Co-op Games BEST
Our list of best co-op games is hand-selected to ensure that you're really getting a collection of titles that put co-op gameplay at the fore. These will never be titles that treat co-op like a tacked-on experience or last-minute addition, instead giving co-op gameplay the time and spotlighting it deserves. These are the games that should only really be played with another person (or two), and some are only possible when you roe a friend in. And that's exactly how it should be.
co-op games
There's so much you can do with friends in Valheim, it was easy to see why it's been added to our list of best co-op games. Up to 10 people can play together in Valheim's survival sandbox, which is inspired by Norse mythology, with dedicated servers for private hosting too. You'll build a base, work together to craft better weapons and armor, explore further and further afield, and even take down various monsters. It's a dangerous world, and it's far better with friends.
Unless you've invested in a VR headset, you probably haven't even heard of this one. However, it's a uniquely brilliant take on co-op play, and demands your attention. One person wears the VR headset, while a number of other people sit - in the real world - and look at a booklet of bomb-defusal documents.
Perhaps not one for a quick casual game with a friend, given this is a huge RPG environment filled with more potential, stories and events than most of us will ever see in one go. But, if you fancy a really deep co-op experience then this will keep you busy for years. As well as an entire nuanced world to explore you can play co-operatively or competitively, with players potentially trying to complete missions in different ways, or to different ends.
Completing Phogs definitely requires plenty of co-operation as you and your pal will take control of a two-headed sausage dog - each of you taking one of its heads, connected together by a long, stretchy body. Together you'll have to bite, bounce, and bark your way through a series of puzzles set across three unique worlds. Each one is utterly adorable, and is themed around a phog's favourite things - Food, Sleep, and Play. As you work your way through them, it's easy to appreciate the fact each world - and the levels within it - offers a unique way to utilize your good phog abilities and your co-op power. It's a delight that also feels like going on a walk in a cheese dream with a friend. Just wait until you see the hat shops too.
Taking on the roles of tough girls Nessa and Demelza, Knight and Bikes sees you exploring Penfurzy Island in a Goonies-inspired tale where bikes are king, and mischief is paramount. It's made by Moo Yu and Rex Crowle, who are both ex-Media Molecule, so, as you can imagine, it's infused with quirk, cuteness, and the kind of spirit you can only find in a Famous Five book. Yes, the gameplay is about puzzle solving, mini-games of crazy golf, and riding your bike as fast as you can humanly pedal, but it's also a heartfelt adventure about two kids that offers the kind of gameplay experience that you can rarely have. And it's even better with a real-world friend by your side.
It also has DMZ, which is the Call of Duty take on Escape from Tarkhov, which really does intensely rely on co-operative play to ensure you're ticking off objectives, fulfilling contracts, gathering loot, and - more importantly - escaping with it all.
There are very few asynchronous co-op games in the wild, but The Past Within is extra brilliant because of it. You can play on whatever device works for you, all you need is a friend that also owns the game (again, on any platform) because the co-op works on communication alone. It's a puzzle game at heart, and progression is gated by your ability to work out how what you see relates to what your pal can see. One of you will play in the Past, the other in the Future, and then you'll have to figure out how the two are connected. Might be a password here or a hidden instruction there but it's wonderfully done, often creepy, and never not surprising. It's the first co-op game from the Rusty Lake team and it's a smasher.
You're two criminals trying to find a way out of prison and a step closer to redemption, but more importantly this is one story that you must experience together. And it's the best co-op game we've ever played.
It Takes Two is the latest game from the team that brought you A Way Out, and it's another game specifically built to be played co-operatively. This time around you're playing as a husband and wife duo, who have been turned into a pair of dolls by their daughter unhappy about their news that they're divorcing. Cue gameplay that's part Pixar, part Honey I Shrunk the Kids, add in a sprinkle of marriage counseling courtesy of an anthropomorphic self-help book and you've got a glimpse into what to expect with It Takes Two. But, it's also much more than that, a little slice of magic and literally the best co-op game around.
Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside."}; var triggerHydrate = function() window.sliceComponents.authorBio.hydrate(data, componentContainer); var triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate = function() if (window.sliceComponents.authorBio === undefined) var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = ' -9-5/authorBio.js'; script.async = true; script.id = 'vanilla-slice-authorBio-component-script'; script.onload = () => window.sliceComponents.authorBio = authorBio; triggerHydrate(); ; document.head.append(script); else triggerHydrate(); if (window.lazyObserveElement) window.lazyObserveElement(componentContainer, triggerScriptLoadThenHydrate, 1500); else console.log('Could not lazy load slice JS for authorBio') } }).catch(err => console.log('Hydration Script has failed for authorBio Slice', err)); }).catch(err => console.log('Externals script failed to load', err));Sam LoveridgeSocial Links NavigationGlobal Editor-in-Chief, GamesRadar+Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.
Hazelight have a knack for designing clever, co-op-only puzzle games, and It Takes Two is definitely their best yet. You and a mate play as bickering couple May and Cody, who get turned into tiny doll versions of themselves after upsetting their daughter. Despite their relationship being the verge of a big divorce bust-up, they must work together to get back to their normal selves, and maybe learn a few life lessons along the way.
It's not the happiest of stories, all told (and features some truly horrifying moments involving stuffed toys and broken vacuum cleaners), but its puzzles are absolutely top notch. Players must really work together to conquer It Takes Two's imaginative obstacle courses, and its range of ideas is a clear step up from Hazelight's first co-op-only game, A Way Out. Even better, only one person needs to actually buy the game, as every copy comes with a free friend pass for your player two.
What else should I be playing if I like this: Gears Of War 4 is a similarly fun slice-and-shooter in co-op. Or try Borderlands 3, elsewhere on this list, for something as action-packed you can play forever.
Special mention must also go to Gears 5's local splitscreen support. Some may prefer to offer their co-operative chainsaw from afar online, but there's something about being in the same room that makes Gears 5 all the more enjoyable. It's something we wish big blockbuster games did more often, and Gears 5 is a great example of how to do it well.
Those similarities might make it tempting to dismiss as a Left 4 Dead knock off, but you shouldn't because Vermintide 2 has the best rats in video games. They're man-sized opponents with weapons and minds of their own, making them individual combatants that are more satisfying to fight than ravenous zombies. The five classes, each with separate skills and access to different weapons, help to give each player their own role. Those vermin are more varied, too, with a random selection of mini-bosses and horde types to make each run feel a little different. Fatshark nailed the melee combat at its core and sprinkled in some breathtaking level design, and the end result might be the best horde survival game, even if you don't like Warhammer. 041b061a72