Physics-Based Co-op Games are Weird

Some co-op games are about teamwork, but these ones are about barely being able to walk.

SHARED BODY GAMES

Most co-op games give each player their own character, but this group of games everyone just shares control of a single body. And that goes about as well as you’d expect.

Octodad: Dadliest

Octodad: Dadliest Catch is kind of the classic example. One player might be controlling a leg, another an arm, and in the game you’re all trying to convince the outside world that you’re a completely normal dad, when of course you’re actually an octopus. Duh. Even just getting across the room feels like a huge accomplishment.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Manual Samuel

Manual Samuel. If Octodad wasn’t frustrating enough, this game makes you control pretty much every part of the human body. Walking, breathing, blinking, things most of us take for granted suddenly become major responsibilities. And it’s one of those games where even if you lose, it’s still just a lot of fun to play with your friends.

Limbbot

Limbbot is an upcoming game that takes the shared body concept and does it a little differently. Players work together to control a giant cardboard robot, with each person responsible for different functions. The demo is already available, and if you’re a fan of those awkward, chaotic co-op games, this is definitely one worth keeping an eye on.

TIED TOGETHER GAMES

In all of these games you’re actually physically tied together, so you have to communicate and figure out how to coordinate through obstacles and environments.

Phogs

The first one is Phogs. You and a friend each control one end of a stretchy two-headed dog. This one is definitely a simple idea, but it’s a lot more difficult than you might expect, since it’s going to take a lot of communication to solve some of these puzzles while you’re literally attached to each other.

Phogs

Heave Ho

Heave Ho might be one of the purest examples of what a physics co-op game actually is. You grab walls, you grab platforms, and most importantly, you grab each other. The goal is simple: just reach the exit. But the actual experience is mostly just yelling at each other while your partner accidentally lets go.

Flying to the Finish

Fling to the Finish. Imagine a racing game where both players are connected by an elastic rope. Eventually you learn to use that rope to launch each other across obstacles. Before that happens, you’ll probably spend a lot of time running into walls. And you can just stop imagining that, because that game exists and it’s called Fling to the Finish.

Chained Together

We have to talk about Chained Together. This is one of the biggest physics co-op hits in recent years. Players climb enormous vertical levels while literally being chained together. The objective is to try to get as high as you can, and you’re literally trying to get out of hell. If anyone makes a mistake, you can drag your whole team all the way down, so you definitely want to get some players close to the same skill level. You can play this one with up to four players and local split screen.

Friendly Steps

Friendly Steps is another upcoming game that takes the idea of cooperative movement and makes it intentionally awkward. Even just walking around is kind of difficult, especially when you’re playing with friends because you need to sync up and try to walk together. The idea is you’re supposed to be drunk, so the controls are intentionally really awkward, using the left and right trigger for each leg to move. I briefly tried the demo and that version doesn’t have split screen capabilities yet, so this one is pretty much like Chained Together if you were drunk and could barely even walk.

Stuck Together

Stuck Together is about two toys that are literally stuck together. You’re mainly just going to be climbing, and in a sense it plays very similar to Heave Ho because you’re swinging back and forth to gain momentum to climb higher. Each player is able to grab on with their left hand and their right hand, and that’s how you do all your movement. The main challenge of this game really isn’t the obstacles or the level design. It’s just going to be who you’re playing with.

An extremely hard game

An extremely hard game comes out later this year, and this one takes the climbing and coordination formula and adds a very fragile egg into the mix. While you’re already trying to navigate these environments, you have an egg in the middle of both players, so you really have to be in sync and talk things out so you don’t crack the egg.

PHYSICS CHALLENGE GAMES

These are games where the world itself is kind of the challenge.

Heavenly Bodies

Heavenly Bodies is one of the most unique games on this list. You play as astronauts performing maintenance work in space, and the catch is that every movement follows the rules of zero gravity. Something as simple as opening a hatch can quickly turn into a disaster. I played this game with my daughter and my girlfriend, and we did have a lot of fun, but the majority of the time we were just trying to figure out how to do the basics of moving through the environment, and I don’t think any of us really got a good grasp on those basics.

