Best Co-Op Multiplayer Games On Nintendo Switch
This article was originally written for TheNintendoVillage.com, a website I founded and ran from 2018 to 2021. The accompanying video was produced by me for the site’s YouTube channel.
There’s a whole host of great co-op multiplayer games on Nintendo Switch. Whether you’re looking for some couch co-op puzzle games, or some action-packed, online adventures, there’s games to suit all tastes.
We’ve pulled together what we think are some of the best co-op multiplayer games the Nintendo Switch has to offer. They’re in alphabetical order, so keep scrolling until you find something that tickles your fancy!
Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons
A short, sweet and straight-forward one this. The reason Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons doesn’t pose much of a challenge is because it was originally designed as a single-player experience - challenging you to pull of finger-fiddling bouts of ingenuity as you maneuvered both brothers through the world. The Switch version adds co-op, and with two people controlling the characters individually, those puzzles become a lot simpler to complete.
However, the compelling story, sombre tone and magical world in which the game takes place makes it easy to recommend if you want a memorable co-op adventure without tearing your hair out at the difficulty.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was one of the first Wii U games to be ported over to the Switch and brought some added co-op multiplayer with it. One of you takes control of Toad, whilst the other plays as Toadette. The game consists of gorgeous dioramas that you spin and rotate in order to find the various secrets and get to the goal.
The concept may have started life as a minigame within Super Mario 3D World, but Captain Toad is one of Nintendo’s most delightful recent titles, and is an easy recommendation for any Switch owner.
Cuphead
Originally an Xbox exclusive, the retro cartoon-inspired bullet hell boss battler is incredibly tough, so we’d recommend enlisting some help with this regardless. The presentation is undoubtedly what draws people into Cuphead, but they always stay for the challenging yet rewarding gameplay.
You’ll die a lot, but if you and a friend can make it to the end, you’ll form a bond that only those who’ve experienced true pain can appreciate.
Death Squared
Death Squared offers a bunch of set challenges for you to figure out. You each take control of a handsome cuboid and have to maneuver yourselves across various switches, elevators, spikes and other challenges in order to get your personal coloured box to its corresponding goal.
It’s a game that’s full of cleverly constructed challenges, some of which are real headscratchers, but one that’s incredibly satisfying once you figure it out.
Deru
If you’re after something a little on the chill side, Deru is an elegant puzzler where you and your companion take control of black and white shapes, in a situation where touching the stream that matches your colour results in failure. As a result, you have to cleverly pass through streams of your partner’s colour in order to fashion a path to the goal for you both.
It’s a really cool concept, and an entertaining way to spend a few hours as you work your way through the game’s 70 levels.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Diablo is the word in dungeon crawlers, and Diablo III: Eternal Collection is a fantastic port of a brilliant game. There’s 7 different character classes for you and your teammates to choose between, and trekking through the games various areas, swinging axes, casting spells, and gathering loot is just as fun on Switch as it is on any other system.
The gameplay loop soon becomes incredibly addictive, as you hunt for better loot with each run, taking on increasingly challenging monsters through randomly generated dungeons - all punctuated by specific boss battles and story beats. It’s a great one to play with friends.
Enter The Gungeon
Enter The Gungeon takes the fact it’s a shooter to the nth degree. Almost everything about the game is reminiscent of and inspired by guns, and the game is absolutely chock-full of them. From traditional fare like revolvers and shotguns to crazy lasers and even some Nintendo-inspired weaponry.
The enemies spew hundreds of bullets your way, so you and your team-mates will need to have your wits about you as you dodge between them and return fire across this game’s procedurally generated runs.
Heave Ho
If you’ve got three or four of you wanting to play, Heave Ho should absolutely be your first stop. Its premise is fairly simple. You move your characters arms with the joystick and grab things with their hands using the left and right triggers. That’s it.
The hilarity is in trying to successfully grab onto your teammates hands or other surfaces as you’re swinging wildly across the screen. An incredibly simple premise, but one that’s an absolute riot if you can get four people sat around the Switch.
Kirby Star Allies
This would be an excellent choice if you’re playing with younger gamers, or a partner who perhaps doesn’t pick up a gamepad all that often. It’s fairly straightforward to plough through, yet it’s still plenty of fun using the various abilities of Kirby and his crew.
Combining those abilities will allow you to solve some basic puzzles and lay waste to any enemies that stand in your way as you progress through it’s wonderfully bright and colourful stages.
For more on Kirby Star Allies, check out our review.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Naturally more light-hearted than something like Diablo III, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order pulls from a huge range of Marvel characters in another retelling of the Infinity Stones saga. It’s cool to have MCU-style characters alongside the likes of X-Men’s Wolverine in more traditional garb, and Marvel fans will find plenty to love.
Gameplay wise it’s built for co-op too, with enemies and boss fights challenging you to synchronise attacks for maximum effectiveness. There’s a number of difficulty options - so its great for both hardcore players and young Spidey fans alike - and with over 30 characters plus additional ones available via DLC, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into.
