If you’ve ever grabbed your Switch after a long week and wanted to mess around in Minecraft with a friend sitting right next to you or across the country, you’ve probably looked up how to play 2 player Minecraft on Switch at least once. It’s way more fun to build a giant castle, fight the Ender Dragon, or explore a hidden Nether fortress when you’ve got a buddy along for the ride, but the setup process can feel confusing if you’ve never done it before. I’ve messed up the settings more times than I can count trying to get my little sibling connected for a survival run, so I put together this guide to skip all the frustrating trial and error. We’ll cover every possible way to play with a second person, plus quick fixes for the most common problems that pop up.
How to Play 2 Player Minecraft on Switch in Local Split Screen
Local split screen is the easiest way to play with someone who’s in the same room as you, no internet connection required. I use this option all the time when my friends come over, because we don’t have to mess with Wi-Fi or online accounts to jump right into a world. First, make sure you have all the basics covered before you start: your Switch needs to be docked and connected to a TV, you have at least two paired controllers, and your Minecraft game is updated to the latest version. From there, the setup only takes a minute:
- Launch Minecraft on your Switch and load the existing world you want to play in, or create a new one from the main menu.
- Once you’re loaded into the world, pick up the second controller and press the + button to open the player invite prompt.
- Have the second player select their existing Switch profile or create a guest profile to join the game.
You can adjust the split screen orientation from the in-game settings if you prefer horizontal splits over vertical, but most people stick with the default vertical layout for wider views. Keep in mind that split screen only works when your Switch is docked – you can’t use this feature if you’re playing in handheld mode, even if you have a second controller paired. You can play with up to 4 people total in local split screen, but performance will dip a little if you’re running a world with lots of complex builds or redstone contraptions. If the second player can’t join, make sure both controllers are fully paired to your Switch first before you launch the game – I’ve wasted 10 minutes troubleshooting before realizing my friend’s controller was only paired to their own Switch, not mine.
Setting Up Online 2 Player Minecraft for Switch
If the person you want to play with isn’t in the same room, online co-op is the way to go. This option does require a few extra steps compared to local split screen, but it’s worth it to play with friends who live across town or even across the world. First, you’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription for both players – you can’t play Minecraft online on Switch without this, no exceptions. You’ll also both need to have each other added as friends on your Nintendo Switch accounts before you can join each other’s worlds.
To invite a friend to your world, load your Minecraft save, open the pause menu, and select the “Invite to Game” option. You’ll see a list of your Switch friends who own Minecraft, and you can send a direct invite to whoever you want to join. If you want to join a friend’s world instead, head to the “Friends” tab on the Minecraft main menu, and you’ll see all active worlds your friends are running that you can join. Make sure your world’s “Online Game” toggle is turned on in the world settings before you load in, otherwise your friends won’t be able to see your world listed at all.
There’s a common misconception that you need a separate Minecraft account to play online on Switch, but that’s not true. Your Nintendo account is linked directly to your Minecraft profile, so you don’t need to create an extra Microsoft account unless you want to cross-play with people on other platforms like Xbox or PC.
Cross-Play 2 Player Games on Switch Minecraft
One of the best parts of modern Minecraft is that you don’t have to be on the same platform to play with friends. If your buddy plays on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, or even mobile, you can still play 2 player with them on your Switch as long as you set up cross-play correctly. This is a game-changer if most of your friends don’t own a Switch, but it does require one extra step that a lot of people miss.
To enable cross-play, you’ll need to link a free Microsoft account to your Minecraft profile on Switch. You only have to do this once, and it takes less than two minutes: just open the Minecraft main menu, select the “Sign In” option, and follow the on-screen prompt to enter the code on the Microsoft website using your phone or computer. Once you’re signed in, you can add friends from other platforms using their Microsoft gamertag, and they can join your Switch world or invite you to theirs. I’ve used cross-play to play with my cousin who lives in another state on his Xbox, and the only difference I noticed was a tiny bit of input lag if our Wi-Fi was acting up.
Keep in mind that cross-play worlds will only be accessible to you when you’re signed into your Microsoft account, so if you sign out later, you won’t be able to load any worlds you played on with cross-platform friends. You also can’t use custom skins or texture packs that are exclusive to Switch when you’re playing cross-play, since those won’t work on other platforms. That’s a small tradeoff for being able to play with almost anyone, though, in my opinion.
Common 2 Player Minecraft Switch Issues and Fixes
Even if you follow all the steps perfectly, you’ll probably run into an issue or two when trying to play 2 player. I’ve dealt with almost every possible error over the years, so these fixes will solve 90% of the problems you might face without you having to dig through random forum posts for hours. If you’re running into any roadblocks when you’re figuring out how to play 2 player Minecraft on Switch, these quick fixes will get you back in the game fast.
The most common issue is the second player getting a “unable to connect to world” error when trying to join online. Nine times out of ten, this is because one of you has an outdated version of Minecraft. Make sure both of you have updated the game to the latest version from the Switch eShop, and restart both games before trying again. If that doesn’t work, check that your Nintendo Switch Online subscription is active and hasn’t expired, since that’s another super common cause.
If you’re trying to use split screen and the second player can’t join, first double check that your Switch is docked. A lot of people assume split screen works in handheld mode, and it just doesn’t – that’s a hard limitation from Nintendo, not a bug. If you are docked and it still won’t work, unpair and re-pair the second controller to your Switch, then restart the game. You should also make sure your TV is set to a resolution of at least 720p, because split screen won’t work on lower resolution displays.
If cross-play isn’t working, make sure both you and the other player are signed into your Microsoft accounts, and that you’ve added each other using your Microsoft gamertags, not your Nintendo Switch friend codes. Nintendo friend codes only work for other Switch players, so they won’t show up for people on other platforms. If you’re still having trouble, restart your router to fix any minor Wi-Fi connection issues that might be blocking the connection.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to play 2 player Minecraft on Switch doesn’t have to be a headache, whether you’re playing with someone on your couch or across the globe. Once you run through the setup once, you’ll be able to jump into co-op games in seconds every time after that. Don’t stress if you run into a small issue the first time you try – even experienced players run into connection errors or forgotten settings every now and then. Grab your controller, pick a world, and start building, exploring, or fighting mobs with your favorite person. You’ll have way more fun than you ever would playing alone.