A friend comes over on the weekend, you fire up the Switch to play some racing games, only to hit a real problem: the racing games you have, your friend is either tired of them or doesn't want to touch them at all. Mario Kart 8 is certainly good, but when you're racing the same few cups every week, even Rainbow Road loses its appeal.

So what to do? You don't want to spoil the fun, nor spend time scouring the eShop for deals. What you need is to find games based on real scenarios, and play them right away.

Scenario: A friend comes over and wants to try a new two-player racing game

I first open the game rankings on Xingba Community and jump straight to the racing category. The advantage here is: the game rankings are updated in real time based on actual player playtime and ratings, not editor picks. After flipping through a few pages, I noticed an arcade-style racer called Cruis'n Blast, with several comments below saying "two-player mode is straightforward, zero learning curve."

That's exactly what I needed: no need to teach my friend cornering techniques or unlock hidden vehicles—just pick a track and go. If you're looking for a similar experience, check out the "Family Fun" tag in the rankings, which has plenty of two-player Switch game recommendations.

How I went from browsing games to placing an order

I clicked into the details page for Cruis'n Blast, which has a game guide feature that shows which controllers are compatible. This was important to me: I only have one pair of Joy-Cons and one Pro Controller. If my friend uses the Joy-Cons, will it feel cramped? The guide clearly stated—Joy-Cons are fine for two players, but the vibration feedback is weaker; the Pro Controller offers a better experience.

After confirming I wanted to buy, I noticed someone on Xingba was carpooling for the digital version of this game. Buying it alone costs $39.99, but through carpooling it's less than half the price. And since it's redeemed on the US eShop, the download speed is decent. The whole process took about ten minutes; the game was already downloaded before my friend arrived.

Don't forget about racing games that aren't "racing" games

If you want a change of pace, many indie game recommendations hide some great racing experiences. For example, Hot Wheels Unleashed—though it's a toy car theme, the track design is very polished, and two-player mode even supports split-screen versus. More importantly, these games often get rediscovered through Xingba's Nintendo game recommendations because many people don't realize they support two players.

But there's a recent limitation: some indie racing games get blurry graphics when docked. I've encountered noticeable aliasing with Gear.Club Unlimited on the TV, but it's smoother in handheld mode. So my advice is: before buying, check the "Dock Mode Performance" field in the game guide—Xingba users specifically rate it.

Trade-offs: When it's actually not recommended to buy directly

There are a few situations where I wouldn't recommend the above method. For example, if your friend is only stopping by for twenty minutes, just jump straight into any track on Mario Kart 8. Also, if you're not a racing fan and only play occasionally, it's better to first look for free demos in the Switch game recommendations rather than rushing into a carpool purchase.

Another factor is the number of controllers. Two-player racing with Joy-Cons is playable, but comfort suffers over long sessions. If you plan to play for over an hour straight, two Pro Controllers, or at least one Pro Controller and a pair of external grips, would be more reliable.

In the end, there are quite a few racing games on Switch, but ones that are truly suitable for two players, easy to pick up, and reasonably priced need to be filtered out yourself. Using Xingba's rankings and guides is much more efficient than aimlessly browsing discounts on the eShop.