The best co-op games guarantee hours of multiplayer fun, whether you’re sitting next to each other at home or playing with a friend online.
Co-op games, as the name suggests, are all about cooperative gameplay. You and your friends must work together to battle tricky foes, solve puzzles, scour for loot, and more.
As much as co-op games can bring people together, they also have the potential to divide friends in the name of competition. Some games purposefully present working together as a test of patience and can inspire (playful) feuds by frustrating all players equally.
Many successful co-op games either give you a handicap so working together becomes a necessity. Others amp up the fantasy and chaos elements by complicating the mundanity of familiar tasks like cooking or moving.
If playing against others is more your speed, you can do that in most of these games, too. Alternatively, check our list of the best multiplayer games. Like to go it alone? Then the best single-player games are a better choice for you.
Grab your controller and let’s check out the best co-op games out there!
Best co-op games
It Takes Two (Image credit: Electronic Arts)
It Takes Two
Team work makes the dream work
Reasons to buy
+
Family friendly
+
Takes elements from lots of genres
+
Fun for gamers and non-gamers
+
Friend’s Pass available
Reasons to avoid
–
Some levels are a bit drawn out
Platforms available: PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC
Online or couch co-op? Both
It Takes Two is a fun, tongue-in-cheek adventure that creator Josef Fares famously said anyone would enjoy – or he would issue them a refund. Fares’ strategy must’ve paid off (no pun intended), because It takes Two was one of the best games of 2021 and is easily one of the best co-op games right now.
The story of a husband and wife who are enchanted and have to cooperate in order to turn back into their real selves is built for co-op play from the ground up, just like Hazelight’s previous game No Way Out. The fantastical theme offers even more opportunities for varied and fun gameplay. It takes Two is a memorable experience, one that even people who usually don’t enjoy playing with others should make time for.
Rocket League (Image credit: Psyonix)
Rocket League
Have a ball
Game Platform
Reasons to buy
+
Easy for newcomers to pick up
+
A league-based system online
+
Plenty of vehicle customizations and modes
Reasons to avoid
–
may not be for you if you get overwhelmed at chaos
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Online or couch co-op? Both
Rocket League, the game that sees you play soccer with cars, is persistently popular, even years after it was first released. Now that it’s a free-to-play game, there will always be others available to play with you and against you, that’s why the game is also on the list of the best multiplayer PC games.
Matches range from 1-v-1 to 4-v-4, so there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to gathering your friends for co-op play. Rocket League is a game that requires ceaseless communication, as you try to coordinate your team into a speeding carousel of goalkeeping, defending and attacking. There’s also a league-based system online, so you get a nice sense of progression as your team grows from a fumbling mess into a well-oiled machine.
Sea of Thieves (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)
Sea of Thieves
A pirate’s life for me
Reasons to buy
+
Regular exciting updates
+
Playing with different people keeps things varied
+
Ever-evolving world
Platforms available: Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC
Online or couch co-op? Online
This is a stirring example of a game that hit the ground stumbling but really caught the wind in its sails over the last four years. Sea of Thieves tasks up to four players with manning a ship, and sailing around a vibrant, cartoon Caribbean-style set of islands in search of plunder, adventure and notoriety.
While the game used to feel loose and a little purposeless in the beginning, it’s now filled out to become an ever-evolving world of possibilities. You follow maps to skeleton-infested coves, fight mythical sea creatures, and take on other player-controlled ships and crews. There’s even an overarching story to keep tabs on.
Sea of Thieves is the ultimate freewheeling pirate fantasy, designed purposely to be played alongside a motley crew of scurvy-infested sea rats you call your friends. It’s easily one of the best co-op games right now, as well as one of the best Xbox Series X and best Xbox One games.
Overcooked 2 (Image credit: Ghost Town Games)
Overcooked 2
Un-bread rising
Game Platform
Reasons to buy
+
A variety of recipes and kitchens
+
Frantic, silly fun
+
Lots of levels
Reasons to avoid
–
You will definitely fall out with your friend
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S if you pick up the All You Can Eat compilation)
Online or couch co-op? Both
In a bid to defeat the ‘Un-bread’ (zombie baked goods), in Overcooked 2 you and up to three other players must prepare a variety of recipes including sushi, pizza, and burgers while working in increasingly chaotic restaurants. To add to the frantic fun, you must battle obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors, and interfering passers by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time.
Things get complicated incredibly quickly, and relationships, friendships, and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time, making it one of the best co-op games for that very reason – after all, it is as the saying goes, “too many cooks spoil the broth.”
We recommend picking up the original Overcooked too, if you haven’t played it already. If you’re fortunate enough to have a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S then you can pick up Overcooked: All You Can Eat, a compilation that includes the first and second games alongside all the DLC for both.
GTA Online (Image credit: Rockstar)
GTA Online
Chaotic playground
Game Platform
PS3, PS4, XBox One
Reasons to buy
+
Huge, dense world
+
Plenty of activities
+
Regular updates
Reasons to avoid
–
Other players can be a pain
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
Online or couch co-op? Online
What began as a barebones online mode some nine years ago has grown into one of the best co-op games. While playing with strangers tends to be shambolic, gather a crew of friends and you’ll have all the madness of San Andreas at your fingertips. The incredible roleplaying in GTA Online is also absolutely infamous by now.