Snipperclips

Snipperclips is a Nintendo Switch launch title that still feels unlike anything else. The main gimmick is that you are literally cutting pieces out of each other to solve puzzles. Sometimes you just have to fit a certain shape, sometimes you have to cut pieces out in order to move an item into the goal, and sometimes you need to cut a specific shape so it’s kind of like a hook or claw to flip a switch or move something. Snipperclips is great. It’s still one of the best co-op puzzle games ever made.

Good Job

Good Job is another game that came out exclusively on the Nintendo Switch. You have these basic normal office jobs, moving a projector, delivering a package, connecting wires, and you could do this normally, but sometimes these tasks aren’t quite as straightforward as you’d think, and doing it peacefully isn’t an option. As you get going, things become more and more chaotic, and you really start destroying the environment as you try to accomplish these jobs. That’s the fun thing about this game, just destroying everything in sight.

Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game was already great, then they added a second goose so you could play it in two-player co-op. This is a great example of a single player experience becoming a lot better by making it co-op. The main idea is you’re just these geese, and you go around terrorizing everyone in sight, solving really basic puzzles. For the most part this game is pretty easy and relaxed, though there are some later parts we got a little frustrated with, but it’s still a great co-op game.

Untitled Goose Game

The Stretchers

The Stretchers is another one that only came out on the Nintendo Switch. You play as emergency responders transporting injured civilians, and the problem is that controlling the stretcher is often more dangerous than whatever injured them in the first place. You can drive around the ambulance for fun, go off crazy jumps, clap and sing for no reason, but the main focus is picking up civilians and bringing them into the ambulance, navigating various obstacles along the way. You can do this individually by just dragging them, but the faster and more efficient way is to pull out the stretcher, one of you on each side of it. That’s when the real co-op gameplay comes into play.

Moving Out

Moving Out. If you ever moved furniture with your friends, you already understand this game, except now the physics are actively working against you. Some doors are just too small, furniture is always going to get stuck, and windows become shortcuts, though not always the easier route. If you liked Overcooked, this is very similar, but I feel like it’s a lot less stressful than those games.

All Hands on Deck

All Hands on Deck is a co-op puzzle platformer where you use rock, paper, scissors, and various items to solve puzzles. You play as these two hands, and when your hand is in the paper formation, wide open, you’re able to grab things and high-five. You turn your hand into scissors to cut a pathway or into a rock to punch or move certain things. Pretty much anyone can play this one, but it does get more and more difficult as you go.

Paddle, Paddle, Paddle

Paddle, Paddle, Paddle. As the name implies, there’s a lot of paddling in this game. Each player gets one paddle, and you have to paddle together and communicate to go the way you want to go, around all these crazy obstacles. There’s a lot of lava, a lot of rocks in your way, and sometimes you’re not always in a boat. This one’s really weird, and it definitely has a low-budget vibe. Well, it is only $4.99 on Steam, but it’s actually a lot of fun.

PHYSICS SANDBOX GAMES

These are games that do have various puzzles and obstacles to navigate, but the environment is a lot more open, and a lot of times the fun is just messing around in the world.

Human: Fall Flat

Human: Fall Flat, for a lot of people, is the game that defined physics co-op. The wobbly movement, the creative puzzles, and the unpredictable interactions are what made this one of the most popular games in the genre. I played it quite a bit with my daughter when she was younger, and we didn’t really even do a lot of the puzzles, we kind of just messed around, and that’s what I love about it. You can just grab each other and jump off a ledge, climb around, and mess with each other. This one is just good dumb fun.

Wobbly Life

Wobbly Life is a lot like Human: Fall Flat, but in an open world environment. There’s jobs, vehicles, mini games, plenty of missions, and a lot of opportunities to mess around, just like Human: Fall Flat. This is another one that’s really great to play with kids.

