The best cooperative games to play with friends

Playing something with your friends is almost always more fun than playing it alone. Video game developers have long recognized this fact, so they regularly release cooperative and multiplayer games for every taste. However, a cooperative game can turn even mediocre projects into something quite decent and even fun. Therefore, you should also be responsible when choosing cooperative games.

To help with this, we have compiled this list. Here you’ll find the best games for two and sometimes even more players. All of them are capable of captivating with cooperative gameplay, but many of them are enjoyable even by yourself. And this already speaks of the high quality of the projects.

Games are sorted alphabetically.

 

Baldur’s Gate 3

Platforms Windows, macOS, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Nintendo Switch
Genre role play
Year 2023

Baldur’s Gate 3 (read our extensive review) became the main game of 2023, demonstrating to the world that the gaming community is ready to actively study and discuss old-school role-playing games. Larian Studios has presented an eventful and interesting adventure in which you can get lost for hundreds of hours, and almost every decision you make has a direct impact on the story. That is, the developers have recreated the experience of tabletop role-playing games in an interactive format as faithfully as possible. As in any tabletop role-playing game, you can play Baldur’s Gate 3 with your friends. Three more friends can join your adventure so that the four of you can explore the worlds of the Forgotten Realms. This is much easier from the gameplay point of view, because in this case, you only need to control one character, not the whole party.

However, keep in mind that the cooperative mode in Baldur’s Gate 3 is tied to save files. That is, other players will not be able to join you at any time during the game. You will need to constantly load a separate cooperative save. You also won’t be able to start a romantic relationship with characters controlled by humans.

 

Cuphead

Platforms Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre shooter, platformer
Year 2017

At the time of its announcement, Cuphead was distinguished by a visual style reminiscent of the “golden era” of American animation. But at the release, it turned out that it was also an incredibly difficult game, with one boss that could take hours to complete and lose a lot of nerve cells. Studio MDHR has perfectly recreated the formula of classic run and gun games like Contra and Metal Slug, so even with all the difficulties, Cuphead is not boring.

In addition, you can always call a friend to play the game in cooperative mode. It significantly simplifies almost all levels, because killing bosses together is faster, and your partner can also revive you. Some pleasant feelings arise from the element of nostalgia if you played similar games with your friends as a child.

However, keep in mind that Cuphead has only local co-op. On Steam, the Remote Play feature saves the day, but on consoles, you’ll have to play exclusively on one screen and physically next to a friend.

 

Deep Rock Galactic

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre shooter
Year 2020

In Deep Rock Galactic, you play as a dwarf miner who has to extract minerals from caves while shooting various monsters. It sounds simple, but it’s not for nothing that the game by Ghost Ship Games became a small sensation and united a strong community around it. Because shooting and digging is really fun.

And it’s even more fun to do it in a team of four dwarves. Everyone can choose their own class – engineer, machine gunner, driller, scout – to diversify the gameplay and be more useful. At the culmination of missions, the game never ceases to evoke adrenaline rush. And there are plenty of missions.

A separate nice bonus is the official Ukrainian localization of the game.

 

Dying Light 2

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre action/RPG
Year 2022

The first part of Dying Light was a breakthrough for the Polish studio Techland (this is not entirely true, before Dying Light there were already Chrome (2003), Call of Juarez (2006) and Dead Island (2011) and a bunch of other games – ed. note). The combination of parkour, open world, and zombie apocalypse setting was so popular with players that the game managed to lure more than 20 million players. Of course, such a hit was bound to get a sequel.

Dying Light 2 was not without its problems, and it is also significantly different from what we were promised in the trailers, but the developers are actively supporting and improving the project. And it’s still fun to play.

The game has a convenient cooperative mode for four players, thanks to which your friends can join you at any time. Killing zombies and looking for new weapons together becomes much more fun. At the same time, the cooperative mode is quite unpretentious, and there are no hard restrictions on progress.

