You versus the game, together
Co-op is the opposite of competitive: instead of beating each other, you and your friends beat the game. It is the best mode for groups who'd rather cooperate than trash-talk, and it ranges from two-player story games to four-player online raids. The deciding questions are how many of you there are, and whether you're on the same couch or spread out online.
Our top co-op pick is It Takes Two- the best two-player campaign ever made, playable split-screen or online, and a second player joins free with the Friend's Pass. For its crossplay follow-up, see Split Fiction just below. If there's a group of you, Overcooked and Deep Rock Galactic scale to four, and Diablo IV or Helldivers 2 give a squad a long shared campaign.
Split by setup. Same room? Our couch co-op page ranks local, same-screen picks. Two of you, one screen? Split-screen games is the page you want. Different consoles? Filter to crossplay co-op via the crossplay hub - not every co-op game bridges platforms, and we flag which ones do on every pick.
Two-player vs. four-player co-op
The best two-player co-op games (It Takes Two, A Way Out, Portal 2, Split Fiction) are tightly designed stories built for exactly two. Four-player co-op (Overcooked, Deep Rock Galactic, Helldivers 2) is looser and more chaotic. Buying a two-player game for a group of four leaves people out; buying a four-player game for a couple can feel empty. Count heads first.
