Top 10 Nintendo Switch Online Co-op Games to Play in 2025

• Metacritic: 88 | Released: November 2, 2018

• Setup: Local/online, flexible multiplayer options

• Campaign: 15–20 hrs story, extensive Adventure mode

• Difficulty: Adjustable; friendly reviving mechanics

• Accessibility: Simple controls, scalable challenge

Diablo III remains an outstanding co-op RPG on Switch, delivering addictive loot-driven action for up to four players locally or online. Players select from diverse classes, combining unique abilities for devastating effect. Missions range from intense boss encounters to endless dungeon crawling. The seamless drop-in multiplayer, adaptable difficulty, and portable play make it an exceptional cooperative experience. Its engaging progression and rewarding loot system keep groups coming back repeatedly, making it an enduring favorite.

• Metacritic: 85 | Released: August 30, 2019

• Setup: Online multiplayer, drop-in friendly

• Campaign: Run-based, escalating difficulty

• Difficulty: Challenging; teamwork critical at higher stages

• Accessibility: Ping system, adjustable controls

Risk of Rain 2 throws players onto a hostile alien world with relentless escalating challenges. Four-player teams combine distinct abilities, synergize equipment, and strategize on-the-fly during increasingly intense battles. With rising difficulty over time, cooperation and effective communication become essential for survival. Runs are thrilling, replayable, and unpredictable thanks to numerous stacking items and character combos. It’s ideal for groups seeking fast-paced, rewarding cooperative gameplay with endless replayability.

• Metacritic: 80 | Released: December 15, 2020

• Setup: Online, public/private lobbies, simple controls

• Campaign: Round-based

• Difficulty: Easy; mind-games and deception

• Accessibility: Quick-chat, intuitive mechanics

Among Us thrives on suspicion and deduction. Players collaboratively maintain their spaceship, but hidden impostors sabotage and eliminate crew members. Meetings trigger debates and accusations, leading to comical or dramatic reveals. Cross-play compatibility ensures broad player reach. Its simplicity makes it approachable, yet every round is different due to human unpredictability. Ideal for quick sessions and parties, Among Us provides constant entertainment, laughter, and unforgettable gaming moments.

• Metacritic: 79 | Released: April 12, 2022

• Setup: 1–4 players online; private/public lobbies

• Campaign: Open-ended survival

• Difficulty: Challenging; high-stakes cooperation

• Accessibility: High-contrast visuals, adjustable harshness

Don’t Starve Together challenges teams to survive in a quirky and dangerous world. Players coordinate gathering resources, crafting, and fending off threats. Each character brings unique skills, encouraging strategic division of roles. Communication is vital, creating engaging tension and memorable teamwork. Though challenging, surviving together feels rewarding and significantly extends survival times. This title is perfect for dedicated groups that relish intense collaboration and creative problem-solving in a stylishly unforgiving environment.

• Metacritic: 81 | Released: August 7, 2018

• Setup: Online/local multiplayer

• Campaign: ~8 hrs; highly replayable

• Difficulty: Moderate; fast-paced coordination

• Accessibility: Assist mode, simple controls

Overcooked! 2 turns kitchen chaos into cooperative joy. Players must work together preparing and serving dishes amid quirky hazards. Communication and role assignment are essential, often resulting in humorous mishaps. It supports online play and local multiplayer combinations. Accessible yet challenging, Overcooked! 2 is perfect for party environments or quick, fun sessions, guaranteeing laughs and lively teamwork for all ages and skill levels.

• Metacritic: 86 | Released: November 20, 2018

• Setup: Online, cross-platform

• Campaign: 100+ hrs of content

• Difficulty: Moderate; team coordination vital

• Accessibility: Auto-aim, scalable UI, frequent updates

Warframe delivers rapid, fluid four-player co-op battles across numerous missions, highlighting synergy and communication. Each Warframe offers unique abilities, rewarding coordinated teamwork. As a free-to-play title, it's accessible and continually updated, providing endless replayability. Despite intense action, performance remains solid on Switch. Its blend of dynamic combat, character progression, and endless missions makes it ideal for groups seeking a high-energy, rewarding co-op experience.