 

Helldivers II

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5
Genre action, shooter
Year 2024

The first part of Helldivers was just a small but interesting cooperative game in the top-down shooter genre. For the second installment, the developers from Arrowhead studio decided to change the perspective and moved the camera behind the players. It seems like a simple decision, but as a result, Helldivers 2 has already become one of the main games of 2024.

In this game, you, in a team of four, have to complete tasks on different planets. The opponents will be monster insects and robots, just like in the sci-fi classics. The tasks here are simple, but because there are usually more enemies and they are stronger, even simple missions can turn into an extravaganza of emotions.

Self-sacrifice for the sake of the team, betrayal for the sake of your own salvation, amazing cases of cooperation and last-minute victories – Helldivers 2 constantly surprises, even considering the relatively simple central mechanics. It’s interesting that this is one of the PlayStation exclusives that Sony itself didn’t seem to believe in. But new players continue to buy Helldivers 2, and Arrowhead Game Studios doesn’t mind at all. Even despite the recent scandal with the mandatory link to PSN on PC.

 

It Takes Two

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre action/adventure
Year 2021

It Takes Two has become a benchmark example of a cooperative game that anyone can play. It has everything for this: simple but interesting and diverse mechanics, clear controls, and a story about the importance of mutual understanding that will suit all couples in love, and not only. Hazelight Studios tested its skills in creating exclusively cooperative games in A Way Out, which tells the story of a prison break, but it is in It Takes Two that the developers’ talent shines the brightest.

In the game, you take on the role of a couple on the verge of divorce. They have turned into little dolls and now have to explore the neighborhood of their home from a new perspective. It Takes Two constantly throws up new situations while maintaining a relatively lighthearted narrative tone – but don’t get attached to the elephant, just trust me – and is able to appeal to even people who are far from the world of video games.

Remember that It Takes Two should be played only in co-op. There is no single-player option.

 

Left 4 Dead 2

Platforms Windows, Linux
Genre shooter
Year 2009

Do you remember the days when Valve actively released video games that became hits? Left 4 Dead 2 comes from this era. It took the cooperative formula of the first part and diversified it with new enemies and weapons. This was enough to create the most interesting cooperative shooter that feels great even in 2024. The first part of Left 4 Dead has even ceased to be needed, as all the campaigns from it have been transferred to the sequel.

In Left 4 Dead 2, a team of four people has to break through crowds of zombies. The game’s “game moment director” adds to the tension by constantly shuffling objects and enemies around the map. And the role of zombie bosses can be taken on by another four live players. In this case, the standard cooperative playthrough turns into a fierce confrontation.

Add to this a large number of modifications and maps, and you get a game where you can spend time almost indefinitely.

 

Lethal Company

Platforms Windows
Genre horror
Year 2023

Another “hidden hit” of 2023 that was made by only one person, but the game still lured millions of players. In it, you take on the role of an employee of a special company that collects garbage on different planets. The nuance is that garbage is usually scattered in areas where there are many monsters and other manifestations of the supernatural. And if you fail to fulfill the garbage quota, the company will simply throw you into space.

“Collecting garbage” does not sound like the most interesting gameplay in the world. But Lethal Company captivates with its simplicity and interesting monsters. For example, one of them can imitate the behavior of real players. Additionally, the game is supported by a community of modification developers, so the already fun game can be significantly improved and diversified.

Just be sure to communicate through the game’s internal tools, not through Discord or something like that. Otherwise, the game’s charm will be significantly weakened.

 

Monster Hunter World

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre action/adventure
Year 2018

The Monster Hunter series has long been one of Capcom’s main sources of revenue. Monster Hunter World has taken the figures to a whole new level and continues to be one of the top sellers. And this is despite the fact that this pleasure is quite specific.

In Monster Hunter World, as the name suggests, you have to hunt monsters. Monsters live in their own biomes and have unique behavior. If the hunt is successful, you will be rewarded with valuable resources that can be spent on crafting items. The gameplay is based on the constant crafting and killing of new, more dangerous monsters. Yes, it’s a bit of a grind, but many people like it.

Monster Hunter World can be played by four people to make killing monsters easier.

