The Nintendo Switch is praised for seamlessly allowing you to play alone or with friends. Since the Joy-Cons can function together as one controller or two separate ones, it’s easier than ever for you and your buddies to play at home or on the go. But what about your partner?
Whether you’re both hardcore gamers or casual players, or a mix of the two, there are some awesome Switch games to play together. They’ll stir up tension, and laughter, but above all give you a really fun time. Read on for the best Switch games to enjoy as a couple.
Updated September 19, 2023, by Gabrielle Huston: Playing video games together is a great way to bond as a couple! We at TheGamer can attest to that from personal experience. Unfortunately, excellent multiplayer games can be hard to come by these days. We've added some extra options so that everyone will be able to find something to enjoy here, as well as a note about their difficulty.
30 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
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Developer: |
Nintendo EPD |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
February 12, 2021 |
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Genre: |
Platformer |
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Difficulty: |
Low |
When it comes to multiplayer and co-op gameplay, few, if any, of the mainline Mario games can compete with Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. It offers the same great four-player experience found in the original release of 3D World while also including a well-implemented co-op mode in the Bowser's Fury section of the game.
If you're looking for a way to share some of the very best platforming around with a partner without having to periodically pass the controller, this is the game for you. There's a ridiculous amount of content on offer, plenty of collectibles, and even an unlockable character for those willing to sink the time in.
29 Cuphead
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Developer: |
Studio MDHR |
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Publisher: |
Studio MDHR |
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Release Date: |
September 29, 2017 |
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Genre: |
Run and Gun |
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Difficulty: |
High |
Cuphead is an extraordinary gaming experience for solo players or couples! It's a wonderfully chaotic "run and gun" title that's quite unlike any other game on the market today.
The amount of blood, sweat, tears, and love that has gone into this game is almost unbelievable; development began 7 years before its official release and took so long because everything you see is drawn by hand. The creators were inspired by so-called "golden age" cartoons (think of the original Mickey Mouse).
28 The Stretchers
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Developer: |
Tarsier Studios |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
February 8, 2019 |
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Genre: |
Action Puzzler |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
In this aptly titled game, you and your partner play as ambulance drivers, struggling to rescue civilians from their cases of the Dizzies! Your job is to get them onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. If you ever get the itch to play by yourself, it's also playable solo.
Your ultimate goal is to take down Captain Brains, who is causing all the Dizzies around town, but you can also spend your time mastering levels, earning special outfits, and finding hidden secrets.
27 Mario Golf: Super Rush
Mario in Mario Golf: Super Rush.
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Developer: |
Camelot Software Planning |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
June 25, 2021 |
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Genre: |
Sports |
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Difficulty: |
Low |
Mario Golf: Super Rush's single-player-centric Golf Adventure mode may be a little lackluster, but the multiplayer components of the game are a lot of fun. There are multiple game types for players to enjoy, including the frantic and fast-paced Battle Golf.
The lack of team-based game types and the limited number of courses may disappoint some players, but if you're the competitive type and are looking for a chance to assert your dominance on the links, you could do a lot worse.
26 Super Mario Maker 2
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Developer: |
Nintendo EPD |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
June 28, 2019 |
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Genre: |
Level Editor / Platformer |
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Difficulty: |
Low |
Though Super Mario Maker 2 does feature local co-op for up to four players, the real fun is arguably found elsewhere. Couples can have a real blast creating challenging courses for each other, while also demonstrating both their creativity and their competitiveness as they do so. The possibilities are endless.
Even if you're not that great at coming up with new ideas for courses, there's still a lot to love about the game. At this point, there are tens of thousands of user-created courses, and couples can work together to complete them or go head-to-head to see who can make it to the flagpole the fastest.
25 Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
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Developer: |
Omega Force |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
November 20, 2020 |
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Genre: |
Hack and Slash |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
There's something strangely cathartic about hacking and slashing your way through hundreds of enemies after a long and tiring day. Doing it together with somebody that you love is even better, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity allows players to do just that.
Building on the excellence of the original game, Age of Calamity features plenty of unlockable characters, a ridiculous number of challenges, and some of the very best musou-style combat available on the Nintendo Switch. Omega Force and Nintendo have plans to release plenty of DLC content over the next year too, which should keep the game feeling fresh for a little while longer.