Amazing Frog

Amazing Frog is one of the weirdest games on the list. You play as frogs in a weird open world, with stunts, explosions, and all kinds of nonsense. I’m not sure how else to describe this game, but it is actually really fun.

Watch Out for Goblins

Watch Out for Goblins hasn’t come out yet, but there is a demo available, and I actually played this on a live stream with my friend Shawn. Just like these other games, this one is really just about messing around in a fun world. You start out as a goblin with nothing but a pair of underwear on, and you can go around and grab different pieces of clothing and wear them. Moving around just feels weird, you’re very wobbly, and when you jump it feels like you’re launching yourself into the air. You can just go around and slap each other and other goblins. We didn’t really accomplish anything when we played this game, but we still had a lot of fun just jumping around and ramming into each other. So when this game does come out, I imagine we’ll probably give it another try.

Goat Simulator 3 and Goat Simulator Remastered

And we have Goat Simulator 3 as well as Goat Simulator Remastered, the games in the series that actually have local co-op. I feel like this is probably the game that kind of started this whole genre, whatever it’s called, physics-based sandbox game. It just takes that idea of being in a big environment and running around creating chaos, not really knowing exactly what the point of the game is. Of course there are objectives if you want them, but I think most players are just seeing what you can break and what you can climb up on. I remember when I first heard about Goat Simulator, I think it was from my nephew when he was a little kid, and I didn’t understand anything about this game, it just looked really dumb. Since then I’ve played it a little bit more, and I still don’t understand anything about it. But I don’t have to, because it’s fun.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So there’s a bunch of weird physics-based co-op games. I’d say the main theme between all of them is they don’t really take themselves too seriously. It’s the perfect kind of game to casually play with your friends or any partner at any skill level, because you don’t have to be good at these games. You don’t have to master the controls or the gameplay to actually enjoy it and laugh at it and have fun with your partner. And those are some of the purest co-op experiences you can possibly have.

The Story of Co-op Fighting Games

Most fighting games are built around beating up the person sitting right next to you, but there are some where you can team up with the person sitting next to you instead.

Over the years, developers came up with a few different ways to make fighting games more cooperative. Sometimes they put multiple fighters on screen at the same time in two-on-two battles, and then sometimes they let players team up against a boss, and that becomes a two-on-one battle. But the more common option is usually tag team games. There’s really not a ton of co-op fighting games, but there might be more than you’d expect.

THE TWO-ON-TWO BATTLES

These games are the truest form of co-op fighting games. One of the earliest examples is Yuyu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen on the Mega Drive. This game came out in 1994 and it was developed by Treasure. It actually has four player support. You can do a free-for-all where all of you are fighting each other, and of course it has one-on-one battles, but the coolest part is the two-on-two. They actually have a tournament mode so you could team up against two other AI opponents, and that concept is still kind of unique today.

Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen (Sega Genesis)

Treasure would eventually revisit a lot of those ideas on the Nintendo DS. They came out with two more anime-based games, Bleach: The Blade of Fate and Bleach: Dark Souls. Both of these games featured multiple fighters on screen, team battles, and multiple planes you could jump back and forth from. If you played that Yuyu Hakusho game, a lot of these mechanics will feel very familiar. These games aren’t exactly direct sequels, but they definitely feel like spiritual successors.

MORE FOUR-PLAYER FIGHTERS

Another game that took a similar approach was Guilty Gear Isuka. Instead of traditional oone-on-onematches, Isuka also had four player battles. As you’d expect, attacks can come from both directions, so the game actually implemented a dedicated button to turn your character around. Certain iterations of this game even included a co-op beat ‘em up mode. It’s definitely one of the weirder entries in the Guilty Gear series, but it’s also one of the few fighting games built around multiple active fighters.

