Much like the Nintendo consoles of yesteryear, the Switch a quality library of multiplayer games. In its debut year, the Nintendo Switch offered us the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, Rocket League, and Super Bomberman R. 2018 was no slouch in the multiplayer games department for the Switch as Nintendo delivered even more games to play with friends. These are the very best.
Full Metal Furies
A hectic, action-RPG beat’em-up with four distinct femme fatales to choose from, Full Metal Furies is easily one of the best multiplayer titles I’ve played in years. It’s got a wild sense of humor and incredibly deep and engaging gameplay, making it the perfect game to bring you and three of your closest friends together to play. Seriously, I cannot recommend this title enough.
Just Shapes & Beats
A bullet-hell title set to a symphony of synthesized sounds, Just Shapes & Beats is a wondrous audio-visual explosion of pure joy. Unlike genre-defining shoot’em-ups like Gradius or R-Type, Just Shapes & Beats choreographs it chorus of hazards to music. Don’t let the hypnotic beats and bright pink hues distract you though. Otherwise you may end up going up in an explosion of pixels. Fortunately for you, you brought three of your friends along to revive you if things get too out of hand. So turn down the lights and turn up the volume – Just Shapes & Beats makes for an experience that no Switch owner will to miss out on.
Overcooked! 2
10/10, would lose all my friends…again. Overcooked! 2 is every bit as chaotic and catastrophic as its predecessor. There is plenty of fun to be had among the constant failure. The recipe count has increased, and the stakes are just as insane as it was the first time around. And now with added online play, you can lose friends without even inviting them over for a game night!
Streets of Red
Oh, Streets of Red. Have you ever played a game and wondered if the developers had some direct line to your inner most desires and crafted an experience entirely out of the things you love most in this world? Well that’s how I feel about Streets of Red. A beat’em-up that does just enough to set it apart from the scores of other games like it, Streets of Red takes 80s B-Movie horror icons and themes and meshes them with 8-Bit video game tropes. The result is a game that is a blast to play on your own, but even more fun when you play with others.
Super Mario Party
So remember how I said that Overcooked! 2 might result in the loss of friends. Well, Super Mario Party will not only end your strongest friendships, it will also fuel a bunch of insane revenge fantasies. With 80 mini-games to pit you and your closest friends again, Super Mario Party is the ultimate party game. Sure the online option is a little lacking (i.e. it blows), but this really the kind of game you invite your friends and family over to play. Just make sure you hide all the sharp objects first.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Do I even need to go into detail here? Smash is back and it is better than ever. Its roster of 74 fighters is a celebration of the video games you know and love, as the likes of Ken Masters, Simon Belmont, King K. Rool, and Isabelle join to the fray to whoop some ass and take names. This is the be all end all game to bring to any game night.
So there you have it, the best multiplayer Switch games of 2018. Do you agree? Find out which one of these won the coveted award on Nintendo Duel Screens. Have thoughts? Sound off in the comment section below.
