The best co-op games 2023

Finding a game that you can play with a friend while snuggled up under a blanket on the couch or on a group chat these days is a rarity, and it’s one of the reasons why we’ve put this list of the best co-op games together.

From games that you can play with a single controller in the same room to online games you can play with friends, our list of the best co-op games has it all. You can expect recommendations for the best games where co-operative play is at the forefront of game design – for better or for worse.

These are the best co-op games:

• It Takes Two
• Minecraft
• A Way Out
• The Quarry
• Fortnite
• Warzone 2
• Overcooked: All You Can Eat Edition
• Back 4 Blood
• Stardew Valley
• Phasmophobia
• Monster Hunter Rise
• Gang Beasts
• Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
• Sea of Thieves
• As Dusk Falls

1. It Takes Two

It Takes Two is arguably the best co-op game out there right now. You play as a husband and wife who have been turned into a pair of dolls by their daughter who is distraught about their intent to divorce. The story is a little questionable at times, but this co-op adventure, which basically features several games inside a game, will force you and your chosen partner to work together.

You might have a few friendly disagreements along the way, but the gameplay is really fun when you get into it. There’s a reason it won The Game Awards’ Game of the Year in 2021 – the same year that Jess nominated it for The Loadout’s GOTY award, as well.

It Takes Two is currently available on all major platforms.

2. Minecraft

Minecraft is at its best when played with friends. While it’s not available as a couch co-op game, it can be played online providing you both join the same world.

The beauty of Minecraft is that it can be played however you like. You can start gathering resources and build your world from scratch, creating the best Minecraft houses along the way. Or you can join some of the best Minecraft survival servers and see how long you can last.

The possibilities are endless, especially since it’s available on all major platforms. Give it a go and see what happens.

3. A Way Out

A Way Out is another co-op adventure from the creators of It Takes Two, except instead of a troubled couple, you’ll play as two prisoners looking to escape prison. You’ll need to work together to set up the escape and avoid detection, which, let’s be honest, sounds like the perfect recipe for a co-op game.

Unlike It Takes Two, A Way Out can only be played on PS4/5, Xbox, and PC, so if you have a Nintendo Switch, you’ll have to pass on this one.

4. The Quarry

We can’t write a best co-op games list without mentioning one of the best horror games of recent years, The Quarry. Taking inspiration from 80s pulp horror, Supermassive Games places you in control of nine teenagers during their final night at Hackett’s Quarry summer camp. Like all good horrors, things aren’t as they seem, and quite a few things go bump in the night.

Of course, all good horror games are best enjoyed with a friend and in The Quarry you can play this (or even watch it play out) both offline and online. This is one of the many reasons we gave the game a 9/10 in our The Quarry review.

5. Fortnite

Fortnite is easily one of the best battle royale games out there and it’s great fun to play with friends. While securing Victory Royales solo is a rewarding experience, nothing quite compares to winning a battle following a complex build with a friend or two along with the ride.

Plus, with full cross-play, plenty of new content drops, and a constant flow of Fortnite skins, there’s something for everyone in this free game. Just make sure you know which of the best Fortnite landing spots to pick before you jump from the battle bus.

6. Warzone 2

If you’re looking for something a bit more realistic in the battle royale department, Warzone 2 is your game. Now the second iteration of the hit free-to-play Call of Duty battle royale games, Warzone 2 is leading the way for innovation in the genre.

With a new perk system, changes to the way the best Warzone 2 loadouts work, the ever-changing Warzone 2 meta, and new mode DMZ, the battlegrounds of Al Mazrah have never been so enticing. Like Fortnite, you can head into battle alone, but it’s much more fun if you go in with a friend or two across PS4/5, Xbox, and PC.

7. Overcooked! All You Can Eat

Do you reckon you and your friends could open a restaurant together and turn it into a successful business? Well with Overcooked you can discover just that. The All You Can Eat edition brings both the first and the second game into a neat little package, containing hundreds of levels.

You can play the game with up to four friends locally or online (across different platforms, too) and cook up a storm in no time. You’ll be required to work as a team to create dishes, fulfil orders, and extinguish fires.

It’s utter chaos, but if you’re looking for a co-op game that you can pick up and play, this is the one for you.

