The best party games for Nintendo Switch

The Jackbox games have always carved out a niche audience with their funny presentation and creativity, but only in the past few years really took off and were recognized as hilariously fun and addicting party games. The latest game on the Switch, Jackbox Party Pack 9, comes with five unique games that test your creativity in various ways. Each game has dozens of variables built in, but are essentially endless if you can find new people to play with since no two people will ever interpret a prompt or answer a question in the same way. And, to make things even easier, the game only requires players to have a phone. There’s no crowding around a single screen, passing controllers, or teaching anyone button layouts. Just whip out your phones, listen to the game’s instructions, and you’re ready to have a blast! Jackbox Party Pack 9 comes with the following games: Fibbage 4, Quixort, Junktopia, Nonsensory, and Rommeramg. Games are fast, funny, and always a hit.

Sometimes a party just isn’t a real party until the dancing starts. But why not compete to see who has the best moves while you’re at it? That’s how the Just Dance series has made its mark. There’s almost no game as intuitive as Just Dance 2022. All you have to do is hold a controller and follow the dance moves on screen as best you can. Aside from some basic menu controls, there’s basically no button pressing or stick moving required! That ease of use is what makes this series such a hit with all ages year after year. That and the tracklist brimming with popular artists, of course. Just Dance 2022 has dozens of songs from top artists new and old like Camila Cabello, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and many, many more. If you have the space, up to six players can all dance together at once, making it great for larger gatherings. Even if not everyone can jump on the dance floor at once, watching and cheering along is nearly as much fun. Also, this edition adds a new Kids Mode, which limits the song selection to kid-friendly songs and simplified moves. Plus, if you become hooked, you can even subscribe to the Just Dance Unlimited service to add more than 500 more songs to your collection, plus new ones added every month for nearly endless dancing possibilities.

In almost any other circumstance, golf would probably be the last type of game you’d think would make a good party game. However, once you add Mario into the mix, suddenly everything changes. Just like every sport or game Mario attaches himself to, this golf game only uses the basic framework of the sport and dumps a heap of Nintendo fun on top of it. Even the modes most similar to golf are more fun thanks to the colorful and creative courses and different characters with their own strengths and weaknesses. There is a little more of a learning curve with Mario Golf: Super Rush due to the timing-based gameplay of nailing your shot, but there are modes where even that isn’t too important. You could play a normal, turn-based run of golf in the Standard Golf mode, or get crazy and load up Speed Golf or Battle Golf. Speed Golf has everyone playing at once to try and get their ball in the hole as fast as possible. But, since everyone is moving and acting at once, you have the opportunity to sabotage other players on the way to the hole. Battle Golf is similar but adds new hazards to the course and just one hole everyone is trying to reach. Once one player sinks a shot, a new one opens up somewhere else. These are wild fun and chaotic enough that less skilled golfers won’t feel too disadvantaged.

Based on sales numbers alone, it’s more likely than not that you already own Mario Kart 8 Deluxe if you have a Switch. Mario Kart has been the king of the kart racing genre ever since, well, it invented it. Others have attempted to emulate the formula, but none can match the controls, items, characters, and perfectly designed tracks of the original. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe took the original game from the WiiU, packed in all the DLC, and made it run even better on the Switch. The result is possibly the best racing game ever made, bar none. Just like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, this game is tuned to be accessible for gamers of all ages and skill levels. At the most basic, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is about as easy to learn as any racing game can be. You have the gas, brake, steering, and button to use items, and that’s all you need to get going. If that’s too much, there’s even a mode that helps players steer and stay on the course. On the other hand, you can crank it up to 200cc for the most fast-paced experience possible. Aside from normal races and Grand Prix modes, you can mix things up with a Battle Mode that is all about popping the other player’s balloons with offensive items like shells and bob-ombs. The only reason we tucked this entry at the bottom of the list, despite it being arguable the number 1 choice, is because we suspect everyone either owns this game already or at least knows how perfect it is to share with friends.