WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)

WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
WarioWare: Get It Together! (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 10th Sep 2021 (USA) / 10th Sep 2021 (UK/EU)

WarioWare: Get It Together! is a triumphant Switch debut for the subversive series that makes some daring changes to core gameplay, resulting in the best entry in the franchise to date. With a generous roster of playable characters, lots of solo and multiplayer modes to dig into, and stages that cleverly adapt to your choices on the fly, this is a superb compilation of hilarious microgames that delivers more ways to play than ever before. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll dodge bird droppings on a skateboard. So grab a few friends or family members, break out the controllers, and gather round the TV — WarioWare: Get It Together! is essential stuff if you're after a couch co-op laugh.

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LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch)

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch)
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (Switch)
Publisher: WB Games / Developer: TT Games
Release Date: 5th Apr 2022 (USA) / 5th Apr 2022 (UK/EU)

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a fantastic experience on Switch, a great big celebration of everything Star Wars that's made the jump to Nintendo's console in surprisingly fine form and an fun family co-op experience to boot. The upgrades to the series' core gameplay here — the combo-focused combat, flashy space battles, boss encounters, over-the-shoulder shooting action and cover system — all combine to make this the best Lego Star Wars has ever felt to play. Throw in a humongous open world setting that's bursting at the seams with secrets and collectibles and you've got an absolute smorgasbord of all things Star Wars to dig into with a pal in tow. Yub nub.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (Switch)

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (Switch)
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (Switch)
Publisher: Modus Games / Developer: Frozenbyte
Release Date: 8th Oct 2019 (USA) / 8th Oct 2019 (UK/EU)

Trine 4 had a lot riding on it given the effects of its predecessor, but we can confidently say that the course has been corrected and the series’ reputation restored. From start to finish, Trine 4 is a remarkably absorbing and beautiful experience that’ll keep you challenged and interested right through to the finish, while also offering a fair bit to keep you coming back for a couple hours after the credits roll. Though the combat needs some work, any failings here are easily rectified by the strong puzzle design that manages to stay both dynamic and challenging. If you’re looking for an easily accessible game to play in co-op or a game that’s a bit more reliant on brains than reflexes, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is just what you’re looking for. We’d give it a high recommendation, especially if you enjoyed some of Frozenbyte’s earlier work.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)

Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: HAL Laboratory
Release Date: 25th Mar 2022 (USA) / 25th Mar 2022 (UK/EU)

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a great big colourful joyride of an adventure for our little pink pal, and after the short intro section that sees Kirby arrive in the titular Forgotten Land, it's playable in its entirety in co-op mode, with a second player taking control of a Waddle Dee. The game is bursting at the seams with fun and inventiveness, managing to transpose everything we know and love about past Kirby games to this all-new arena whilst adding plenty of delightful new aspects as it goes. Mouthful Mode is just as daftly entertaining as it looked in the trailers, each and every level is packed full of secrets and dripping in wonderful detail, and there are enough side activities, collectibles and co-op fun here to keep you entertained and coming back for more for a good long while.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Dotemu / Developer: Tribute Games
Release Date: 16th Jun 2022 (USA) / 16th Jun 2022 (UK/EU)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is the best Turtles beat 'em up ever made, and a faster, better-looking, and arguably more entertaining affair than even Streets of Rage 4. It looks delicious, sounds superb, and rekindles childhood memories beyond all expectation, time-warping you back to 1987. Its combat system is so much fun to mine that you feel compelled to keep coming back to try new strategies, and with its awesome co-op multiplayer, the experience evolves again and again. Like any beat 'em up, it does get repetitive as you enter the last third, but that’s more a fault of the concept than the game. Shredder’s Revenge really is an unprecedented shell-ebration. Fans co-op brawlers might also want to check out TMNT: The Cowabunga Collection, which features a boatload of Konami classics that'll keep you busy for hours.

