Two on the couch, two more online - or a split screen across the internet.
By Stephen V., Founder & Editor · Last updated August 18, 2026 · How we pick
Every pick here supports local split-screen and online play. The write-ups below say exactly which combination each one allows. Prices are live from Amazon.
| # | Game | Best for | Crossplay | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Borderlands 3 Looter-shooter | A group that likes loot grinding and can play on the same platform. | No | $33.63 |
| 2 |  It Takes Two Co-op action-adventure | Two people who want one story built entirely around working together. | No - same platform only | $33.00 |
| 3 |  Split Fiction Co-op action-adventure | Two players on different consoles who loved It Takes Two and want more. | Yes - crossplay + Friend's Pass | Check price |
| 4 |  Minecraft Sandbox / survival | A mixed group that wants to build or survive together, any devices. | Yes - Bedrock crossplay across all platforms | $29.83 |
| 5 |  Diablo IV Action RPG | A group across different consoles that wants a shared long-haul RPG. | Yes - full crossplay + cross-progression | $29.95 |
| 6 |  A Way Out Co-op adventure | Two players who want a cinematic prison-break story, split-screen. | No - same platform only | $74.50 |
| 7 |  Overcooked! All You Can Eat Party co-op | A group of 2-4 that wants controlled chaos and a lot of yelling. | Yes - full crossplay | $23.40 |
| 8 |  Sackboy: A Big Adventure Family co-op platformer | A PlayStation household that wants a gentle four-player platformer. | Not listed - treat online as same-platform | $32.50 |
| 9 |  Human: Fall Flat Physics puzzle party | A group that wants cheap, silly physics-puzzle chaos, any platform. | Yes - crossplay across platforms | $19.99 |
| 10 |  Portal 2 Puzzle co-op | Two players who want the best co-op puzzle campaign, for a few dollars. | No - co-op is same platform | $4.84 |
Most friend groups are not all in one place and not all in separate places. Two of you share a flat, two more are across town. One couple has a console between them, another person plays alone. The standard advice - couch co-op for the people in the room, online co-op for the people who are not - forces you to pick one half of the group and abandon the other.
A small number of games solve it properly. They let a second player join in split-screen on one machine, and then let that pair go online together as a unit. Two consoles become a four-player session. It is the single best answer for a half-local, half-remote group, and it is almost never advertised.
Split-screen locally, online separately. The most common shape: the game supports two people on one machine, and it supports online play, but not both at once. Fine for a group that plays one way on Tuesdays and another on Fridays; useless for mixing.
Split-screen players joining an online session. The one you want. Two people share a console and appear in an online lobby alongside friends elsewhere. Borderlands 3, Diablo IV and Minecraft all do this on console, and it is why they lead this list.
A split screen across the internet. The rarest and strangest. A Way Out keeps the frame divided even when the two players are in different houses, because seeing what your partner is doing is the story. It Takes Two and Split Fiction use the same design. Nobody is sharing a television; the split is the game.
One to skip
Do not assume "local co-op" plus "online co-op" on a store page means you can combine them. Those are two separate feature lines and a game can support both without ever letting a couch player into an online lobby - which is the exact thing most people are trying to buy when they search for this. Overcooked! All You Can Eat, for instance, does both formats brilliantly and is one of the best group games on this site, but the combination behaves differently from the way Borderlands 3 handles it. If the couch-plus-online trick is the reason you are buying, verify it for the specific game before spending, not the genre.
Best for: A group that likes loot grinding and can play on the same platform.
1-4 co-op, online + split-screen · Looter-shooter
Four-player looter-shooter co-op with split-screen for couch play - a lot of game for the money, especially the Ultimate Edition. No crossplay, so line up your platforms first. Great for a crew that wants a long shared campaign.
Facts verified via 2K official site.
Also a top pick in Co-op and Split-Screen.
Best for: Two people who want one story built entirely around working together.
2 players, online or split-screen · Co-op action-adventure
The gold standard for two-player co-op: every mechanic is designed for two, and the Friend's Pass lets a second player join free. Split-screen the whole way through. Skip it if you're a group of three or more - it is strictly two.
Facts verified via EA official page.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Co-op.
Best for: Two players on different consoles who loved It Takes Two and want more.
2 players, online or split-screen · Co-op action-adventure
The follow-up from the It Takes Two team, and this time crossplay is in - one of you on PS5, the other on PC, no problem. Friend's Pass again means only one copy is needed. Two-player only, so it is not a party game.
Facts verified via EA official page.
Also a top pick in Co-op and Split-Screen.
Best for: A mixed group that wants to build or survive together, any devices.
1-8+ players, online + local · Sandbox / survival
The Bedrock edition plays crossplatform across phone, console, and PC, so it is the default answer when your group is on wildly different hardware. Endless, low-pressure, and works for kids and adults alike. Java edition (PC-only) does not crossplay with Bedrock - buy the console/mobile version for mixed groups.
Facts verified via Minecraft official site.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Online.
Best for: A group across different consoles that wants a shared long-haul RPG.
1-4 co-op, online · Action RPG
Full crossplay and cross-progression, so your group can play together regardless of platform and even swap devices mid-season. Split-screen exists on console too. It is a live-service grind, so best for a crew that plays regularly, not a one-off.
Facts verified via Blizzard official site.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Online.
Best for: Two players who want a cinematic prison-break story, split-screen.
