TheNintendo Wiiis a classic console that has been forgotten about more recently in favor of the Nintendo Switch. Nevertheless, the Wii and many of its games represent a unique moment in gaming history. Some continue to say that it laid many of the foundations for VR and for gaming to become much more physical.
However, the Wii wasn’t known for particularly great online multiplayer capabilities. Instead, it was considered to be the ultimate party game console, filled with great titles that could be played along with friends inlocal co-op and split-screenstyles instead of being apart during gameplay.
Updated on Jun 06, 2025, by Chris Harkin:Though the era of the Nintendo Wii is long gone, there is a huge space for remembering many of the great games that were released for it. The Nintendo Wii was a revolutionary console, especially for playing locally with friends. Between the many Mario spin-off games that were great for parties and the Wii Sports series, there was an endless amount of fun to be had playing on one console with friends, and that means there are many beloved games from that era worth remembering, from franchises that are still running to wonderful but forgotten one-off games.
10Carnival Games
Metacritic Score: 56
One of the best party games for split-screen play wasCarnival Games, which let players enjoy a variety of 25 different mini-games based on different carnival games. These short-but-sweet mini-games made for a lot of fun and players were prompted to try and get high scores in each of them.
Battling against friends competitively in a variety of short-form games like this made for one of the more memorable party games for the Nintendo Wii.Carnival Gamesmay never win any awards or even get a sequel, but the fun it provides as a party game is highly memorable to many Nintendo Wii fans, and it was severely underrated by critics at the time.
TheMario Partyfranchise has always provided one of the best video game party experiences available, andMario Party 8was one of the very best in the franchise’s history. Providing players with some great upgrades to previous entries, as well as using the capabilities of the Wii in some great mini-games, this was one that many Wii lovers will remember.
Many players would say thatthere isn’t a lot of room for innovationin a franchise likeMario Party, but despite the basic style,Mario Party 8managed to stand out and make for a great entry that players remember well and have often returned to, digging out their old Nintendo Wii consoles for that exact purpose.
One of the great original gamesthat helped showcase the design and capabilities of the Nintendo Wii, this game came with the console in many cases and provided players with an almost futuristic feeling at the time of being able to play several different sports with a huge range of motion involved, all from the comfort of their own home.
Wii Sportswas an ingenious yet simple idea, and it became a massively successful one, providing families with a game that they could all try out together. With a great progression system and amazing local multiplayer capabilities,Wii Sportswas an immediate classic for party gaming.
Metacritic Score: 78
A fun, if ridiculous game,The House of the Dead: Overkillhearkened back to the classic arcade games in this franchise by allowing the Nintendo Wii remote to act as a makeshift gun. In true arcade-style format, players had to work as a pair in a local co-op game todefeat all the zombies and other horrific creaturesthat appeared in each level, moving around in rail-shooter style.
House of the Dead: Overkillfeatured an amazingly fun style, including plenty of bloody and brutal moments and some crazy creatures, as well as lots of fun collectibles and an absolutely bonkers narrative that kept players heavily entertained throughout, making for the perfect party game.
This remake of the originalGoldenEye 007game had mixed reviews from fans and critics but managed to make for one of the best cooperative shooter experiences that players ever found on the Nintendo Wii, making for a truly great split-screen experience andone of the best arena shooters ever.
The Wii controller didn’t often work well for shooter games, particularly for FPS ones, but some ports to the console by a variety of games in these genres managed to find success and this was especially true forGoldenEye, which remains one of the most beloved Wii games for many players.
A game that massively launched the idea of theMario Kartfranchise and helped showcase the capabilities of the Wii,Mario Kart Wiiwas definitely the biggest name in the history of the console for local split-screen gaming, providing a simple format with the fun optional wheel controls that let playersrace around different tracksand engage in battles with their friends together.
Up to four players could be on the same console for races, grand prix series, and team battles that also included AI racers and provided one of the most simple but extremely fun racing games in history, helping launch the popularity of the Nintendo Wii to even greater heights.
4WarioWare: Smooth Moves
Metacritic Score: 83
One of the most fun series of party games released by Nintendo has to be the WarioWare franchise. This game features Mario’s nemesis finding an artifact called the form baton, and using it to wreak havoc while various stories are told about other characters around Diamond City.
The mini-games throughout are the focus more than the story, the game allowing players to share a single Wii remote among up to twelve players to play different games, only after the single-player campaign has been beaten. Smooth Moves remains the only major Wario game that was released for the Wii, but it is easily a classic of the platform.
Considered by many to be one of the most adorable games of all time,Kirby’s Epic Yarnis an absolutely charming game filled with bright colors and happy gameplay. The entire campaign can be completed in local co-op by two players working together as they traverse a yarn-filled world.
As a game this friendly, the one downside ofKirby’s Epic Yarnis how easy it is, but even so, it is still so much fun to revisit and play that few players could manage to hate it. Despite the lack of challenge, fans have made sure this game hasn’t been forgotten, enough so that it got a re-release later for the Nintendo 3DS.
There have been a number of greatMariogames over the years that have given the franchise, and various Nintendo consoles, a great name for cooperative and versus play in local and online play.New Super Mario Bros Wiiprovided a traditional 2D platform experience that up to four players could take part in.
Not only this but the sheer runtime and variety in levels provided byNew Super Mario Bros Wiimade for one of the best cooperative Mario games of all time. While some players struggled with the platforming controls a Wii remote could provide, this game managed to garner a lot of support and made forone of the last truly great 2DMariogames.
A franchise that has gone on to become one of the biggest in the world,Super Smash Bros.was already a huge deal by the timeBrawlwas released. The third entry had a lot of expectations surrounding it afterSuper Smash Bros. Meleebecame the highest-selling GameCube game of all time.
However, through an improved and sizable roster of playable characters and a great local co-op system,Brawlwent on to become another major fighting game hit for Nintendo. Despite containing the capability for online multiplayer battles,Brawlremained a major name for Nintendo Wii party gamers, engaging in battles on the sofa locally was a much-beloved aspect,making the bar sky high for future entries.