24 The Force Unleashed
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Developer: |
LucasArts |
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Publisher: |
LucasArts |
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Release Date: |
September 16, 2008 |
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Genre: |
Action, hack-and-slash |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
The Force Unleashed is a beloved Star Wars game from all the way back in 2008. Thankfully, it holds up to this day! You play as Starkiller, Vader's apprentice.
Since there are only ever supposed to be two Sith (a master and an apprentice), it's an unrecognized tradition for the apprentice to start to train their own apprentice; once the new duo are strong enough, the old master is killed. As Starkiller in The Force Unleashed, you are preparing to assassinate Darth Sidious.
Unfortunately, the campaign isn't co-op. The multiplayer is included in a unique dueling mode; each person takes on the role of a famous Jedi or Sith and you fight for supremacy! You'll get an epic fighting simulator and a time-tested campaign to play individually, all rolled up in one.
23 Kirby And The Forgotten Land
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Developer: |
HAL Laboratory |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
March 25, 2022 |
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Genre: |
Platformer |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Kirby and the Forgotten Land, the first-ever full game in 3D for the series, has not disappointed fans. This adorable title has Kirby venturing across gorgeous landscapes, saving Waddle Dees as he goes. And, the mischief can be experienced in 2-player, too!
Second players take on the role of Bandana Waddle Dee, a character with a long spear used for attacking. Unfortunately, the nature of Kirby's uniqueness means that only the first player will get to experience Kirby's various Copy Abilities and the newly added Mouthful Mode, but the second player can entertain themselves with the platforming and secret-hunting all the same!
22 Snipperclips Plus: Cut It Out, Together!
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Developer: |
SFB Games |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
November 10, 2017 |
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Genre: |
Puzzle |
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Metacritic Rating: |
Medium |
Playing as two little bits of paper, you and your partner will have a fantastic time in Snipperclips. You work together to snip each other into the perfect shapes to help complete puzzles. You might cut your partner into a bowl shape to carry a bowling ball to the goal, or a hook to yank down a lever.
It’s greahat really tests your creativity. You can even attack your partner if you feel like it; if you cut them too much, their little paper friend disappears and respawns. You might spend more time hacking at each other than progressing!
21 39 Days To Mars
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Developer: |
It's Anecdotal |
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Publisher: |
It's Anecdotal |
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Release Date: |
April 26, 2018 |
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Genre: |
Puzzle |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
This quirky little indie project almost feels as if it were designed to get couples to hone and strengthen their communication. The crux of this hand-drawn puzzler revolves around 2 players working together to solve and complete a slew of distinct brain-busters at once. These mostly visually oriented puzzles range from assembling pictures to unlocking contraptions to carefully guiding objects through hazard-laden courses.
39 Days to Mars makes for a relatively simple, laid-back experience that couples can enjoy playing for brief stints while still having enough challenge to be entertaining.
20 Stardew Valley
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Developer: |
ConcernedApe |
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Publisher: |
ConcernedApe |
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Release Date: |
October 5, 2017 |
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Genre: |
Simulation / RPG |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Since the multiplayer update was released on the Switch, Stardew Valley has become an absolute must-play for couples. Start from the beginning and build yourselves a farm from the ground up, or if your other half is happy to lend a hand, they can join in on the one you've made already.
Cultivate crops, sell them off, and upgrade the town together. Teamwork makes the dream work! While you can still choose to romance the NPCs, if you play with your partner the two of you can get married in-game! How cute is that?
19 Sonic Origins
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Developer: |
Sonic Team |
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Publisher: |
Sega |
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Release Date: |
June 23, 2022 |
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Genre: |
Platformer |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Whether you played these Sonic games growing up or have just heard about them a lot in adulthood, you'll enjoy this 2022 treat. Sonic Origins is a compilation: it includes remastered versions of the first four Sonic platforming games!
- Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
- Sonic CD (1993)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (1994)
Two of these four include multiplayer modes. There's a reason these games have survived for so long! They're fun and challenging in equal measure. Plus, having a partner around will help you get through the parts where you may or may not want to tear your hair out.
18 Don't Starve Together
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Developer: |
Klei Entertainment |
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Publisher: |
Klei Entertainment |
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Release Date: |
April 21, 2016 |
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Genre: |
Sandbox Survival |
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Difficulty: |
High |
Don't Starve was a notoriously difficult game, and its counterpart, Don't Starve Together, is no easier. In this fantastical survival game, every second counts and every night could be your last.
The game tasks the players with working together (or not - your choice) to survive. There are meters for your hunger, exhaustion, and sanity level that you must maintain. Otherwise, you risk being unprepared when the horrific creatures attack in the night.
