Multiplayer and co-op options in video games were long restricted to everyone sharing a console, but soon evolved to offer online competitions and sessions too. Thanks to the Internet, players all over the world are more connected than ever before, and it’s great. However, nothing beats that feeling of playing a game on the couch together with a loved one, no matter if it’s a puzzle game or a shooter.
Most Important Co-Op Games
Without these titles, the world of co-op gaming may not have evolved in the right direction.
There aren’t many multiplayer games nowadays that offer couch co-op, but the ones that do should be coveted. As fun as these games are, they can create some arguments, hopefully in good fun. In the heat of things, words will be said because these games can be stressful for several reasons.
It Takes Two
A Marriage In Danger
It Takes Two
- Released
- March 26, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- Co-Op Options: Two Local/Online
It Takes Two was designed with co-op in mind, so it can only be played by two people. The subject matter involves a husband and wife about to get a divorce, but their child disapproves, so they wish against it, thus turning the parents into dolls. Thanks to a magical book, the two have to go through a campaign involving various mini-games designed around saving their marriage, but they’re not so cooperative with each other. Communicating objectives can be tricky, but it is fun, even as dark as the subject matter can be.
Overcooked 2
Yes Chef!
Overcooked 2
- Released
- August 7, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
- Co-Op Options: Four Local/Online
Overcooked 2 may as well be called “The Bear Simulator,” named after the show, because the moment-to-moment gameplay in this cooking game can be as hectic as being in a real kitchen. In co-op, each mode will have the AI randomly select dishes for the party to prepare, and to get the best flow going, every player must be at their station. From washing dishes to chopping vegetables, everyone is important, and if one player falls behind, it can jam up the line. That’s why communication is important in this couch co-op game, even though it often leads to yelling.
Cuphead
Get Ready For A Wallop
Cuphead
- Released
- September 29, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ for Everyone 10+: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Co-Op Options: Two Local
Cuphead is an obvious pick because the game is notoriously difficult in single-player, and it can get even more complicated in co-op. It’s a 2D game with hand-drawn animations, focusing on lengthy boss battles that are beyond challenging to get through thanks to hard to hard-to-dodge attacks. The benefit of playing co-op is that players can revive each other, but if someone is bad at counters, then they may not be able to revive their partners with ease, which can lead to arguments over who cost the match.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
A Fun, But Complicated GameCube Set Up
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
- Released
- February 9, 2004
- ESRB
- Teen // Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Co-Op Options: Four Local (GameCube Version)
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was first released on the GameCube, wherein all four players had to have a Game Boy Advance to control their characters, with the screen set up as a map and item guide. Players could create their character and then traverse with their party into dungeons, but the catch was that players always had to have a bucket, which would protect them from the Miasma, which drains HP for those outside of the bucket's protection.
Best Co-Op Games With Different Classes
Customize your character and class in these co-op adventures.
Arguments would often erupt about who has to carry the bucket instead of fighting, and also curing wounds was a heated subject, as things could get intense quickly during the action combat. There’s a remaster on consoles now, but it’s only online and doesn’t have that same multiplayer feel as the original, so even though it can create tension, the GameCube version is still worth setting up for game night.
Super Mario Party
Seeing Stars
Super Mario Party
- Released
- October 5, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Party Game
- Co-Op Options: Four Local
The Mario Party series is designed for the whole family to enjoy, but that doesn’t mean parents, kids, or friends won’t start to shout when things go unfairly. Super Mario Party's main mode finds players in a board game wherein they will roll dice and go through mini-games, trying to get as many Stars as possible to win. Sometimes the dice rolls can seem unfair if one player has a big advantage with luck, or they are good at the randomized mini-games, which can often be complicated to memorize in a short span.
River Survival Mode is a four-player co-op mode that flips the norm, as players can work together, but it can be hard to communicate how players should accomplish their goals. Rowing with four is about as complicated as patting the head and rubbing the stomach.
Cadence Of Hyrule: Crypt Of The NecroDancer Featuring The Legend Of Zelda
Hop To The Beat
Cadence of Hyrule
- Released
- June 13, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action, Rhythm
- Co-Op Options: Two Local
Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the NecroDancer Featuring The Legend of Zelda is a Zelda spinoff that finds Cadence, from Crypt of the NecroDancer, zapped into Hyrule, who must help Link and Zelda stop an evil musical mage from taking over the land. Instead of attacking enemies like a normal top-down Zelda adventure, players will have to step to the beat and match the rhythm, much like Crypt of the NecroDancer, and thankfully, it can be easy alone because the music rules.
However, with a co-op partner, it can be much harder to time the beats, leading to bad coordination, which may be okay on the world map, but it can be disastrous during boss battles.
Spelunky 2
Traps Galore
Spelunky 2
- Released
- September 15, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Roguelike, Platformer
- Co-Op Options: Four Local/Online
Spelunky 2 is a 2D roguelike platformer, wherein each playthrough will be randomized. Unlike other roguelikes, Spelunky 2 does not have a progression system, so each run will be just as challenging as the last. Everything will want to kill players, from enemies to traps, and when one player falls behind, it can be bad for the whole group. Corpses can be revived via coffins in the next room, but they’re not easy to find. Putting that burden on the party is not exactly ideal since it slows things down and makes everyone more vulnerable.
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House Of Ashes
Death Defies You
The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes
- Released
- October 22, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m // Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Co-Op Options: Five Local/Two Online
The Dark Pictures Antholog y games are standalone interactive horror games, great for big groups to play together on the couch. One standout, The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, features a group of soldiers getting trapped in an ancient underground ruin when things start to happen. Each chapter changes the playable character, and there are five in total, meaning that five players on the couch will be prompted to swap the controller.
10 Co-Op Games With 90+ Scores On Open-Critic
From life sims to RPGs, you can’t go wrong with these co-op games, and their high review scores on OpenCritic back up their stellar reputations.
The party will often yell at the player about what choice they think they should make, which can be nerve-racking thanks to time-sensitive choices. If that character dies, be prepared to hear about it all night, because once dead, that’s it, and the story will continue without them.
LittleBigPlanet 3
Cute But Challenging
LittleBigPlanet 3
- Released
- November 18, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Comic Mischief, Mild Cartoon Violence, Tobacco Reference
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Platformer
- Co-Op Options: Four Local/Online
Despite the cute aesthetics of the Sackboy character, the LittleBigPlanet series is challenging, with LittleBigPlanet 3 being downright brutal at times. The big gimmick in this sequel is the added new SackBoy characters to control, all of which are controlled differently. Not everything was mechanically sharp, so getting through mazes designed for these specific characters and timing jumps could be difficult and time-consuming. Also, checkpoints only allowed so many deaths, so when one player kept wasting them, it brought the whole party down.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
The Hurt Locker
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
- Released
- October 8, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
- Co-Op Options: Four Local
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a bomb disposal simulator wherein each playthrough will be different. One person has to be in charge of disarming the bomb, and the rest of the party ideally has a specific job. For example, one player will walk the diffuser through which wires to cut, while another will go through symbols or language barriers to decipher. There is a manual for each part of the process, and it doesn’t help that the timer is ticking down quickly. It’s about as stressful as disarming a bomb in real life, minus the life-threatening situation.
Soulslike Games With Better Combat Than Dark Souls
Dark Souls is important to the Soulslike genre, but does it have the best combat? Or do these other Soulslikes have it beat?