The Nintendo Switch, with its motion-controlled Joy-Cons, is made for fun, active games like tennis.
Nintendo and other gaming companies know this, and they ensure that there are plenty of options to dive into to show off your professional tennis skills in the comfort of your home with the power of Nintendo’s console. But which tennis games are the best on the Nintendo Switch?
5 Best tennis games on Nintendo Switch:
- Nintendo Switch Sports
- Mario Tennis Aces
- Instant Sports Tennis
- Tennis World Tour 2
- AO Tennis 2
1. Nintendo Switch Sports
Nothing says authentic Nintendo more than Nintendo Switch Sports; this game has a long history throughout the lifetime of Nintendo.
Tennis has been part of Nintendo’s game catalog since the original NES in the 1980s and perfected for motion controls with Wii Sports. It might be time to put on your old tennis shoes, take the Joy-Cons in your hands, and serve some tennis balls!
It’s fun for friends and family of all age groups. The motion controls are intuitive and easy to learn, so it’s perfect for younger kids to pick up and play with their parents or older siblings.
You can also play online against other players globally, making it very competitive. You can even earn in-game rewards when you play competitive online games.
Unfortunately, you can only unlock different skins and mods by playing online, and this requires a monthly or annual Nintendo Online subscription, so there are extra costs involved that you must budget for if you want to expand your playing in that way.
Pros
- Great to play with friends and family
- Intuitive motion controls
- Easy to learn
- Online competitive matches
- Earn in-game rewards
Cons
- A large game with more than just tennis
- You might need a paid subscription
2. Mario Tennis Aces
This is another tennis game that brings the history of Nintendo to life, as you can play tennis with (or against) the most famous Nintendo characters, like Mario and his friends.
It’s similar in playing style to Nintendo Switch Sports, but kids will especially love playing as these famous characters. Mario Tennis Aces will have you glued to your spot for hours on end.
The game is less competition-focused than other tennis games. Its focus is on providing family-friendly entertainment, not competitive playing.
This makes it feel less serious since it is a bit cartoonish, light-hearted, and goofy. There is also a story mode that is quite entertaining for kids. But it is still a high-energy game that can give you quite a workout.
The game is more expensive, though, and the only thing you get for that higher price is the nostalgia of playing as Mario and his friends, making the price hard to justify. The story mode is also a bit repetitive, so even though kids will find it entertaining initially, they will probably get bored with it.
Pros
- Play as iconic Nintendo characters
- Less competition-focused
- Light-hearted family fun
- Story mode
- Very active game
Cons
- You pay more for nostalgia
- Story mode is not very challenging
3. Instant Sports Tennis
Instant Sports Tennis has a few balls up its sleeve that other tennis games don’t, and that is why this game made it to the list.
Not only is it fun to play with family or friends and sure to keep the children busy, but it is also innovative in that it features some unique challenges other than just slapping balls around. Still, Instant Sports Tennis is far more popular among younger players than older ones.
The challenges are educational. Kids will learn skills like mathematics while playing tennis challenges and minigames. It will keep kids busy for hours since the challenges don’t make for a quick play-through. This adds to the value of parents playing with their kids to guide and help them through the challenges.
Unfortunately, it is a game for kids, and adults won’t find it interesting or entertaining. It’s purely for kids and their parents to play together, but with a strong emphasis on the kids.
Pros
- Educational challenges and minigames
- It will keep kids busy for hours
- Fun for kids to play with their parents
Cons
- Adults will find it boring and repetitive
4. Tennis World Tour 2
This is the Nintendo Switch tennis game for those who are serious about their tennis. Tennis World Tour 2 will let you play singles or doubles matches against friends, family, or other players online. When you play this game, you can really show off your skill and passion for the great sport of tennis!
Tennis World Tour 2 is developed with true tennis fanatics in mind. It has many unique challenges that you can play through in Career Mode, offering a semi-realistic tennis career experience. This does make the game quite hard to master, though, since it has complex mechanics that players must learn.
This also makes the game a longer-term commitment. It’s not a tennis game to play for ten minutes before dinner.
You must set aside a reasonable amount of time to learn the mechanics so that you can challenge some of the professional players. This also means that this game is less suitable for younger players, who may have difficulty learning and understanding the mechanics.
Pros
- Developed for tennis fanatics
- Challenging and realistic Career Mode
Cons
- Hard to master
- Sizeable time commitment
- Not suitable for younger players
5. AO Tennis 2
AO Tennis 2 is similar to Tennis World Tour 2 because it is a more serious tennis game. You start as a young tennis player, learn the ropes, and gradually build your tennis career to play against the pros. It also gives you multiple career paths throughout the game to choose your playing style in Career Mode.
You can create an avatar with your own physical features, but that’s not where the creativity stops. You can also design your own tennis court with the game’s Academy Editing Suite and even develop your own challenges in the Scenario Editor. These features add tremendous replay value to the game, which is hard to find in a tennis game.
The downside of this is that the game is very complex. It’s challenging to master all of the game’s mechanics, making it less appropriate for younger players.
There are also some control bugs that crept in when the developer ported the game to Nintendo Switch, though these are gradually getting fixed with patches and updates.
Pros
- Create your own avatar
- Design your own tennis court
- Play against professional players
- Create your own challenges
Cons
- A bit buggy
- Controls are difficult to master
- It takes time to learn the game’s mechanics
For the best tennis games on other platforms, check out one of these posts: