The Best Co-op Games to Play With Your Friends

CNET

15 hours ago

Playing with friends is an essential aspect of gaming, so it's no wonder games like Split Fiction and It Takes Two from Hazelight Studios were recent hits. Some of my best memories are of marathon gaming sessions with friends, either shoulder to shoulder on a couch or logging in online from across the country. Despite how gaming has changed over the years, one thing remains the same -- people love playing games together.
So, whether you're looking for a split-screen experience or just want something to hop into for a few hours with your friends, these are some of the best co-op games available right now.
Best co-op games right now
Best co-op games for two players
These games are best experienced with one other person, so grab a friend and get to work. A few in this section, like Split Fiction, It Takes Two and Cuphead, only require one copy of the game, which makes it even easier to play.
Hazelight Studios/EA Games A Way Out $30 at Steam $30 at Sony
Ever wanted to break out of prison with a partner? So have Vincent and Leo. Set in the 1970s, you'll uncover the protagonists' motivations for needing to escape and why they ended up in the slammer in the first place. Over the course of the game, you'll work together to enact your plan and stay ahead of the law.
Number of players: 2
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5
Genre: Action/adventure
Co-op style: Split screen or online $30 at Steam $30 at Sony
Valve Portal 2 $13 at Amazon
Arguably one of the most popular (and most quoted) games of all time, 14 years later, Portal 2's co-op campaign is still worth a playthrough. Armed with portal guns, players take control of robots Atlas and P-Body as they solve puzzles and uncover dark secrets hidden within Aperture Science Laboratories. With legendary voice acting and some of the best game writing that still holds up to this day, Portal 2 is a co-op adventure you shouldn't miss.
Number of players: 1-2
Platform: PC
Genre: First-person, action/adventure puzzler
Co-op style: Online or split screen $13 at Amazon
FromSoft Elden Ring Nightreign
$55 at Amazon
FromSoftware's Elden Ring Nightreign is the studio's first game with a multiplayer focus. You drop in to Limgrave, a well-known location to those who've played Elden Ring, with two other players. And while you can play with two people, the game is really tuned around having a full squad of three players.
Nightreign borrows aspects from battle royale games, like an ever-closing circle that forces you to move as you scavange items along the way. There are three levels, or nights, that you progress through as one of eight characters. At the end of each night, you'll fight bosses from across FromSoft's impressive repertoire with the build you've been able to put together, before culminating in a final battle with the Nightlord. It's an interesting spin on one of the best games that has been released in the last decade.
Number of players: 1-3
Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5
Genre: Roguelike
Co-op style: Online
$55 at Amazon
Best co-op games for four players
These games are better experienced with a crew at your back. Squad up with three friends and get ready to squash alien bugs, hunt monsters or battle waves of demons.
Arrowhead Game Studios Helldivers 2
$35 at Amazon
$35 at Target
Imagine being shot from your spaceship in a bullet-shaped Hellpod, hurtling down through an alien planet's atmosphere and plunging into the hard earth. You pop up, call in your weapons, and make your stand against an army of giant, democracy-destroying bugs, robots or space zombies called illuminates -- with three of your friends by your side. You will undoubtedly die, but that's a sacrifice Super Earth is willing to make.
The high-octane, third-person shooter gameplay Helldivers 2 delivers is truly unique. It's hard to beat the rush of calling down massive napalm strikes and giant orbital lasers as your friends provide covering fire against the hordes of enemies threatening to overtake you at any moment.
Number of players: 1-4
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S (starting Aug. 26)
Genre: Third-person shooter
Co-op style: Online
$35 at Amazon
$35 at Target
Klei Entertainment Don't Starve Together $15 at Steam
This spooky, hand-drawn title drops you and up to three friends into procedurally generated maps (that means each map is uniquely generated when you start a new game) filled with monsters. You're goal is to survive through the four seasons, each bringing different gameplay elements -- like temperature -- for players to contend with. You can choose from an eclectic character roster, each with their own unique abilities.
The game has you scrounging for resources in swamps, deserts and forests, building your base and tools, and fighting off monsters and the weather while doing your best not to starve. If you've ever wondered how you and your friends would fare in a survival situation, this one's for you.
Number of players: 1-4
Platform: PC, Xbox Series and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Survival crafting
Co-op style: Online or local $15 at Steam
Kinetic Games Phasmophobia $20 at Steam
Ever wanted to be a ghost hunter? Phasmophobia lets you and up to three friends investigate haunted locales, following clues and dealing with truly terrifying paranormal activity. Your job is to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal to collect as much evidence as possible and make it out alive. Horror games can be fun alone, but they're a blast to play with friends. Try it in VR for a horrifyingly immersive experience.
Number of players: 1-4
Platform: PC, Xbox Series and S, PlayStation 5, VR
Genre: First-person horror
