How to Play with 2 Players on the Nintendo Switch

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: August 28, 2024 Fact Checked

This wikiHow teaches you how to play a 2-player game on Nintendo Switch. You can play a two player game using the joy-con controllers turned sideways, or one player can use the joy-con controller, and another use the pro-controller.

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To detach the joy-con controllers, pick up the Nintendo Switch and turn it over. Press and hold the round button on the back of the joy-con controller next to the ZL and ZR buttons. Slide the joy-con up to detach it. Do the same for the joy-con controller on the other side.^{[1]
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Attach the joy-con straps. The straps are the thin pieces with two buttons and a wrist strap attached. The joy-con straps have a "+" or "-" engraved on the top. Line it up with the "+" and "-" buttons on the joy-con controller. Slide the opening at the bottom of the strap over the track on the side of the joy-con controller until it snaps in place.^{[2]
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- To remove the joy-con straps, pull the grey tab at the bottom of the strap and slide it up to remove it.
- If one player is using the pro controller, the other player can place both joy-cons in the joy-con controller holder that turns the joy-cons into a single controller.
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Select the joy-con icon. The icon on the home screen that resembles a joy-con is the controller settings menu. This is where you can set up the controllers for two players.
- You can select items on the Nintendo Switch by tapping them on the screen, or navigating to them with the controller and press "A".
It's the first option in the controller settings menu.^{[3]
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If you are using the joy-cons to play two players, turn both joy-cons sideways with the analog stick to the left. Press the two buttons (R & L) on the top of the strap. If you are using a pro controller or other controller setup, press R & L on both controllers that you want to use.
There are a variety of two player games on Nintendo Switch. You can purchase games from the Nintendo eShop or from a store. Check the information on the back, or on the information page of the Nintendo eShop to see how many players a game supports.^{[4]
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When you get to the title screen of the game, select the multiplayer/two player mode option to start a two player game.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

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Question

One of my controllers broke. Two of the buttons do not work. What should I do?

Community Answer

You should contact Nintendo's customer service. They can probably fix your controller.

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Question

How can I connect two players to Minecraft on my Nintendo Switch if I only have one joystick?

Community Answer

Simply, you cannot. You may want to invest in another joycon or other Nintendo controller.

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Is it possible to assign a player to #2 automatically on a Nintendo Switch?

Community Answer

For certain games, yes. If you have played two-player before, then it should be able to pair up automatically if you click the "sl" and "sr" buttons.

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