With worldwide lockdowns keeping people indoors throughout 2020, the local multiplayer market had a sharp rise in prominence. Local multiplayer provided a great outlet for people who were in need of entertainment, and many family members of all ages found a new passion for getting together and gaming with their loved ones.
RELATED:Open World Games That Have No Combat
Although competitive multiplayer games are more popular, there are numerous excellent cooperative multiplayer games that task players with working together to complete objectives. With many cooperative games only offering online co-op today, it’s worth pointing out that every game on this list offers local co-op, making them perfect for folks cooped up together.
Updated August 07, 2025, by Jack Pursey:It’s hard to deny that local co-op has suffered a decline over the last couple of decades, with new releases designed for friends and family on the same couch becoming increasingly uncommon as the years pass. Thankfully, there is no shortage of excellent couch co-op games that have been released in the past. So, to give gamers so more ideas for fun co-op titles to play, this list has been updated to include some more great multiplayer family games.
12It Takes Two
It Takes Twowas developed by Hazelight Studios and released in March 2021 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch. The game didn’t draw too much hype in the build-up to its release but has since exploded in popularity thanks to its excellent89 Metascore,Game of the Year win at The Game Awards, and announcement of afilm adaptation involving Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
The game itself isatwo-player action-adventurethat stands out with its vast range of gameplay mechanics, which ensure that the13-hour storyis constantly engaging.
11Minecraft
With over 200 million copies sold,Minecraftis the second-best-selling game of all time, with only theclassic puzzle gameTetrisahead of it.Minecraft’s popularity can be attributed to how it captures the magic of Lego — as, like the Danish toy,Minecraftallows players' imaginations to run wild as they create extraordinary structures in Creative mode.
Creative mode isn’t all there is toMinecraft, however, as there is also Survival mode where players gather resources by hand while avoiding monsters. Split-screen co-op is sadly not available on PC without mods, but it is a feature on consoles.
10Untitled Goose Game
Untitled Goose Gameis a stealth puzzle game that was released in 2019 and turned heads for — as the name suggests — putting players in control of a goose. The game gives the unorthodox protagonist a shopping list of items that they must steal from a variety of areas around a quaint British village, which is just as hard as it sounds.
RELATED:Untitled Goose Game: How to Play Co-Op
Untitled Goose Gameishilarious to play by one’s self, but even funnier in co-op as players team up to terrorize unsuspecting and likely very confused residents.
9LittleBigPlanet 3
LittleBigPlanet 3is apuzzle platformerthat was released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in November 2014. The game didn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel, as Sumo Digital kept the core gameplay close to its predecessors with creative level designs that are simple but thoroughly enjoyable to play through.
Along with the developer-created stages,LittleBigPlanet 3also lets players design their own stages, a mode that is deceivingly easy to sink numerous hours into.
8PHOGS!
PHGOS!is reminiscent of the classic Nickelodeon cartoonCatDog, in the sense that its protagonists are conjoined together at the waist. The cooperative game puts players in control of one head each and tasks them with reaching the end ofpuzzle-platforming levels.
These levels would be simple to traverse with a regular platforming character like Mario, but with two players controlling one body, it can be a hilarious nightmare trying to progress inPHOGS!.
7Snipperclips
Snipperclipsis a puzzle game that can be enjoyed by two players in the World mode or up to four players in the Party and Blitz modes.
The World and Party modes feature sets of puzzles that utilize the game’s unique “snip” mechanic, where players cut one another to create different shapes and sizes in an attempt to solve the objective. Blitz mode, on the other hand, offers three different games: Hoops (basketball), Hockey, and a deathmatch-like mode named Dojo, where players try to snip each other out of existence.
6Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flatis similar to the aforementionedPHOGS!in the sense that both games would be relatively easy if it wasn’t for the playable characters being an absolute nightmare to control.Fall Flat’s characters move like someone after a few hours at a bar, constantly swaying around and falling over.
RELATED:Great Casual Open World Games
The comedic animations make for a great laugh, but the game shouldn’t be dismissed as nonsensical.The game provides physics-based puzzlesthat require plenty of thought, leading to a gameplay experience that is both fun and challenging.
5Portal 2
ThePortalseries has provided two of thebest puzzle games of all time, with the second game, in particular, being considered an all-time great single-player experience, exemplified by its whopping 95 Metascore.
However, single-player isn’t all that the second game offers, as Valve’s 2011 game also offers an excellent co-op mode. The mode gives players a series of test chambers to solve together, forcing them to put their heads together and attempt to formulate solutions.
4Stardew Valley
From a game that requires constant critical thinking to one of the most laid-back gameplay experiences today,Stardew Valleylets players work together to build a thriving farm in a way that is stress-free but still feels truly rewarding.
The split-screen cooperative mode inStardew Valleyis virtually identical to the single-player mode, with most features remaining exactly the same.Stardew Valleyis great for families who want together in a rewarding way or perhaps would just like something to do while chatting.
3Overcooked 2
PlayingOvercooked 2with family is similar to playingMonopoly, in the sense that it sounds like a fun idea at first but ends with every family member despising one another by the end of the night.
RELATED:Board Games The Whole Family Can Enjoy
The fast-paced cooking game puts players firmly in the heat of the kitchen by requiring them to cook tons of meals in quick succession. In order to stand a chance, players must work together to fulfill orders, which soon leads to absolute carnage with people desperately shouting instructions and trying to stay organized in obstacle-filled maps.
