Co-op multiplayer games have been around for decades, but with the introduction of co-op, there occasionally has to come some concessions. It can be harder to make a co-op game with a proper story, since it’s more difficult to account for two players faffing about rather than just one.
10 Best Co-Op Platformers
Gaming is always better with a friend.
Note how we said “harder,” though, and not “impossible.” In fact, it’s more than possible to have a co-op game with at least some degree of story in it, accomplished either through optional drop-in co-op or a game thatonlypermits co-op.
If you want a game that can provide you with a more enriching, story-based experience that you can still share with a buddy, there are more options out there than you may expect.
11A Way Out
A Co-Op Crime Drama
Have you ever watched one of those really intense crime dramas, like 24 or Prison Break? There’s usually a lot of perspective-shifting in those stories between major players, but what if you had a crime drama where all the action occurred simultaneously between two views?
While the idea of a co-op exclusive game was nothing new in 2018,A Way Outwas still a novel idea for being the first co-op exclusive game with a fully fleshed-out narrative. Both characters need to be player-controlled because player actions affect how the story ultimately unfolds.
This is a game that can’t really be played with an AI partner, as many puzzles require precise timing from both parties to clear.
It’s not like games where you just have a partner to handle a couple of miscellaneous tasks; in A Way Out, you’re both on equal standing, and you both need to contribute.
10It Takes Two
The Wonders Of Parenting
It Takes Two
After Hazelight Studios got everyone thinking about co-op exclusive games with A Way Out, it really sealed the deal withIt Takes Two. Like A Way Out, this game is co-op only; no partner, no game. Honestly, though, this game wouldn’t have half the impact without that qualifier.
It Takes Two is generally a lower-stakes affair than A Way Out, as there are far fewer full fail states no matter what either player does. This is fun since, while you do have to work together to progress, you’re also borderline encouraged to mess with each other for laughs.
It still works from a narrative perspective since May and Cody’s whole arc is that their marriage is going through a rough patch, hence the looming divorce. It’s like shouting therapy, except you’re kicking each other off cliffs with no consequences.
9Split Fiction
Bonding Through Crossovers
Split Fiction
Have you ever had a disagreement over your favorite fiction, either with a friend or some random stranger online?
It’s a surprisingly difficult difference to reconcile, especially if you and this other person have starkly differing tastes in genres. Perhaps the best solution is to just try a bit of everything.
Split Fiction is Hazelight Studios' newest endeavor, carrying over a lot of the cooperative platforming and puzzle-solving DNA from It Takes Two into a more climactic, action-packed package.
The story’s main conceit is that we’re constantly flipping between fantasy and sci-fi settings written by our protagonists, Mio and Zoe, but that’s not the only form of genre-bending you get up to.
The game can flip at a moment’s notice between different genres of gameplay, starting with the speedy platforming you expect before suddenly swapping to twin-stick shooters or pinball, all while maintaining its unique co-op flavor.
If you’re not sure where the crossover is between you and a friend’s gaming tastes, Split Fiction willuncover it sooner or later.
Arby And The Chief
If you want to get technical about it, every Halo game since the original Combat Evolved has had local co-op. However, in Combat Evolved and Halo 2, your second player would just spontaneously manifest as a second Master Chief or Arbiter, with in-game NPCs paying the matter little mind.
For a more authentic story co-op experience, the first game in the series to really get it right wasHalo 3. By this point in the series’ story, Master Chief and the Arbiter are full-time buddies, and the game starts out with them on a mission together.
With this framing device, player one gets to be Chief, and player two gets to be Arbiter. You have all the same weapons and capabilities, but both players being present actually makes proper narrative sense.
7Cult Of The Lamb
Lamb And Goat All Year
Cult of the Lamb
Cult of the Lambwas originally a strictly single-player affair. It does make sense, sincedemonic cultsaren’t exactly known for having more than one all-powerful leader. Even so, the developers decided to add couch co-op in a 2024 update, and it turned out to be a good move.
