Eric Ravenscraft
Perhaps more than most consoles, the Nintendo Switch is designed to be played together. These are the best games that you and your friends can play together on the couch, or on the road.
Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle ($54)
No one really knows why Nintendo decided to team up with the Rabbids franchise for a rare crossover, but it did. While the branding on Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle might be a little confusing, the game itself is fantastic. Following the style of XCOM-like turn-based games, this Switch title is a strategy game that’s easy to pick up and put down at your convenience. Co-op mode lets you and a friend team up to outwit your opponent in local split-screen gameplay that’s sadly all too rare these days. As a bonus, the game just recently got a new batch of Donkey Kong-themed levels, so if you’ve played before and haven’t checked it out in a while, it’s worth another look.
Kirby Star Allies ($60)
Kirby games are pretty straight forward, but each new game comes with a bit of a twist that shakes up the gameplay from previous versions. The twist in the latest Kirby title is the addition of allies. If you play alone, you can recruit up to three minions, controlled by the game, to help you fight and solve puzzles. Add a few controllers, however, and you and up to three friends can fight side-by-side, combining powers to create unique ability combinations, to save Dreamland from peril (again). As a single-player game, Kirby Star Allies is almost mundane, but it shines best when you bring your friends over.
Overcooked ($40) and Overcooked 2 ($40)
In case you can’t tell from all the times we’ve recommended it, we love Overcooked. In the chaotic game of kitchen management, you and up to three other players team up to cook meals for hungry restaurant patrons, while traveling through time to hone your skills before you fight an ancient and unstoppably hungry evil. Better yet, a sequel was just announced at E3 that will feature a host of new levels, and the revolutionary ability to throw ingredients at your teammates. If you’ve ever worked in a kitchen at a restaurant, this might be a bit too familiar for you, but everyone else will have a blast.
Super Mario Party ($60)
This one might not be out yet, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for when it arrives. The Mario Party series may be competitive in nature, but it still allows plenty of room for cooperation. Whether that comes in the form of the occasional cooperative mini games, or informal alliances to team up and defeat your friends. The newest entry, Super Mario Party, will bring a new element with the Switch, allowing players to use multiple consoles to expand the minigames. So, even if you’re not teaming up with your friends in the game, you can at least team up to make the game a bit bigger.
Snipperclips ($20)
Snipperclips is a unique little puzzle game that launched with the Switch. It understandably flew under the radar for some, since there were more important things to play on the console at the time. In this game, you and a partner play as colorful pieces of paper that, when overlapped, can cut pieces out of each other. You have to work together to clip each other into the right shape to solve a series of increasingly complicated puzzles. It’s a fun, low-key game that anyone in the family can play together.
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition ($60)
There’s no shortage of hack and slash-style games in the broader gaming industry, but outside of the recently-exclusive Bayonetta series, Nintendo hasn’t had much of an entry in the genre. That’s where Hyrule Warriors comes in. This game, made by the same team behind iconic hack and slash game Dynasty Warriors features characters from the Legend of Zelda franchise in a frantic, non-stop fight sequence. While the game first debuted on the Wii U, much like Mario Kart 8, this game got an update for the Switch with all the DLC included. After running through the first mission, you can unlock co-op play for you and a friend to team up and bring down the enemies of Hyrule.