 

Operation: Tango

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre adventure
Year 2021

Asymmetric co-op is a somewhat specific but interesting genre. In it, each player has to fulfill his or her role to move on, and you interact mainly by voice. Operation: Tango adds a spy aesthetic to this.

In the game, one player acts as a field agent and the other as a hacker. The agent has to perform tasks at various locations, while the hacker simultaneously searches for information, hacks servers, and does other support work. The hacking process is implemented quite creatively: it is presented in the form of small games where you need to jump, think, and show speed of reaction.

It’s nice that you only need one copy of the game to play for two. Your friend can join you using the free Friend Pass version.

 

Overcooked! All You Can Eat

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Genre arcade, simulator
Year 2019

The Overcooked series brings the chaos that can occur in the kitchen to an interactive format. Up to four players take on the role of chefs who have to satisfy the needs of visitors and prepare all the dishes ordered. But there are always not enough dishes, food needs to be cooked and cut separately, and poor interaction with other players can lead to the fact that you do not prepare a single dish.

Overcooked is a good test of the level of cooperation and relationships between people. After a few levels, players often break down in tears. The maps are getting more and more interesting: you’ll have to cook during a storm, in a hot air balloon, and in a raging river. You won’t have time to get bored.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat has collected all the levels from the two parts of the series and added new ones. This is the ultimate experience of the series, so it’s best to buy it right away.

 

Portal 2

Platforms Windows
Genre action, puzzle
Year 2011

The Portal series began as a small project by Narbacular Drop that caught Valve’s interest. The concept of puzzles with portals turned out to be so successful that it can still be found in various games from time to time. And Portal became a cult game thanks to its atmosphere and GLaDOS charisma.

One of the main features of Portal 2 is a separate cooperative campaign. In it, you play as two robots, and the number of portals, respectively, reaches four. Because of this, it is better to play the cooperative mode after the main one, because the puzzles are much harder.

Like all Valve games, Portal 2 supports a large number of modifications. Therefore, even after completing the main cooperative campaign, you can entertain yourself with user-generated maps.

 

Sea of Thieves

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre action/adventure
Year 2018

Sea of Thieves makes the romance of pirate life the center of the gameplay. You have to explore the seas and oceans, look for treasures, explore islands, and generally try not to get bored. At release, it was a bit difficult because there wasn’t much content in the game. But as of now, Sea of Thieves is able to give a lot of interesting situations and pleasant emotions.

For a long time, Sea of Thieves remained an Xbox console exclusive, but the game has recently made its way to the PlayStation 5. So now it’s even easier to explore the oceans.

 

Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U
Genre stealth/action
Year 2013

Ubisoft fans have been dreaming about the return of the Splinter Cell series for a long time now. After all, its last installment, Blacklist, was released back in 2013. It successfully combined elements of stealth and action, and was particularly memorable for its cooperative campaign.

It includes 14 separate missions that can be completed with a friend. Their gameplay is as close as possible to the main campaign, but there are more enemies and it is harder to kill them. In addition, the co-op is carefully sewn right into the “main” game and is connected to it in the story.

UPDATE. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has stopped supporting the online part of the game. But you can still complete it if you install the Fan Patch for the official versions.

 

Серія We Were Here

Platforms Windows, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Genre action/adventure
Year 2017

We have already recommended the first part of We Were Here in the list of the best free games. It turned out to be so popular that it became the beginning of a whole series. And if you liked the first part, then all the other games are worth checking out.

Because it is one of the best representatives of asymmetric cooperatives. A team of two has to solve various puzzles by giving each other clues and carefully studying the environment. Very often, your partner’s life will depend on your ability to adequately explain all the icons and puzzles in the game.

Even the finals in this series are noteworthy. After all, there you usually need to sacrifice one of the players. And that’s after all the problems you’ve been through together. A drama of the highest level.

 

We are well aware that there are many more good cooperative games out there. So if you like this material, we’ll be back with more good games for two and beyond. Maybe we’ll even categorize them by genre.

In the meantime, leave your favorite cooperative games in the comments.