The Best Couch Co-Op Games To Play Together

The best couch co-op games have a unique charm that online gaming just can’t replicate. A mix of real-life interaction and tailor-made gaming experiences make for something uniquely intimate and nostalgically appealing.

The friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition can bring family and friends together, no matter the skill level, or just act as an icebreaker when you’re not sure how best to babysit. Whether you’re taking time to solve puzzles side-by-side, or embracing the chaos of a frantic split-screen race, these games offer an interactive experience built on physical presence and camaraderie.

We’ve taken a look at some of the best couch co-op games, those that elevate multiplayer experiences through some quirk of intuitive design, guarantee fun gameplay mechanics, and keep everyone involved in the action. If you’re looking for a specific console, don’t sleep on our best co-op games for PS5 list, or our breakdown of the best Nintendo Switch co-op games.

Moving Out 2

• Developer: SMG Studio/ DevM Games
• Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
• Number of players: 1-4
• Vibe: Frantic move-em-up where you play as a delivery team

If you want a quick couch co-op game you can get set up and start playing in minutes, Moving Out 2 is your best bet. Simple to learn, yet surprisingly challenging to master, the game puts you in the shoes of a delivery team who must work together to get things moved from A to B. With each player taking smaller items, or sharing the weight of heavier goods, you’ll have to master squeezing awkwardly sized parcels around tight corners, and solving environmental puzzles like one-way doors and revolving platforms.

It’s nice to have a frantic multiplayer co-op game that isn’t cooking-related, and if you’ve ever tried to move house you’ll know the difficulty level is basically spot on. Moving Out 2 can provide a steep challenge if you want it, but also has a host of accessibility features to make playing with people of all ages and abilities just as fun.

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Rayman Legends

• Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
• Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
• Number of players: 1-4
• Vibe: Old school platforming reimagined

You remember Rayman, right? Well, it’s back, in multiplayer form. In fact, Rayman Legends has been out for more than a decade now–but still remains one of the best multiplayer drop-in platformers going. Suitable for all ages and easy to pick up and play, it’s a great one to have on standby if you get a lot of kids over during the holidays.

We gave it a 9/10 in our Rayman Legends review back when it came out, somehow the mechanics and whimsical world of Rayman never seem to go out of style. Depending on which version you play, you can also have up to four players settle scores on the pitch with a local co-op football minigame: Kung Foot.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

• Developer: HAL Laboratory
• Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Silly action-platformer perfect for young players

If you want some co-op companionship while you’re bouncing around inhaling everything in sight, Kirby and the Forgotten Land lets you team up with Bandana Waddle Dee to tackle each stage. Obviously Mr Dee doesn’t have quite as many powers as Kirby, but he does come with a selection of unique moves. Instead of floating, he can double or triple-jump, he’ll beat most enemies with a powerful spear attack, and can use his spear as a helicopter propeller. Player two can also throw spears and rain them down from above. Not bad!

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of the best Nintendo Switch co-op games, and can be played on both the original console and the Switch 2. The benefit of playing it on Switch 2 is having access to the Star-Crossed World DLC, which expands previously-explored levels with new content and narrative. It’s nice to have a modern game that focuses solely on couch co-op, and executes it so well in the process.

The House of the Dead: Remake

• Developer: MegaPixel Studio
• Platform: PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Remake of the classic arcade on-rails shooter

House of the Dead is not going to be the best game you’ve ever played–it’s an odd time-capsule of crowded arcades and janky translations–but it is an excellent co-op shooter if you’re looking to prioritize nostalgic silliness over compelling gameplay. In almost every way a perfect copy of the 1997 arcade cabinet classic, and if you play on Switch you can use the gyroscopic controls to actively point and shoot.

When you’ve finished enjoying this multiplayer classic, it might be a good idea to brush up on your lore, as a new House of the Dead movie might be coming out in the next couple of years.

It Takes Two

• Developer: Hazelight Studios
• Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: A cozy, emotional journey built for two

You’ll not be able to play this one on your own–as the title suggests, It Takes Two is co-op only. It’s great for couples, and presents a lot of interesting puzzles and platforming gameplay, including a time-rewinding ability, and the ability to split into two. We fell in love with the immense variation offered by this unassuming platformer, as well as the strong voice acting performances and lived-in world–giving it a 9/10 in our It Takes Two review.

It Takes Two might put your teamwork to the test, as you work together to overcome obstacles and villains in a mash up of Honey I Shrunk The Kids!-style family comedy, and a heart-felt exploration of relational rough patches. It’s creative, beautiful to look at, and surprisingly touching.