2 players, online or split-screen · Co-op adventure
A two-player-only prison break told entirely in split-screen, even online. The Friend's Pass means one copy covers both of you. Same-platform only, and it is a one-playthrough story - but a memorable one.
Facts verified via EA official page.
Also a top pick in Split-Screen and 2 Players.
Best for: A group of 2-4 that wants controlled chaos and a lot of yelling.
1-4 players, online + local · Party co-op
Both Overcooked games remastered with full crossplay across every platform - genuinely the easiest way to get four friends on four different systems cooking together. Local and online. It will test friendships; that's the point.
Facts verified via Steam store page.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Party.
Best for: A PlayStation household that wants a gentle four-player platformer.
1-4 players local + online co-op · Family co-op platformer
Teams of two to four take on the levels together, locally or online, and the tone is friendly enough for young players while a few late co-op stages will still make adults argue. PlayStation and PC only, with no crossplay listed - so line everyone up on the same platform before you buy.
Facts verified via Steam store page.
Also a top pick in 3 Players and For Non-Gamers.
Best for: A group that wants cheap, silly physics-puzzle chaos, any platform.
1-8 online + local co-op · Physics puzzle party
Wobbly-physics co-op puzzles for up to eight with crossplay - one of the best value party picks going, and frequently discounted. The humor comes from failure. Not a deep game, and that is the appeal.
Facts verified via Steam store page.
Also a top pick in Best Games to Play With Friends and Long-Distance.
Best for: Two players who want the best co-op puzzle campaign, for a few dollars.
2 players co-op, online + split-screen · Puzzle co-op
A decade on, still the best two-player puzzle co-op ever made, and often under $5 on PC. Split-screen or online. It is same-platform co-op and PC-focused - but for two puzzle-minded friends it is unbeatable value.
Facts verified via Steam store page.
Also a top pick in Co-op and Couch Co-op.
Borderlands 3 is the clearest example on any platform, which is why it leads. Two people play split-screen on one console and take that session online with two more friends, giving you a four-player campaign from two machines. It is a finished game with an ending, it is usually cheap, and there are no seasons to fall behind on. The one hard limit is crossplay: everybody online has to be on the same platform family. Full detail in the Borderlands 3 review.
Diablo IV is the same trick with the opposite trade. Two-player split-screen on console, and then full crossplay and cross-progression online - so the couch pair can join friends on PS5, Xbox and PC in one session, and either of them can pick the character up on a different device later. The cost is that it is a live-service game that expects regular attention. Review here.
Minecraftis the most flexible of the three. Console split-screen takes up to four players on one machine, and that world - or someone else's - is shared with anyone on Bedrock, which means phones, Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC. For a mixed group where half the people are in one room and the rest are anywhere at all, nothing else covers as much ground. Buy the console or mobile version, not Java: our review explains why that distinction costs people money.
It Takes Two, Split Fiction and A Way Outare two-player-only story games where the split frame is the design rather than a compromise, and it stays split whether you are on one sofa or a thousand miles apart. All three include a Friend's Pass, so one purchase covers both players. Split Fiction adds crossplay, which the other two lack - if your partner in this is on a different platform, that is the deciding factor, and the comparison lays it out.
Portal 2 belongs in the same family and costs a fraction as much: a purpose-built two-player campaign, playable split-screen or online, and one of the best co-op games ever made. Same-platform only, and in practice a PC game today.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat is the party pick that does both formats with full crossplay online - four people in a kitchen, or four people on four different systems. Sackboy: A Big Adventure covers two-to-four local or online co-op for a gentler group, though with no crossplay listed treat online as same-platform. Human: Fall Flat is the cheap one, with crossplay online and local play on top.
Count the machines, not the people. Four friends with four consoles want plain online co-op and should start at the crossplay hub. Four friends around one television want the couch co-op page. It is the in-between case - two machines, four people - where this page earns its keep, and it is far more common than the industry designs for.
If you already know the platform, the shortlists are broken out by machine: split-screen on PS5, split-screen on Xbox, and split-screen on PC, which is the hardest of the three and explains why.
One screen, split in two. The best side-by-side games.
Xbox is the best split-screen console. Here's the proof.
One PS5, one TV, two controllers. What to put on.
Same couch, same screen, no internet required.
Different consoles, one game that bridges all of them.
Different cities, same night. Games that close the distance.
Borderlands 3, Diablo IV, and Minecraft all support it on console - two people share one machine and appear in an online lobby with friends elsewhere, so two consoles produce a four-player group. It is not a common feature, so check the specific game rather than assuming.
A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction all keep the frame divided even when the two players are in different houses, because seeing your partner's half is part of the design. All three include a Friend's Pass, so only one of you buys the game.
No. Those are two separate features on a store listing, and plenty of games support both without ever letting a couch player into an online lobby. If combining them is why you are buying, verify it for that specific game.
Minecraft, because console split-screen takes up to four players on one machine and the world is shared with anyone on the Bedrock edition, including phones and every console. Borderlands 3 and Diablo IV are the stronger picks if you want a structured campaign rather than a sandbox.
One copy covers everyone on the console you are sharing. Friends joining from their own machines need their own copy, except in the Friend's Pass games - It Takes Two, Split Fiction, and A Way Out - where a remote second player joins free.
For console online play, usually yes - PlayStation Plus or the Xbox equivalent - and the couch player on the same machine is covered by the host's subscription. Free-to-play games are generally exempt. Our free vs paid multiplayer guide breaks down which modes need what.