You can run around the world freely causing general mayhem or take on competing crews in dedicated missions. The best co-op experiences, however, are in the game’s multi-part heists. There’s nothing like robbing a bank and running out to an alley where your driver screeches up right on cue, then fleeing for the hills with police klaxons in your rear-view mirror.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Image credit: Larian Studios)
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition
A modern RPG for the ages
Reasons to buy
+
Flexible and freeing systems
+
Classic RPG foundation
+
Multiple ways to progress
Reasons to avoid
–
Can be hard to keep track of quests
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch
Online or couch co-op? Both
Everyone who’s invested hundreds of hours into RPGs has at some point fantasized about playing through an entire campaign with a friend. Divinity: Original Sin 2 goes one better, and makes co-op arguably the best way to play the campaign.
Up to four players (two in split-screen) can freely roam around Divinity’s rich, story-filled game world. You can stick together as a unit, maximizing your chances during the challenging turn-based combat, or split up to try to find your own ways of solving quests. Additionally, there are in-game conversations between player-characters that shape their personality and ultimately how you play through the game.
Original Sin 2 feels as if every single decision matters, whether that’s in conversation, combat or exploration. For that incredible feat, it’s a great co-op experience and also one of the best RPGs.
Monster Hunter: World (Image credit: Capcom)
Monster Hunter: World
Friends who slay together…
Reasons to buy
+
Rich environments
+
Captivating monsters
+
Plenty of secrets to uncover
Reasons to avoid
–
Combat can feel rigid
–
Camera can be a bit erratic
Platforms available: PS4, PC and Xbox One
Online or couch co-op? Online
The long-running oddball series finally grabbed the attention of the whole world with its latest installment, refining many of the more awkward bits while doubling down on making its primordial Jurassic world a hostile joy to explore and one of the best co-op games.
Although perhaps a little fiddlier to set up than would be ideal, you can group up with your friends and hunt scaled-up versions of formidable dinosaur-like beasts together. The sheer variety of weapons offers many tactical opportunities; for instance, assign someone to buff the squad while one player shoots from afar and the others get stuck into the melee with their swords and spears.
Monster Hunter: World’s dynamic world means that the unexpected can always happen; another monster may join the fray or the ground may collapse beneath your feet. It means that even with friends, it’s a world that never stops feeling wild and dangerous.
The sequel, Monster Hunter Rise, is available on PC and Switch and also comes highly recommended.
Minecraft (Image credit: Microsoft/Mojang)
Minecraft
Pixelated playground
Reasons to buy
+
Fun for all ages
+
Loads of ways to play
+
Playground of creativity
Reasons to avoid
–
Some may find the building parts boring
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android and iOS
Online or couch co-op? Both, but split-screen is a console-exclusive feature only available for certain editions of the game.
Thi is the ultimate co-op experience, allowing players to grab blocks and build worlds together that are only limited by imagination. The beauty of Minecraft is that it can be played co-operatively across different platforms, that’s why it’s also made our list of the best crossplay games .The main world can for example be hosted on PC , while others jump in using an Android or iOS device.
If you don’t know what Minecraft is all about, then get out from under that rock. However, in its simplest terms, Minecraft is a block-building simulator that seemingly has no limits.
Of course, you can go hardcore and join the numerous PC-based Minecraft servers seeded on the Internet using the original Java-based version of the game. And the creations you can find are simply mind-boggling, ranging from the reconstructing of actual cities to a full-scale Starship Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
How did a sandbox game about blocks become a worldwide phenomenon? Check out the history of Minecraft.
Gears 5 (Image credit: The Coalition)
Still slick
Reasons to buy
+
Visually intoxicating
+
Plenty of multiplayer modes
+
New mechanics make it feel fresh
Reasons to avoid
–
Open world elements feel off
–
Doesn’t flesh out narrative
Platforms available: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC
Online or couch co-op? Both
Gears 5 is fantastic, and it’s made even better if you take advantage of its co-op. If you haven’t played any entries in the Gears series, all you need to know is that it’s a third-person shooter that will get your adrenaline pumping.
Players step into the shoes of Kait Diaz for the first time who, following the events of Gears of War 4, is trying to come to terms with the death of her mother, unravel the twisted roots of her family tree and deal with her own personal baggage. Meanwhile, humanity is being threatened once more – this time by the Swarm, the successor to the Locust horde.
Not only can you play through the game’s campaign with a friend, you can team up with others in multiplayer horde mode, escape mode or in versus matches.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (Image credit: Ubisoft)
Rainbow Six Siege
Reasons to buy
+
Communication vital
+
Focus on strategy
+
Regular updates
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, PC and Xbox One
Online or couch co-op? Online
Even if you’re not the type to rack up headshots every evening after work in Call of Duty, don’t be so quick to write off Rainbow Six Siege as “just another competitive first-person shooter”. It’s not. Ubisoft has come a long way in realizing the Rainbow Six series’ potential. With the advent of online gaming, the publisher was able to take teamwork to an entirely new level with Siege.
While the game is mostly about cultivating brief yet unforgettable relationships with other players in fully destructible environments, it also requires a fair share of planning. Because of the limited resources you’re given in each mission, it’s essential to keep communication purely tactical in order to take down the opposing side.
Unfortunately there’s no real story to speak of here, but if you’re interested in joining up with a few buddies online for countless hours’ worth of strategy-focused competitive gaming, Rainbow Six Siege is a safe bet.
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