Rather than a second, inexplicable instance of the Lamb, player two appears as the Goat, a mirror-image entity from some kind of dark parallel universe. Strange, but hardly the strangest thing that happens in this game.
Both the Lamb and the Goat have equal power and authority over the cult, so both you and your friend can manage the day-to-day operations, as well as go out crusading together.
The presence of the Goat doesn’t change the story, but it doesn’t really need to; the leaders of the Old Faith hate you either way.
6LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Your Childhood Dreams Realized
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Since the modern LEGO game paradigm was established with the original LEGO Star Wars, every licensed LEGO game has featured local co-op. That’s part of what makes these games sogreat to play with kids; it’s a very simple and accessible experience.
As far as LEGO games with a story,LEGO Marvel Super Heroesprobably fits the bill best since it’s one of the few licensed LEGO games that’s not tied to an existing story. Every level has at least two heroes (or villains) canonically present, so both players have someone to take command of.
There’s also a boatload of various heroes and villains you can tool around with in the game’s open sandbox hub, which is neat if you want to get up to some shenanigans with your partner between story levels.
Three Heroes In One
While many co-op games will contrive a reason for all of the playable characters to either be present or have a reason to spontaneously appear,Trineprobably did it in the most amusing fashion.
In this game’s story, the titular artifact magically merges the three heroes into a singular existence, with only one (or two to three in co-op) able to be physically present.
Besides making for some entertaining narrative shenanigans, this framework encourages players to know their roles in both combat and puzzle solving, occasionally tagging out as necessary.
For puzzles in particular, the game’s physics engine also allows for a bit of open-endedness, so any player with an idea is free to try it, more or less.
4Kirby And The Forgotten Land
Two Puffballs On The Scene
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Being the omnipotent cosmic horror he is, Kirby has neverneededa partner per se, but he’s a friendly chap and doesn’t mind having his buds along for the ride.
Kirby games have had local co-op as far back as Kirby Super Star on the SNES, but as far as games with a more tangible story,Kirby and the Forgotten Landfits the bill better.
Every Mainline Kirby Game, Ranked
Everyone’s favorite pink puffball has been on plenty of adventures. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and rank them all.
In this game, player two can appear at any time as Bandana Waddle Dee, whom Kirby rescues early in the story. B-Dee obviously isn’t as capable as Kirby himself, as he’s only armed with his usual spear, but his presence can be helpful.
B-Dee’s spear allows him to use certain cutting and stabbing attacks Kirby would normally need a specific ability for. Additionally, he can ride on Kirby while he’s in Mouthful Mode and chuck spears at punks, which is kind offunny in its own right.
Hide Behind Walls And Friends
Couch co-op has been hard-baked into the Gears of War formula since the very first game in the series. After all, the COGs are a whole unit, more than just Marcus Fenix, so there’s almost always another soldier like Dominic on hand for a second player to assume control of during the campaign.
Naturally,Gears 5continues this tradition, with the campaign supporting up to three players playing locally. Technically, though, only two players can control regular humans; player three always has to control Jack, your little floating drone buddy. It isn’t exactly glamorous, but hey, war never is.
For the human players, you’re able to act independently,shooting and slicing enemieson your own time, or stick close together and watch each other’s backs. More guns make lighter work, but you don’t need to babysit each other, either.
Cooperation For Science
Portal 2was released in 2011, a good few years after Valve’s runaway success with the Left 4 Dead games. Of course, the original Portal was a solo game, and they still had a story they wanted to tell in the second game without muddling things with co-op.
The compromise was to add an entirely separate co-op campaign, with players assuming the roles of two specialized testing robots following the events of the main campaign.
The story in this campaign isn’t quite as prevalent as it is in the main campaign, but there’s definitely stuff going on there, plus unique narration from GLaDOS.
As both players have their own portal guns, co-op adds an extra level of dimensionality to Portal’s alreadymultidimensional puzzles. There are also a lot of fun incidentals, like playing rock, paper, and scissors together, which always seems to make GLaDOS huffy for some reason.
