If you want to introduce your family to gaming or get together for a cozy night-in for family bonding, these are some of the best Nintendo games for families you can play for laughs or a relaxing time with players of all ages.
Make sure to keep reading to find out which games made the cut!
20. Mario Kart 8
If you like thrilling races with beautiful locations to drive through, this game is for you. Bounce along Mushrooms, glide through the sky, and zoom across Rainbow Road. Pick your favorite Mario or Nintendo character and race against other players to get first place. Along the way, there are fun power-ups that you can use to hinder the other racers, such as a Banana or a Bullet Bill.
Mario Kart 8 is fun for all ages but may or may not ruin your friendships within the family should you win!
19. Super Mario Party Superstars
Super Mario Party Superstars compiles all of the best Mario Party minigames into one game. Play with up to three other people online or offline in couch co-op. This game features minigames from the Nintendo 64 to current-day Mario Party games. Play on boards from the Nintendo 64 Mario Party, or play as many minigames as you want!
This game is a lot of fun and can even be a tonne of fun if you want to play it on your own. Some minigames will test your ability to communicate as you team up with others and hold secrets to your chest as you try to win as many stars as possible to take the ultimate victory of being the Superstar.
18. Minecraft
Originally released on PC, Minecraft has come to many different platforms, including Nintendo Switch. On the Switch, Minecraft supports eight players and a four-player split-screen if you want a couch co-op experience. This game can be relaxing and intense, especially if a creeper sneaks up on you and blows everything up!
Minecraft is great for young children and adults alike, whether you play in Survival or Hardcore or want a relaxing Creative experience. This can allow you to unleash all of your creativity into big buildings and structures of your choosing, as well as a calming farming and mining experience.
17. Splatoon 3
With loveable characters, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter. Not in the traditional sense, though. Instead of shooting bullets, you shoot ink! With various weapons to choose from, you have to go head to head against other players to try and spread as much of your ink color as possible while fending off the opponent.
Splatoon 3 is a lot of fun for youngsters and can act as a bonding activity where you work on communicating your game plan and try to take down the enemy together! To play it together requires all parties to have their own copy of Splatoon and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
16. Just Dance 2024
If you’ve got a lot of pent-up energy, Just Dance 2024 is the perfect way to release it! Dancing to songs from all eras of music, this game is a great way to exercise and use up some energy. You can also compete against your family members and see who has the best moves in the house or play against players online. There is bound to be a song for everyone, with songs from K-Pop to Latin to Rock; the game has a lot of variety. With a Just Dance+ subscription, you can access songs from every single Just Dance game and songs exclusive to the subscription.
15. Overcooked 2
Next on our list of the best Nintendo games for families is a title that will test your relationship with your family and friends. Overcooked 2 brings your communication skills to the boiling point as you have to work together to cook dishes and wash plates as you fight off the elements in the kitchen and consistently changing environments.
The more levels you complete, the harder it gets. Play with up to three people in local co-op or online, and let the havoc begin!
14. Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe
A remake of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, this game brings new, cozy, and chaotic levels of fun. With new power-ups to get you through the level, the pink hero is back to save the world. Luckily, you don’t have to go at it alone, as you can play with up to four players if you need assistance.
Work together to solve puzzles, help each other through the levels, and complete the new Magolor adventure.
13. Nintendo Switch Sports
It wouldn’t be a list of the best Nintendo games for families without this game. Similar to Wii: Sports, Nintendo Switch Sports is a hit of nostalgia for those who had the opportunity to play it. With sports like Tennis, Bowling, and Golf available, take on your family and friends to see who is the best sportsperson in the house. Take on the Survival mode of Golf with eight players for more of a challenge, or the battle-royale style Bowling challenge.
12. Warioware: Get It Together
A chaotic game full of varied minigames to take part in, WarioWare: Get It Together is excellent for all ages. These minigames are incredibly fast-paced games; you can play them with up to four players!
You get to look silly with friends and family and see who can complete their lightning-fast minigames.
11. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
For a relaxing experience, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the perfect game. Customize your own villager and island, and bond with the other villagers who move onto your island. Decorate your island as much as you want, and try to get a five-star rating from Isabelle!
Travel around your island with up to eight players in party play with up to four living on your island.
10. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
You can take on three other players in couch co-op or online play in this fighting game. Play as various popular Nintendo characters with various abilities and obtain power-ups that can make or break your game.
Not only this, but there’s also a campaign if you want a single-player story mode.
9. Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
A Pokemon game that introduces many new features, including Miraidon and Kiraidon, mountable Pokemon. You can explore the world of Paldea by yourself or up to four players. Work through the campaign, complete Tera Raids, and see if you get lucky and catch some shinies!
8. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
It is a game full of puzzles and mysteries to be solved; there are over 70 levels for you to complete solo or with a co-op partner. Your task is to track down power stars throughout the varied levels, work out how to avoid enemies and use fun power-ups to navigate these finicky puzzles.
7. Luigi’s Mansion 3
Luigi’s Mansion 3 can be played in various ways, with the opportunity to play with a co-op partner to tackle the Mansion of Horrors together, or you can brave it alone and make your way past the ghosts and ghouls hiding in the corners.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 also includes a multiplayer mode with up to seven players where you can form a team of two, compete against each other in creepy minigames, and see who comes out on top.
6. Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey was the first Mario game to be introduced to the Nintendo Switch, and it gave players a vast world to explore. This game also introduces Cappy, a reanimated cap with fun abilities to experiment with and utilize to traverse the vast world of Super Mario Odyssey. You can team up with a friend or family member, and one can play as Mario while the other assists by playing Cappy!
Cooperate and communicate to crash Bowser and Peach’s wedding.
5. 1-2 Switch!
One of the first games to be announced for Nintendo Switch, this party game has you facing off against an opponent in a bunch of fun minigames to utilize the joy-cons capabilities. This can be anywhere from miming milking a cow to pretend table tennis!
Look goofy, have a great time with friends and family, and see who comes out on top.
4. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Ranging from one player to four players, play classic board games from Backgammon to Chess to Mancala. There are plenty of games to choose from, and you can play them all on one Nintendo Switch or online. This game offers a variety of ways to play the games available, and there’ll be something for everyone, from Connect Four for the youngsters to Chess for the older gamers.
3. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is perfect for a cozy farming experience. Complete quests together, own a farm together, and explore the perilous mines as a team.
Play this game solo, or play it together with up to three other players. This game has hours and hours of playtime and can be a cozy, chaotic experience!
2. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a one to two-player game where you can play as either Donkey Kong or Diddy Kong. This game brings back familiar characters and new ones, like Funky Kong.
You can play the entire adventure yourself or have a family team up to thwart the Snowmads’ plans. This game is full of funk and fun, so take it easy with Funky Kong every now and again.
1. Pokemon Sword/Shield
Pokemon Sword and Shield introduced a lot of cute new Pokemon and was the first Pokemon game to come to Nintendo Switch. This game has a lot of multiplayer functionality, from playing online with players worldwide doing Dynamax raids to PvP battles and even making Curry dishes together!
This game allows you to play with two to four players, depending on what activities you are taking part in. There are hours and hours of fun in Pokemon Sword and Shield, and the story is a lot of fun, too.
That concludes our list of the 20 best Nintendo games to play as a family! If you want to introduce some family members to gaming, these games are some of the best ones you can start with. Equally, many of these are appropriate for young and mature gamers, offering plenty of variety across the board – that’s why we rank it as the best Nintendo game for families!
Which Nintendo Switch game is your favorite to play with family?
