All 8 Sports in Nintendo Switch Sports and Their Updates

Nintendo Switch Sports is the 2022 game where you play sports by moving the Joy-Con controllers in your hands. The launch sports are badminton, bowling, chambara (a sword fight), soccer, tennis, and volleyball. Golf and Basketball, added later in free updates, joined them. The rules are simple enough to start right away, though several sports take practice to play well.

Volleyball

A two-on-two court game where timing turns a bump and set into a spike.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–4. Online: 1–2 players per console; matches are two-on-two.

Modes and Variants

Two-on-two play uses serves, bumps, sets, blocks, and spikes. Slide Attack and Rocket Serve were added in the July 2022 update.

How You Play

Swing a Joy-Con to serve, bump, set, block, and spike; swing timing and direction affect the ball.

Leg Strap

No

Badminton

A one-on-one racket game built around drop shots and smashes.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–2. Online: 1–2 players per console; matches are one-on-one.

Modes and Variants

One-on-one rallies use serves, underhand and overhand shots, Drop Shots, and smashes.

How You Play

Swing one Joy-Con as a racket; vary shot direction and timing to place the shuttlecock.

Leg Strap

No

Bowling

Roll a ball down the lane, with obstacle lanes and elimination play as alternatives.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–4. Online: 1–2 players per console; Survival Bowling has 16 competitors.

Modes and Variants

Standard Bowling; Special Bowling uses obstacles and moving floors; online Survival Bowling eliminates players over successive frames.

How You Play

Hold a Joy-Con, swing to release the ball, and twist your wrist to add a hook.

Leg Strap

No

Soccer

Kick a giant ball through one-on-one or four-on-four matches, or use Shoot-Out.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–2. Online: 1–2 players per console; One-on-One and Four-on-Four formats support up to eight players overall.

Modes and Variants

One-on-One, Four-on-Four, and Shoot-Out. Shoot-Out is a Leg Strap mode with five attempts per player and goals that shrink after successful shots.

How You Play

Use two Joy-Cons to move, pass, and kick; Leg-Strap Mode turns leg motions into kicks in supported matches.

Leg Strap

Yes — Shoot-Out uses the strap; a July 2022 update also added strap controls to One-on-One and Four-on-Four.

Chambara

A sword fight where attacks and blocks decide who falls from the platform.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–2. Online: 1–2 players per console; standard matches are one-on-one.

Modes and Variants

Choose Sword, Charge Sword, or Twin Swords; attack and guard to push the other fighter off the platform.

How You Play

Swing one Joy-Con to attack and guard; use two Joy-Cons to wield Twin Swords.

Leg Strap

No

Tennis

A doubles rally where swing timing sends topspin, backspin, and lobs across the court.

Added

Launch (April 2022)

Players

Local: 1–4. Online: 1–2 players per console; matches use two-on-two doubles.

Modes and Variants

Two-on-two doubles with topspin, backspin, and lob shot variations. In solo play, one player controls both front and back characters.

How You Play

Swing one Joy-Con as a racket; shot direction and timing send the ball across the court.

Leg Strap

No

Golf

Swing across 21 returning Wii Sports course holes while accounting for wind and terrain.

Added

Free update (November 2022)

Players

Local: 1–4. Online: 1–2 players per console; Survival Golf has eight competitors.

Modes and Variants

Standard Golf uses 21 holes from courses in the Wii Sports series; online Survival Golf is an eight-player elimination mode.

How You Play

Swing a Joy-Con like a club; account for wind and terrain, adjust power and direction, and stop before follow-through to add backspin.

Leg Strap

No

Basketball

Play two-on-two or shoot against the clock in local contest modes.

Added

Free update (July 2024)

Players

Local: 1–4. Online: 1–2 players per console in Two-on-Two matches.

Modes and Variants

Two-on-Two is available solo, locally, and online. Three-Point Challenge is single-player; Three-Point Contest and Five-Streak Battle are local multiplayer.

How You Play

Use Joy-Con motion to dribble, shoot, block, and steal during two-on-two play.

Leg Strap

No

How Do the Motion Controls Work in Nintendo Switch Sports?

Nintendo Switch Sports is built around the Joy-Con's motion controls, so you swing, roll, and move your hands instead of pressing buttons to hit the ball. In tennis and badminton, the controller works like a racket. In bowling, you make a rolling motion to send the ball down the lane, and in chambara, the controller becomes your sword.

The game reads how you move and turns it into a shot, so how you move matters as much as when you move. Volleyball is a mix of both, since the stick moves your player around the court and your hands handle the hits.

Keep the wrist strap on and leave room around you before you play. A loose controller can fly out during a big swing, and the strap helps keep it in your hand.

Which Sport Should You Play First?

The best first sport depends on who you play with and how much you want to practice. For a quick start, bowling is one of the simplest, since the goal is clear and every roll shows you how you did. Basketball's Three-Point Challenge is just as easy to pick up, with the goal of making as many shots as you can. Tennis and badminton feel familiar to anyone who has held a racket, since you swing the controller the way you would swing a real one.

For a group of four, bowling is a natural choice, since everyone can bowl at the same time. Volleyball also works well, with four players split into two teams of two on one console. Basketball's Three-Point Contest supports up to four players locally, too.

If you want a head-to-head match, chambara is built around one-on-one sword duels, and soccer has a One-on-One mode for two players. For a sport to grow into, volleyball and chambara offer the most to master. Volleyball's Rocket Serve and Slide Attack, added in the July 2022 update, give you more options and reward good timing. In chambara, you have to guard, read your opponent, and choose the right moment to strike back.

Can You Play Nintendo Switch Sports Alone or With Friends?

You can practice alone in some sports, and the game is built for play with friends on one console. Basketball's Two-on-Two can be played solo, which makes it a good place to learn the shots before you face anyone. On one console, up to four people can play at the same time, and in team sports such as basketball, volleyball, and tennis, friends can team up on the same side.

When you're short a player, the game fills the open spots with computer players, so you can still play a full match. That makes it easy to start with a single controller and bring in friends as they arrive.

How Does Pro League Ranked Play Work?

Pro League is the game's ranked online mode, and every sport has its own, including golf and basketball. A sport's Pro League starts locked, and you unlock it by playing ten online matches of that sport in Play Globally. The matches don't have to come in a row. Unlocking one sport's Pro League doesn't unlock the others.

Once it's open, you start at the bottom rank, E, and climb toward A by winning matches. Each sport keeps its own rank, so a strong bowler isn't automatically strong at tennis. Later updates added S and ∞ ranks above A, which gives skilled players more to aim for.

When Were Golf and Basketball Added to Nintendo Switch Sports?

Golf arrived as a free update in November 2022. It brings 21 holes from earlier Wii Sports games, along with an online mode called Survival Golf. Up to eight players tee off at the same time, and after each hole, the player with the most strokes is knocked out until one player is left. Standard local play with friends is still there, and anyone who already owned the game got the update at no cost.

Basketball came later, as a free update in July 2024. It adds two-on-two matches, which you can play alone, locally, or online, along with the Three-Point Challenge, the Three-Point Contest, and the Five-Streak Battle. Basketball arrives as a download, so you need to install the update before the sport shows up.

FAQ