The disclosure provides a multi-step shorting switch and an illumination device. The multi-step shorting switch includes a housing, wherein an upper surface or a side surface thereof is provided with an opening; a toggle device provided in the housing, wherein a top portion or a side surface, corresponding to the above opening, of the toggle device is provided with a toggle, the toggle passes through the opening, and a bottom portion of the toggle device is provided with a sliding contact member; and multiple contact terminals provided on a substrate, wherein the sliding contact member is configured to, in a sliding process caused by that the toggle is shifted, simultaneously contact at least two of the multiple contact terminals, to form multiple steps which are continuously in a turn-on status without a turn-off status. The multi-step shorting switch according to the disclosure solves problems in the related art that a switch circuit structure is complicated and a double-sided Printed Circuit Board (PCB) board is required, and has the beneficial effects that a structure is simple, and it may work with or without a single-sided PCB board.