The best co-op games for couples show us that date night doesn’t have to be all fancy outfits and overpriced food, sometimes it’s nicer to stay home, get your comfiest clothes on, and dig into a co-op game together. While it’s still fun to watch your partner play single-player games and engage in some back-seat driving, you can’t beat the experience of getting stuck into a game where both of you share the responsibility equally. It’s a great way to come together and show just how in-sync you really are, or break the ice and forge a stronger bond.
The games on this list aren’t necessarily romantic in themselves, but they offer a chance to work together toward a common goal and leave you both feeling accomplished. If you’re looking for more platonic hang out ideas, check out our best two-player co-op games to strengthen (or test) your friendships.
It Takes Two
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Nintendo Switch
- Vibe: Action-adventure platformer with a heartfelt story
It Takes Two is one of the best Xbox co-op games, and it’s sort of become the blueprint for story-based co-op gaming. It Takes Two is specifically designed only for two players–there’s no single-player mode–and can be played locally via split-screen or online co-op.
The story follows Cody and May, a married couple on the brink of divorce (so maybe not the most romantic game) who are magically transformed into dolls by their daughter’s tears. To return to their human bodies, they must journey through a whimsical, oversized world filled with diverse environments and imaginative challenges, guided (and often prodded) by the eccentric Dr. Hakim, a therapy book with a flair for drama.
Gameplay in It Takes Two blends a huge variety of mechanics–platforming, puzzles, physics-based challenges, mini-games, combat encounters, and more–with each level introducing unique, genre-bending tasks. Each character has distinct abilities tailored to the current challenge, making cooperation essential; players need to communicate and coordinate constantly to progress. It Takes Two is a great introduction to gaming for a partner who doesn’t often play, but also offers a solid challenge for a pair of seasoned gamers.
Unravel Two
- Platform: PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One
- Vibe: Puzzle platformer where you’re tied together
Unravel Two looks disarmingly sweet and simple, but this cooperative puzzle-platformer gets mighty tricky if you’re not totally in-step with each other. Each of you control a Yarny–small creatures made of yarn connected by a single thread–as you journey through a series of beautifully crafted 2D environments filled with natural landscapes, everyday objects seen from a miniature perspective, and plenty of hazards to overcome. The core mechanics center on using the yarn thread to swing, climb, form bridges and trampolines, and solve physics-based puzzles that require coordination and timing–communication is key!
There’s not a lot of heavy dialogue or long cutscenes to sit through, so if you like to chat while you play something in the background, this is a good choice. It’s a wholesome challenge that will–hopefully–leave the two of you feeling closer than before.
Portal 2
- Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC
- Vibe: Physics-based puzzles requiring timing and coordination
Building on the original’s innovative portal-shooting mechanics and off-beat humor, Portal 2 combines clever physics-based puzzles, dark humour, and a memorable narrative with a new two-player adventure. In co-op, you and your partner take on the roles of two quirky test robots, Atlas and P-Body, each armed with a portal gun and a can-do attitude.
You’ll have to work together to overcome a series of inventive test chambers created by sinister AI foe (and your boss) GLaDOS–puzzles that absolutely require communication, coordination, and shared problem-solving to place portals, move objects, and navigate hazards. It’s an easy game to learn but a tough one to master, not to mention that if one of you slips up, you’ll both pay the price.
Portal 2 is one of the best couch co-op games, letting you sit together and play in split screen while you yell at/helpfully direct each other.
Chariot
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Vibe: Push and pull a chariot of riches to fulfill your late father’s last wish
Chariot sets the scene for date night nicely, putting you and your partner in the role of a princess and her fiance. Unfortunately, that’s where the romance ends, as the rest of the game revolves around transporting your dead father’s remains and riches to his final resting place. If you thought His late Majesty would be quiet while you traverse the various hazardous landscapes, you’d be wrong–he’s more than happy to give you a piece of his mind in ghost form, heckling you as you drag him around.
Everything moves just as it should in real life, whether you’re pushing, pulling, swinging or balancing the chariot over obstacles using ropes and momentum, you’ll have to do so while fending off greedy looters and navigating tricky terrain. Chariot’s mechanics make even simple movements feel like coordinated choreography: misjudge an angle and the chariot might roll backward just as you think you’ve got it under control.
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Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light
- Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, mobile
- Vibe: Immersive action adventure packed with puzzles
Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light dispenses with the Tomb Raider name and embraces two-player action-adventure. It’s a great way of introducing newer players to a legendary franchise, while not leaving them to their own devices too much. Unlike traditional Tomb Raider games, this one is played from a fixed isometric camera and blends arcade-style shooting, platforming, puzzle-solving, and exploration into a more fast-paced experience for two players to share.
