The 10 Best Party Games for Nintendo Switch
There’s something about Nintendo that just screams party time: the feeling of crowding around a TV to watch a fellow kid play Smash Bros. on the N64, the GameCube kiosk at a McDonald’s birthday party, and sending silly messages on Pictochat on the DS. Even as the Nintendo Switch era is entering its final stages with the rumors of a follow-up console, the Switch is still front and center for local multiplayer gameplay. There are literally two controllers built into the console! Despite having the option to go handheld and play solo, games like Mario Kart and Super Mario Wonder are better with friends, but what if you wanted to try something different for an IRL game night or trying to get a new friend indoctrinated into the gamer world? Maybe spending $60 on a game released years ago isn’t your best move. What if you wanted to try something other than Jackbox? Or you wanted to start food fights with your friends or defeat aliens in space? These are all options with the best ten Nintendo Switch party games you can play with your friends IRL.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Up to 4 players locally.
If there’s ONE game to spend a standard $60 on ($52 if you have a Costco membership), it’s the new Mario Party released last week. While the latest edition has plenty of features to play solo, Super Mario Party Jamboree is meant to be played with friends IRL, especially if you want to see their faces once you get a Jamboree buddy — a friend you can get mid-way through the game with special skills. There are also several different “islands” to visit based on how much time you have; if you have 90 minutes to play a full game, go for it, but if your pals are only there for a shorter time, you can just play the mini games. If you need to cut some tension after your bestie stole your star from you or you mistakingly leveled up to pro rules too quickly, there are plenty of other games to play locally, like the Rhythm Kitchen, where you cook up a meal to a beat, or Toad’s Item Factory, a puzzle game that reminds us the Toads yearn for the factory.
Just Dance Series
Up to 6 players locally.
A game series that’s old enough to have its own quinceañera, Just Dance has been carrying the sleepover community on its back for years. The 2025 edition comes out this month, but thankfully, you’re not limited to just that me espresso. Since Just Dance 2023, Ubisoft launched Just Dance+, a subscription service with over 400 routines, so you don’t have to get the newest edition of the game every time; you can just sign up for the service whenever you’re having a game night. However, if you do want to dance it out to “My Heart Will Go On,” that’s available in the new 2025 edition.
Nintendo Switch Sports
Up to 4 players locally.
A reminder of the legacy of Wii Sports, Nintendo Switch Sports felt like a sleeper hit with Nintendo; I had no idea of its existence, but when I did, I was throwing down pins like there was no tomorrow. That delayed discovery might be a good thing since the game had way fewer features during its original release — it didn’t have all the sports it has now and it costs $40, unlike the free Wii Sports. While I was in bowling mode by myself (for hours on end …), it felt like an easy transition from the original series into game night— even games like badminton and volleyball that weren’t in the OG were quick to pick up on. Besides, who doesn’t want to relive their potentially damaging-your-TV era?
Use Your Words
Up to 6 players locally.
If physical activity isn’t your jam, maybe cracking silly little jokes is. Similar to Jackbox games like Quiplash, Use Your Words turns your smartphone into a controller, connecting through a code shown on your TV (or Switch screen). So it’s a great option if you only have two joy-cons but plenty of friends. You play through mini-games using your thoughtful, clever, and topical jokes … who are we kidding? Farts and dirty jokes are king during in-person “fill in the blank” games, especially when the group has to vote on their favorite one. If you did want to keep it PG during the holiday season (what if Grandma walks in!), there’s a family-friendly mode as well.
Overcooked Series
Up to 4 players locally.
This game does come with a warning: Please play with people who wouldn’t take offense if you’re kinda mad at them after playing or vice versa. You’re a little chef (in a non-Ratatouille way) trying to fill orders in a restaurant that be set up on a ship, truck, or a busy street, just to name a few. The progression of the gameplay does lead to escalated frustration; first, you and your team figure out the motions during the easier levels and start scoring three-star wins, but as the game gets harder, you will start yelling at each other more. I suggest you stop playing once your team rhythm takes a dip, before you end up screaming “PASS THE TOMATO!!! NOT THE ONION!!! THE TOMATO!!!” at each other.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Up to 4 players locally.
The best way I’ve been able to describe this game, at least to other fellow theme-park heads, is “Imagine if you had Disneyland’s Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at home.” Each player controls a different part of the ship — like manning the weapons, engine, or shield — as you defeat bad guys in space. But you can’t stay in the same spot as it messes up the ship’s balance. It’s less frantic than Overcooked but still requires you to work together to defeat the final boss at the end of the campaign. Plus, you’ll be saving kidnapped space bunnies from the evil forces of Anti-Love, an added bonus of cuteness.
Heave Ho
Up to 4 players locally.
It’s giving LocoRoco vibes. In Heave Ho, you play as little stretchy creatures, and everyone needs to hold hands (or swing or climb on top of each other) to work together and make it to the other side. You’ll have to traverse obstacles and avoid spikes, or maybe you will have to send a canary into the coal mine to figure out the map before the whole crew follows suit. The gameplay has similarities to the popular mobile game Cut the Rope, in which you might have to swing for a minute before perfecting your jump to victory. You can also add fun little costumes to your legless friend — it’ll make it easier to differentiate between each other.
Very Very Valet
Up to 4 to 8 players locally.
Very Very Valet merges the chaos of Diner Dash with The Simpsons: Road Rage. As the name suggests, you and your pals are the valet drivers for restaurants, bowling alleys, cliffside observatories, etc. Different colored cars drive up, you take each car from the patron, drop it off in the lot, and then return another car to someone that’s ready to leave. Seems simple enough? Until there’s a crowd of people waiting for their cars, and your team keeps crashing into one another. If you have more than eight people in your party, there are mini-games that accommodate the whole group, and they all involve bumping into each other. Neat!
Ultimate Chicken Horse
Up to 4 players locally.
This is basically a more chaotic version of Heave Ho — you and your friends are still trying to make it to the other side but you’re competing instead of helping each other. Your player (one of the cute animals) sets little traps along a map you help create, and whoever makes it to the goal without dying wins. Because you help craft the level, it’s never the same game twice, even if you replay a certain round. There’s even an option to create custom levels for even more chaos.
Quest for the Golden Duck
Up to 4 players locally.
Similar to Pac-Man, the arcade-inspired Quest for the Golden Duck has your player collecting coins around a castle as you try to avoid getting caught by monsters. But what if … you were also the monster? In the various multiplayer modes, you can play as one of the bad guys as you try to catch your friends before they complete the level, finally able to understand how the Pac-Man ghosts must feel. There’s about 100 levels and the game is on sale until October 27 for only $1.99, making it an easy addition for game night that cost less than whatever TikTok shop tries to sell you.
Related