newer titles like Scarlet and Violet have seamless multiplayer options to make exploration and combat even more exciting.
In these games, you can invite up to three friends to join you as you explore Paldea in search of new creatures to catch and areas to explore. The game’s performance might not run super smoothly, but it’s still great to see your friends running around in the same world as you.
7Nintendo Switch Online Service
To play most Switch games online (except for free-to-play titles like Pokemon Unite and Fortnite), you must have a subscription to Nintendo Switch Online. Aside from online functionality, the membership also gives you access to a variety of benefits, including access to older titles for the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, and Game Boy Advance.
Despite being advertised, most people don’t know that you can play these classic games online with friends or family, no matter where they are. Amazingly, you canplay classic titles like GoldenEye or Mario Kart 64 with online multiplayer, making the underutilized feature perfect for anyone who grew up playing these games but doesn’t have time to get together with people for local co-op.
There is always a lot of work to do on your island, from picking weeds to ensuring all your neighbors are happy. After all the hard labor is completed, you may finally relax by the beach or look for new insects to catch, and New Horizons makes it possible to unwind with up to three friends for maximum enjoyment.
Nothing new unlocks when engaging with online multiplayer, but it’s a blast to share your home with somebody else or head over to their island to see how they’ve decorated their space. During online play, you can drop off gifts for other players and check their shop’s turnip prices to get the best return on your investments.
A lot of strategy goes into Tetris 99, as you’re able to choose who to send blocks to so you can eliminate competition. Another nice thing about the game is that it’s constantly updated with new themes and music from Nintendo Switch games like Super Mario RPG and Xenoblade Chronicles.
The 2D Super Mario Bros. gameshave always had local co-op optionssince the original launched alongside the NES in 1985. Though Mario and Luigi couldn’t appear on the screen at the same time initially, the series has evolved with every generation, and with Super Mario Bros. Wonder you don’t even need to be in the same room as someone to have them help you out.
It’s a strange comparison, but the online multiplayer in this platformer is similar to games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. You can watch other players running through the same level as you in real-time, and you can either watch them discover new secrets or drop a standee so they can quickly respawn after a botched jump or maneuver.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the most ambitious entry yet, and fortunately, its online modes are a major improvement from the 3DS and Wii U iterations. The connection between other players is generally more stable, but using a LAN cord is still recommended for the best and most seamless experience.
When you’re finally ready to face the world, you can compete with up to three other people in either timed or stock matches to see who is the best. There are also online tournaments you can participate in, or, if you don’t feel like fighting at all, you can throw on the spectator mode to watch random strangers duke it out as Pikachu and Ganondorf while you sit back and relax.
Mario Kart 8 is the game that keeps on giving. Originally launching on the Wii U in 2014, it was quickly ported to the Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in 2017 with new playable characters, an improved battle mode, and endless hours of gameplay through the online mode.
Since Deluxe came out, it’s received a bunch of DLC that added 48 additional maps to the rotation, with most of them being remakes of classic tracks from older titles. Fortunately, you don’t need to pay a dime to access these stages during online races because they are automatically added to the lineup by default. Racing against strangers online is endlessly fun and never gets tiring until you’rehit by a barrage of itemsthat bring you from first to last place.
Splatoon is one of the few Nintendo games that focuses more on the online multiplayer experience than single-player. There is a campaign to play through and other ways to keep yourself busy, but the best part of Splatoon 3 is the smorgasbord of multiplayer modes that you can dive into at any point, and each of them offers unique challenges to keep your time with the game from going stale.
Turf War is the classic mode from the original Splatoon that pits teams of four against each other to see who can cover the map with more ink. Beyond that, you’re able to hop into the excitingly dangerous Salmon Run or other competitive modes like Tower Control and Clam Blitz. There is so much to do in Splatoon 3, you and your inkling friends should never run out of things to do.