Human Fall Flat

• Developer: No Brakes Games
• Platform: PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S, mobile
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Silly, bumbling puzzle-based obstacle course

Human Fall Flat is as satisfying as it is silly. The premise is simple: you are a blob-like human and you have to fix things and solve puzzles. With flailing, sticky limbs and laggy torsos, this becomes a little trickier, but achieving your goal feels like a momentous occasion. Climb mountains, rebuild walls, connect pipes, and scale complex terrain with less bodily control than would be considered optimal. With two, everything is a bit easier and a bit more fun.

You can dress your character up in various costumes and can usually solve each puzzle in a few different ways, adding depth to the experience and letting you tell each other apart. Once you’ve exhausted every level, you can download free new levels throughout the year to wobble around on with friends–either in-person or online.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

• Developer: Digital Eclipse
• Platform: PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S
• Number of players: 1-4
• Vibe: A comprehensive collection of turtle-based arcade classics

As a compilation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection is perhaps the best value on this list in terms of sheer volume of games. Most of the 13 included games support local multiplayer, but the number of players varies from title to title. Drop in/drop out play is supported in most of them, but see below for full details:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade): 4 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade): 4 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Arcade Game (NES): 2 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: The Manhattan Project (NES): 2 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4: Turtles in Time (Super NES): 2 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Super NES): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis): 2 players
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Sega Genesis): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan (Game Boy): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Back From The Sewers (Game Boy): Single player only
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3: Radical Rescue (Game Boy): Single player only

Moonglow Bay

• Developer: Bunnyhug
• Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Chilled-out voxel-art fishing game set in a mysterious town

Moonglow Bay is a cozy game where your primary task is to man a fishing boat off the coast. Alongside sea-faring exploits, you’ll get to know townsfolk, rebuild their beloved town, and discover all its secrets through a surprisingly emotionally-weighted story.

Local drop-in/drop-out multiplayer co-op in Moonglow Bay is based on the idea of friendship and support. The first player remains the primary character, but the addition of a second pal makes life on the sea a lot easier. The second player can jump in and assist with various activities–for example, reeling in big fish is easier with four hands instead of two. You need to have completed the tutorial alone before another player can jump in, so make sure you’re familiar with the game before inviting someone else over.

Jackbox Party Pack 11

• Developer: Jackbox Games
• Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile
• Number of players: 2-8 players
• Vibe: Silly party games played on mobile with a screen in common

The Jackbox Party Packs are a must-buy if you ever get groups of friends and family in the same room. Boardgame fans, precocious kids, wordsmiths, wannabe artists, people who think they’re hilarious, and quick-thinkers–you’re all taken care of. There are now 11 Jackbox Party Packs, each containing a different selection of games, from t-shirt design competitions to the classic snappy-retort challenge of Quiplash. Outside of the mainstream 11, there’s also a few outliers, like the Jackbox Naughty Pack, which is strictly adults only.

These games require everyone present to have a mobile phone, which they’ll use as their controller while the console and big screen serve as the hub for answers, voting, and challenges. They’re quick to learn, and up to eight people can join, making for some brilliantly raucous–and effortless–nights in.

Phogs!

• Developer: Bit Loom Games
• Platform: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Candy-colored puzzle platformer

It’s one thing to play co-operatively, but to play as the same character is something else entirely. In Phogs!, players take control of a two-headed dog, connected by a wiggly midsection, and try to achieve a mutually beneficial outcome, despite the obvious physical shortcoming. Barking, bouncing, and biting are all acceptable uses of your individual head, as you adventure through themed worlds filled with brightly-colored obstacles and puzzles to solve. You know what they say, two heads are better than one.

Portal 2

• Developer: Valve
• Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch
• Number of players: 1-2
• Vibe: Plucky robots subjected to a series of unethical tests

In Portal 2, players get to take on the iconic roles of Atlas and P-Body, two robots fated to be subjected to test after test in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. The single player campaign adds meat onto the bones of the original game, but the split-screen local co-op is a different beast, a fully-fleshed out separate experience for players who want to experience the game with friends. Even more than a decade later, it still remains one of the best examples of local multiplayer experiences.

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

• Developer: Asteroid Base
• Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One
• Number of players: 1-4
• Vibe: Neon space shooter where you and your friends keep a ship in balance

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is a neon feverdream of psychedelic visuals and chaotic challenges aboard a circular ship floating through space. Up to four players can join the adventure, with each needing to rush around the ship’s passageways and use onboard machines, turrets and lasers to keep safe in deep space. Your mission is to rescue adorable kidnapped bunnies and avoid being killed. Sounds simple enough, but with the forces of “Anti-Love” after you it’s a fairly frantic affair.

Find and customize ships to maximize your chances of making it, and try your best to enter a harmonious flow-state with your besties as you attempt to pilot yourselves across the unknown.