Mario Wonder has local co-op, allowing up to four people to play locally on the same system to finish courses together. But while it’s great for couch gaming, it doesn’t help players who want to play together online.
Does Mario Wonder have online co-op?
Yes, Mario Wonder does support online co-op, but you’ll need an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Once online, you’ll have two co-op modes to choose from: Standard Online Co-op and Play With Friends.
Standard Online Co-op
Standard Online Co-op happens automatically after connecting online. It lets you share an overworld with players from around the world, who appear as Live Player Shadows on the map and in each course.
Play With Friends
Play With Friends lets you to set up or join a private room with friends. To enter the mode, press the X button in the Online Settings menu to access the Play With Friends menu. From there, choose to either create your own room or join one already set up by a friend.
Once in a shared room, you can view the courses your friends are tackling and hop in to join them. This mode differs slightly from the local co-op experience. It’s a little more limited.
How is online co-op different from local co-op in Mario Wonder?
In Mario Wonder, online co-op is different from local co-op in two key ways.
First, instead of seeing other players as full characters, you see other players, even your friends or people you don’t know, as Live Player Shadows. Second, you can do only a few things with them, like revive yourself by running your ghost into their shadow or any Standees they’ve placed, use emotes, and share items.
However, online co-op with friends does have the added option of being able to start a quick race by hitting a special block called the Race Block.
After a countdown, everyone in the Mario Wonder room has to race against each other to reach the end, find the Wonder Seed, or defeat the boss. It’s an absolute blast.
