The Verdict: For two players, nothing beats It Takes Two. For chaotic online squads, Helldivers 2 and Deep Rock Galactic are the gold standard and Overcooked! 2 is the fastest way to find out who you can really trust.
Single-player campaigns are great, but nothing beats the chaos, laughter and occasional friendship-testing arguments of a good co-op session. Whether you have a couch full of friends or you are squadding up online from across the country, the right co-op game turns an ordinary evening into the story you retell for years. These are the eight we recommend first. With notes on player count, whether they work couch or online and who each one is really for.
How we picked
A great co-op game has to do one thing above all: make working together more fun than playing alone. We looked for games with genuine cooperative design (not just single-player with a second cursor), a low barrier to jumping in and that crucial “one more round” pull. We have flagged which are best on the couch, which shine online and where the difficulty or setup might trip you up.
The 8 best co-op games to play with friends
1. It Takes Two
Possibly the best pure co-op game ever made. Built from the ground up for exactly two players, it reinvents itself every single chapter. One minute you are wrangling magnetic boots, the next you are dogfighting in toy planes. The Friend’s Pass means only one of you needs to buy it. It is couch and online co-op, works brilliantly with a non-gamer partner and the only catch is that it is strictly two-player, no more, no less.
2. Helldivers 2
Drop onto hostile planets, spread “managed democracy,” and accidentally call an orbital strike on your own teammate. This four-player online shooter is frantic, hilarious and genuinely tense, with friendly fire that turns every mission into a comedy of errors. It is at its absolute best with friends on voice chat. The caveats: it is online-only, leans on live-service updates and the difficulty ramps up hard, so it suits players who want a real challenge.
3. Deep Rock Galactic
Rock and Stone! Up to four dwarves mine, fight and dig through fully destructible caves, with four distinct classes whose tools genuinely complement each other. It has one of the friendliest communities in gaming and scales smoothly from a quick ten-minute dig to an all-night marathon. It plays fine solo with a robot helper, but this is a game built for a crew. Online co-op; no local split-screen.
4. Overcooked! 2
The ultimate test of any relationship. Run a chaotic kitchen together under absurd time pressure. Chopping, cooking and plating while the floor literally moves beneath you and watch civility quietly evaporate. It supports up to four players on the couch or online and is instantly understandable by anyone. The flip side is the flip side: it can get genuinely heated, so maybe save it for friends you are confident you will still like afterwards.
5. Baldur’s Gate 3
If your group wants depth over chaos, this is the one. The 2023 Game of the Year is a sprawling RPG you can play with up to four friends, each controlling their own character through a story that bends to your collective choices. No two playthroughs are alike, and the freedom to solve problems your own way is unmatched. The caveats are scale and pace: it is enormous (dozens of hours) and turn-based combat asks for patience, so it suits committed groups more than a casual one-off.
6. Lethal Company
A budget-priced horror sensation about scavenging abandoned moons for scrap while avoiding things that very much want to eat you. The proximity voice chat is the magic. Hearing a friend scream and then go silent is unforgettable. It is cheap, quick to learn and best with three or four. Just know it is online-only, leans on jump-scares and is far less fun without people you can laugh (and panic) with.
7. Stardew Valley
Co-op does not have to mean combat. Build a farm together, split the chores, fish, mine and slowly turn a run-down plot into a shared home with up to four players. It is gentle, endlessly relaxing and one of the best-value games anywhere. Perfect for a long-distance friend group that wants somewhere calm to hang out. The only “catch” is pace: this is a slow burn, not an adrenaline rush. One quirk to know going in: the world lives on the host’s save, so the farm only progresses when the host is playing.
8. Sea of Thieves
Crew a pirate ship with friends, hunt treasure and inevitably get robbed by another crew five minutes from port. The shared-world sailing. Assigning roles, coordinating sails and cannons in a panic. Creates the kind of emergent stories no scripted game can. It rewards a full crew of three or four and has grown enormously since launch. Be aware it is online-only and other real players can (and will) ruin your day, which is half the fun. Know what you’re signing up for, though: it’s only as good as your crew and other players can and gleefully will. Sink everything you spent an hour earning.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the best co-op game for just two players?
It Takes Two, hands down. It is designed exclusively for two and only one of you needs to own it. Stardew Valley is the best pick for a relaxed two-player evening.
What’s the best couch (same-screen) co-op game?
Overcooked! 2 and It Takes Two are the standouts for local play. Many of the others (Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic, Sea of Thieves) are online-only, so check before you plan a couch night.
Which of these is the most beginner-friendly?
Overcooked! 2 and Stardew Valley are the easiest to pick up with non-gamers. Helldivers 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 ask the most from new players.
The bottom line
For a date night, It Takes Two. For a rowdy squad, Helldivers 2 or Deep Rock Galactic. For a committed group that wants a real adventure, Baldur’s Gate 3. And if you just want to find out who you can trust, fire up Overcooked! 2. On a budget? Several of these go on deep discount. See our roundup of great budget games under $10, or browse more hidden-gem picks. What is your group playing right now? Drop it in the comments.
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