• Metacritic: 87 | Released: October 5, 2017

• Setup: Online/split-screen (local)

• Campaign: 50+ hrs (open-ended)

• Difficulty: Easy; no fail states

• Accessibility: Simple controls, low-pressure gameplay

Stardew Valley offers gentle, cooperative farming adventures perfect for relaxing sessions. Up to four players can share farming responsibilities, manage resources, and build their ideal community. The game thrives on collaboration and communication, transforming routine chores into enjoyable teamwork. Accessible gameplay mechanics make it inviting for all ages, perfect for laid-back sessions with friends or family, ensuring hundreds of peaceful hours spent together.

• Metacritic: 88 | Released: November 4, 2022

• Setup: Online/local split-screen; Friend’s Pass supported

• Campaign: ~12 hrs

• Difficulty: Moderate; forgiving checkpoints

• Accessibility: Clear visual cues, adjustable mini-game difficulty

It Takes Two is built entirely around cooperative gameplay, with each inventive level requiring synchronized teamwork. Players face puzzles, platforming, and boss battles in tandem, fostering continuous communication. Its creativity, heartfelt narrative, and humor received universal acclaim. The Friend’s Pass lets friends join online at no extra cost. While visually compromised on Switch, its innovative gameplay and portable co-op ensure a delightful shared experience.

• Metacritic: 88 | Released: March 26, 2021

• Setup: Individual Switch per player; online lobbies

• Campaign: ~50+ hrs

• Difficulty: Challenging; teamwork essential

• Accessibility: Tutorials, scalable difficulty

Few co-op experiences match the thrill of Monster Hunter Rise. Four-player teams strategically battle massive creatures, using traps, weapons, and mounts. The game introduces innovative Wirebug mechanics and companions that add tactical depth. Communication is crucial; every hunt rewards precise coordination. Performance on Switch is smooth, with portable play ensuring you're always ready. Rise's satisfying gameplay loop of hunting, crafting, and upgrading makes it an exceptional co-op adventure for dedicated action fans.

• Metacritic: 90 | Released: June 21, 2018

• Setup: cross-play (PC/mobile/consoles)

• Campaign: Endless sandbox

• Difficulty: Adaptive; optional survival

• Accessibility: Adjustable difficulty, creative mode

Minecraft isn’t just a game—it’s a shared creative universe. On Switch, up to eight players collaborate on endless adventures, whether building, exploring, or battling monsters. Cross-play ensures seamless play with friends on PC, mobile, or other consoles. Performance on Switch is solid, portable, and accessible, ideal for players of all ages and skill levels. If you can dream it, you can build it together, making Minecraft the definitive cooperative sandbox experience.

For most of these titles, yes – a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) membership is required to access online multiplayer. This applies to games like Minecraft, Monster Hunter Rise, Overcooked 2, Stardew Valley, etc. However, there are exceptions for free-to-play games. Notably, Warframe and *Among Us* do not require an NSO subscription for online play on Switch (Nintendo allows free-to-play titles to go online without the membership). Always check the game’s eShop info, but in general if a game is purchased (or a premium title), assume NSO is needed to play online with others.

Some games on this list support cross-play, others do not. The good news is Minecraft on Switch uses the Bedrock Edition, so you can play with friends on PC, mobile, or other consoles as long as you all sign in with Microsoft/Xbox Live. Warframe added full cross-platform play in late 2022, meaning Switch Tenno can squad up with players on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, etc. Among Us also supports cross-play across all devices by using room codes.

On the flip side, Monster Hunter Rise is not cross-play (Switch players can’t hunt with PC players, for example), and It Takes Two on Switch can only connect with other Switch players (it does offer Friend’s Pass for online). Overcooked 2 and Stardew Valley are confined to the Switch ecosystem as well. Always confirm within the game’s options, but as a rule: if cross-play is a priority, lean toward titles like Minecraft, Warframe, and Among Us.

