You excitedly bought a physical copy of Racing, planning to invite a friend over for some weekend gaming, only to find that—both of you want to use a controller, but there's only one Pro Controller, and the detached Joy-Cons feel far less comfortable. More troublesome is how to get two people racing on the same Switch at the same time.

The scenario is simple: a weekend afternoon, you and your roommate (or girlfriend) sitting in the living room, wanting to play a racing game. But you face three practical issues: How do you set up multiplayer split-screen? Do you have enough controllers? And if you want to cheat by avoiding repeated grinding for cars, can you just buy the DLC directly?

Today's guide will walk through a complete local two-player process using a real racing game (like the racing genre represented by the fictional name Racing), and we'll also point out the pitfalls you might encounter along the way.

Step 1: Confirm Your Hardware – Don't Wait Until You Have It to Find Out It Doesn't Work

For local two-player racing, the most important thing isn't whether the game is fun, but whether you have enough controllers. If you only have one pair of Joy-Cons, you can split them into two small controllers and each take one half. But that assumes neither of you minds the trigger feel of those small controllers—honestly, for racing, the experience is just mediocre.

So I generally recommend: if you want to seriously play two-player games on Switch, at least have one Pro Controller. You don't need an official one; third-party controllers with NFC and gyro support are good enough, and the feel is at least two notches better than half a Joy-Con. If you only have one Pro Controller and the other person uses a Joy-Con, assign the Pro Controller to the better driver in the settings, so no one can blame the controller when they lose.

Step 2: Enter the Game and Set Up Split-Screen – This Menu Is Hidden Quite Deep

Insert the Racing cartridge into your Switch, or if you downloaded a digital copy from the eShop (by the way, if you want to save a bit, you can check Xingba for shared subscriptions), don't rush to press A to skip after launching the game.

Find the "Multiplayer" or "Multiplayer" option on the main menu and select "Local Split Screen." The game will then ask you to choose the number of players—select 2P. After that, the system will prompt that two controllers are needed. If one controller isn't recognized, don't panic; go back to the Switch main menu's "Controllers" icon and re-pair it.

Once selected, the screen will automatically split into top and bottom halves, with you and your friend each taking one side. From there, you can each choose your car and track. A tip: if one of you is a beginner, turn on driving assists (like auto-accelerate and assisted steering) to keep the gap from being too large and keep the atmosphere friendly.

When it comes to racing games, choosing the right game is more important than practicing your skills. I suggest checking out Xingba's Game Rankings, which features many user-voted racing lists. Picking a highly-rated game will almost never disappoint. If you're not sure which racing game is suitable for local two-player, browse the Game Encyclopedia and filter by "multiplayer same-screen" for comprehensive information.

A Word on DLC and eShop Content

Many racing games, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, offer DLC with extra vehicles. If you don't want to unlock them one by one, buying the DLC pass directly from the eShop is more convenient. But note: DLC cars won't make you go faster than others; they just add more skins and tracks—if you want to show off in front of friends, go ahead and buy them, but don't expect them to improve your skills.

Also, if you're used to buying digital copies, Xingba's guide to cheap eShop regions can save you a lot. Racing games usually don't take up much space, so buying a digital copy and keeping it on the console saves you the hassle of swapping cartridges.

But Some Things You Really Need to Think About Before Buying

Not all racing games are suitable for local two-player. Some games (like the F1 series) only support single-player in local mode; to play split-screen you'd need to buy another Switch and set up a LAN connection—that's just too much trouble. Before buying, check the Nintendo Game Recommendations section; only those labeled "multiplayer same-screen" will suit your needs.

Also, in split-screen mode, each half's field of view is noticeably narrower—especially in top-bottom split-screen, where your view is compressed. If you're playing a racing game that requires looking at distant curves, it'll feel awkward at first. My advice: take the first lap slowly to get used to the new field of view, then hit the gas once you've regained your feel.

If you're a player who cares about graphics, you might be concerned about frame rate drops in split-screen mode. Games at the level of Racing can still maintain a stable 60fps in handheld mode, but when docked and displayed on a TV, some tracks may occasionally drop frames—especially when both players use items and there are many visual effects. This isn't a problem with the console; it's because split-screen mode puts more strain on performance. For smoother gameplay, a good cooling stand for the dock can help.

In the end, sitting on the sofa together and running a couple of laps—winning or losing really isn't that important. As long as you have enough controllers, the game supports two-player split-screen, and you're both willing to accept half a screen each, you're all set to start racing. As for the DLC, Pro Controller stands, dock cooling—you can deal with all that later once you're really into it.

Switch Game Recommendations actually has quite a few lesser-known indie racing games, like Gear.Club Unlimited. The graphics may not match big-budget titles, but the local two-player mode is quite polished, and they're cheap. Check out the Indie Game Recommendations section—you might find the source of your next weekend's fun.