30 best co-op games to play right now

There’s more depth to Human: Fall Flat than you might suspect by glancing at its goofy physics and non-descript characters. Yes, its deliberately complicated controls make for lots of wacky fails, and trying to do something as simple as climb up a wall makes you look like a flopping fish out of water. But there’s some serious puzzling here, and you’ll need a fair amount of brainpower and coordination, not to mention luck, to pull off the toughest tasks.

The muted visuals belie the variety of the challenges ahead: you’ll pull the levers of a crane to send a wrecking ball through a wall, pilot a giant freighter ship into port, and switch conveyor belts on and off to move blocks around in a power plant. While the singleplayer can be frustrating at times, having a friend makes everything funnier. A missed jump (and don’t worry, they’ll be plenty), is cause for celebration rather than despair. When playing solo, hanging on for dear life while failing to reach a ledge is frustrating – in co-op, your partner can reach down, grab you by the head and fling you over their shoulder. Job done.

Play it on: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4

22. We Were Here

Co-op style: Online and local

The We Were Here trilogy is all about clear communication. Two adventurers are split up and put through a series of escape rooms. While one person tries to solve the puzzle, the other feeds them clues from their own room. By describing your environment and observing how it changes, you’ll be able to puzzle your way out together, often by matching symbols between rooms (which is harder than it sounds when you’re trying to describe a bunch of squiggly lines that all look the same).

The first game is the shortest, but it’s also completely free, so it’s where you should start. Here, one player takes the role of explorer while another is a librarian. The librarian is the one with all the clues, but in We Were Here Too and We Were Here Together, the roles are more equally split. 

Play it now: PC

21. Payday 2

Co-op type: Online

Sometimes you just feel like robbing a bank. Payday 2 might only do one thing but it does it well as you and four friends  case joints, play with alarms, and try to rob a bank as much as possible before the police get involved. It’s a much more focused experience than some co-op games but that clear direction makes for some some great tension as you rely on your friends to stick to the plan and not shoot the first customer that looks at them funny.  

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Turn to page 2 for more of our best co-op games…

20. Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Co-op type: Local

If you fancy something a little lighter, that you can take your time with, then Mario XCOM’s turn-based battles are perfect for an afternoon of strategising with a friend. If you’ve not played it before then don’t be fooled by the happy plumber and the fat rabbits in costume. This is a challenge that starts off simple and slowly ramps up to seriously involving multistage battles and boss fights. Before long you’ll be pacing the floor to discuss tactics and planing your attack before grabbing the Joy-Cons and (hopefully) making the winning move. 

Play it on: Switch 

19. Borderlands 3

Co-op style: Online

Borderlands has always been better with friends. What good is a shotgun that chains electric damage between enemies, or a rifle that spits out bouncing saw blades, if you haven’t got a buddy at your side to watch it in action? The main attraction of the series has always been finding ever-wackier guns to shoot at ever-wackier enemies, and Borderlands 3 is the wackiest in the series so far. Many weapons have absurd alternate fire modes, and the world is bigger and far more varied.

In previous Borderlands, loot was shared between players, which meant you had to fight over the best guns. You can play Borderlands 3 that way (its called Coopetition), but in Cooperation mode you’ll get your own discrete pile of weapons showering out of enemies, so you never have to share.

Play it on: PC, PS4, Xbox One

18. Divinity: Original Sin 2

Co-op type: Online

Perhaps not one for a quick casual game with a friend, given this is a huge RPG environment filled with more potential, stories and events than most of us will ever see in one go. But, if you fancy a really deep co-op experience then this will keep you busy for years. As well as an entire nuanced world to explore you can play co-operatively or competitively, with players potentially trying to complete missions in different ways, or to different ends.  

Play it on: PC

17. Cuphead

Co-op style: Online and Local

Cuphead might just be the best-looking game of the last decade, or at least the most stylish. It looks like a mash-up of all the best cartoons from the 1930s – but you’d be forgiven for not noticing that when you’re in the thick of it, because it’s also an ultra-difficult boss rush platformer where you’ll die hundreds of times trying to beat its imaginative enemies. 

Having another player on screen can actually make it more cluttered, and therefore more difficult. But the struggles are worth it when you finally down that boss on your 34th try, and whoop for joy over your headset. You’ll face a casino owner with a dice for a head, a genie on a magic carpet, and a psychedelic carrot. They’re all wonderfully-designed – but don’t stop and stare, because a moment’s hesitation means certain death.

Play it on: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

16. Monster Hunter World

Co-op type: Online

This might not be quite as welcoming to newcomers as regular players are so insistent to insist, but stick with it and Monster Hunter World is huge amounts of fun as you take down big monsters as a team. The online system is a bit weird, though – requiring several steps just to be online, then a few more to post a quest, and people can’t join until you’ve cleared cutscenes and so on… but once you get use to all that, the interplay between you and your friends as you track and battle huge creatures is top stuff. There’s a bewildering array of weapons and gear, meaning you and your team can explore numerous possibilities and combinations. 

