Over the last two weeks of December, we are announcing the winners of the Second Annual SwitchRPG Awards. We’ll be announcing new winners every weekday, leading up to a final announcement on January 1st for RPG of the Year!

Welcome back! With a new week comes the continuation of the Second Annual SwitchRPG Awards. Today, we’re honoring those games that brought RPG fans together with our award for Best Multiplayer RPG! While role playing games are the traditionally thought of as single-player experiences, more and more titles are released each year that bring players together – either working together or against one another towards a common goal. Our nominees in this category include a broad spectrum of titles: silly and serious, casual and hardcore, and overall featuring an eclectic collection of gameplay styles suitable for anyone’s tastes. Just one can get the final award, but each is well worth you- and your friend’s- time to sit down and enjoy!

The Nominees

And the Winner Is…

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

A game built from the grand-up with multiplayer in mind, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 was a welcome surprise this year, both with its announcement, its exclusivity, and the level of enjoyment it brought to both RPG and Marvel fans in general. While its release was partially overshadowed by Fire Emblem Three Houses, the game has carved out a nice niche for itself, with people taking on the roles of Marvel’s greatest heroes and working together to fight, build their skills, and save the universe from decimation. With more DLC announced at the recent Video Game Awards, there’s no doubt that Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3 will continue to be a stellar multiplayer experience in the months and years to come.

Community Pick: Pokémon Sword and Shield

The streak has ended! After a series of five awards with our staff and community picks in alignment, the SwitchRPG fanbase finally went their own way today, giving their pick for Best Multiplayer RPG to Pokémon Sword and Shield with 41 percent of the votes. While its easy to take for granted, Pokémon games are one of the few RPG franchises that let players mash their parties against each other in head-to-head battles. With a thriving competitive community, an entire ecosystem of breeders and traders, and the newly added raid system in the mix, Pokémon Sword and Shield stand apart from other RPGs in a variety of ways, allowing you to enjoy the games with friends or strangers online.

Surprised by our pick? Do you wish the streak should have continued with a double-win for Pokémon? Or maybe one of our other two nominees scratched your multiplayer itch this year? Let us know your thoughts below, and come back tomorrow to see our award for Best Budget RPG!