While online multiplayer is still dominating the gaming space with the likes of Call of Duty, Apex Legends, and Valorant all having huge competitive scenes, there’s nothing quite like enjoying a co-op session with your friends.
Hazelight Studios’ It Takes Two is one such co-op game that took the world by storm (and us, as you can see in our review) in 2021 with its fresh spin on cooperative gameplay.
And while It Takes Two is arguably one of the most celebrated co-op games in recent memory, if you’re itching for even more titles to enjoy once you’ve rolled credits, there’s plenty out there like it in 2024.
A Way Out
A Way Out is an easy one to start with as it’s also made by Hazelight Studios — and the similarities are rather obvious. Before It Takes Two came along, A Way Out was a trendsetter in the local co-op department by giving players control over two characters whose story is completely intertwined.
The budding duo of Vincent and Leo work together to achieve their shared agenda and do so through clever sequences and puzzles. It has far fewer Moon Baboons and elephants than It Takes Two, mostly because it’s a more serious story than its successor, but it still works very well.
Overcooked
From prison to a kitchen, the Overcooked games are the first titles on this list that fall into the “will seriously test your friendship/relationship” category.
Team 17’s Overcooked is a sumptuous recipe of cooking, co-op, and chaos. Each game consists of umpteen levels in which you must navigate your kitchen and cook food to serve hungry customers. The only caveat is that your work environment can range from a traditional open-ended restaurant to having to use teleporters to traverse upper and lower floors of a castle.
The lengths Overcooked will go to throw you off is admirable and you’ll have to be on top of your teamwork to succeed!
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Although not developed by Hazelight Studios, the project is led by director Josef Fares — the mind behind both A Way Out and It Takes Two.
If you’re playing this after the latter, then you’ll recognize this is definitely a game like It Takes Two and can sense the seeds being planted for future innovations. While the co-op element was not fully realized here when it was first released in 2013, its 2024 remake does include local co-op play functionality.
There’s a truly emotional and heartwarming story to be played out here, held together by many intuitive puzzles that require timing and lateral thinking.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Let’s face it, everyone loves Sackboy as he’s utterly adorable!
The LittleBigPlanet games were always harmonious experiences that were very versatile in the way you could approach them, and Sackboy: A Big Adventure is no different. It gets rid of the crafting and creating that made the original LittleBigPlanet games so endearing and channels its focus into delivering a fun but deviously tricky platformer.
Throw in a second pair of hands and you can have tons of fun exploring and traversing weird and wonderful levels together.
Moving Out
If you’ve ever experienced the torturous act of moving house in real life, then you already know the pure pain and punishment that you’ll endure while doing so — but Moving Out somehow manages to make it fun.
What makes this a game like It Takes Two is that teamwork is paramount and at the forefront of the game’s core fundamentals. You need to strategize which items to move where, and you need to both be in perfect synchronicity with one another to ensure you’re moving items as efficiently as possible.
You also need to do your best to not throw your controller at the wall. It will get frustrating, but as with any difficult task, the euphoric feeling of satisfaction when you’ve moved furniture well enough is rewarding and ultimately makes Moving Out worth moving into.
Unravel 2
Another ideal two-player adventure, this time featuring two anthropomorphic creatures made of yarn, because why not?
All the usual tandem tropes are featured here as a litany of interactive obstacles stand between you and your goal. You’ll never guess what the overriding focus is here, either… teamwork!
The platforming is on point and it’s a great example of the genre – leaving us ‘yarning’ for more.
Borderlands & Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Borderlands 1, 2, 3, The Pre-Sequel, or Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands — take your pick as any could be considered a game like It Takes Two.
Gearbox Software’s insane looter shooter series has captivated players for years with its exhausting list of amazing characters, its bazillions of guns, and WUB WUBs and DUB DUBs.
The best thing of all? You can sit next to the partner of your choosing as you undertake all of these hours of gameplay. The spin-off Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands goes overboard on the craziness and is a more than acceptable starting point into the franchise if your badonkadonk so desires.
Kirby and The Forgotten Land
30 years of Kirby later and the world isn’t even close to being sick of him yet, which is some achievement.
