I Love The Switch's Local Wireless Multiplayer (Here's How to Use It and What to Play)
If you're over a certain age, you may remember lugging your console or PC over to a friend's house so that you could enjoy proper local multiplayer, with none of that split-screen malarkey. Well, if you and a friend both own a Switch, you can do that right now with local wireless multiplayer!
How Is Local Wireless Different From Online Multiplayer?
If you're playing a game that uses online multiplayer, then it doesn't matter that you and the other players are all playing in the same room, or from opposite ends of the globe—it all goes through the internet. That comes with all the downsides of online play, such as lag and dropouts.
Some Switch games support a multiplayer mode known as "local wireless." Here, one of the consoles acts as the game server, and the other consoles connect to it. The connection is completely local, and doesn't require an internet connection. So you and your friends can set up a game wherever you are.
How To Know if a Game Has Local Wireless Features
The easiest way to know if a game has local wireless is to visit its page on the Switch eShop. Either directly on your Switch, or by using a web browser on a different device.
Under "Details" you'll find a listing for "Players" on the website with "local wireless" listed, or "Number of Players (Local Wireless)" on the Switch eShop app. If this isn't noted, then the game does not support local wireless.
How to Use Local Wireless
The exact details of how to initiate a local wireless game differs from one game to the next. However the basic steps are generally as follows:
- Choose "multiplayer" or its equivalent from the game's main menu, then "Local Multiplayer", or something similar.
- Choose whether your Switch will host the game or join someone else who's hosting.
- Join the host when they show up on the list of available servers, or wait for all players to join you if you're hosting.
- When everyone has joined, start the game.
You don't need a Wi-Fi router for this to
Read more on howtogeek.com
