Best co-op games: top titles you can share with friends right now

Sea of Thieves
(Image credit: Microsoft)

The best co-op games allow you share wonderful experiences with your friends, family, and loved ones, offering communal stories that can stay with you for years. 

Though there's a lot to be said for knuckling down for a solo gaming experience, we human beings are, by our nature, social animals. Even if we devote hundreds of hours to one of the best RPGs out there, a great deal of the fun is standing 'round the water cooler and sharing our experiences with others. Great co-op games cut out the middle man, adding a wholesome, social experience from the get-go. 

What's more, the best co-op titles come in a range of flavors, from enchanting platformers to frantic action games. No matter your genre of choice, there's something on this list that's bound to scratch your itch for a memorable co-op experience. So sit back, relax, and get ready for our list of only the very best co-op games, painstakingly curated for your reading pleasure.

Best co-op games

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best co-op games: a female character with a blue updo and a stock male character riding on frogs

It Takes Two (Image credit: Electronic Arts)

It Takes Two

Team work makes the dream work

Reasons to buy

+
Family friendly
+
Takes elements from lots of genres
+
Fun for gamers and non-gamers
+
Friend's Pass available

Reasons to avoid

-
Some levels are a bit drawn out

Platforms available: PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC

Online or couch co-op? Both 

It Takes Two is a fun, tongue-in-cheek adventure that creator Josef Fares famously said anyone would enjoy – or he would issue them a refund. Fares’ strategy must’ve paid off (no pun intended), because It Takes Two was one of the best games of 2021 and is easily one of the best co-op games right now.

This story of a husband and wife who are enchanted and have to cooperate in order to turn back into their real selves is built for co-op play from the ground up, just like Hazelight’s previous game No Way Out. The fantastical theme offers even more opportunities for varied and fun gameplay while also wrestling with difficult themes at times. It Takes Two is a memorable experience, one that even people who usually don’t enjoy playing with others should make time for.


best co-op games: a car hooting a football while an explosion behind it maes other cars flip

Rocket League (Image credit: Psyonix)

Rocket League

Have a ball

Reasons to buy

+
Easy for newcomers to pick up
+
A league-based system online
+
Plenty of vehicle customizations and modes

Reasons to avoid

-
chaotic gameplay can be overwhelming

Platforms available: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC

Online or couch co-op? Both

Rocket League, the game that sees you play soccer with cars, is persistently popular, even years after it was first released. Now that it's a free-to-play game, there will always be others available to play with you and against you, that’s why the game is also on the list of the best multiplayer PC games as well as our list of the best co-op games.

Matches range from 1-v-1 to 4-v-4, so there’s a lot of flexibility when it comes to gathering your friends for co-op play. Rocket League is a game that requires ceaseless communication, as you try to coordinate your team into a speeding carousel of goalkeeping, defending, and attacking. There’s also a league-based system online, so you get a nice sense of progression as your team grows from a fumbling mess into a well-oiled machine.


best co-op games a character from Diablo 4 poses soulfully

Diablo 4 (Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Diablo 4

Hell of a good time

Reasons to buy

+
Fast-paced action RPG combat
+
Endlessly customizable characters
+
Gorgeous art style

Reasons to avoid

-
Less story than would be ideal

Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Online or couch co-op? Both unless you're on PC, then it's online only

Diablo 4 is the latest in a long-running action RPG series from the veteran developers at Blizzard. In this dark fantasy story, you'll find yourself embroiled in the Eternal Conflict between demons and angels, forced to fight your way across the eerily beautiful Gothic landscape of Sanctuary.

Diablo 4 offers a strong emphasis on character customization and multiplayer, making it one of the best co-op RPGs out there. Thanks to the absurd number of different builds available, you and up to three buddies can craft characters tailored specifically to your own tastes. What's more, Diablo 4 multiplayer offers tantalizing scope for synergies between different characters and builds, allowing skillful parties to pull off combos that would be impossible alone. 


best co-op games: two large ships on a choppy sea in Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Sea of Thieves

A pirate's life for me

Reasons to buy

+
Regular exciting updates
+
Playing with different people keeps things varied
+
Ever-evolving world

Reasons to avoid

-
A lot of fetch quests

Platforms available: Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PC

Online or couch co-op? Online

This is a stirring example of a game that hit the ground stumbling but really caught the wind in its sails over the last few years. Sea of Thieves tasks up to four players with manning a ship, and sailing around a vibrant, cartoon Caribbean-style set of islands in search of plunder, adventure, and notoriety.

