The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular video game consoles available today, but it is especially popular among those looking for family-friendly games.
The Switch is also the best place to play offline multiplayer games, allowing families to enjoy the games together on the same couch. Below, we have the top 8 family-friendly games available on the Nintendo Switch.
Here are the best family-friendly games for the Nintendo Switch: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Mario Party, Minecraft, Overcooked! 2, Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee/Let’s Go, Pikachu, and Luigi’s Mansion 3.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Super Smash Bros. is a video game franchise that dates back to the ‘90s. It has always been a huge hit for a variety of reasons: it’s family-friendly, it offers multiplayer, and it’s incredibly simple to play.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the latest installment in the Smash franchise, players can choose between more than 80 fighters from different video game franchises, including those that Nintendo doesn’t own.
Ultimate’s roster includes Sonic, Mario, Samus, Snake, Link, Pikachu and many more. To win, players will do damage to each other and try to knock each other off of the map.
This simple-but-addicting formula has kept the series a best seller.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Mario Kart is a series that takes racing and makes it simple so that it’s more accessible for all. This makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a great game for the whole family, even those that aren’t into video games.
To keep the players on their toes, the game has power-ups that players can use to go faster or to even hit and temporarily disable another player’s kart.
By keeping the races simple yet strategic, Super Mario Kart 8 Deluxe taps into people’s competitive nature while still being good, family-friendly fun.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
When it launched, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was one of the hottest games out and for good reason.
The game allows players to collect bugs, fish, items, and fossils. It also allows players to customize their own home and have an impact on the village they live in by playing and talking to villagers.
And since it has the online capability, players even get to visit the village of other players as well, which is the social aspect that has made this game such a big hit.
Super Mario Party
When in doubt, players can always find a good family-friendly game from the Mario Party franchise. If you’re looking for a multiplayer game that’s great for a party setting, Super Mario Party is the perfect game.
Players can pick up a controller, choose a character and then play a variety of minigames. These games are quick, simple, but a little challenging just to get everyone’s competitive spirit going.
Minecraft
Minecraft, even a decade later, is still being updated. The game is a vast, procedurally generated world full of materials that you mine so that you can craft (see what they did there?).
On the Switch, Minecraft allows up to four people to play simultaneously so that families can explore, build, and run from Creepers together.
Overcooked! 2
Most challenging experiences require players to go against each other, but not Overcooked! 2.
This game requires players to cooperate with each other as they grab ingredients, cook, and plate their food.
Time management is key and the pace is swift: don’t burn the food, don’t undercook it, and don’t leave customers waiting too long.
If that sounds too easy, the game has different levels to increase the difficulty like cooking between two different RVs that are driving down the highway and having to jump back and forth to get ingredients and deliver plated food.
Pokémon: Let’s Go! Pikachu/Eevee
Pokémon has always been one of the top recommendations for family-friendly games. However, Pokémon: Let’s Go! Pikachu/Eevee takes this to a new level.
This game simplifies Pokémon even more, adding elements fans loved from Pokémon Go to make the series more approachable for newcomers or Pokémon Go players that haven’t experienced the rest of the franchise.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
When most people think of a family-friendly game, they don’t think of anything remotely scary. But that’s where the Luigi’s Mansion series has carved out a niche for itself.
In Luigi’s Mansion 3, the player plays as Mario’s brother, Luigi, and must navigate a haunted hotel. Each level offers a unique theme to keep things from getting stale.
And, if you thought games about a haunted house had to be single-player, you’re wrong: this game offers multiplayer with up to 8 players, offline and online.
Grab a friend and play through Luigi’s Mansion 3’s story mode in co-op! One player plays as Luigi, and the other player plays as Gooigi, Professor E. Gadd’s green Luigi doppelgänger. Unlike Luigi, Gooigi can slide through vents and slide through pipes to reach secret areas.
The Bottom Line
Whether you’re looking for a fighting game, a racing game, something scary, or something multiplayer, the Nintendo Switch will check all of your boxes.
This system has the most abundant number of family-friendly titles and the highest quality ones as well. Regardless of which game you end up picking up from this list, you are in for a good, family-friendly time.
About Johnny
I am a freelance writer, blogger, and gamer in my free time. I especially enjoy the games Super Smash Bros., Elder Scrolls, and The Sims. I’ve been gaming since I was about 4 or 5 years old and game on both console and PC.
