5 Two-Player Nintendo Switch Games Worth Trying

Main points

• Start a Nintendo Switch date night with your partner and rediscover the joy of gaming.
• Recommended must-play two-player games for Nintendo Switch: “It Takes Two, Overcooked!” “Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition” All You Can Eat.
• I have tried all these games with my partner and highly recommend you to try them too and have a great time and fun together.

Who says video games can’t be romantic? I started having weekly Nintendo Switch OLED date nights with my partner last New Year’s and haven’t had so much fun playing a game in over a decade. I lived through my biggest gaming years when the N64 was all the rage, Rollercoaster Tycoon was the only reason I used the home shared PC, and Dance Dance Revolution took over the home gaming pad in the 2000s. Since then, I haven’t felt any traction or the industry is really interested in women playing new games.

Hindsight is 20/20 and I admit I had no idea about the more modern games and once I started talking to friends about my renewed interest almost all of them came out of nowhere (regardless of gender) to recommend their favorites Game games. Based on my previous interest in gaming, my goal was to test games with world-building, movement, and problem-solving. The most important benchmark is – does it have a two-player or online multiplayer option? I enjoy community chats between distant friends and quality time with family, and video games enhance these.

My partner and I have played a ton of Nintendo Switch games, problem-solved, and laughed over the past three months, but there are five co-op (two-player) games that have emerged as my favorite date-night games. If you’re interested in starting over or jumping into gaming for the first time, these two-player games are exactly what drew me, the practical beginner, to having my partner quit the groundbreaking PS5 Helldivers 2 game and (affectionately) asking us to open switch.

1 It Takes Two (2021)

Did we accidentally sign up for extreme comedy couples therapy?

A married couple with a daughter on the verge of divorce turned into their own doll after their little girl cried for them. Cody and May must work together, each character has specific skills to work with, to get back to their daughters and their bodies. The visuals and world-building are great, the plot is really interesting, and I can’t say enough about how well the game offers new players the ability to learn skills.

Although it is based on a married couple as two players, I thought it would be just as fun if I played it with some friends as well. We would work on a level a few times a week for a month to beat the game and work together to solve problems, enjoy the stylized characters, and chat through some of the real-life conversations these scenes sparked.

I wish they’d gone in a different direction with the Book of Love character, which feels symbolic, and I’d like to see more inclusion of the married couple’s options. While they’re going against the traditional roles a bit, with May being a full-time engineer and Cody being a stay-at-home dad, I would have loved to see a character select screen at the beginning where you could select your gender to allow for more inclusive LGBTQ+ players to also play as Married Couple Role. This will make it more of a “choose your own adventure” style story and will require more development to be successful, but if Hazelight Studios is listening – this is my biggest piece of feedback.

2 Overcooked! All You Can Eat (2020)

Yes, chef—no, cook. Oh my God, why the chef?

I’ve played this game with my partner and online friends, and I can see why it’s overcooked! All the rage. It’s fun, fast-paced, low difficulty (haha), and just a fun way to get your feet wet in the game. You work hard to fulfill orders in a themed kitchen, where various tasks need to be completed to get the food out the window.

Only after making sure the points/stars for each level were maxed out did we beat the game and it felt like I had truly mastered a game for the first time. We were all giggling and kicking our feet with joy as we talked through the game, tackled tasks, and figured out the steps to beat the levels.

However, if you work or have worked in the food service industry, it may be too close to home. You’ll see couples playing Overcooked! with friends. “The emoticons and videos that I was completely lost in!” Compare them to the characters in Hulu’s Bears . So my advice is to remember this is for fun. You don’t run a kitchen in Chicago, but then again, when someone comes into your side of the prep station kitchen, they’re obviously supposed to be washing dishes, and I understand why you might let out the profanity.

3 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition (2017)

I implore you to watch the wonderful video.

It’s a classic for a reason. Mario Kart remains popular, and with some fun additions in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s better than ever. Another game that’s great for both local two-player and online multiplayer, so like Overcooked!, you’ll get more bang for your buck. A large number of tracks are borrowed from older Mario Kart games, making the game feel fresh but still nostalgic for players who haven’t pressed a blue-shell trigger in decades.

Our favorite part of local gaming is that you can watch highlights of the game when playing at home on the same system. If you can laugh at yourself, this is the game for you. My partner and I have been stitching together for several nights, rewatching in slow motion the process of me flying towards the wall, veering off path, and immediately crashing into a banana. I never knew that with the push of a button, Baby Bowser would turn around and smack his belly and slap his butt in mid-air until I saw my partner’s game slow down and I burst into tears of laughter.

When playing locally rather than online, after each course you can choose to watch highlights and even change the video to focus on a specific character, change the video length, and highlight drifts, moves, items, and more. I wouldn’t recommend bringing this classic back into your rotation.

4 Puzzle 2(2018)

Weave a magical story together

Unravel Two was recommended by friends who enjoyed playing this two-player problem-solving game. It hits a lot of the same ground that It Takes Two did for me, but with a different and less rigorous storyline for the married couple characters. You play as Yarnys, a magical creature made of yarn and connected in the two-player version of the game. Just like It Takes Two, you’ll work together to solve problem scenarios and puzzles, explore the world, and enter new areas.

As a fan of fantasy and science fiction, I love the imaginative, childlike wonder that visuals bring to storytelling. This is another game that I recommend playing a chapter every night and enjoying it as you go.

5 Just Dance (2024)

Two people can tango, swing and shake

Just Dance is still the best option on the market for those nights when you want to stretch your legs and move around, especially in the winter when it can be harder to do active things together. The song selections, dance styles, silly moves, and sometimes a lot of sweat in this game give you a fun way to mix up your time at home and can make for a hilarious or spicy date night -Depends on how good your dance moves are.

It’s also one of the best party games if you have a few friends over, giving you more uses and an excuse to break out Just Dance and entertain your friends and family.