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

15. GTA Online

Co-op type: Online

There was a time where Grand Theft Auto 5’s style of murderous on
line meant you needed a friend, preferably several, if you want to just survive for more than a few seconds. Now, however, there’s a vast array of activities and things do, even without simple player created goals like ‘breaking into the army base’ or ‘shooting everyone you can see’. After years of updates and additions, it has become and expansive digital playground of things to do with friends. Everything from team games to bank heists, races, stunt courses and more. 

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

14. PHOGS

Co-op style: Online and local

Completing Phogs definitely requires plenty of co-operation as you and your pal will take control of a two-headed sausage dog – each of you taking one of its heads, connected together by a long, stretchy body. Together you’ll have to bite, bounce, and bark your way through a series of puzzles set across three unique worlds. Each one is utterly adorable, and is themed around a phog’s favourite things – Food, Sleep, and Play. As you work your way through them, it’s easy to appreciate the fact each world – and the levels within it – offers a unique way to utilize your good phog abilities and your co-op power. It’s a delight that also feels like going on a walk in a cheese dream with a friend. Just wait until you see the hat shops too. 

Play it on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One (also on Game Pass)

13. Stardew Valley

Co-op style: Online and local

Stardew Valley hands you the keys to a run-down farm in a small, lazy town and asks you to turn its fortunes around. But it’s not pushy: you and your friends can do as many or as few chores as you want. You can chop up wood and plant crops, fish and trade, craft and scavenge, or you can just wander around town chatting to the pleasant townsfolk. This game became famous for its relaxing singleplayer mode, but the online co-op is, in our opinion, the best way to play. 

If you’ve already got a save going, you need to build some cabins to add your friends, or you can all start a new game with a shared farm (progress only saves for the host). With up to three co-op partners, you can come up with freeform projects, dividing up tasks to hasten production. Or just sit around, watching the sun go up and down – it’s your farm, your rules.

Play it on: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One

12. Knights and Bikes

Co-op type: Local and Online

Taking on the roles of tough girls Nessa and Demelza, Knight and Bikes sees you exploring Penfurzy Island in a Goonies-inspired tale where bikes are king, and mischief is paramount. It’s made by Moo Yu and Rex Crowle, who are both ex-Media Molecule, so, as you can imagine, it’s infused with quirk, cuteness, and the kind of spirit you can only find in a Famous Five book. Yes, the gameplay is about puzzle solving, mini-games of crazy golf, and riding your bike as fast as you can humanly pedal, but it’s also a heartfelt adventure about two kids that offers the kind of gameplay experience that you can rarely have. And it’s even better with a real-world friend by your side. 

Play it on: PS4, PC, Xbox (Also on Game Pass)

11. Sea of Thieves

Co-op type: Online

Although you can play Sea of Thieves solo, this is very much a game that encourages you to tell stories, and, more importantly create those tales with other people. Galleons can be sailed by crews of up to four, with adventures spinning out from the various voyages you undertake. That might be finding buried treasure, collecting goods to trade with the merchants, or hunting down undead pirate captains. Or, you know, fighting a Kraken or taking on a huge Skeleton Fort. 

Whatever you do in Sea of Thieves, you’ll need a crew. Then just let the hilarity commence.

Play it on: Xbox One and PC 

Turn to the next page for our top 10 best co-op games…

10. Diablo 3

Co-op style: Online and Local

Blizzard’s legendary action-RPG feels as tight and polished as it did on release eight years ago. Even if you’ve trounced its campaign several times, replaying with a friend always throws up new surprises, such as an unexpected build or combo that makes you see the combat in a whole new light. 

At their heart, the Diablo games have always been about the pursuit of ever-shinier loot. Having someone to share your latest, shiniest ring with makes those rare finds all the more thrilling, and being able to share drops between your party makes it easier to create powerful characters. Don’t worry too much about picking complimentary classes: just jump in and start swinging (or casting, or punching, or throwing…)

Play it on: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

9. Destiny 2

Co-op type: Online

Bungie’s sci-fi epic is built on the ability to join up with other players as much as possible. Part FPS, part MMO, Destiny 2‘s outstanding shooting mechanics and tempting loot grinds will keep you and your friends in for the long run, or at least until Destiny 3 inevitably comes out and everyone jumps ship. Not only are there a ton of Adventures, Strikes, Nightfalls, and six-person raids to participate in, but you’ll also find yourself working with random players you encounter in the world. 

Public Events literally fall out of the sky, tasking you and anyone nearby to fight off hordes of enemies for that extra piece of loot. If you’ve somehow never jumped on the Destiny train, you still have time to find and friend and become a Guardian pf the galaxy today. 

Play it on: PC, Xbox One, PS4

8. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Co-op style: Online or Local

The newest entry in one of the most wholesome series ever made feels like the perfect game to play in self-isolation. It’s just you, an island in the middle of nowhere, and a long checklist of meditative tasks. Pick up sticks. Shake trees for fruit. Decorate your home. The co-op experience is suitably gentle – you can’t live on a friend’s island, but you can visit, share resources, shop in their stores and complete projects together. Then, when you go off home, you can send them a thank-you postcard. Isn’t that sweet?