Co-op style: Online $20 at Steam
Anegar Games Chained Together $5 at Steam
Do you and your buddies have the communication skills needed to break out of hell? Now's your chance to test your theory. The only hitch is that all four of you are chained together and must synchronize your movements to climb higher and higher through challenging obstacles. One wrong move and you'll plummet back to the start. While you can play with up to four people, you can also do it with just one other person.
Number of players: 2-4
Platform: PC
Genre: Platformer
Co-op style: Online $5 at Steam
Best single-player games with co-op
These games are primarily single-player adventures, but they do support bringing along a friend or three. Whether you're passing the controller back and forth or dropping in and out, try these games solo or with friends.
Larian Studios Baldur's Gate 3 $60 at Steam $70 at Sony
Arguably one of the best RPGs ever made, with incredible emphasis on player choice. If you've ever wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons but could never find a Dungeon Master to run a campaign for you, Baldur's Gate 3 can fill that void. And with drop-in, drop-out co-op with up to four people, you can start a campaign alone and finish it with friends or vice versa.
It's one of the best games made in recent years and certainly worth your time if you like fantasy RPGs. Patch 8 -- the game's final content patch -- was released in April, which added 12 new subclasses to the game, so it's a great time to jump back in or pick it up for the first time.
Players: 1-4
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5
Genre: Turn-based strategy RPG
Co-op style: Online $60 at Steam $70 at Sony
343 Industries/Splash Damage/Ruffian Games/Bungie/Saber Interactive/Xbox Game Studios Halo: Master Chief Collection
$55 at Amazon
Staying up way too late and playing Halo: Combat Evolved with friends might be my first co-op game memory. Whether you're tearing through the campaign or playing online, the Master Chief collection can give you the co-op hit you're looking for. It contains six Halo games, more than enough to keep you and your friends entertained for a while. Snipers and swords, anyone?
Number of players: 1-4
Platform: PC and Xbox Series X and S. (Available on GamePass.)
Genre: First-person shooter
Co-op style: Online or split screen
$55 at Amazon
Iron Gate AB/Coffee Stain Publishing Valheim $20 at Steam
A Norse-inspired survival crafting game of the highest tier. Face off against monsters and collect resources to build weapons, bases and armor to surpass increasingly difficult biomes and bosses. And you don't have to go it alone, you can bring up to 10 friends in a lobby. It offers some of the best crafting, survival gameplay I've experienced, and building a whole settlement with friends is a blast.
Number of players: 1-10
Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S
Genre: Survival crafting
Co-op style: Online $20 at Steam
Ballistic Moon/PlayStation Publishing LLC Until Dawn Remastered
$40 at Amazon
$48 at Best Buy
While not technically a co-op game, it's a single-player experience that's just as fun with your friends. If you've ever watched a horror movie and thought, I wouldn't make that choice, this game is your chance to prove it.
It's a different style of game than others on the list; you'll essentially take part in scenes in a movie, making split-second decisions and participating in quick-time events. It was recently remastered for current-generation consoles, making it a good time to pick this one up if you didn't when it was initially released. It's also been made into a movie, though it only shares a name -- the story is entirely different.
Number of players: 1
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5
Genre: Horror
Co-op style: Pass the controller
$40 at Amazon
$48 at Best Buy
Best free co-op games
You don't always have to shell out to play with friends. Here are a few free options.
Mediatonic Limited/Epic Games Fall Guys See at Fall Guys
A wacky game that has you and your friends take control of clumsy, cartoonish characters. The goal is to avoid being knocked off of zany obstacle courses. That's really all there is to it. It's fun with friends and free to play, so it's worth a shot if you're looking for something to get into together.
Number of players: 1-60
Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Genre: Battle royale, Platformer
Co-op style: Online See at Fall Guys
Total Mayhem Games We Were Here See at Steam
This game puts you and a friend in control of an explorer and a librarian lost in a castle. Your task is to solve the puzzles you encounter. You'll be separated from each other, so use your walkie-talkies to work together to solve the problems you encounter. You'll need to describe the solutions over voice chat to one another, which can lead to some funny situations. This one is free, so give it a shot. There are two other We Were Here titles, but you'll have to pay for those.
Number of players: 2
Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
Genre: First-person puzzle solver
Co-op style: Online See at Steam
Digital Extremes Warframe See at Steam
Warframe is a long-running, third-person action game. You take control of a Warframe -- a bio-mechanical suit of armor -- which offers various combat functions and roles like your tank, damage or support class. There are over 100 warframes to choose from, each with its own unique abilities. The game was released in 2013 and has received numerous content and gameplay updates. While free to play, an in-game cash shop offers both gameplay advancements and cosmetics.
Number of players: 1-4
Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5
Genre: Third-person shooter
Co-op style: Online See at Steam