Guilty Gear Isuka

Street Fighter X Tekken did something very similar through its scramble battle mode, also supporting four player matches. But that’s not the only time Capcom did something like this. Back in the 90s, Capcom made Saturday Night Slam Masters, also known as Muscle Bomber in Japan. On its surface it looks like a wrestling game, but it’s really a fighting game disguised as a wrestling game, and it also had two-on-two battles. It came out in arcades, then was ported to the Genesis and the Super Nintendo. If you don’t want to team up against the AI, this is a really fun party game, and if you have a four-player adapter, you can do two-on-two matches with your friends. They also released an updated version called Muscle Bomber Duo, which only came out in arcades and totally removed the one-on-one option so it had more of a focus on the actual team gameplay. In this version the wrestlers also got some extra special moves, plus a dedicated button for grappling so you no longer just walked into the opponent and did it automatically.

And the newest game on this list, Diesel Legacy: The Brazen Age. This is one of the few modern attempts at building an entire fighting game around co-op gameplay. This one is definitely not my favorite on the list. I played it when it first came out and it never really clicked. I’ll definitely have to revisit it, because the games I mentioned before it handled co-op fighting in a much better way.

THE TWO-ON-ONE BATTLES

Like I mentioned, there were a lot of fighting games where you could do two-on-one battles. This is a concept that seemed like it might not actually work that well, but I really enjoy it. It’s not as easy as you might expect, having two against one. It’s designed really well to feel like it’s actually challenging and balanced.

The Street Fighter Alpha series is probably the most famous example. The first Street Fighter Alpha is fairly limited, as you can only play as Ryu and Ken versus M. Bison, and you have a shared health bar. This is where the term “dramatic battle” originated, and this mode was designed to directly recreate that big fight in Street Fighter 2: The Animated Movie, where Ryu and Ken have an incredibly emotional, dramatic team up and battle M. Bison. They continued to use this term in future releases. People in the arcades knew of this term just through word of mouth, but it wasn’t actually seen on screen as an official menu option until 1996, when Street Fighter Alpha was ported to home consoles on Saturn and PlayStation. In the arcade version, to play this mode you had to enter a code at the start menu: both players had to press and hold the start button simultaneously and press up then release start, then player one had to press up-up-light punch while player two simultaneously pressed up-up-heavy punch. Do it correctly and the screen cuts directly to the hidden M. Bison boss arena.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 – Dramatic Battle mode

Alpha 2 has a similar mode, but you’re able to choose more characters and go up against four different bosses. Unfortunately this one was only available in certain regions of the arcade release, and it’s still hidden behind a secret code, though it was a little easier to pull off. In the arcades, once you insert your coins, you press and hold all three kick buttons at once, then while holding those buttons you press the start button, and keep holding it until the character select screen loads up. Fortunately, the home console versions just have this mode included in the menu, so you don’t have to do any of that. Alpha 3 improved on it even more, with a dedicated story mode where you can play through the entire game in two-player co-op, two versus one. Years later, Ultra Street Fighter II came out on the Nintendo Switch and did the exact same thing: two players could select characters and work together two-on-one against an AI controlled opponent.

The earliest example of this concept I ever saw was Fatal Fury. This one had the same two-on-one matches, but it really wasn’t the main focus. The implementation here is very weird. At the character select screen, player two joins in and you both select your characters and start a match, so from there it’s two against one, but then at the end of every match you have to fight each other one-on-one. And that kind of sucks. Whoever wins moves on to the next match, and then you have to join in again. So it’s not ideal, but it’s cool that they even included this back in the day.

And we can’t forget about Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. This was a game ported to a number of consoles, based off the biopic of the same name. But this game is terrible. It’s very clunky, the controls are stiff and not very responsive, and you can’t even choose your own character. You both just play as Bruce Lee for some reason. I would definitely just avoid this one if you can.