2022’s Kirby and The Forgotten Land is even more impressive when you consider that decades later our little pink pal is finding new ways to reinvent himself and cater to new audiences. This is none more evident than how seamlessly the game works as a coherent co-op endeavor.
Easy hop-in and hop-out local multiplayer is extremely accessible and allows you to inhale the world together.
Cuphead
If by now you somehow haven’t stumbled across the charming and cartoonish nature of StudioMDHR’s Cuphead, then this might be the best (or worst) day of your life.
Despite its endlessly engrossing personality and charming hand-drawn visual style, Cuphead is unbelievably difficult if you’re not prepared for it. If you are, then it’s downgraded to just very difficult.
The game is an exercise in patience as you battle to take down bosses and stress-inducing, one-shot run and gun missions where one mistake can be the difference between success and failure. We’d recommend you max out your friendship or relationship level before attempting Cuphead.
As Dusk Falls
As Dusk Falls is a unique title created by Supermassive Games, the developers behind Until Dawn, The Devil In Me, and many more thrilling interactive dramas.
It’s a great game to play with local or online co-op and will inspire many interesting conversations as players vote on the rather tough choices the characters need to make as the mysterious story unfolds.
KeyWe
KeyWe is a beautiful puzzle platformer that’s perfect for couch co-op. It places you into the body of two Kiwi birds called Jeff and Debra who must manage a busy and often maze-like post office.
It’s chaotic and tough, but extremely enjoyable to play, as long as you and the other player have your communication solidified.
We Were Here Forever
Recently made available for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, We Were Here Forever is a fantastic co-op puzzle game available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox that requires careful communication and skill to solve some relatively tricky challenges.
Essentially, you and a friend are dripped into a mysterious castle and must solve puzzles to ensure their survival and escape. It’s a perfect mix between creepy, complicated, and creative.
For The King
Sure, it might not be a couch co-op, but this fantastic co-op game is filled with strategy, communication, and a vast amount of challenge.
For The King is perfect for any tabletop gamer looking to branch out to video games with their friends. You can create your own character with their own set of skills and explore a rather unforgiving world together. Just never underestimate a battle.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op game that tasks up to four players with mining for different resources in procedurally generated environments.
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As a Dwarf Miner working for the Deep Rock Galactic company, it’s your job to complete objectives within a cave ranging from gathering specific materials and repairing broken equipment. After all your missions are done, you’ll need to extract yourself from the cave before the escape pod leaves to safely return with all your new resources.
While combat is part of DRG (you’ll have to contend with hordes of alien bugs) it’s a relatively relaxing experience that’s wholly unique in the FPS genre.
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is an iconic side-scrolling hack n’ slash from developers The Behemoth. This colorful 2D game can be played by up to four people, with each taking control of a different character. You and your friends play as Knights who must rescue a quartet of princesses who have been kidnapped by an evil wizard.
As you travel across the land you’ll fight your way through a variety of enemies, all while levelling up and adding more skills to your arsenal. Each of the starter Knights is adept in a specific element e.g. Blue Knight wields Ice magic, while Red Knight uses Fire.
Castle Crashers is a challenging but satisfying side scroller that’s brimming with vibrant visuals, and personality. It’s a must-play for anyone who wants to enjoy a more arcade-like experience with their friends.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime lets you and up to three friends explore a galaxy within an impressive neon battleship. It’s not a smooth journey, however, as you’ll have to carefully man your lasers, turrets, and thrusters to survive.
Thankfully, you can regularly upgrade your battleship so it’s ready for any hazards and dangers that await you in deep space. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is also randomized so you can discover something new every time you play.
This is a frantic but extremely satisfying co-op title that anyone who enjoys a good shooter or simply loves space should check out.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is one of the most beloved cozy games of all time. Whether you’re forming relationships with villagers, tending to your crops, fishing, or mining for resources in Skull Cavern, there’s a wealth of content to enjoy.
The best part is undoubtedly that you can experience the game in co-op! So if you want to show off your own gameplay progress, or create a separate multiplayer world to build out a farm with friends the game’s multiplayer feature lets you do just that.
You can even marry another player which is a lovely touch, especially for anyone who may be playing in co-op with their significant other.
Escape Academy
If solving puzzles was your favorite part of It Takes Two, then we’d recommend checking out Escape Academy. In this puzzle game, you take on the role of students at the Escape Academy who have enrolled to become Escape Room Masters.