While the game used to feel loose and a little purposeless in the beginning, it’s now filled out to become an ever-evolving world of possibilities. You follow maps to skeleton-infested coves, fight mythical sea creatures, and take on other player-controlled ships and crews. These battles make for some of the best co-op experiences out there. There's even an overarching story to keep tabs on.

Sea of Thieves is the ultimate freewheeling pirate fantasy, designed purposely to be played alongside a motley crew of scurvy-infested sea rats you call your friends. It's easily one of the best co-op games right now, as well as one of the best Xbox Series X and best Xbox One games.


best co-op games: Two kitchens on rafts with cooks working in them in Overcooked 2

Overcooked 2 (Image credit: Ghost Town Games)

Overcooked 2

Un-bread rising

Reasons to buy

+
A variety of recipes and kitchens
+
Frantic, silly fun
+
Lots of levels

Reasons to avoid

-
You will definitely fall out with your friend

Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S if you pick up the All You Can Eat compilation)

Online or couch co-op? Both

In a bid to defeat the 'Un-bread' (zombie baked goods), in Overcooked 2 you and up to three other players must prepare a variety of recipes including sushi, pizza, and burgers while working in increasingly chaotic restaurants. To add to the frantic fun, you must battle obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors, and interfering passers-by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time.

Things get complicated incredibly quickly, and relationships, friendships, and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time, making it one of the best co-op games for that very reason – after all, it is as the saying goes, "too many cooks spoil the broth."

We also recommend picking up the original Overcooked, if you haven't played it already. If you're fortunate enough to have a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S then you can pick up Overcooked: All You Can Eat, a compilation that includes the first and second games alongside all the DLC for both.


best co-op games: a group of bikers riding down a street in GTA Online

GTA Online (Image credit: Rockstar)

GTA Online

Chaotic playground

Reasons to buy

+
Huge, dense world
+
Plenty of activities
+
Regular updates

Reasons to avoid

-
Other players can be a pain

Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S

Online or couch co-op? Online

What began as a barebones online mode roughly a decade ago has grown into one of the best co-op games out there. While playing with strangers tends to be shambolic, gather a crew of friends and you’ll have all the madness of San Andreas at your fingertips. The incredible roleplaying in GTA Online is also absolutely infamous by now.

You can run around the world freely causing general mayhem or take on competing crews in dedicated missions. The best co-op experiences, however, are in the game's multi-part heists. There’s nothing like robbing a bank and running out to an alley where your driver screeches up right on cue, then fleeing for the hills with police klaxons in your rear-view mirror.


best co-op games: a group of characters standing near an altar on a cliff

Divinity: Original Sin 2 (Image credit: Larian Studios)

Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition

A modern RPG for the ages

Reasons to buy

+
Flexible and freeing systems
+
Classic RPG foundation
+
Multiple ways to progress

Reasons to avoid

-
Can be hard to keep track of quests

Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch

Online or couch co-op? Both

Everyone who’s invested hundreds of hours into RPGs has at some point fantasized about playing through an entire campaign with a friend. Divinity: Original Sin 2 goes one better, and makes co-op arguably the best way to play the campaign.

Up to four players (two in split-screen) can freely roam around Divinity’s rich, story-filled game world. You can stick together as a unit, maximizing your chances during the challenging turn-based combat, or split up to try to find your own ways of solving quests. Additionally, there are in-game conversations between player-characters that shape their personality and ultimately how you play through the game.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 feels as if every single decision matters, whether that’s in conversation, combat, or exploration. For that incredible feat, it’s one of the best co-op experiences out there as well as one of the best RPGs.


Battling a nasty monster

Monster Hunter: Rise (Image credit: Capcom)

Monster Hunter: Rise

Friends who slay together...

Reasons to buy

+
Rich environments
+
Captivating monsters
+
Plenty of secrets to uncover

Reasons to avoid

-
Combat can feel rigid
-
The camera can be a bit erratic

Platforms available: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One

Online or couch co-op? Online

Monster Hunter: Rise is easily the most accessible iteration of the classic monster-slaying simulator from Capcom has you and your friend hunting down megafauna across a range of gorgeous landscapes. With a wide range of weapons to master and a dizzying amount of armor to craft, Monster Hunter: Rise has a core loop of killing, looting, and crafting that players can easily get lost in.

