Play Locally is a game mode in Nintendo Switch Sports, where 1-4 players on the same system play offline matches. There are some differences between it and Play Globally:
Features[]
- There is no Random option on the sport selection screen.
- Matches in Play Locally do not count towards unlocking collection items.
- There are 6 clothing items that can only be obtained in Play Locally, namely the "Outfit (Golden)" clothes for 7 of the 8 sports (except bowling, where it can also be obtained online).
- As is the case in Two Players, the game will refuse to allow local multiplayer on an undocked Switch (even if it's "Take Turns" bowling), as it requires "TV Mode" (i.e. that the Switch is docked).
Sports rules[]
Bowling[]
- The online elimination format is not used, and all players are guaranteed to bowl a full 10-frame match.
- Players can choose before the match whether to play regular bowling, or one of 3 difficulty levels of special bowling.
Golf[]
- Instead of the 5-hole online elimination format, players play 3, 9, or 18 holes, and are guaranteed to play through those holes.
- Players can turn on Shot Assist in the settings to make it easier to hit the ball correctly.
Soccer[]
- 3 extra modes are available that are not usually available in Play Globally: One-on-One, Free Practice, and Shoot-Out.
- The procedure for selecting Leg Strap is different. Instead of selecting it in the sport selection menu, Leg Strap is selected by pressing +/- on the "Press ZR + X" (Left Joy-Con: "Press ZL + ▲") screen.
Tennis[]
- Traditional scoring (15-30-40) is used, and matches are played as best of 1, 3, or 5 games.
- The positions on a 2-person tennis doubles team are selected before the match, and their positions are never switched mid-match.
Players and CPU[]
- Bowling, golf, tennis, and volleyball can be played with 1-4 players, whereas badminton, chambara, and soccer can be played with 1-2 players.
- As is the case in Two Players, whereas 1-player matches require a pair of Joy-Cons for its sole player, playing with 2 or more players in Play Locally allow assigning one Joy-Con to each of the 2 players (except in Soccer).
- Selectable CPU difficulty levels are Normal, Hard, and Powerhouse, all of which can be selected without needing to unlock them.
- Pressing ZR + R + A (Left Joy-Con: ZL + L + ▶) while selecting "OK" on the CPU difficulty screen for badminton, chambara, soccer, tennis, or volleyball, will make the CPU opponents Miis from Wii Sports with the Powerhouse difficulty.
- Pressing ZR + R + A (Left Joy-Con: ZL + L + ▶) while selecting Golf on the sport selection screen, will turn off the HUD, minimap, and shot meter for that golf match.