The Best Co-op Nintendo Switch Games to Play With Your Special Someone This Valentine’s Day
The couple that games together stays together—or at least, that's what we believe.
If you and your significant other both love video games (and both love each other), what better way to spend Valentine's Day than playing together? And while we love a good parallel play date as much as the next person, for this special holiday, we think cooperative games are the way to go. So, if you're not sure what to play, we have some suggestions for you.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the perfect chill game to share with someone you love, and the best thing about it is there are so many different ways to play together. If you haven't hopped over to your partner's island in a while, just getting a tour (and giving one in return when you're done) can be a sweet way to spend time together. And if either of you is extra serious about the game, you can even work together to help each other complete collections of furniture, fossils, art or anything else.
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain
Big Brain Academy: Brain vs. Brain may be a game more on the "competitive" side than the "cooperative" side, but with the right mindset, you and your person can help push each other to boost your brains. The game is essentially a series of puzzles and quizzes that test the parts of your mind that Visualize, Identify, Memorize, Compute and Analyze information, and by working together, you can learn tips and tricks and get sharper and sharper with each session.
Cuphead
Looking for a game that will actually put your gaming skills to the test? Cuphead is a notoriously tough but oh-so-satisfying run-and-gun game that's all about learning levels and boss fights and mastering them one attempt at a time. One player can take control of Cuphead while the other plays Mugman, and together, you can develop strategies to finally take down those super-hard bosses.
Luigi's Mansion 3
We get that skill levels can vary a bit between two partners in a relationship, which can make cooperative play for some games a little challenging. Luigi's Mansion 3, however, takes this into account, and makes for a fulfilling and satisfying co-op experience, with the more experienced player taking on Luigi, while the newbie plays as Gooigi. Playing cooperatively actually makes the experience even faster and more fun than it is with just one person, and talking out solutions and solving puzzles together enhances it even further. Plus, once you both get a hang of the game, there's further multiplayer DLC to explore together.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
Even if you usually think golf is a bore, Mario Golf: Super Rush is worth the investment. The game lets you play as all of your favorite Nintendo characters in a number of different unique golfing environments (including our favorite, New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey), while also incorporating Speed Golf, where players race to the finish to try to complete the round before everyone else. We also love that it's only slightly competitive, so you can keep things light and fun—although there are few feelings better than getting one of those coveted low scores.
Mario Party Superstars
The latest installment in the Mario Party franchise is also one of the best, returning to the series' roots with maps from the original games on the Nintendo 64. While board games can have a tendency to get a bit competitive and unfriendly, we happen to love playing Mario Party Superstars cooperatively with the ones we care about most. Play with your partner, turn the CPU difficulty all the way up, and then join forces to get both of your coin and star totals as high as possible.
Snipperclips – Cut It Out, Together!
Snipperclips just might be our favorite cooperative game in the entire Nintendo Switch library. In this game, players each take on the role of a paper character who can help trim each other into different shapes, allowing for all kinds of puzzles to be solved. It may sound simple at first, but this game truly requires communication and cooperation like no other game on the list. It's awesome for strengthening relationships and feeling accomplished about what you can do together.
Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris Effect is probably the best way to play the classic Tetris game in the modern era, with its stunning soundscapes and visual imagery, and the Connected version for the Nintendo Switch is unlike any previous iteration of the game. While you might think of multiplayer Tetris as something competitive, this version of the game actually has you working together on the same board to get higher and higher scores.
Overcooked! 2
The Overcooked! series may have a bit of a reputation for putting relationships to the test, but if you're on solid ground with your significant other and looking to have a blast, we can't recommend Overcooked! 2 enough. We suggest working together across the game's wacky and wild kitchens to craft and serve delicious dishes and keep customers happy. The game is pure chaos—and we wouldn't have it any other way.
If you loved this list, also click HERE to check out our favorite super inexpensive games on the Switch.