You’ll play in a first-person perspective and have to work together to discover different clues and solve puzzles to achieve certain goals within a limited amount of time. If you’re a more logical thinker and you’ve got a friend who prefers to come up with outside-of-the-box solutions, Escape Academy is perfect for you as its challenges require both approaches.
Overall, this is a great co-op game for puzzle lovers.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is a hugely beloved RPG that took home numerous Game of the Year awards in 2023. Set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, you’ll embark on an epic quest across The Forgotten Realms, attempting skills checks and meeting all kinds of interesting NPCs.
While you can take on the entire game solo with the aid of some fantastic companions, it’s also possible to experience it all in a co-op party of up to four players.
Each of you can take on a different role in the party thanks to the array of classes, races, and multiclass options available. Whether you’ve already got an established D&D group who wants to get even more weekly sessions in, or just wet your feet in the tabletop RPG experience by trying Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s a brilliant title to try in co-op.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light is a great co-op title, especially for diehard Tomb Raider fans. This is a non-linear action game with a set isometric camera.
Players will either take control of franchise protagonist Lara Croft, or the Mayan warrior Totec, as the pair work together to retrieve the Mirror of Smoke and stop the evil spirit Xolotl.
With Lara and Totec having different skills, there’s a huge emphasis on teamwork and you’ll have to work closely with one another to progress through each level. You can also aim to collect the most gems or kill the most enemies, giving a competitive element to the gameplay loop.
Ultimately, Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light is a must-play for any Tomb Raider fans looking for a co-op experience.
Human Fall Flat
Human Fall Flat is all about getting from one end of a level to another while having to deal with hilarious physics. You’ll need to navigate every level using your body, the terrain, and the items you’ve given to successfully reach the end together.
Each level also has multiple solutions so there’s a lot of replayability for groups to discover all the different (and fastest) possible ways to succeed in all 20 levels. If you’re looking for a new party game, this is a solid choice.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The latest 2D Mario platformer, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, was released in October 2023, and it not only acts as a great introduction to the franchise for newcomers but it’s also fantastic in co-op play.
There are 12 characters you can choose from in Wonder’s multiplayer ranging from the titular plumber to Princess Peach, Todette, and different color Yoshis. Up to four characters can be running around the screen at once which makes things a bit hectic — but it’s extremely enjoyable nonetheless.
Whether you’re a Mario veteran or this is your first installment in the beloved franchise, we’d certainly recommend giving the multiplayer a go.
Knights and Bikes
Knights and Bikes is an adorable adventure game that’s clearly inspired by the iconic 80s movie The Goonies. It’s a game that perfectly captures childlike wonder as you play as friends, Nessa and Demelza.
You’ll spend your time in Knights and Bikes exploring an ancient island discovering treasure, solving puzzles, and overcoming hazards. As the name suggests, riding and upgrading your trusty bike is also a big part of the journey, and you can even customize it to your heart’s content.
Overall, this is a delightful indie title that can be played entirely in couch or online co-op.
Portal 2
Portal 2 is one of the most iconic puzzle games of all time. Developed by Valve, players are tasked with navigating the Aperture Science Laboratory by using the titular Portal gun to traverse the environment and successfully get through different obstacles.
Alongside its single-player campaign, Portal 2 also features a full multiplayer story where players each take control of one of two robots, Atlas and P-Body.
If you’re someone who replayed the core campaign hundreds of times, dipping into the co-op content in Portal 2 is a lot of fun and a great way to showcase the game’s unique mechanics to friends.
Bread & Fred
Bead & Fred is a charming platformer about two penguin buddies who are attempting to get to the top of a snowy mountain. As the penguins are attached to each other, precision is key as you’ll have to land each jump successfully to continue your climb.
While you can swing and propel one another high in the air, falls will also be a lot harder so communication is vital. With striking visuals, adorable characters, and satisfying but unforgiving gameplay, Bread & Fred is a great underrated co-op title.
Be mindful that it might just test your friendship if you keep falling though!
Now you know which co-op games are best to play if you loved It Takes Two, for even more content, check out our lists of the best JRPGs of all time, best MMOs, best scary Roblox horror games, and best video game characters of all time.