17 Terraria
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Developer: |
Re-Logic |
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Publisher: |
505 Games |
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Release Date: |
June 27, 2019 |
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Genre: |
Sandbox |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Often described as the "2D version of Minecraft," Terraria offers enough depth and enjoyment. Players could spend hours on end building, mining, and fighting their way to prominence. At the same time, there's enough simplicity and intuitiveness that allows for an experience that isn't overwhelming.
The free-flowing gameplay, vast environments, and solid co-op mechanics make Terraria a great choice for couples to enjoy playing together. With the abundance of tasks in-game, you and your partner can almost always occupy yourselves with something fun, and allocate tasks accordingly.
16 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
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Developer: |
Nintendo EPD |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
April 28, 2017 |
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Genre: |
Kart Racing |
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Difficulty: |
Low |
This may be a classic game for friends and families, but it’s great for couples too. Often multiplayer games can get even more intense and personal between a couple, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no exception!
If you want to reduce competition you can play in teams, or simply keep the CPU characters in the race to give you targets other than your partner. Still, the thrill of slamming a red shell into your lover’s behind and racing over the finish line is sweet, if vicious, victory. Just don’t trounce them too hard – you may end up sleeping on the couch.
15 Overcooked! 2
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Developer: |
Team17 |
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Publisher: |
Team17 |
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Release Date: |
August 7, 2018 |
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Genre: |
Simulation |
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Difficulty: |
High |
Overcooked! 2 has the potential to be super fun or super stressful (it’s often both). Work together to chop ingredients, cook them into meals, and serve them to impatient customers. It gets pretty wild when you’re lobbing tomatoes across the stage and racing to switch off the hobs.
Beyond a simple pass or fail, there’s a 3-star rank system, encouraging you to get an even better score (which is tricky in later levels). This game will test you and your relationship; if you still love each other after one of you burns the soup for the tenth time, you’re probably solid.
14 Untitled Goose Game
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Developer: |
House House |
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Publisher: |
Panic Inc |
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Release Date: |
September 20, 2019 |
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Genre: |
Indie puzzle |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Untitled Goose Game is just as much wacky fun as its name suggests. You and your partner will play as geese who are terrorizing and exploring the local town! You'll come across people from all walks of life, and manage to make them all mad at you.
This is a puzzle game, so each area has items to pick up, characters to interact with, buildings to enter, etc. You're given a couple of clues about the tasks you need to perform, but not much more. Our biggest recommendation is that you should ensure you are both playing it for the first time; if one person knows the solutions to the puzzles, it ruins the trial-and-error aspect of the gameplay.
13 Super Mario Party
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Developer: |
NDcube |
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Publisher: |
Nintendo |
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Release Date: |
October 5, 2018 |
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Genre: |
Party |
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Difficulty: |
Low |
The enjoyable minigame fest that is Mario Party has typically been known for its 4-player gameplay that's more tailored to party settings with many people. Yet, the Switch's Super Mario Party is perhaps the best rendition of the series for couples to enjoy.
Not only is there a fun plethora of all-new minigames and board games to play, but the game also introduces several co-op minigames in River Survival Mode. You can even engage in team battles against AI opponents or real players online, providing an endless stream of entertainment that's sure to bring plenty of laughs and heckling.
12 LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
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Developer: |
Traveller's Tales |
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Publisher: |
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
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Release Date: |
April 5, 2022 |
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Genre: |
Action-Adventure |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
If you and your partner are fans of Star Wars (and who isn't, these days), then you're sure to enjoy LEGO Star Wars' latest installment: The Skywalker Saga.
In this game, you can explore all 6 movies while playing as your favorite Jedi, Sith, robot, or gungan. It changed the LEGO Star Wars formula in a lot of ways, including a free-moving camera and an open world!
11 Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
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Developer: |
Asteroid Base |
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Publisher: |
Asteroid Base |
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Release Date: |
October 3, 2017 |
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Genre: |
Action |
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Difficulty: |
Medium |
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime sees you take control of the different parts of a spaceship – turrets, shields, lasers, and thrusters – but only one person can control each function at a time. This makes for a chaotic good time, frantically communicating to keep the ship on course as you navigate through hostile environments.
The controls are pretty simple, making it easy for your partner to join in if they’re not an avid gamer. It’s working together that requires real brainpower. And hey, if you two can pilot a spaceship together against all odds you can make it through anything, right?