Having video games as your favorite pastime occasionally means settling in for a good EXP grind, even after working a nine-to-five. Putting in the work to level up, get items, and unlock things has been a key part of many gameplay loops almost as long as games have been around. Sometimes, though, game time means getting together with friends and actually unwinding while you play.
10 Co-Op Games That Shaped Modern Gaming More Than Players Realized
The current state of co-op would look much different without these games.
Luckily, multiplayer games are just as common as grinding in games, and it’s extremely common for friends to have a co-op game as the reason behind hanging out. All kinds of titles invite and encourage players to drag someone to play with them these days, with some encouraging the group to slow down together. Through these unique interactive experiences, even players a whole world away can take their time to think things through and reap rewards for it, when they’re tired of the usual grind.
10 Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
Comfy Classic Co-Op
As a life-long gamer who has grown up and made friends through platformers, I can swear by them as a genre that’s the bread-and-butter of co-op. Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is a great starting point for new players, the perfect way to get into a great puzzle-platformer series that’s been around since 2009. In this entry, you’re making a grand journey to chase a prince, who accidentally let out the darkness in his soul by accident when learning from his father’s spell book.
As a gorgeous 2.5D title, Trine 4 invites you to get immersed in your surroundings and enjoy it all, while you take the time to think about where you should place your wizard boxes. You could place things wherever, but doing that without stopping to strategize won’t get you very far.
9 Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Proving Even Panic Can Be Fun
If chaos wasn’t fun, then Mario Party Superstars certainly wouldn’t be one of the best multiplayer Switch games today. Just because a game causes you to scream at your friends and can make you feel stressed, doesn’t mean it’s a grind.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a game where you shout at your friends while failing to understand basic bomb diffusing directions as a team. It’s what it says on the tin, so there are no unlockables or secrets that you should feel pressured to get. As long as you and your friends can keep calm against the ticking clock, strategy should save your virtual lives.
8 Portal 2
Now You’re Thinking With Portals
Portal 2 might seem like a cheap pick for this list, but it’s for good reason. As you explore the Aperture Science facility in its run-down state, the puzzles in Portal 2 are a delight to explore with a friend in co-op, and its gameplay still holds up well today.
10 Highly Reviewed Games You Beat in Five Hours Or Less
Not all titles have to last dozens of hours to mark you for life.
Portal is a title designed to make players stop and think. There’s always a little lull of confusion. Or you could tell your buddy you’ve figured the puzzle out, before shoving them into a falling spike trap. I’ve done it! If you haven’t played Portal 2 in a long time, revisiting it with an old or new friend will easily make the experience worthwhile. If you’ve never played, though, you may want to get used to the game in single-player first. The story of Chell overthrowing the controlling GLaDOS helps explain why you and a friend could explore the facility in co-op in the first place.
7 The Forest
Come For the Story, Stay for the Great Outdoors
The idea of a co-op survival horror game where you have to fight cannibalistic monsters sounds like a terrifying ride to drag your friends into. Fortunately for those who don’t like jumpscares, The Forest isn’t the most horrifying co-op experience out there, especially when your friends’ jokes while playing might take the edge off. It does have a beautiful and huge peninsula to explore however you want, though, which you can decorate with all sorts of different things through the power of teamwork.
There are no pre-set quests or requirements during The Forest’s story, so it’s actually a great co-op game that lets you explore and survive together freely in ways other games don’t.
6 Biped
Learn How to Walk Together
If you want to take on a new but not too stressful challenge with a friend, then Biped is here to fit that bill. The game’s movement system has one leg of each playable robot assigned to a different control stick, making it feel like you’re both controlling RC race cars and trying to synchronize your movements. You have to learn how to walk in a whole new way to get past a plethora of puzzles that test your teamwork and coordination.
Just like its cute art implies, Biped is a breezy adventure game that focuses on its movement system instead of rushing the players. If you liked how Portal 2 had some quiet moments of reflection, Biped is a step-up for those accustomed to laughing when falling off the edge in a game.
