Great Nintendo Switch Games That Support Local & Online Co-Op

Co-op games have become a major part of gaming, especially in the modern tech age where nearly everyone has access to the internet and devices that can connect. Gaming companies have taken full advantage of this new online age, allowing many games to connect to the internet to allow players to enjoy games with friends from all over the globe.

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By  Mark Sammut

This is often done to the detriment of local gaming, as many gamers now don't partake in the old ritual of 'couch play.' But that is not to say it is not seen anymore. In fact, there are some Nintendo Switch titles that allow for both online and local co-op.

Updated April 29th, 2024, by Mara Cowley: The Nintendo Switch is one of the best consoles to play with friends and family. This is partially due to the huge number of games that allow online and local play, allowing friends and family near or far to enjoy many great titles together. Games such as Mario Kart, Diablo, and Overcooked are obvious choices that have already been covered, but there are many more local and online co-op Switch games that also deserve recognition. As such, this article has been updated, so now any gamers that have already blasted through this list of Switch online cop-op games can find more titles to play and enjoy with their loved ones.

13 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Pull Off Awesome Combos In This Exciting Beat 'Em Up Title

Fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are likely already aware of this co-op beat 'em up game titled Shredder's Revenge, a spiritual successor to the SNES TMNT games which sees the heroes in a half shell taking on supervillains such as Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang, and of course, Shredder, the primary antagonist.

The gameplay challenges players to button mash and combo their way to victory as they beat up their enemies on a side-scrolling screen, and can invite local or online friends to join in on the madness, with up to 6 players total able to play at once.

12 Borderlands Legendary Collection

Enjoy The Entire Chaotic Borderlands Series In One Package

• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
• Developers: Gearbox Software
• Genres: FPS
• Release Date: May 29th, 2020
• Number of Players: Up to 4

The excellent Borderlands game series sees a group of vault hunters in search of one of these legendary vaults to earn themselves treasure and glory. Each game introduces new characters for players to pick from and play as, and each features the inclusion of co-op gameplay so that they can rope a friend, family member, or partner into the mayhem.

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The Legendary Collection is an excellent place to start for newcomers, as it includes Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, as well as the various DLC add-ons for these games, so players have hours upon hours of content to share with their co-op partners.

11 Diablo 3

Hack And Slash Through A World Torn Between A Holy And Unholy War

• Number of Players: Up to 4

Before taking on the challenge of Diablo 4 and Lilith, it is worth checking out the excellent Diablo 3, which is available on Switch and offers both online and local co-op, allowing gamers to team up with 1 to 3 friends.

Players can choose one of the predetermined classes and hack and slash their way through the enemies overrunning the world as they find themselves at the crux of a war between angels and demons that has spilled over to the mortal realm. The stakes are high, so it is better that players recruit some friends if they hope to survive.

10 Mario Party Superstars

Battle Through Mini-Games With Friends

• Number of Players: Up to 4

Another Nintendo console calls for another Mario Party game, a Mario-themed board game in video game format that sees players competing in mini-games to earn coins and see who can come out on top. These games are undeniably fun and can be frustrating for those on the losing side.

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Of course, these games would not be as fun to play alone, which is why Nintendo has allowed up to 4 players to play locally or online, so friends near and far can enjoy the chaos together.

9 Mario Kart 8

Race Against Each Other Across Various Nintendo-Themed Tracks

• Number of Players: Up to 12

Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's longest-running and most popular franchises that sees the characters of the platforming franchise battling it out on racetracks, which Nintendo fans will recognize as various locations from other games. Items players can collect across the track can help even the odds, and none are more feared than the dreaded blue shell.

Mario Kart 8 is just one of the Mario Kart games available on Switch that includes other characters such as Link from the Zelda franchise and introduces new mechanics for long-time fans to master. It's among the best Nintendo racing games to date, and players can share the fun with a maximum of 11 other players.

8 Overcooked 2

Work Together To Fulfill Orders In This Fast-Paced Games

This frantic and chaotic cooking game made its way to Switch, challenging players to the trials and tribulations of running a restaurant and working in a fast-paced kitchen, having to produce dishes and serve customers before they run out of patience and leave. Players don't have to go it alone, though; they can invite their friends to help them out and disperse the workload.

As a modern game, Overcooked 2 allows players to set up an online lobby to play with long-distance friends or local co-op for close friends who can hop on their couch and join in on the mayhem. If players choose to team up, they're in for a fun yet frantic time.

7 Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Visit A Friend's Island And Show Off Some Decor

• Number of Players: Up to 8

Animal Crossing is one of the most zen games on the market, allowing players to escape chaotic modern-day life to enjoy the simplistic pleasures of island life, such as planting flowers and trees, digging up buried treasures, swimming, fishing, and, of course, hanging out with the other islanders.

Besides neighbors, players can also travel to their friends' islands or host friends on theirs to show off the hard work they put into making an aesthetically pleasing island. They can do this via online or local co-op so that they can share their beautiful island with friends both near and far.

6 Luigi's Mansion 3

Compete With Friends Determine The Best Ghost Hunters

• Number of Players: Up to 8

This spooky third installment of Luigi's Mansion arrived on the Nintendo Switch with a new haunted adventure that saw Luigi's vacation interrupted as the hotel he arrived at was full of ghosts. Luigi, once again, has to arm himself with a Hoover and suck up the pesky ghosts that ruined his vacation.

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Players don't have to brave the game alone, however. After obtaining the Gooigi from Professor E. Gadd, they will unlock the option to play through the Story Mode with the help of a friend. This mode is only available with local co-op, but there are other game modes that players can enjoy online, such as the Scarescraper game, in which up to eight players can team up to climb up the skyscraper together.

5 Splatoon 2

Team Up Or Compete In High Octane Paint-Shooting Gameplay

• Number of Players: Up to 10

The second installment of Splatoon arrived with a splash on Nintendo Switch, taking place two years after the final Splatfest of the original Splatoon game, in which Marie came out as the victor against her cousin Callie. The two drift apart, which has Marie worrying about Callie. But when she goes to visit Callie to speak to her about the Splatfest, she finds her and the city's power source missing.

Splatoon 2 features a Hero Mode that sees the player taking up the quest to save the Zapfish while fighting off Octarians, or they can set up a local or online multiplayer to team up or compete against friends, offering high-octane third-person shooter gameplay to more players.

4 Nine Parchments

A Fun Fantasy Game To Enjoy With A Few Friends

• Number of Players: Up to 4

An explosion at a place called the Astral Academy unleashes nine of the parchment spells upon the world, which the Academy apprentices must go scouring to find and retrieve. This is the premise of Nine Parchments, a fantasy RPG perfect for playing with friends.

Though the game has a single-player game mode, it is definitely designed for playing with friends. There are nine total playable characters to choose from, ensuring that there is one to appeal to every friend in the group. There is an adventure mode that will see players playing through the main storyline, defeating waves of enemies and bosses as they hunt down the parchments, and an arena mode in which players try their best to survive against increasing waves of enemies.