Communication can be a challenge on Switch if you’re not prepared. The Switch itself does not have built-in voice chat at the system level. Nintendo’s solution is the NSO smartphone app, which supports voice chat for a limited selection of games (like Monster Hunter Rise and Splatoon 3, for example). None of the games on this list have in-game voice chat on Switch directly.

So, practical options that many players use:

• External apps: Using Discord or a phone call/Zoom while playing. This is popular for titles like Among Us (where discussing is the whole game) or coordinating in Monster Hunter.

• In-game text/pings: Games like Diablo III and Warframe have on-screen ping systems or text chat that you can use with the controller – not the fastest, but useful for quick messages or marking locations/enemies. Among Us has a quickchat wheel for those who can’t type freely.

• Local talk: If you’re in the same room (or on a platform like Discord), obviously this is best! For Overcooked 2 or Stardew Valley, sitting together or on a voice call enhances the experience a lot.

In summary, plan a communication method especially for strategy-heavy games. Many Switch co-op fans use a smartphone or PC for voice chat alongside playing.

It varies by title. In our top 10 list, player counts range from 2 up to 15:

• 2 players: It Takes Two is strictly two-player only (it’s the core design).

• 4 players: This is the most common. Monster Hunter Rise, Warframe, Overcooked 2, Stardew Valley, Diablo III, and Risk of Rain 2 all support up to 4-player co-op. Don’t Starve Together on Switch is 4 players max (though PC can do 6).

• 8 players: Minecraft (Bedrock on Switch) allows 8 players in a world by default (Realms can extend this further via subscription).

• 15 players: Among Us supports lobbies of up to 15 people now, which is great for big groups – though you can play with smaller numbers (the minimum is 4).

So whether you have just one friend or a large party, there’s a game on this list to accommodate your group size.

We’ve noted the ESRB ratings above – they range from Everyone 10+ up to Mature. For instance, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Overcooked 2 are generally kid-friendly (cartoon violence at most, very little reading required). Among Us is rated E10+ – it has cartoony violence and the concept of deception, so it depends on the child’s maturity if that’s appropriate. Monster Hunter Rise and Diablo III are Teen and Mature respectively, mainly due to fantasy violence (slaying monsters/demons) and some darker themes – those are better for older kids/teens. Warframe is also M (lots of shooting, though against aliens).

In terms of difficulty: Overcooked 2 can actually be tricky for young kids because of the time pressure, but it’s cooperative so parents/older siblings can help. Stardew Valley and Minecraft have adjustable difficulty (or creative modes) making them very accessible to young ones; they’re great family co-op titles. It Takes Two is Teen rated but often enjoyed by families – just note it does involve themes of divorce/reconciliation (handled in a Pixar-like way).

This is a common question for families/couples. The Switch does allow local multiplayer on the same console for some games, and a subset of those also let you go online together as a duo. From our list:

• Diablo III supports 4-player local co-op on one Switch (shared screen) and those local players can together join online sessions. For example, two players on one Switch can team up with two players on another Switch online – a great feature.

• Overcooked! 2 supports 4-player local, and you can mix local and online (e.g., 2 on one console + 2 on another).

• Stardew Valley added split-screen for up to 2 on one Switch; however, going online with split-screen is not supported – you’d need separate Switches if both want to connect with others online.

• Minecraft allows 2-player split-screen in docked mode on one Switch. If you have two Switch consoles locally, you could also do local wireless with up to 8. Online, each Switch counts as one player – you can’t have split-screen online due to NSO account requirements per player.

• It Takes Two and Monster Hunter Rise are one player per Switch (no splitscreen option at all). Same for Warframe, Risk of Rain 2, etc. (they’re too performance-intensive for splitscreen).

• Among Us is one per device (but since everyone likely has a phone or laptop that can run it, you could play together that way rather than splitscreen).

So, for couch co-op that also goes online, Diablo III and Overcooked 2 are the standouts on this list. Otherwise, if you want to play together online and only have one Switch, consider using an additional device (another console or even a PC for a cross-play game like Minecraft or Among Us). It’s a bit of a limitation of the Switch/most games – but the ones that do offer same-console co-op are a ton of fun.