5 Cult of the Lamb
Starting a Cult Isn’t That Bad
Roguelike Cult of the Lamb naturally has lots to see, unlock, and personalize with the game’s cult customization. It makes me wish Hades had co-op. Its high-paced action feels incredible with the cult-based upgrades, and it’s even better with my partner besides me as the Goat to my Lamb.
If you decide to play the game with a friend, though, take care of your cult. It’s just better if you take a break between crusades to decorate or people watch. After all, the whole point of the game is that you have to make a cult in honor of the locked-away deity who brought you back from the brink of death. Helping that cult grow is critical.
10 Co-op RPGs for Players Who Want More Games Like It Takes Two
Friends make everything better!
Unfortunately, there has to be a catch somewhere. Cult of the Lamb is best as a couch co-op game, and I don’t recommend trying it on Steam’s remote play.
4 Carry the Glass
Literally Handle With Care
|
Platforms |
PC, PS4, Xbox Series X/S |
|
Players |
2 |
Everyone understands being careful with glass, so delivering a plane of glass like a cartoon in a game just makes sense. In Carry the Glass, you are both construction workers who control different ends of the pane between you. You have to communicate to avoid shattering the pane into pieces.
With gigantic swinging hammers and other cartoonish hazards to dodge, one wrong move might lead to your precious cargo cracking. Being careful is key in Carry the Glass, but saying “I’ve got it” and doing something stupid is always part of the fun with co-op games.
3 Dying Light
Save Yourselves or Die Trying
Out of the many multiplayer zombie apocalypse games, Dying Light can be shared almost entirely in co-op. With how organic and enjoyable its progression feels, it’s a big contender for this list. There’s hardly a grind to, well, grind. It also has fulfilling parkour, and that’s hard to argue against. Dying Light tells a gripping story of the desperation people will stoop to in order to survive life-altering disasters.
Dying Light even has an option to allow a fifth player to invade your games as the Night Hunter, which transforms the game and opens up a realm of strategic opportunities and replayability. It’s such a unique and stand-out experience, no matter how you play it, that not even the sequel matches what Dying Light originally brought to the table.
2 Split Fiction
Let Different Stories Change Your View
Sci-fi and fantasy are two completely different genres, but Hazelight Studios combines them into a co-op game that truly has something for everyone. My partner and I tackled this game because it seemed made for us, as I like sci-fi and they like fantasy. We found our own pace, and I’m sure that’s true for all those playing Split Fiction together.
Split Fiction is built in a way to have the most action-paced sections accessible, and it encourages players to discover their surrounding worlds by interacting with objects. By stopping to enjoy the environments, my partner and I discovered all the side stories organically on the first try. You can, too!
1 Super Mario 3D World
Share an Iconic Adventure… With Cats
The Super Mario series has always offered a way for people to play together ever since Luigi was introduced, but Super Mario 3D World stands as a testament to Nintendo’s philosophy of how games should be played and shared. I was lucky enough to play this one back when it first came out at a local preview event. I played with strangers I never met. Even though we missed secrets and cut each other off between parts of the level, we all laughed and connected and ended the session with smiles on our faces, like we had played games with each other for years.
When it comes to thinking about my next move in a game carefully with no pressure, Super Mario 3D World has always been a game that comes to mind. This is thanks to my many memories of exploring the Sprixie Kingdom and saving its many princesses. Perhaps one of the greatest Mario masterpieces of all time.
11 Best Couch Co-op Games With A Story Mode
Story campaigns aren’t only for solo players, plenty of games let you take the journey with a friend.
- Security Camera Installation – indoor/outdoor IP CCTV systems & video analytics
- Access Control Installation – key card, fob, biometric & cloud‑based door entry
- Business Security Systems – integrated alarms, surveillance & access control
- Structured Cabling Services – voice, data & fiber infrastructure for new or existing builds
- Video Monitoring Services – 24/7 remote surveillance and analytics monitoring
Author: 360 Technology Group