GIANT MONSTER BRAWLS

Then we had some giant monster games. King of the Monsters had players go up against giant creatures, battling through the cities before ending up in a big boss fight with one of these giant monsters. It’s not a traditional fighting game, and it actually has some beat ‘em up mechanics, but ultimately the core gameplay feels like a fighting game, so it should be mentioned. Monster Maulers took a very similar approach, also having you take on giant monster bosses. It’s one of those arcade games that feels like a fighting game, a boss rush, and also again had some beat ‘em up elements. And then there’s Oni: The Ninja Master, an arcade game I just found out about myself, which is another one very similar to those last few, teaming up doing two-on-one battles against giant monsters. Like those other games, I think this one is often overlooked, and when it comes to co-op fighting games, it’s totally a hidden gem.

King of the Monsters (Neo Geo)

Then there were some titles that had fighting game elements but also included other gameplay. In the arcades we had Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters. These games took Mega Man gameplay and turned it into a one-on-one fighter, so you and a friend team up and do two-on-one fights against classic Mega Man enemies. Still to this day, these are some of the only Mega Man games you can actually play co-op. And Granblue Fantasy Versus took an RPG and made the battles feel like a fighting game, which is one of the most unique games on this list.

THE TAG TEAM CO-OP FIGHTERS

This is where most fighting games ended up. Instead of having both players on screen at the same time, you took turns tagging in and out. Obviously this is not the ideal way to play with someone, but I still had a ton of fun playing some of these games back in the day, especially at the arcade.

Probably the most famous example is Tekken Tag Tournament. As the name implies, the entire game is based around tag team fighting. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 grew that idea and added more playable fighters. And then we had all of those Marvel fighting games, which I think really elevated the tag team genre and made it a lot more popular. First we had X-Men vs. Street Fighter, which introduced the concept to a lot of players, then Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter built upon it even more, and Marvel vs. Capcom took the idea even further.

Tekken Tag Tournament

And then we had the Dead or Alive games. A lot of them have tag team mechanics, and the one I played the most was Dead or Alive 3 on the original Xbox. I was just blown away by this game. It was my favorite game on the original Xbox for a while. I remember seeing the graphics and thinking nothing will ever look better than this. I got really good at this game and would team up with my friends and do tag team matches all the time, and sometimes we’d get four people together and do two-on-two tag matches.

One of the most interesting games in this category is Mortal Kombat from 2011. The tag mode isn’t just about swapping characters. Players could extend combos, set up for assists, and actually coordinate attacks in a way that felt more cooperative than some of the other tag team fighters. Unfortunately, that mode never returned in any later Mortal Kombat game.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Co-op fighting games never really became a major genre. There were some standout games, but as you can see, a lot of them were just tag team based. What’s your favorite co-op fighting game? And if I missed any, let me know.

Why Goof Troop Is Still One of the Best Co-op Games Ever Made

I think Goof Troop on the Super Nintendo is one of the best co-op games ever made. Here's why.

When people ask me about classic games that still hold up today, one of the first games I always bring up is Goof Troop on the Super Nintendo.

And I know for people that never played it, that might sound random. It's a licensed Disney game based on Goofy.

But I'm dead serious when I say I think this is one of the best co-op games ever made. Not just for the 16-bit era, not just because I grew up with it. I mean, even right now, this game still feels great to play.

It was released in 1993 and developed by Capcom. It was directed by Shinji Mikami, who would later go on to create Resident Evil. And once you know that, it kind of makes sense because the game design here is really great.

The easiest way to explain Goof Troop is that it's basically a two-player co-op Zelda-like.

It has that same top-down perspective. You move room to room, solve puzzles, fight enemies, clear dungeons, and beat bosses.

The difference is that it's level-based instead of open world. It's not about exploration. It's not about collecting upgrades. It's not about spending hours wandering around.

It just takes the core ingredients of a Zelda game and condenses them into a fast-paced co-op puzzle adventure.

So back in the day, if you loved Zelda and you wanted something you could play with another person, this was one of the closest things you were able to get. And that's a big reason why this game felt special.

The Item System Is Better Than It Looks

You don't get swords or permanent upgrades. Instead, you get item slots.

In single player, you get two item slots. In co-op, each player gets one.

That means you constantly have to coordinate with your partner. Who holds the key? Who keeps the hook shot? Who carries the board? Who takes the bell?

