Eight players, one Switch, one very loud living room.
By Stephen V., Founder & Editor · Last updated August 18, 2026 · How we pick
Smash Ultimate and the Switch party games most often weighed against it. Prices are live from Amazon.
| # | Game | Best for | Crossplay | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Platform fighter | A Switch crowd that wants an 8-player couch brawl. | No - Switch only | $54.28 |
| 2 |  Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Kart racing | A Switch group that wants instant, everyone-can-play racing. | No - Switch only | $41.99 |
| 3 |  Super Mario Party Jamboree Party board game | A group of four that wants a full board-game-plus-minigames night. | No - Switch only | Check price |
| 4 | No image Mortal Kombat 1 Fighting | Two players who want a headline 1v1 fighter tonight. | Limited - versus crossplay in some modes | Check price |
Short verdict: if your living room regularly holds five or more people and you own a Switch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the highest-ceiling party game available - eight players at once, an enormous roster, and a skill floor low enough that a total beginner can win a round by accident. Buy it for the couch. Do not buy it for online play, and do not buy it if everyone is on different consoles, because it is Switch-only.
The format is simple enough to explain in one sentence: knock the other players off the stage. There is no health bar to read, no objective to explain, and no tutorial anybody needs. That is why it works with a room that has not agreed on anything else all evening.
Most local multiplayer games stop at four, because four is the number consoles have been designed around for decades. Smash goes to eight, and the practical effect is not just "more people" - it is that nobody has to sit out. Our five-player page exists precisely because being the person waiting for a slot is how someone gradually stops turning up.
The trade at eight is that the screen becomes genuinely chaotic and the good players stop being able to demonstrate why they are good. That is arguably the ideal state for a party. For four people who actually want to play well, four is the better number and the game is happier there too.
Eight players means eight controllers, and this is the part people underestimate. A Switch ships with two Joy-Cons that can each act as a controller in Smash, so a new console covers two players out of the box - beyond that, every extra player is a purchase.
It is not a small line item. If you are buying the game specifically to run big local sessions, budget for controllers alongside it and check what your group already owns before assuming eight is achievable. Four is the realistic target for most households, and four is still an excellent evening.
Smash has a competitive scene with genuinely deep mechanics, and none of that is required to have a good time. Items, stage hazards and the sheer number of players introduce enough randomness that a beginner will land a win, which is the single most important property in a party game - a game nobody but the best player can win is a game the rest stop playing.
If your group leans towards people who do not really play games, our page for exactly that ranks the gentler options, and Mario Kart is usually the softer landing.
One to skip
Do not buy Smash Ultimate to play with friends who are not in the room. Online is the weakest part of the package and the game is Switch-only, so a mixed-console group has nothing to connect to in the first place. If the friends you want to play with are in other houses, this is the wrong purchase and the disappointment is entirely predictable. Rocket League is free with full crossplay, Fall Guys is the free party equivalent, and both put everyone in the same lobby regardless of platform. Our games without crossplay page covers the rest of the Nintendo catalog that catches groups out the same way.
Best for: A Switch crowd that wants an 8-player couch brawl.
1-8 local, online · Platform fighter
Up to eight players locally makes this the party fighter for a full room. Deep enough for veterans, button-mash-friendly for newcomers. Switch-only and online can be rough - it shines on the couch.
Facts verified via Nintendo store page.
Also a top pick in Party and Large Groups.
Best for: A Switch group that wants instant, everyone-can-play racing.
1-4 local, up to 12 online · Kart racing
The easiest 'everyone grabs a controller' game on Switch - four-player split-screen locally and up to twelve online. Zero learning curve. Switch-only, so it does nothing for a mixed-console group.
Facts verified via Nintendo store page.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Party.
Best for: A group of four that wants a full board-game-plus-minigames night.
1-4 local, up to 20 in some modes · Party board game
The newest Mario Party with the biggest board and minigame set yet - a full evening's entertainment for four on one Switch. Some modes stretch to twenty players. Switch-only; expect a couple hours per board.
Facts verified via Nintendo store page.
Also a top pick in Party and Large Groups.
Best for: Two players who want a headline 1v1 fighter tonight.
1-2 versus, online · Fighting
A gorgeous, brutal 1v1 fighter with a deep roster. Best as a two-player versus night. Crossplay support is limited and mode-dependent, so don't count on it to bridge different consoles reliably.
Facts verified via Mortal Kombat official site.
Also a top pick in For Adults and PS5.
This is the real decision for most Switch households, and the honest answer is that they solve different rooms.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes four locally and twelve online, a cup runs about fifteen minutes, and the skill gap between a first-timer and a veteran is smaller than in almost any other competitive game. It is the safer choice for a mixed room and the better one for a short evening.
Smash Ultimate takes eight, has a far higher ceiling, and rewards a group that will keep coming back to it. It is the better choice for a big room and for a group that wants something to get good at together.
Our head-to-head comparison works through it properly, and the Mario Kart review covers the other side.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is the third Switch party option and it is a different commitment: a full board runs a couple of hours with no natural halfway exit, which makes it an event rather than something to put on. Smash is the game you play for twenty minutes because people are standing around; Mario Party is the game you decide to spend an evening on. Both are correct, and confusing them is how a night fizzles - see our short sessions guide.
Mortal Kombat 1 is the alternative if what you actually want is a serious 1v1 fighting game rather than a party brawler. It is on more platforms, considerably more violent, and its crossplay support is limited and mode-dependent, so do not count on it to bridge different consoles. For two people who want a proper versus night it is the better game; for a room of six it is the wrong shape entirely.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the best local party game on the Switch and the only one that seats eight. If you have the room and the controllers, nothing else covers that situation. It is also, unavoidably, a single-platform game with mediocre online play, so it does nothing at all for a group spread across houses.
Match it to the situation and it is close to essential. Our Switch picks pageranks it against the rest of the console's group catalog, and the party hub covers the wider question of what to put on when a room fills up.
A room full of people and one screen. Make it loud.
Eight players brawling or four players racing?
Grab the Joy-Cons. The best Switch group games.
Five of you, and most co-op games stop at four.
The wifi is down or there isn't any. Play anyway.
Same couch, same screen, no internet required.
Up to eight players locally, which is more than almost any other console game, plus online play. Eight is chaotic and inclusive; four is the size where skill actually shows and the game is at its most readable.
No - it is a Switch exclusive, so there is no other version to connect to. A friend on PS5, Xbox, or PC has nothing to install. For a mixed-console group, Rocket League and Fall Guys are the free crossplay party alternatives.
One per player, up to eight. A Switch ships with two Joy-Cons that can each act as a controller in Smash, so a new console covers two players out of the box - every player beyond that is a purchase, and it adds up quickly.
Yes, better than its competitive reputation suggests. The objective - knock others off the stage - needs no explanation, and items, hazards, and player count add enough randomness that a beginner will win rounds. Mario Kart is still the gentler first pick for a very mixed room.
Mario Kart for a mixed room and a short evening: four players locally, fifteen-minute cups, and a small skill gap. Smash for a bigger room and a group that wants a higher ceiling: eight players locally and far more depth to grow into.
Not on its own. Online is the weakest part of the package, and because the game is Switch-only it does nothing for friends on other consoles. Buy it for the couch, and use a free crossplay game for the nights everyone is in different houses.