If there’s a console that’s designed to be used as a multiplayer machine, it’s the Nintendo Switch. Excluding the lite version of this console, all the other variants, including the OLED model, have detachable Joy-Cons. Each Joy-Con pair acts as a single controller in most games, but in games that supportlocal co-op, each Joy-Con can become its own separate controller, allowing two people to play together on the same console without having to connect any extra controllers.
10 Best Co-Op Games on Steam
It’s time to round up a friend or four. These co-op games for Steam are here to make relationships or break them apart.
The Switch’s library is filled with games that take advantage of this, but there’s no point in looking for more local co-op games if players haven’t played these eight titles, which represent the best of this niche.
8Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
Old-School Graphics And Gameplay In A Modern Package
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection
The Cowabunga Collection for the Switch brings back thirteen classicTMNTarcade games to a portable console with afresh layer of nostalgia and chaotic fun. With this collection, two players can use a Joy-Con each and dive into the pixelated, side-scrolling world of these beat ’em-ups, featuring all four Turtles and taking on iconic villains like Shredder and Krang.
With an extra pair of Joy-Con, up to four players can play on a single console, making this title the perfect co-op haven for fans of beat ‘em ups and TMNT.
7Overcooked 2
Chaos All-Around
Overcooked 2
Many people consider the experience of cooking to be therapeutic and soothing, but the developers behindOvercooked 2are bent on proving the opposite. This game makes cooking one of the most stressful and chaotic experiences. Played with up to four players, or just two players, each using one Joy-Con that comes with a Switch, the game tests the boundaries of patience and friendships.
That said, trying to cook sushi from scratch when all the ingredients are in the opposite corners of a kitchen that’s literally on fire and whose floor is randomly falling away while the meat on the stove is about to get burned is not only madly mind-wrecking, but also extremely fun.
Hand-Drawn Aesthetics with Demanding Gameplay
The beauty ofCupheadlies in its hand-drawn visuals that look like they jumped straight out of a ‘90s cartoon show on a CRT. That’s not the only thing Cuphead borrows from the ‘90s; the game isn’t shy to embrace the difficulty of old platformers, with the only difference now being the checkpoint and modern save system, plus the fact that there are only boss encounters in Cuphead.
10 Best Cross-Platform Co-Op Games
you may play these games with your friends regardless of which platform they’re on.
Still, every boss fight in the game ismasterfully craftedand it’ll take players at least a couple of tries to make it past even the easiest boss as they attempt to learn their fight patterns. The game is made more fun by detaching the Joy-Cons and giving one to another player to add Mugman, Cuphead’s brother, as the second playable character in the game.
5Snipperclips
Unique Puzzle-Solving Mechanics
Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together
Snipperclips is a game that’s designed to be a co-op title. Sure, there are some levels that can be played by just one player, but the experience stales in comparison to how good the game gets with up to 4 players.
The game puts a clever twist on cooperative gameplay by letting players solve puzzles by cutting paper characters into different shapes to achieve various objectives. Each level presents a new challenge, such as guiding a basketball into a hoop, rotating gears or popping balloons and each objective requires creativity, communication and well-timed input. The charming visuals and cooperative mechanics make it accessible to players of all ages.
Get Ready to Laugh your Stomach Out
Immensely popular for all the right reasons, Bread and Fred is yet another game that just isn’t meant to be played alone. It puts two players in the shoes of Bread and Fred, two adorable penguins are roped together as they attempt to climb a treacherous icy mountain.
With the physics-based platforming, every jump requires coordination, as one player’s slip can bring both tumbling back down. While there are checkpoints along the way, unlike Getting Over It With Bennet Foddy, each successful jump and climb requires complete synchronization and every failure will lead to hilarious outbursts from either player.
3Untitled Goose Game
Stupid and Mindless Fun
Untitled Goose Game
Untitled Goose Game is a charming sandbox title that was initially made as a single-player title but eventually got a two-player update, where players embody mischievous goose causing delightful havoc in a quiet English village.
Each area in the game has a unique to-do list, from stealing items and setting up pranks to annoying villagers. And if players pair up with one of their friends simply by sharing one of the Joy-Con, they can effectively double the chaos by synchronizing their antics and clearing objectives in imaginative yet ridiculously-hilarious ways.
2Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Competitive Fun
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
There are limitless possibilities when it comes to playingSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. With a bunch of game modes, both online and offline, and with the support of up to eight players on a single Nintendo Switch, playing this game alone is only justified when trying to practice a new character.
Players who are into multiplayer games, especially local multiplayer, should grab this title and look forward to the countless hours of fun they’ll have. The game can also be played by 2 players by sharing the two Joy-Cons of a single Switch. With more than eighty playable fighters, each with a unique moveset, there’s no shortage of content in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
1Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
A Legendary Racing Game
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The be-all and end-all of co-op games on the Switch, it doesn’t get better thanMario Kart 8 Deluxe. With the legacy of Mario Kart going back as far as the SNES, the franchise has been with Nintendo fans for generations. And the newest entry on the Switch holds up this legacy exceptionally well.
It allows up to four players to join up on a single Switch, or eight players with two Nintendo Switches linked up. Two players can also enjoy some split-screen karting by sharing a pair of Joy-Cons. There are over 48 courses, from classic favorites to new twists, along with upgradable karts and bikes, letting players customize their vehicles based on speed, acceleration and handling preferences. In addition to Grand Prix and Time Trials, Battle Mode offers unique game types like Balloon Battle and Shine Thief for a break from standard racing. This is a title that will keep players hooked for a long time.
6 Best Couch Co-Op Games with a Story
Sometimes, you want a good story to go with your couch co-op game!