Overcooked 2
If you’re looking for something, how shall we say, ‘frantic’, then Overcooked 2 is for you. Both this and the first game require you and your team-mates to divvy up tasks to prepare various food orders in increasingly bizarre scenarios and kitchens. Preparing a burger sounds like a simple task at first, but when you have to do it on a pair of rafts, in a wizarding school with disappearing platforms, or across three hot air balloons, things soon become incredibly manic.
Good communication is key as you decide who’s cooking, who’s chopping, who’s doing the washing up and who’s serving completed orders. Best described as carefully-managed chaos, Overcooked 2 is a fantastic co-op game and one that always results in a ton of laughs.
Rayman Legends Definitive Edition
An absolutely cracking game this one, and one that’s regularly on sale if you’re looking to pick it up cheap. Rayman Legends is one of the best platformers of the last decade, and is an absolute blast in co-op.
The level design - whilst originally geared towards solo play - nevertheless works brilliantly in multiplayer, and there’s so many great ideas, fun set pieces, and clever mechanics on show, everyone who’s playing will have a whale of a time.
River City Girls
River City Girls gently pulls on your nostalgia strings, harking back to the classic River City series that began life on the NES. In this latest entry, the heroes of those old-school Beat ‘Em Up titles have been kidnapped, and it’s down to their girlfriends to kick some ass and come to their rescue.
It’s a brilliant example of the Beat ‘Em Up genre from indie developer WayForward, and well worth picking up if Streets of Rage leaves you wanting more. You can even go back and play the original game on the NES Switch Online app if you want to see where it all began.
Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together!
The fact the Switch essentially comes with two controllers in the box by way of the two Joy-Con made Snipperclips an ideal launch title to show off that baked-in multiplayer functionality. The game sees you and a pal play as two shapes who have to overlap each other and cut each other into various other shapes to solve a host of different puzzles.
There’s some fun to be had with three or four players too, but its one that definitely shines as a two player - and that’s where the bulk of the game’s challenges lie. The puzzles are well constructed, fun to work through, and some of the bizarre things you end up shouting at each other by way of instruction is guaranteed to result in a few laughs.
For more on Snipperclips, check out our review.
Streets Of Rage 4
One of this writer’s favourite childhood experiences was playing through the original Streets of Rage with my brother back on the Sega Mega Drive - Genesis to our US readers - and Streets of Rage 4 captures that experience brilliantly. Whilst it brought a whole new look to the series - one that’s rather cool I have to say - the core gameplay will immediately feel familiar to long-time fans.
Teaming up with a friend to kick the stuffing out of a whole host of different goons is just as satisfying as it’s ever been, and online play means you can watch each other’s back, even if you’re not in the same room.
For more on Streets of Rage 4, check out our review.
The Binding Of Isaac: Afterbirth+
Binding of Isaac employs a roguelike setup, with procedural generation the name of the game. With literally hundreds of enemies, items and bosses to encounter, it’s rare you’ll see the same thing twice. Whilst originally a game that was designed as a single-player experience, you can drop in a second support character - at the cost of one of your hearts - to help you lay waste the weird and wonderful creatures that would do you harm.
It’s wonderfully gross, darkly comedic and a ton of fun - just make sure whoever you’re playing with doesn’t have a weak stomach.
The Stretchers
If laughs is what you’re after, then indie-developed, Nintendo-published game The Stretchers is definitely worth a look. Taking control of two paramedics, it’s your job to load discombobulated patients known as Dizzies onto a stretcher and get them in the back of your ambulance.
This is often easier said than done, and the rag doll physics make for some truly hilarious moments. The challenges don’t stop at carrying patients either, and it’s a game that requires you to carefully work together if you’re going to earn top marks.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
On the more traditional end of the platforming scale, Trine tasks you with using the skills of three different adventurers - a thief, a wizard and a knight, all with their own unique skills and abilities - to progress through each stage, solve the puzzles therein, and take down any baddies who attempt to disrupt your progress.
Certainly more of an action platformer, it nevertheless has some cool physics-based puzzles to solve along the way. As well as Trine 4 you can also get the first three games in an Ultimate Edition package, ether of which would make a solid addition to your multiplayer library.
Unravel Two
Unravel Two is another puzzle platformer that strikes a more melancholic note. Unlike the first game, which featured only one Yarny, the sequel gives you the option of playing with a buddy as you move through the world. It’s unique hook is that you’re both joined by a piece of string, and you can use this to swing each other up to platforms, solve puzzles, use as a trampoline and various other things.
It’s not the longest game on this list, but it’s one of the most critically acclaimed, taking Family Game of the Year at 2019’s DICE awards. It’s well worth exploring.
Untitled Goose Game
Another one that’s sure to raise a chuckle is Untitled Goose Game. Originally a single player affair, a free update has since added multiplayer to proceedings. This means that you and a friend can take control of a goose each, and terrorize the inhabitants of a sleepy English village in your bid to solve the various challenges the game sets out for you. Honkin’ brilliant.