The process for inviting friends is slightly convoluted – head to the island airport to get started – but it keeps unwanted randoms from joining your game. Any visitors are limited in what they can do on your island until you name them a “best friend”, which frees them up for much more social interaction, including a chat system. Friendly messages only, please.

Play it on: Nintendo Switch

7. Snipperclips

Co-op type: Local and online

This two-person puzzler’s main gimmick is such a clever idea that you and a friend will easy waste half an hour just playing around with that alone, before even trying to solve anything. You each control a flat 2D character with the ability to cut pieces out of each other according to where you overlap. By using this ability you have to get through levels and solve puzzlers. It’s a simple but incredibly rich concept and something that works perfectly on Switch, with each of you taking one Joy-Con to direct your little paper person about. 

Play it on: Switch

6. Portal 2

Co-op style: Online and Local

If it were playable on current-gen consoles,
Portal 2 would likely top this list. Right now, you can only play Portal 2 on PC, but don’t hold that against it. If you have a desktop or laptop that can run it (and most can), and a friend that can do the same, then you’re in for one of the best co-op experiences of your life. The co-op campaign is a noticeable jump in difficulty from the already fiendish original. Not only will you and a friend, who each control a loveable robot, have to put your heads together to figure out how to finish a test chamber, but you’ll often have to time your movements and actions just right. If one player jumps a split second early, or activates a button too late, the whole plan falls apart. 

It makes communication vital, and each puzzle all-the-more rewarding to solve. On top of those puzzles is a layer of Valve’s unmistakable humour, and GLaDOS (remember her?) is once again the star. You can high-five your friend, play rock paper scissors or, if you’re feeling evil, dunk them into deadly goo by pulling a bridge up from under their feet.

Play it on: PC, Xbox One (via backwards compatibility)

5. Call of Duty: Warzone

Co-op style: Online

While battle royale games aren’t co-op in the traditional sense, they are undisputedly co-operative, so we wanted to include at least one on this list. Fortnite, PUBG and Apex Legends are all worthy contenders, but the free-to-play Call of Duty: Warzone is a fresh twist on the well-trodden formula. Its 150-player matches guarantee action; when you die you have a chance to instantly respawn by winning a 1v1 fight; and you can pick up objective-filled “contracts” that give structure to each round. Plus, it supports complete crossplay between PC, PS4 and Xbox One, so you can squad up with your friends regardless of their platform of choice. 

Apex Legends still has, arguably, a superior ping system for communicating without a headset, so if you want to play with randoms, it might be your best bet. But if you’ve got a couple of friends eager to join you then Warzone is a guaranteed good time.

Play it on: PC, PS4, Xbox One

4. Overcooked 2

Co-op type: Local and online

Overcooked 2 sounds simple – prepare a bunch of meals as chefs within a certain time limit. Easy. Well, not so much. While there are up to four of you playing, it starts to get tricky to keep track of the game’s various commands and stipulations, as well as avoiding various hazards and pitfalls in the kitchen itself. This can lead to some frantic play, and only the most cohesive of teams will get those dishes out on time. 

The levels are insane, the menus increasingly complex and overall this is a mad, mad existence of a game. But, hilarious fun too. Warning: may cause bickering among even the closest friends, partners and family members. 

Play it on: Xbox One, PS4, PC, Switch

3. Fortnite 

Co-op type: Online and Local (splitscreen available in limited modes)

Fortnite is a shining example of a game that gets more fun the more friends you have playing with you, and what’s even better is that its insanely popular Battle Royale mode is totally free. Weekly challenges keep things fresh so you have something new to do every week, and as each season comes and goes there are new updates thrown in and major map changes as the story subtly evolves.

Even still in Early Access, Epic’s charming Save The World base-defense/shooter/survival game hybrid is a better platform for cooperative play than many full releases. Not only does playing with a handful of friends give you a better chance to fend of waves of husks or construct the ultimate base, those friends can also provide you valuable XP boosts and a better chance to nab some of Fortnite’s massive catalog of rare loot. 

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

2. Minecraft

Co-op type: Local (on console and PC) and online

Yes, Minecraft gets everywhere but for good reason: its digital building block world has endless imagination-filled potential. You can team up with friends to build pointless structures, or grand engineering feats of construction. Or you can just bounce about the place creating chaos and generally hanging out. It’s lack of rigid structure means you and your friends can get up to anything – whether that’s an evening of messing about or a longer term project you can take your time over. 

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, iOS, Android

1. A Way Out

Co-op type: Local and online

It’s rare that a game is only playable in co-op, but that’s exactly what A Way Out does. Whether you’re splashing the water to usher fish to each other; going back to back to shimmy up a wall gap; passing a chisel between cells to find an exit route; or even just playing Connect Four or a game of basketball, the co-op never feels like an added extra, it’s all built for you to enjoy together in a way that’s satisfying and worthwhile regardless of the scale of the interaction.

You’re two criminals trying to find a way out of prison and a step closer to redemption, but more importantly this is one story that you must experience together. And it’s the best co-op game we’ve ever played. 

Play it on: PS4, Xbox One and PC

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