8. Back 4 Blood

Sure, Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 are the original zombie co-op games out there, but let’s be honest, Back 4 Blood has modernised the format, while giving us something new to chew on. The deckbuilding system allows you to build your chosen character out of your playstyle and if you play it online with friends, you can each build a deck using the best Back 4 Blood cards to cover all bases.

You can find out more about how this works in our Back 4 Blood review, but with new content being added to the game on a regular basis, there’s never been a better time to pick it up.

9. Stardew Valley

For those of you looking for a slightly more peaceful gaming experience, let us introduce you to Stardew Valley. Heavily inspired by the Harvest Moon games of yore, Stardew Valley gives you your grandfather’s old farm and tells you to get cracking.

While the original version of the game forced you to do this alone, the co-op update means you can bring up to three friends along for the ride. You can divide the farm up into four sections or you can work together to plant crops, rear animals, or make sweet, sweet jam.

Each one of your friends can have houses and they can engage with the local community too. Who knows? With the right Stardew Valley gifts, there could be wedding bells on the horizon.

While Stardew Valley is available on all major platforms, the cosy couch co-op feel and the fact this is available on Game Pass makes this one of our best Switch co-op games out there.

10. Phasmophobia

Do you believe in ghosts? Well, Phasmophobia will put that to the test. In this four-player online co-op game, you and your team of paranormal investigators will need to use their ghost hunting equipment to discover and identify ghosts haunting particular locations.

Some ghosts are friendly, others are less so, so you’ll need to be on your guard at all times to get out alive. Just don’t forget to check behind you.

Phasmophobia is only available to play on PC via Steam.

11. Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter Rise is one of the best RPG games out there at the moment, and that’s because the game’s latest expansion pack, Sunrise, has helped reinvigorate the game in recent months.

A hunting party isn’t a party without a couple of friends, and in Monster Hunter Rise you can connect with three other players to go questing. Party up and explore new worlds, finding new weapons, quests, and creatures along the way.

Monster Hunter Rise is available on all major platforms.

12. Gang Beasts

If you need something quite casual in your life that’ll give you a laugh, let us introduce you to Gang Beasts. Cuddly gelatinous characters are entered into a brawl where only one can emerge victorious. It sounds simple, but the controls are wonky, as are the ragdoll physics, which only leads to chaos.

It’s a hilarious fighting game that you can play on all major platforms, both locally and online.

13. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Lego games have always been made with co-op in mind and The Skywalker Saga is the best yet – especially if you like Star Wars games.

The Skywalker Saga takes you on adventure to a galaxy far, far away to explore all nine films. With more than 400 characters and dozens of planets, there’s never been a better Star Wars game – something our Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review touches upon.

It’s the perfect little couch co-op game, particularly if the two of you like travelling through Hyperspace together. Both of you can play as different characters in proper split-screen, although if you’re close enough to each other, you’ll just share the same view.

Since we reviewed the Skywalker Saga on PS5, it’s got a place in our heart as one of the best PS5 co-op games, but it’s available on all major platforms, including Switch.

14. Sea of Thieves

Arrr mateys, are you well versed in parlay? Well to play Sea of Thieves, one of the best co-op games out there, you’re going to need to scrub up on your knowledge of the Pirate’s Code.

Sea of Thieves is an action-adventure Xbox and PC game that puts you firmly in the shoes of a pirate on the high seas. You’ll need to complete quests to unlock treasure, new worlds, and ships, but the good thing about this is that you can do it with a friend online.

You’ll have to share your booty, but when you realise that deep sea creatures like the Kraken patrol the seas, three isn’t a crowd.

15. As Dusk Falls

Do you want to find out how each of your friends is guided by their moral compass in life? Then As Dusk Falls is the game for you. This interactive narrative drama tells the story of love, lust, revenge, and consequence, and it’s up to you (and your friends) to make the decisions of two families along the way.

With branching storylines for each character, every decision has a consequence leading you to one of the many As Dusk Falls endings. Co-op can be played both online and offline, providing your friends have their phones to hand or a handy little share code. The player with the controller controls the main quick time actions, but when it comes to decisions, the majority wins.

It’s a stunning little game that we fell in love with in our As Dusk Falls review, and it’s one you have to play, especially if you’re a fan of Xbox co-op games.

So there you have it, our list of the best co-op games you can buy right now. If you’re looking for something a bit different, you can check out our guide to the best racing games, as well as the best competitive FPS games out there right now – both of these are great with friends.