Iconic adventurer Lara Croft teams up with Totec, an ancient Mayan warrior whose mission is to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and recover the mysterious Mirror of Smoke. In Guardian Of Light’s co-op mode, each character brings unique tools: Lara has her trusty dual pistols and a grappling hook, while Totec uses spears, shields, and later firearms. It’s an often overlooked co-op gem, where every level is designed with two players in mind, and each role balances out to be just as important, making shared victories all the more rewarding.
Stardew Valley
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, mobile
- Vibe: Chilled out farming sim with plenty of story
If you’re not too precious about your farm, Stardew Valley makes for a brilliant shared slice-of-life adventure. Couples can run a farm together, dividing tasks naturally or working side by side. One person might water crops while the other heads into the mines, or both might spend a rainy afternoon fishing by the river. Progress is communal: money, farm upgrades, and long-term goals are shared, making every small success feel like something you accomplished together. Building your dream life has never been more affordable.
What makes Stardew Valley especially lovely for date night is its low pressure and emotional warmth. There’s no rush, no strict win condition, and no punishment for playing “inefficiently,” which makes it ideal for laid-back conversation and relaxed companionship while playing. The cozy pixel art, soothing music, and satisfying routine create a calming atmosphere that encourages unwinding together rather than competing–you can even ask each other on dates to events and get married in-game.
Despite coming out more than a decade ago, Stardew Valley is still one of the best indie games to play in 2026.
Terraria
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile
- Vibe: Open-world sandbox where you can take on any role you like
Another fairly low-stress option, Terraria is a 2D sandbox adventure game that drops players into a procedurally generated world full of discovery and creativity (and danger, if you seek it out). The first cycle is fairly simple and you’ll notice it’s a game like Minecraft in that you gather wood, build shelter, and fend off monsters that appear at night. Before long, though, the game opens up into a sprawling experience involving exploration, crafting, mining, base-building, and intense boss battles against increasingly tough enemies. As you progress, the world itself evolves, unlocking new biomes, gear, NPCs, and challenges.
When played in co-op, Terraria becomes a shared survival story where you can build your own fortress (or farm) and back each other up in battle. Couples can explore together and combine resources to build elaborate bases or cozy homes, or split tasks according to capability. One of you might focus on gathering materials and crafting gear back at the homestead, while the other more-seasoned player explores and fights enemies, creating a natural rhythm of cooperation. The only real danger is it might spill out over date night and become a nightly routine.
A Way Out
- Platform: PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One
- Vibe: Ridiculous but cinematic prison break caper
A Way Out is a narrative-focused cooperative action adventure developed by Hazelight Studios (who also developed It Takes Two and Split Fiction), built entirely around two-player gameplay. Leo and Vincent are two prisoners who form an uneasy alliance while planning a daring prison escape, and it’s your job to pull it off. From the very beginning, the game commits fully to co-op, using a constant split-screen presentation that shows both characters’ perspectives at all times, even when players are in completely different locations. It’s great for that old-school couch co-op vibe, and offers plenty of variation in gameplay–shifting between stealth, puzzles, driving, mini-games, and combat. You can even engage in a bit of arm wrestling.
Because the experience of A Way Out is relatively short and tightly paced, it works well for a dedicated game night or weekend playthrough. Its cinematic presentation, emotional beats, and constant collaboration make it feel closer to watching and participating in an interactive movie together, without the mark-up on cinema snacks.
We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip
- Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
- Vibe: Co-op puzzle game that relies on voice chat to communicate
A great pick for long-distance couples, We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is the latest in the We Were Here series, a game that splits you up and asks you to use nothing but voice communication to solve complex puzzles in a mysterious Antarctic location. Each player sees different clues, symbols, or mechanisms and must clearly explain what they’re seeing so the other can act on it. The puzzles are thoughtfully designed to test how well you listen, how precisely you communicate, and how effectively you collaborate under pressure.
Coral Island
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
- Vibe: Farming sim with a big community of NPCs
Another farming sim, but this time set in a tropical paradise full of cute characters and an eco-friendly story that sees you saving the seas and its inhabitants. You of course begin with an overgrown plot of land that you gradually clear, cultivate, and transform into a lush, productive homestead–planting and harvesting crops, raising animals, decorating your farm, crafting tools and items, and diving into side activities like fishing, bug catching, and even underwater coral restoration. Beyond the farm itself, there’s an inviting community full of more than 70 characters to meet, befriend, and romance (although we don’t advise this on date night), as well as seasonal festivals and community projects where you can help revitalize the island’s town and coral reefs to bring new life to the entire region.
Since 2025, Coral Island has supported multiplayer and romance features, meaning you can now team up with a partner or friends to share farm chores, explore together, and even marry another player in‑game and have children. This co‑op mode lets you split responsibilities and play together in the same world, coordinating crop care, fishing, crafting, and exploration through shared tasks and goals. If you want to make your partner jealous, check out our guide to romancing the singles of Coral Island.
