You’ve probably heard the hype. It Takes Two basically swept every major award back in 2021, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards. It’s a masterpiece of cooperative play, a genre-bending rollercoaster that forces two people to actually communicate—or, you know, yell at each other—to save a crumbling marriage via some magical, slightly traumatizing dolls. But when it was announced for the Switch, everyone had the same thought. How is a game this visually dense and mechanically complex going to run on a handheld from 2017?
It's a valid concern.
Honestly, the It Takes Two for Nintendo Switch port is a bit of a technical miracle, but it comes with some very real "Switch tax" trade-offs that you need to know about before you drop forty bucks on it. Developed originally by Hazelight and ported to the Switch by Turn Me Up Games—the same wizards who handled the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 port—this version tries its absolute hardest to keep the soul of the game intact while squeezing it into a much smaller box.
Why this game is still a masterpiece (Even on a small screen)
At its core, the game follows Cody and May. They're a couple on the brink of divorce whose daughter, Rose, inadvertently turns them into tiny dolls using a "Book of Love" named Dr. Hakim. It sounds like a Pixar movie, but it plays like a fever dream of every game genre ever invented. One minute you’re playing a third-person shooter with sap-guns and matchsticks; the next, you’re in a top-down dungeon crawler or a 2D platformer.
📖 Related: Steel Type Pokémon: Why They Actually Run the Meta
The variety is insane. It’s relentless.
The magic of It Takes Two for Nintendo Switch is that none of that gameplay variety is lost. Every mechanic, every boss fight, and every weird mini-game made the cut. You still get the "Friend’s Pass," which is honestly the best deal in gaming. Only one person has to own the full game; the other person just downloads the Friend's Pass version for free, and you can play the entire campaign together online. It’s a consumer-friendly move that more developers should honestly copy.
If you're playing locally, though, be prepared. This is a mandatory co-op game. There is no single-player mode. You either play split-screen on your couch or via local wireless with two consoles. If you’re trying to play split-screen on a standard Switch in handheld mode, well, good luck. The screen real estate gets cramped fast. It’s playable, sure, but it’s definitely an "eyes-strained-at-3-AM" kind of experience.
The Elephant in the Room: Performance and Visuals
Let’s get real about the graphics. When you play It Takes Two on a PS5 or a high-end PC, it’s gorgeous. The textures of the cloth, the lighting in the garden, the fur on the squirrels—it’s all crisp. On the Switch? Things get a little blurry.
📖 Related: How to Build a Minecraft Railroad Without Losing Your Mind
To make it run, Turn Me Up Games had to dial back the resolution significantly. In docked mode, you’re looking at something around 720p, often dipping lower during intense scenes. In handheld, it’s closer to 540p.
What was sacrificed?
- Texture Detail: Surfaces that looked like high-quality denim or wood on other platforms now look a bit more like smooth plastic.
- Lighting and Shadows: Much of the dynamic lighting has been baked or simplified. You won't see those gorgeous god-rays or complex reflections that make the world feel "lived in."
- Frame Rate: This is the big one. While the PC version flies at 60 or 120 FPS, the Switch version targets 30 FPS. For the most part, it hits it. But when the screen gets busy—like during the giant vacuum cleaner boss or the flight sequences—you will feel some stutters.
Is it a dealbreaker? Usually, no. If the Switch is your only console, or if you primarily want to play this with a partner while traveling, the trade-off is worth it. The art style is so strong that it carries the lower resolution. It still looks "good," just not "stunning."
The Small Screen Struggle
If you own a Switch Lite, play with a friend online. Seriously. Trying to do the split-screen thing on a Lite screen is basically a vision test. Even on the OLED model, the vertical split-screen can make some of the more precise platforming sections—like the clockwork levels or the high-speed sliding parts—way harder than they were intended to be.
How the Friend's Pass Works on Switch
There’s a lot of confusion about this, so let’s clear it up. If you buy the physical cartridge or the digital version of It Takes Two for Nintendo Switch, you can invite anyone on your friend list to play with you.
- Your friend goes to the eShop.
- They search for "It Takes Two Friend's Pass."
- They download that free version.
- You send them an invite from within your full game.
- Boom. You’re playing.
The catch? You both need a Nintendo Switch Online (NSO) subscription to play together over the internet. If you're sitting on the same couch, you don't need NSO, obviously. Also, cross-play is not a thing here. A Switch player cannot play with someone on an Xbox or PC. You’re locked into the Nintendo ecosystem.
The Joy-Con Problem
It Takes Two requires a fair bit of precision. Some of the puzzles involve aiming while jumping or managing the camera while doing something else entirely. While you can play with a single Joy-Con turned sideways, I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
The controls are cramped. Your hands will cramp. Your partner will get frustrated because they can’t aim the "caw-caw" bird gun properly. If you’re playing this seriously, use a Pro Controller or at least a Grip. The game uses almost every button on the controller, and trying to manage that on a tiny rectangle of plastic just sucks the fun out of it.
Is it worth it in 2026?
Actually, yeah. Despite being a few years old now, nothing has really topped the sheer creativity of Josef Fares and the team at Hazelight. There aren't many games that are built from the ground up specifically for two people. Most "co-op" games are just single-player games where a second person can tag along. This is different. You literally cannot progress without each other.
It’s a great "couples game," but honestly, it’s a bit of a stress test for a relationship. You have to coordinate timing. You have to solve logic puzzles together. You have to deal with the fact that Cody’s sections are often more about aiming while May’s are about platforming. It exposes who the "gamer" in the relationship is pretty quickly.
Tips for the Best Experience
If you're diving into It Takes Two for Nintendo Switch, do these three things to make it suck less:
- Play Docked if Possible: The extra processing power when the Switch is docked helps stabilize the frame rate, and seeing the split-screen on a 50-inch TV is infinitely better than squinting at a 7-inch one.
- Check Your Storage: The game is a hefty download (around 14GB). Make sure you have a decent microSD card, because it won’t fit on the base internal storage of an older Switch alongside much else.
- Communicate, for real: This sounds cheesy, but the game is designed to punish players who try to "solo" it. Talk through the puzzles.
Final Verdict on the Port
The Switch version of It Takes Two is the "good enough" version. It isn't the definitive way to play—that would be PC or the higher-end consoles—but it is the most accessible way for a lot of people. The port team did a commendable job keeping the gameplay fluid even when the visuals took a hit.
If you value portability or if the Switch is your primary gaming hub, don't let the technical downgrades scare you away. The story is still emotional, the gameplay is still brilliant, and the "Cuckoo Clock" level is still one of the best things designed in the last decade.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your controllers: Ensure you have two full controller setups (Pro Controllers or two pairs of Joy-Cons) before starting.
- Download the Friend's Pass first: If you're unsure about the performance, have a friend who owns it invite you to try the first chapter for free.
- Clear 15GB of space: Do a quick audit of your Switch storage to ensure the installation goes smoothly.
- Update your firmware: The Switch version received several stability patches post-launch; make sure your console and the game are fully updated to minimize crashes during the heavier boss fights.