As someone who usually focuses on single-player games, I must admitSteamoffers some incredible co-op games perfect for game night. Because sometimes going at it alone just isn’t feasible.
10 Best Couch Co-Op Games on Xbox Game Pass
With these couch co-op experiences on Xbox Game Pass, you’ll be laughing, cheering, and maybe shouting at your co-op partner all night long.
Steam’s offerings are thankfully diverse too. There’s something for action fans,puzzle and strategy fans, horror fans, and even cooking fans. Whether they use local co-op or are online only, these games will give you hours’ worth of fun.
We have included a diverse selection of games as some are online co-op only, while others are capable of being played local co-op style.
10Helldivers 2
Maximum Players: 4
Helldivers 2
Have you always wanted to fight for the security of the galaxy? Or maybe you held dreams of being a part of Starship Troopers? Well, Helldivers 2 is the perfect way to go about that. It’s fast-paced, loud, and bloody. It’s the perfect third-person shooter when all you want from your game is action.
Thereisfriendly fire, which adds a layer of realism to it that can be equal parts fun and frustrating. But as long as you have the right team on your side, the only ones going down are the monsters. You can get any of your friends to play too thanks to its PS5 and PC crossplay.
Maximum Players: 2
Want to take gaming back to sitting side-by-side on a couch and shouting at the TV together? You can when you jump into local co-op inCuphead. Witness Mugman and Cuphead side-by-side in this run-and-gun game.
Don’t let the bright, bold designs seen in 1930s cartoons fool you. This lively game has caused quite a few smashed controllers because if you both die, it’s time to start all over from the beginning of the stage. But that’s the fun part of it, right? It forces you to learn the enemy’s moves and adapt accordingly.
8Don’t Starve Together
Maximum Players: 6
Don’t Starve Together
Don’t Starve Together is another great co-op Steam game if you want to survive with friends. It’s uncompromising, so without proper teamwork, you’ll meet a deadly fate sooner rather than later.
10 Best Cross-Platform Co-Op Games
You can play these games with your friends regardless of which platform they’re on.
It features procedurally generated maps, so there’s excellent diversity as you play. But survival is the name of the game, and teamwork improves your odds. You’ll have to explore a variety of biomes and areas, fight ridiculously oversized creatures, and do some simple farming to handle your survival needs.
Groundedis like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids on steroids. You play as shrunken children forced to survive in a dangerous backyard full of gigantic bugs eager to have you for dinner. It’s an entertaining co-op game to jump in with friends when you want survival but not quite like what’s found in horror games.
Although some of these enemies can cause your heart rate to skyrocket, it’s not really scary. Instead, it’s a more challenging survival game where you and your group still has to create shelter, find and make weapons and armor, keep hydrated and fed, and simply not die.
6It Takes Two
It Takes Two
The coolest thing about It Takes Two is that it is a more meaningful and heartful game than you think. You and your partner jump into the shoes of an arguing couple who have been transformed into dolls. From the start, it certainly makes for a wonderful date night game to play considering it’sonlyintended for two people whether online or split-screen local co-op.
The gamecanget a little silly at times, but that makes it even more fun. As a platformer, it nails the mechanisms and truly pushes the teamwork aspect. You won’t be able to finish the game without each other.
5Lethal Company
Lethal Company
Looking for a game that can be as funny as it can be scary?Lethal Companyisthat game. As long as you have the right group playing with you, at least.
Your job is to gather scraps for The Company, bringing what you find back to the ship to turn in to meet your quota. There’s a time crunch too. But it’s not so simple as run inside a building and run out with your scraps. Instead, there’s an assortment of creatures out to kill you. You can work together which each person having a specific role from looting to fighting. Or you can sacrifice your team and leave. Either way works.
4Chained Together
Chained Together
Platformers already drop you into stressful situations, but Chained Together is the definition of anxiety. It’s not just you that can fall as you try to escape hell. It’s everyone attached to you you have to worry about. One slip up from someone in the back or middle can send everyone overboard. Or maybe the leader doesn’t know where they’re going and hurls everyone back down the ground.
Like similar games, there’s no death to worry about. It’s just seeing how much patience you have to ascend over 600m just to fall back down to the ground and start at 0.
3Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2
Head out into thedangerously exciting world of Borderlands 2. It has one of the best co-op designs on Steam thanks to its drop-in and drop-out function. you’re able to go in and out of campaigns as you see fit without restarting the game.
Borderlands: 8 Hidden Easter Eggs, References in the Movie
Feelings aside about the execution of the Borderlands movie, the film did a good job including various references to different games in the franchise.
There are new characters, classes, enemies, and an entertaining story and landscape to enjoy as you embark on different missions. Plus, you’re able to bring all your gear from one game to another. No need to worry about losing your dual rocket launcher-wielding character when you join a friend’s game. Just remember that in co-op mode, you share loot. So, look out for each other to ensure no one falls behind, and you should have a great time.
2Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia
Ghost hunting has never been cooler when you have a team by your side. In Phasmophobia, you don’t just hunt typical ghosts. There are manydifferent types of entitiesthat can haunt a place, and it’s your job to find enough clues and discover what’s behind the haunting.
You even get paid for all your hard work, and you’re able to use your funds to buy more equipment to use yourself or share with your team. Remember:you can die. That’s a very real possibility that the entity is angered enough (and you can’t hide from the Haunt) to kill you or your team. Your gear is lost to you then, so try your best to survive the night.
1Project Zomboid
Maximum Players: 100
Project Zomboid
Not many co-op games on Steam can boast a max player count of 100, but Project Zomboid claims it can even if there will be some stability issues. You can still keep things more contained like using the local co-op function with up to four players.
As for the game itself, it’s a blend of horror survival, a customizable sandbox, and an RPG. The game is undeniably challenging with realistic elements to keep you on edge. It’s a great look at how you and your friends would hold up in a zombie apocalypse. Although these undead creatures walk, they can quickly overwhelm anyone who’s unprepared.