That one small change makes the co-op a little bit more meaningful.

The hook shot is one of the best tools in the game. You can use it defensively to stun enemies or push them back. You can use it to hit smaller enemies like snakes, and that kills them. You can also use it to navigate the environment.

Sometimes you shoot it across a gap and create a bridge to walk across. Sometimes you use it to grab objects. Sometimes it's your only way out of danger.

It's a simple tool, but it gets used in multiple smart ways.

Then there's the bell. You never really need to use it, which is what makes it cool.

When you ring the bell, every enemy in the room starts following you. That means one player can distract the whole room while the other player grabs the key, runs to the exit, solves part of the puzzle, or lines enemies up for an attack.

Then you can kick a block through the line of enemies and wipe them all out.

That kind of teamwork is why this game still stands out.

And the characters aren't just cosmetic. Goofy is stronger, Max is faster, and that means bigger enemies can be defeated with one barrel by Goofy, while Max may need two.

But Max can maneuver around the rooms quicker and avoid danger more easily.

So sometimes the smartest play is to let Goofy handle combat while Max does the objectives, and that creates little strategy moments all throughout the game.

You can also get a candle, which might be the least important item in the game. The only thing it does is make the circle of light around your character a little bit bigger in dark rooms.

So in those areas, it definitely does come in handy, but it's not necessary.

Unlike Zelda, you can't get a sword or any kind of permanent weapon. Most of your attacks come from picking up barrels, pots, or bombs and throwing them at enemies. Or you kick blocks at them.

That sounds basic, but it works really well.

There's something satisfying about grabbing a barrel and hitting an enemy with it.

Sometimes enemies can pick up barrels and throw them at you too. If you hold your hands up, you're able to catch them and throw them right back.

One of the dumbest and best things in the game is that you can throw barrels to each other.

As kids, me and my brother used to just stand there and play catch with barrels. I would throw it, he would catch it, and then throw it back. We would just see how long we could keep it going before an enemy came along and ruined it, or before one of us got hit with the barrel.

There's no reward for doing this. It was just fun.

But it can also be useful because Max can toss a barrel to Goofy, and Goofy can immediately use it to take out a stronger enemy.

Even little mechanics like that end up adding to the teamwork.

Puzzle Design and Teamwork

Most of the puzzles just involve kicking blocks into places.

They start simple, then gradually get more complex, and that progression is really well done.

Nothing feels overwhelming early on.

If you know these puzzles, it's really fun to solve them in sync with your partner. One person takes on half of the puzzle, the other player takes on the other half, or you kick a block over to the side and the other player walks in and kicks it into place.

It's actually really satisfying when you can just flawlessly work together to solve a puzzle.

And if you mess up, you can simply leave the room and re-enter it. That resets the whole thing, so you can try it unlimited times.

To me, the only puzzle that still trips me up sometimes is the very last one. Even after all these years, I still occasionally have to try it a few times.

The Boss Fights

Every stage ends with a boss fight.

They're usually not super hard, but they're fun. You learn the patterns, dodge attacks, and throw barrels or bombs back at them.

They're simple fights, but they work as great payoffs at the end of each area. The game really knows not to overcomplicate things, so you should be able to figure out how to defeat each boss pretty quickly.

The stage one boss fight is basically like whack-a-mole. The enemies pop out of holes and throw bombs and barrels at you. If they throw a barrel and you don't catch it, it explodes on impact. But if you hold your hands up and catch it, you can throw it right back at them.

You just have to try to catch them before they go back into the hole.

If they throw a bomb, it lands on the ground and starts blinking. The faster it blinks, the closer it is to exploding, so you want to time it right and not pick it up right before it blows up. Throw it back at them a handful of times and you take them out.

The second boss is the guy who blows fire at you. You start by grabbing the barrels already on screen, but there are only four of them, and that's not enough. So after that, you avoid the fire while two characters on the left and right throw barrels into the middle. You catch those barrels and throw them at the boss.

