Multiplayer online gaming can be a bit much for some players. Luckily, there are plenty of online games that can guarantee a great time.
With recent announcements of new titles from Nintendo Switch and the Summer Games Fest 2022, gamers old and new are keen to add more titles to their collection, as well as multiplayer games to enjoy with friends. In theory, playing video games online should be a joyous experience, a transformative and fun time to connect with people from all over the world.
But sometimes, for whatever reason, online gaming can often end up feeling like more of a chore rather than any sort of leisure activity. Fortunately, there are plenty of games featuring online multiplayer that encourage players to have a blast with fellow online gamers.
One of the most unenjoyable parts of online gaming is often the rage a player will feel after repeated poor performances or a devastatingly close loss. That isn’t much of a problem with Fall Guys, a unique Battle Royale game in the style of a multi-round gameshow.
The game doesn’t take itself seriously and encourages gamers to do the same. The playable characters are literally adorable little beans who comically stumble all over the place, and who still celebrate the player even when they get eliminated. The game is so fun and wholesome that it’s nearly impossible to be frustrated, and the best part is it recently went free-to-play.
Mario Party Superstars is the latest game in the beloved Mario Party franchise, and it features in droves the luck-based board game chaos that has made it so popular.
Superstars is a compilation game featuring some of the best minigames in the franchise’s history, but even if a player struggles in that area, there are plenty of fun events and items on the boards that always ensure that the player in last could be just a moment away from taking over first.
Some players don’t like the shooters and fighting games that occupy most of the online playing space, and often crave the fun and silly party games ones would play with friends in person. The Jackbox Party Packs beautifully encapsulate that experience.
With multiple fantastic collections of simple, yet brilliant and unique games, Jackbox Party Packs encourage players to fully embrace their creative side in order to come up with simultaneously humorous and clever responses to the wonderful and inventive scenarios presented. As well as some of the best Jackbox Party Packs games being great to play with friends online, the games are sure to leave players laughing with each other.
Maybe some players want to experience the memories of playing a game of Clue or the thrill of a murder mystery party. Social deduction games such as Among Us are just the thing for those players. Among Us exploded in popularity in 2020 and it’s not difficult to see why.
As a crewmate, cooperation and communication between players are encouraged as gamers look to find out the identity of the imposter, picking them off one by one in space and voting them out. As an impostor, it feels mischievously powerful to let loose and dispose of online peers without them having any idea.
For non-competitive players, there are very few things quite like the relaxing experience of building a little wonderful island village of adorable animal creatures in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch. It was another game that exploded in popularity in 2020, though Animal Crossing‘s rise happened right at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, something which made its online multiplayer so appealing.
The game’s online mode grants players the warm fun of visiting a friend’s island or inviting a friend to their island, so they can either hang out or explore. It’s no wonder the game took off so easily during a time when strict social distancing was just beginning.
Similarly, if fun adventures with friends rather than any sort of fierce battle for victory seem more appealing, Sea of Thieves is exactly what a gamer could want, especially if that gamer wants to live out the fantasy of being a pirate exploring the open sea.
The game’s online mode allows players to form their very own crew and set sail for a grand pirate adventure, stealing loot and engaging in rambunctious brawls with whomever they come across. Players get the freedom of grand exploration without ever having to leave their house. Despite being critically panned at first, the FPS game has become quite popular amongst gamers and is host to a sizable fanbase.
If a player fears that online gaming is going to leave them lazy, then Nintendo Switch Sports might be just what they need. Just like its predecessor, the massively popular Wii Sports, Nintendo Switch Sports features motion controls that encourage players to get up and active as they play with their peers online.
Every sport played requires the player to mimic the motion of whatever sport you’re playing, whether it be bowling or tennis. That means whenever two players become locked in a competitive match online, they’re not simply mashing the most efficient button presses, but rather they’re working on their reflexes as they participate in a fun and creative workout.
Even if a player loves sports, sports games can sometimes feel like a slog where the strict adherence to the sport’s real-life rules and playstyles turns everything into a repetitive bore. That isn’t the case with Rocket League, especially since there’s currently nothing quite like the absolutely thrilling world of demolition derby car soccer that the game presents to its players.
Currently one of the best free games on Nintendo Switch, Rocket League‘s fun physics, and imaginative concept provides a ridiculous amount of entertainment for players. While there certainly are great levels of skill involved for the best players, the game’s ranking system ensures that players are fairly matched up with others around their level of ability.
Truly the most cooperative online multiplayer game in every sense of the word, It Takes Two is the second game from Hazelight studios, and just like their first game A Way Out, the game prioritizes the multiplayer experience in a story-driven campaign that can only be played in co-op mode.
When a player connects online to play the game with a fellow gamer, they are bound to work with one another in order to progress in a beautiful story about two divorcing parents trying to make it back to their daughter when they become trapped in the bodies of the child’s doll. Teamwork and communication are mandatory if one hopes to advance through the deeply moving story.
With one of the most incredible rosters ever put together in a fighting game, featuring characters from various beloved franchises each with wildly varying unique move sets, there’s something for everybody in this massively popular platform fighter. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is considered one of the best Nintendo Switch games as it appeals to both competitive and casual gamers.
Hazards can be turned off for those trying to truly test their skills in battle but leaving those elements on will ensure a chaotic good time for any player looking to have some unpredictable fun. Players can always set their preferences for these things online, meaning they (almost) always play the game exactly how they want to.
Jack Brink is a list writer for Screen Rant, specializing in films and television. Having developed a love for storytelling from a young age, he has spent countless hours of his life appreciating the craft wherever he can find it, knowing the layout of his local movie theater better than his own house. Though, his love of storytelling most definitely extends beyond the traditional confines of the screen. He is also an avid admirer of comic books, video games, and especially the world of professional wrestling. He pursued his passions of both film and creative writing at Towson University, and now looks to share his love of stories with the world at Screen Rant. He is currently writing his own screenplays and hopes for nothing more than to see one of his own stories on the big screen one day. To truly understand him, one must know that he believes Rocky II to be the single greatest love story in the history of American cinema.