What makes a game good when someone else has the TV
When the TV isn't mine for the evening, the Switch 2 turns into a pocket console, and that's when some games get better. Going back through the games I've reviewed, four things decide whether one works from the other end of the sofa.
It's better in handheld than docked. I only count a game here when I like it more in my hands than on the big screen. That's the opposite of the TV nights list, where the biggest games look their best on the screen.
It sounds good in headphones. The sound shouldn't compete with whatever is on the TV, and a game with good sound rewards a pair of headphones, so the room stays quiet for everyone.
I can pause or stop at once. Someone may ask me something, or the show I'm half watching may get good. I want a game I can put down without losing anything.
It's easy to follow. I might look up now and then, so I leave out games that need all of my attention.
How I pick the games for this list
A game is on this page when handheld is one of the ways I like to play it, and I rated it higher in handheld than docked (how I score explains the scales). The list is 6 games right now, best first, and it changes by itself when I review a game that fits. A game can be great and still miss this list because I like it as much, or more, on the TV. Those are in the close calls below.
Setting up your Switch 2 for the sofa
A few settings make handheld next to a TV much nicer.
- Headphones. Wired ones go in the 3.5mm jack. Bluetooth headphones work on the Switch 2 as well.
- Brightness. Auto-Brightness is in the quick settings, which you open by holding the HOME button. It's a good one to leave on in a dim room.
- Sleep mode. One press of the POWER button puts the console to sleep, and POWER or HOME wakes it. If you've set a console lock PIN, waking it asks for the PIN.
- Undocked. In handheld mode the console is off the dock, so the TV stays free for whatever someone else is watching.
Things to know before you start
These all work well in handheld, and a few have a catch:
- Road 96 has some heavy themes, and the retrowave songs sometimes drown the dialogue.
- Air Traffic Controller has stages of very different lengths. Early ones are short, but some of the long ones run one to two hours, and nothing carries over.
- Balatro is great in handheld, and docked isn't what it was made for.
- Limbo is dark, so a screen angle without glare helps, and it has a few jump scares.
- NES Nintendo Classics needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and the controls don't feel quite like the real NES pad.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons can turn into daily chores when I play it alone.
Close calls: great, but I like them as much on the TV
These work well in handheld, but I like them as much on the big screen, or more, so they don't make the sofa list. Here's what I said about handheld in each one:
- Palia: Very enjoyable, and perfect for a quick check-in.
- Aerofly FS Flight Simulator: Works well, and you can touch the cockpit controls if you want.
Other kinds of evening
If I'm in bed rather than on the sofa, there are the handheld games for bed. For a longer evening, the best games to play after work page ranks the ten that suit a work night best, and the Tonight finder narrows it down by time and energy.
Questions
What's the best Switch 2 game in handheld while someone else watches TV? Right now my top pick is I am an Air Traffic Controller: Airport Hero Haneda. It's better in my hands than on the big screen, it's easy to put down and it works with headphones. On another night the right pick depends on how much attention I have left.
Do I need headphones? None of these require them, but most sound better with them, and the room stays quiet. Wired ones go in the 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth works too.
Why is Balatro on a list for sitting next to a TV? It's my way to play it in handheld, for five minutes or an hour, and the game saves where I was, even in the middle of a round.
Which of these can I pause at any moment? Air Traffic Controller can be paused at any moment. Balatro, the NES games and Animal Crossing save where you were, Limbo sends you back just before the trap, and Road 96 autosaves during the story.
How often is this list updated? Whenever I publish a review or change a rating, the page is rebuilt. The date at the top shows when something last changed.
