6 games to explore

Co-op Games to Play with Friends

Shared adventures, clever puzzles and chaotic kitchens. Find something your group will enjoy.

Which should you try first?

For a dedicated two-player adventure, try It Takes Two or Split Fiction. Portal 2 favors patient discussion; Overcooked! 2 favors quick coordination. A Way Out follows a shared dramatic story, while Stardew Valley offers a more open-ended project to return to together.

About this selection

Playing together can mean coordinating two different abilities, discussing a puzzle or sharing a longer-term project. Start with your group’s preferred pace. These six choices cover focused two-player campaigns, group chaos and a gentler place to spend time together.

Selected for meaningful cooperation rather than simply having multiplayer. Check player counts, platform compatibility and local or online support before deciding how your group will play.

Compare two games before you choose

Keep the kind of play you want. Compare what you will spend time doing and what might put you off.

First game

Second game

It Takes Two

Choose it for: A campaign built around two different roles
What you will do: Cody and May receive tools that must work together. Changing mechanics keep the partnership active across platforming, puzzles and action, making this a clear starting point for a pair seeking variety.
Consider first: It requires two players. Both need to take part in action and platforming rather than having one player simply assist.

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Split Fiction

Choose it for: A two-player adventure that keeps changing worlds
What you will do: Science-fiction and fantasy settings frame a cooperative journey with changing challenges. Try it when both players want an active role and enjoy learning a new interaction together.
Consider first: It is designed for a pair, not a large group. Expect action and platforming as well as moments of coordination.

Explore Split Fiction →

A campaign built around two different roles

It Takes Two

Cody and May receive tools that must work together. Changing mechanics keep the partnership active across platforming, puzzles and action, making this a clear starting point for a pair seeking variety.

Consider first: It requires two players. Both need to take part in action and platforming rather than having one player simply assist.

Find games like It Takes Two →

Compare with Split FictionChoose this for two writers moving between sci-fi and fantasy scenarios, rather than It Takes Two’s story about a couple.

A two-player adventure that keeps changing worlds

Split Fiction

Science-fiction and fantasy settings frame a cooperative journey with changing challenges. Try it when both players want an active role and enjoy learning a new interaction together.

Consider first: It is designed for a pair, not a large group. Expect action and platforming as well as moments of coordination.

Find games like Split Fiction →

Compare with It Takes TwoChoose this for a relationship story with a couple working through changing cooperative challenges, rather than Split Fiction’s sci-fi and fantasy worlds.

Talk through the solution together

Portal 2

The cooperative campaign gives each player a portal gun, making the interaction between your movements and portals the puzzle. It suits a pair who enjoy testing an idea and explaining why it should work.

Consider first: Check availability on your exact platform. Progress can pause while you reconsider a puzzle rather than pushing forward constantly.

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Compare with Overcooked! 2Choose this for quick coordination under a timer, rather than stopping to work through Portal 2’s spatial puzzles.

A kitchen where communication is the challenge

Overcooked! 2

Preparing and serving orders means dividing jobs while shifting kitchens interfere with the plan. Choose it for a group that enjoys recovering from mistakes and improving coordination under pressure.

Consider first: The timer makes this hectic. It can be a poor fit when the group wants a calm evening with time to deliberate.

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Compare with Portal 2Choose this for discussing and solving portal puzzles together, rather than coordinating orders under Overcooked 2’s time pressure.

A shared story with two perspectives

A Way Out

The two protagonists take part in the same escape-driven adventure, sometimes doing different things at once. Choose it when following a dramatic campaign together matters more than building a lasting collection.

Consider first: Two players are required. This is a directed narrative experience rather than an open-ended cooperative world.

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Compare with Stardew ValleyChoose this for an ongoing shared farm with room to split tasks, rather than A Way Out’s directed two-player campaign.

A longer-term project you can share

Stardew Valley

Farming, gathering and exploring provide different jobs within a shared routine. It suits players who want to contribute at their own pace and return to the same developing farm over many sessions.

Consider first: In-game days still create time pressure. Check multiplayer support for the platform and edition your group intends to use.

Find games like Stardew Valley →

Compare with A Way OutChoose this for a directed two-player story with an ending, rather than maintaining a shared farm over many sessions.