What's more, Monster Hunter: Rise places more of an emphasis on traversal than its predecessors, offering hunters their own mounts as well as Wirebugs, which allow for quick vertical movement and ariel attacks in combat. Rise meaningfully evolves the formula established in previous titles, like Monster Hunter: World, by providing players with slick, quality-of-life improvements. Though it can be enjoyed solo, Rise is best with a party of friends, rewarding cooperation and determination with epic battles and gorgeous loot. 


best co-op games: a forest in Minecraft at dusk

Minecraft (Image credit: Microsoft/Mojang)

Minecraft

Pixelated playground

Reasons to buy

+
Fun for all ages
+
Loads of ways to play
+
Playground of creativity

Reasons to avoid

-
Some may find the building parts boring

Platforms available: PS4, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android and iOS

Online or couch co-op? Both, but split-screen is a console-exclusive feature only available for certain editions of the game.

This is the ultimate co-op experience, allowing players to grab blocks and build worlds together that are only limited by imagination. The beauty of Minecraft is that it can be played co-operatively across different platforms, that's why it's also made our list of the best crossplay games . The main world can for example be hosted on PC , while others jump in using an Android or iOS device.

If you don't know what Minecraft is all about, then get out from under that rock. However, in its simplest terms, Minecraft is a block-building simulator that seemingly has no limits and boasts a fascinating history.

Of course, you can go hardcore and join the numerous PC-based Minecraft servers seeded on the Internet using the original Java-based version of the game. And the creations you can find are simply mind-boggling, ranging from the reconstruction of actual cities to a full-scale Starship Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation.


best co-op games: two men with large muscles pointing guns at something offscreen

Gears 5 (Image credit: The Coalition)
Still slick

Reasons to buy

+
Visually intoxicating
+
Plenty of multiplayer modes
+
New mechanics make it feel fresh

Reasons to avoid

-
Open world elements feel off
-
Doesn't flesh out narrative

Platforms available: Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One and PC

Online or couch co-op? Both

Gears 5 is fantastic, and it's made even better if you take advantage of its multiplayer If you haven't played any entries in the Gears series, all you need to know is that it's a third-person shooter that will get your adrenaline pumping.

Players step into the shoes of Kait Diaz for the first time who, following the events of Gears of War 4, is trying to come to terms with the death of her mother, unravel the twisted roots of her family tree, and deal with her own personal baggage. Meanwhile, humanity is being threatened once more - this time by the Swarm, the successor to the Locust horde.

Not only can you play through the game's campaign with a friend, but you can also team up with others in multiplayer horde mode, escape mode, or in versus matches. This is one of the best co-op third-person shooters, hands down. 


Total War: Warhammer 3

(Image credit: Sega)

Total War: Warhammer 3

What is it good for?

Reasons to buy

+
Deep strategy
+
Gorgeous battles 
+
Huge range of factions

Reasons to avoid

-
Intimidating for newcomers

Platforms available: PC

Online or couch co-op? Online

As well as being one of the best PC strategy games out there, Total War: Warhammer 3 has a specially designed co-op campaign mode, allowing two to four friends to team up, doing battle across Games Workshop's dark fantasy setting. You and your friends can choose from a wide range of campaigns, including some specially designed with co-op in mind. 

Total War: Warhammer 3 offers a satisfying turn-based strategy layer alongside a deep and rewarding real-time battle system. At higher difficulties, coordination is essential, especially once endgame crises rear their ugly heads. Warhammer 3 is the perfect way to see if your friendships can survive against a relentless horde of rat people/angry dwarfs/ chaos warriors (delete as appropriate). 

How we picked the best co-op games

Our best co-op games list offers titles that have brought us together through the shared stories they create. Be they Diablo 4's deliciously crunchy multiplayer, or the tragic loss of staff writer Elie Gould's A.S.S. in Minecraft, the best co-op games have always had us talking.

We also aimed to cover a broad range of genres, too. From the playful silliness of Overcooked 2 to the granular strategy of Total War: Warhammer 3, we wanted this list to reflect the broad spectrum of the video games as a whole, whilst putting cooperative multiplayer front and center.   

Cat Bussell
Staff Writer

Cat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. As seen on Wargamer.com, TheGamer.com, and Superjumpmagazine.com, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. An inveterate RPG maven and strategy game enjoyer, Cat is known for her love of rich narratives; both story-driven and emergent. 


Before migrating to the green pastures of games journalism, Cat worked as a political advisor and academic. She has three degrees and has studied and worked at Cambridge University, University College London, and Queen Mary University of London. She's also been an art gallery curator, an ice cream maker, and a cocktail mixologist. This crash course in NPC lifestyles uniquely qualifies her to pick apart only the juiciest video games for your reading pleasure. 


Cat cut her teeth on MMOs in the heyday of World of Warcraft before giving in to her love of JRPGs and becoming embedded in Final Fantasy XIV. When she's not doing that, you might find her running a tabletop RPG or two, perhaps even voluntarily.  

With contributions from