The best couch co-op games for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox

What feels like a million video games with online multiplayer seem to arrive every week, but good games you can play on the couch with a loved one have only become rarer. If you’re looking for some cooperative fun, let us help. Below we’ve rounded up several of the best couch co-op games we’ve played across the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC. Just note that we’ve limited our selection to genuine co-op experiences, not games that have local multiplayer but aren’t truly cooperative in practice. (So, no Mario Kart or Jackbox Party Pack.) Still, our guide covers everything from platformers and puzzlers to RPGs and arcade shooters. Best couch co-op games for 2025 Couch co-op games FAQs What's the difference between a multiplayer game and a co-op game? A co-op game is a type of multiplayer game that's designed to let two or more players to play together as a team — or, cooperatively. For this guide, we specifically focus on couch (or "local") co-op games, which allow you and your partner(s) to play from the same device, in the same place. Online co-op games have you play together from separate devices over an internet connection. The latter are much more common these days, but they can be a bit less intimate. (This guide would also be a much more daunting endeavor if we had to keep track of every new game that supports online co-op.) A multiplayer game, meanwhile, is simply any game in which multiple players can play in the same in-game space at the same time, be it cooperatively or competitively, locally or via the internet. Recent updates April 2025: We’ve added Split Fiction as a recommendation and noted Donkey Kong Country Returns HD as another good option in our Tropical Freeze write-up. Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-co-op-games-for-pc-nintendo-switch-ps-4-and-more-141542259.html?src=rss

Apr 25, 2025 - 10:12

The best couch co-op games for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and Xbox

What feels like a million video games with online multiplayer seem to arrive every week, but good games you can play on the couch with a loved one have only become rarer. If you’re looking for some cooperative fun, let us help. Below we’ve rounded up several of the best couch co-op games we’ve played across the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox and PC. Just note that we’ve limited our selection to genuine co-op experiences, not games that have local multiplayer but aren’t truly cooperative in practice. (So, no Mario Kart or Jackbox Party Pack.) Still, our guide covers everything from platformers and puzzlers to RPGs and arcade shooters.

Best couch co-op games for 2025

Couch co-op games FAQs

What's the difference between a multiplayer game and a co-op game?

A co-op game is a type of multiplayer game that's designed to let two or more players to play together as a team — or, cooperatively. For this guide, we specifically focus on couch (or "local") co-op games, which allow you and your partner(s) to play from the same device, in the same place. Online co-op games have you play together from separate devices over an internet connection. The latter are much more common these days, but they can be a bit less intimate. (This guide would also be a much more daunting endeavor if we had to keep track of every new game that supports online co-op.) A multiplayer game, meanwhile, is simply any game in which multiple players can play in the same in-game space at the same time, be it cooperatively or competitively, locally or via the internet.

Recent updates

April 2025: We’ve added Split Fiction as a recommendation and noted Donkey Kong Country Returns HD as another good option in our Tropical Freeze write-up.

Check out our entire Best Games series including the best Nintendo Switch games, the best PS5 games, the best Xbox games, the best PC games and the best free games you can play today.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/best-co-op-games-for-pc-nintendo-switch-ps-4-and-more-141542259.html?src=rss