This one's pretty easy.

The third boss is the first one that's actually kind of difficult. You fight two skeletons, a red one and a blue one.

They take out their bones and throw them at you, and the bones bounce around like Pong until they stop. Once they stop, you can pick them up and throw them back.

After you hit them enough times, they start taking their heads off and throwing them at you. At that point, instead of throwing the bones at their bodies, you have to throw them at their heads.

Do that enough times and you finally beat them.

The fourth boss might be my favorite one in the game. I just really like the pattern here.

You fight two insect creatures, a green one and a pink one. They run across the screen quickly, either up or to the side, and you have to avoid their path or you'll get hit.

The safest place is usually the very bottom middle of the screen because they can't hit you there.

After they run, the screen shakes and pointy rocks fall from above and stick into the ground. You have to watch the shadows so you know where they're going to land.

Once the rocks hit, you pick them up and try to hit the insects in the head as they run across the screen. This one takes a little timing.

Each time you hit them, they get shorter and shorter, so it's a fun visual way to see how much life they have left.

Then the final boss is Pete.

This one is by far the most difficult. It's the only boss where I usually end up losing a few lives.

Pete starts by spinning into a tornado and dropping bombs. You want to grab the bombs and throw them at him as soon as he stops.

But you have to be careful because once he stops spinning, he starts jumping and tries to kill you.

Then he jumps back and forth between the top two corners and shoots a spread from his gun. The shots move slow enough that they're not too hard to dodge.

To me, the hardest part is after he puts the gun away, comes back down to the floor, and starts shooting his hook out like a hook shot. This can be kind of challenging to avoid as Goofy because he's so slow, and that's usually the part where I get hit.

Then Pete goes back into the tornado and drops more bombs.

You basically just take your time, avoid him, wait for the bombs, and keep hitting him.

Eventually he calls out some minions that follow you around. That part is annoying because you can't do much except avoid them until Pete drops more bombs. Then you use the bombs to take those guys out and keep going.

Hit Pete enough times with bombs and you finally beat him. That's the ending of the entire game.

It's not too hard once you've played it enough. You memorize the patterns and can defeat all the bosses without too much trouble.

Health, Lives, and Resources

The health system is kind of interesting.

Even if you have multiple hearts, if you get hit once, they all go away. Then if you get hit again, you die.

So in practice, you can really only get hit twice before losing a life.

That makes movement, positioning, and teamwork way more important than it first appears.

However, if you're low on health, one of the best things you can do is use the shovel.

If you find a spot to dig, you can spend some time looking for items. You can find fruit, which gives you health. You can also pick up gems that give you extra lives and continues.

And if you don't get what you need, you can just leave the room and come back to reset it and start digging again.

So you can absolutely farm resources if you need to.

A Perfect Weekend Co-op Game

Goof Troop has five main stages, and once you know what you're doing, you can beat it in around an hour to an hour and a half.

On your first playthrough, it will probably take a little longer because you're figuring out puzzles and memorizing boss patterns.

But that's one of the reasons I love it so much.

Sometimes I don't want a giant 60-hour commitment. Sometimes I just want a great game I can play start to finish in one sitting.

Goof Troop is perfect for that.

There's also a password system, so even if you lose all your lives, you can jump right back in where you left off.

So there's really no excuse not to finish it.

My History with Goof Troop

Some of my earliest Super Nintendo memories were at my cousin's house. They had a Super Nintendo before I did.

I remember them renting Goof Troop, but I mostly just watched them play it back then.

I could see them getting really frustrated because they treated the game like an action game. They didn't understand the puzzle side of it at all, so they gave up pretty quickly.

But the game stuck in my mind because I recognized that it was co-op.

Then a couple years later, I went to a friend's house who owned it. That's when I really locked in. We kept playing it over and over until we finally beat it.

From there, it became one of the games my brother and I played the most growing up.

Honestly, outside of maybe Streets of Rage 2, this is probably the number one game I've beaten more than any other game in my life.

