In our family, there’s an ongoing joke that I was the one who got the Nintendo Switch as a birthday present a few years back, yet it’s my children who exclusively play it. It’s been quite a good technological addition to the household with lots of multiplayer goodness, and I’m excited to see Nintendo bring the Switch 2 to gamers later this year.
With Nintendo continuing to invest in the long-term future of its hit console and many studios supporting it, it’s a good time to take a look at the MMORPGs and online games that you can play on this platform. What, you didn’t think that the Switch had MMOs? There certainly are, and with beefier hardware on the Switch 2, we might be seeing even more ports.
Palia
We’ll start this list with a title that seems perfectly suited for both the Nintendo Switch and its audience: Palia. It’s been a little over a year since this cozy life sim emerged on the platform, and now that Daybreak’s behind it, there’s even more legitimacy to this project. We’ve been all over Palia on the Switch, so check out our impressions if you want to see if this is right for you!
DC Universe Online
And speaking of Daybreak, the studio brought its premier action superhero title DC Universe Online to the platform all the way back in August 2019 (but sadly with no crossplay features). It’s been a good fit, too, offering players a full-fledged MMO and superhero fantasy with continual updates.
Warframe
Action MMOs seem to be drawn to the Switch and its portable, dual analogue stick setup. Digital Extremes jumped on this bandwagon early on as it brought Warframe to the Switch back in November 2018. It’s not a pure MMORPG, mind you, but it does offer highly acclaimed online RPG adventures with years and years of content. MOP’s Eliot is a fan and offered some tips on how to get started with this oddball title.
ARK Survival Evolved
Taming dinosaurs and siccing them on your friends is a laudable way to pass an afternoon, and ARK Survival Evolved (and a couple other related titles) are available on the Switch to do just that. It’s a pretty robust and popular sandbox at this point, and the Minecraft crowd might find that same level of freedom and flexibility to create whatever their imagination dreams.
No Man’s Sky
Do you want to play a space sim, an adventure game, or a high-tech sandbox? You can have all three with Hello Games’ excellent No Man’s Sky! This came out on the Switch in 2022 and benefits from all of the great updates that the studio’s been pumping into this title. Unfortunately, as MOP reader Skiptrace reminded us, the Switch version of NMS doesn’t come with the multiplayer functionality you’re probably hungry for if you’re reading this site. Better than nothing, though!
Trove
Honestly, you could probably play Trove on a TI-88 calculator, so why not the Nintendo Switch? It’s been on the platform since June 2021, and its low system requirements are perfect for the more compact console. It’s a great game for builders and explorers alike, with years upon years of additional content since its early days as a side project over at Trion.
Diablo III
While you can’t get Diablo IV on Switch — at least yet! — the rather excellent third entry in this series has been rocking out there since the console’s launch year. There’s a ton of content to enjoy in this now-polished title, and Blizzard hasn’t dropped supporting it with new seasons. Again, yet.
Wizard101
Last summer we got the announcement that KingsIsle is bringing its popular card game MMO to several consoles, including the Switch. While a date hasn’t been set, there’s good hope that we’ll see this before too long in 2025. And don’t brush this off as a “kiddie” game;Â Wizard101Â is loaded with MMO features such as housing and pets.
Skyforge
While few people are talking about Skyforge these days, it’s still up and running — and has been cruising on the Switch since 2021. It’s a decent sci-fantasy MMO that allows you to swap out classes and be treated like a god, so why not feed your ego for a session or two?
Sky Children of Light
Sitting on the pretty fringes of our genre is Sky Children of Light, an online multiplayer adventure that’s chock-full of eye candy. This is from the studio that made Journey, so you know that your cooperative explorations are going to be full of wonder and beautiful art.
Honorable mention: Nintendo’s secret MMO project
And we’ll cap this list with a very possible MMO from Nintendo itself. It’s a half-secret that the company is running massively multiplayer tests, which has players speculating that the Big N is looking to move into this space with its own heavy-hitter. We’ll see!
Everyone likes a good list, and we are no different! Perfect Ten takes an MMO topic and divvies it up into 10 delicious, entertaining, and often informative segments for your snacking pleasure. Got a good idea for a list? Email us at justin@massivelyop.com or eliot@massivelyop.com with the subject line “Perfect Ten.”