Portal: Companion Collection (Switch eShop)

Portal: Companion Collection (Switch eShop)
Portal: Companion Collection (Switch eShop)
Publisher: Valve Corporation / Developer: Valve
Release Date: 28th Jun 2022 (USA) / 28th Jun 2022 (UK/EU)

It's hard to overstate our satisfaction with Portal: Companion Collection. Portal and Portal 2 felt incredibly fresh when they first released, and the years since have not diminished their immense impact. To now have two of the most unique and mind-bending puzzle games on a Nintendo console, and on-the-go if you choose, is a pure joy. If it weren't for the frequent load screens punctuating the experience, we'd have absolutely nothing to complain about here. The motion controls work like a dream, the games run at a near-rock-solid 60fps, you've got local co-op play available at the drop of a hat, and the writing remains as funny now as it did all those years ago. If you haven't played the Portal games before, this should be a no-brainer. If you have... well, just play them again.

It Takes Two (Switch)

It Takes Two (Switch)
It Takes Two (Switch)
Publisher: Electronic Arts / Developer: Hazelight
Release Date: 4th Nov 2022 (USA) / 4th Nov 2022 (UK/EU)

If you were even half-aware of games news at the end of 2021, you will already be a bit interested in this game. It’s brimming with fun, uniquely committed to co-op gaming, plays solidly and distinctively, and usually discards one cool idea in favour of another before there’s time to get bored. Now-standard graphical compromises have been made for Switch, and the typical perk of playing handheld is questionable for an always-split-screen co-op-only game. Nonetheless, it keeps the frames moving well enough not to undermine its Game-of-the-Year sparkle. It Takes Two and the good old Switch may not be a perfect marriage, but it’s worth sticking it out.


What's your favourite local co-op game on this list? Did it even make the cut? Let us know in the comments below.

This article is one of our Switch Essentials guides which cover a wide variety of genres, including the Best Switch FPS Games, the Best Switch RPGs, the Best Switch Games For Kids, the Best Switch Couch Co-Op Games and the Best Switch Fitness and Exercise Games. We can also help out hunting down the Best Switch Horror Games, the Best Switch Racing Games, the Best Switch Action-RPGs, the Best Nintendo Switch Roguelikes, Roguelites and Run-Based Games, the Best Free Switch Games, the Best Remakes And Remasters, the Best Switch Music And Rhythm Games, Best Feel-Good Switch Games, Best Switch Open-World Games, Best Switch Soulslike Games, Best LGBTQ+ Switch Games, and even Games to Play After You've Finished Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Whatever your favourite genre, we've got you covered: Strategy Games, Metroidvanias, Puzzle Games, Party Games, Online Multiplayer Games, Local Wireless Multiplayer Games, Shmups, Twin-Stick Shooters, Visual Novels, Kart Racers, Fighting Games, Football Games, Funny Games, Golf Games, 'Walking Sims' And Narrative Games, Switch Games For Lovers And Lonely Hearts, Detective Games, Hidden Gems, 2D Platformers, 3D Platformers, Puzzle Platformers, Tabletop Mode Games, Run and Gun Games, LEGO Games, Sports Games, Survival Games, Beat 'Em Ups, Camera Games, Chill Games, Family Games, Retro-Inspired Games, Short Games, Card Games and Deck-Builders, and Life Sims And Farming Games.

Still hungry for more? Elsewhere we look at Wholesome Games, TATE Mode Games, Flight Sim and Space Combat, Point and Click Adventure Games, and the Best Switch Exclusives, as well as Every Arcade Archives Game, Every ACA Neo Geo Game, Every SEGA AGES Game On Switch, plus the Best Switch Ports, Best Wii U-To-Switch Ports, Best Switch Collections And Compilations, Best Cheap Switch Games, Best Switch Demos, Games That Are Better On Switch OLED, Switch Games Under $10, $20, $50, and Switch games with the Best Soundtracks and the Best Graphics. Phew!

If you're looking for the best Switch games regardless of genre, our reader-voted selection of the Best Nintendo Switch Games should help you out, and you can also find the Best Nintendo Switch Games of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. And finally, if you're interested in other Nintendo consoles and retro games, check out the Best Game Boy Games, Best GBC Games, Best GBA Games, Best Nintendo DS Games, Best Nintendo 3DS Games, Best NES Games, Best SNES Games, Best N64 Games, Best GameCube Games, and Best Wii Games, and Best Wii U Games, as well as Every Available Nintendo Switch Online Retro Game, and ranked lists of Every Nintendo Switch Online NES, SNES, N64 and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game.