Video games don’t need to be a solitary experience. Some of the most fun one can have in a game is with their friends or partners. The best co-op games bridge the gap between single-player experiences and multiplayer lobbies, bringing the best of both worlds. You get to laugh, cry, and get angry at each other while not having to spend a dime on an expensive dinner outside.
That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best co-op games you can play with your friends or partner. These games require two or more players to work together, so both people have to pay attention. Some of them will test the limits of your relationship, while others will act as a backdrop for you to spend a cozy night with your loved one. The others will probably break decade-old friendships. Whichever you choose to play, you’ll both have fun and hopefully come out of it stronger together.
Portal 2
If it ain’t broke, why fix it? But it can be improved. Portal 2 improves nearly every aspect of the original classic but also adds a separate co-op campaign as a bonus. The co-op story is set after the events of the first game, and you get to play as robots instead of humans. It’s a different perspective on the game’s universe, bolstered by the inventive co-op gameplay.
Portal 2 is available on PC (Steam) and Nintendo Switch in the Portal: Companion Collection.
It Takes Two
Forget co-op, It Takes Two is one the best games of the last decade, period. As far as storytelling in a co-op game goes, It Takes Two takes the cake with a heartfelt narrative about a couple on the brink of divorce. You play as either Cody or May who, after getting trapped in the bodies of their daughter’s toys, must figure out how to work together while on a fantastical quest.
It Takes Two’s gameplay sees mechanics borrowed from various genres, with a focus on platforming and puzzle-solving. Throughout the game, you’ll also be partaking in various minigames scattered throughout its Toy Story-inspired maps. It’s the perfect game for new couples to bond together, and may even bring you closer to your partner if you’re in a rough patch.
It Takes Two is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch consoles.
Overcooked! 2
Team17
If there’s one word that describes Overcooked! 2, it’s “chaotic”. Have you ever watched an episode of The Bear? Yeah, Overcooked! 2 is a little reminiscent of that. You’ll need to prepare cuisines while trying not to mess up your partner’s cooking and pathway while having to hit strict deadlines.
It’s as much a cooking game as it is a platformer, with the game constantly changing how the kitchen looks and works to keep you on your toes. Play Overcooked! 2 as you wait for your Uber Eats.
Overcooked! 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch.
A Way Out
A Way Out paved the way for It Takes Two with its impressive presentation and seamless melding of co-op mechanics. A Way Out is a split-screen co-op game where both players take on the role of Vincent and Leo, two prisoners who plan a prison escape.
While it takes obvious cues from the movies that inspired it, A Way Out is saved by its inventive co-op-level design. The characters aren’t the most complex, but the story has a lot of twists that will keep you and your partner guessing.
A Way Out is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One consoles and is backward compatible with PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Evil West
Evil West is exactly what it looks like. It’s a third-person, gunslinging, vampire-shooting, spaghetti western homage in the form of a video game that’s a throwback to the Xbox 360 days. It’s campy and the developers know it, and that’s exactly how its co-op works.
Evil West’s co-op mode has both players taking on the role of Jesse Rentier, cowboy/monster hunter. Its story is linear and progress only carries over for the host in a co-op session, though it’s not exactly a replayable game. That’s why getting a friend to join you to shoot demons and vampires is a good idea. The co-op mode also slightly switches up some encounters so going back to the single-player mode will be a different experience.
Evil West is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
We Were Here
We Were Here relies on clear communication between players to solve its puzzles. Unlike most co-op games on this list, We Were Here keeps both players separate for the majority of the playtime. One player is stuck in the library reading riddles while the other player gets to explore the castle and solve them.
Both players use their walkie-talkies to keep in contact, which adds to the old-school exploration vibe that We Were Here nails. Each game in the series explores a different location, but the first one remains iconic and it’s free (at least on PC)!
We Were Here is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One consoles and is backwards compatible on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
It’s the most wholesome game on this list, and are you really surprised that it’s a Mario game? The Italian plumber has always delivered joy to many households with his adventures, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder delivers the same. While the levels don’t fundamentally change in their design, you never know what crazy things a Wonder seed will add.
Players can choose to play as any one of 12 characters in the game, collecting power-ups, turning into Elephant versions of themselves, and generally jumping on goombas. Super Mario Bros. Wonder lives up to its name in every way imaginable.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is available on the Nintendo Switch.
Cuphead
Cuphead is a tough game, so spare your friend if they fail to jump and dodge projectiles at the right moment. If you think adding a second player to Cuphead is going to make things easier, then you’re in for a rude awakening. It also makes for a great prank. You boot up the game and your partner thinks it’s a cute 1930s-inspired cartoon, and then the horror starts.
Cuphead is a brilliant run-and-gun shooter that tests your patience and will at every turn. Be prepared to break that controller that your partner gifted you, apologize, and take them out to dinner. And then come back to playing Cuphead as you exact your revenge on the Devil himself for ruining your date night.
Cuphead can be played on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. It can be played on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S via backwards compatibility.