We beat it countless times growing up, and I've still gone through and beaten it again over the years as an adult.

I played through it again with my brother, and I've introduced it to new friends over the years.

There was even a time when my brother and I went years without touching it. Then one day, we picked it up and cruised through the whole game almost flawlessly.

Honestly, I was impressed by how much muscle memory was still there.

Why It's One of the Greatest Co-op Games Ever Made

That says everything.

The design is that clean. Once it clicks, it sticks with you.

I think a lot of games are fun just because of nostalgia, but this isn't one of those cases. This game genuinely holds up.

It has tight pacing, strong co-op mechanics, great puzzle design, replayability, unique teamwork moments, and almost no wasted time.

I don't have many negative things to say about it.

Maybe if you don't understand a puzzle, you could get stuck for a bit, but that's about it.

Other than that, I think this is a damn near perfect game.

Goof Troop's Legacy

What's really cool now is that I'm seeing people from my generation who grew up with Goof Troop making modern indie games inspired by it.

You can see that influence in games like Dandy & Randy DX and Mina & Michi.

I've played through and beaten both of those games, and that's kind of wild to think about.

Back then, Goof Troop felt like a co-op Zelda-like. Now we have modern developers making games that feel like Goof Troop-likes.

That's how strong its identity was.

So if you love Goof Troop, I highly recommend Dandy & Randy DX specifically. That really is a love letter to Goof Troop.

It's another one that you can beat pretty quickly, probably in under an hour, and it has different difficulty settings.

So there's really no excuse not to beat it.

Final Thoughts

I revisit Goof Troop all the time.

I have a lot of nostalgia for it. I have a ton of memories with friends, a ton of memories with my brother, and memories with my dad.

But even putting nostalgia aside, I still think it's one of the best couch co-op games ever made.

If someone asked me for an old-school game that still holds up right now, this will always be one of the first games I recommend.

Goof Troop is timeless, and that's why I think it's one of the best co-op games ever made.

20 Retro Co-op Games That Are Still Worth Playing Today

Some retro games are really only played for nostalgia, but these ones are still fun because they're genuinely great co-op games.

A lot of the games on this list are decades old at this point, but I'd still happily sit down and play them today. Some were arcade classics, some were console exclusives, and a few of them really haven't been matched by modern games.

This isn't a hidden gems list. You're probably going to know most of these games already. That's because they're really good. These aren't ranked either. They're just 20 retro co-op games that still hold up today.

TMNT: Turtles in Time

The arcade version of Turtles in Time is absolutely great. It's one of the best arcade beat 'em ups ever made.

I have a lot of memories of going to my local arcade pizza parlor, Savagand Pizza, right down the street from my house. During birthday parties, me and my friends would all circle around the Turtles in Time cabinet.

It's one of the most approachable beat 'em ups ever made. Anyone can jump in and start button mashing. And of course, I think the Ninja Turtles are timeless. The visuals are still cartoony and fun, and TMNT is still going strong today. My daughter likes it, and they just keep rebooting the franchise over and over again.

A lot of Turtle games are worth revisiting, but Turtles in Time is still one of the best. The Super Nintendo version is awesome too.

Contra III: The Alien Wars

Contra III on the Super Nintendo is fast, difficult, and still one of the best run-and-gun shooters of all time.

I recently played through it again with the Konami Code, because I really suck. And honestly, I think this game is a masterpiece from start to finish. It's nonstop action.

Even the top-down sections, which some people don't love, do a good job of breaking up the pace. One cool detail that I didn't learn until years later is that if you select Two Players A at the title screen, the top-down levels become split-screen. If you choose Two Players B, both players stay on the same screen.

It's just a neat little feature that gives you options. But yeah, Contra III is one of the greatest run-and-gun games ever made and one of the most influential games in the genre.

Streets of Rage 2

I've talked about Streets of Rage 2 endlessly.

To me, it's the best beat 'em up of all time. It's probably the most influential beat 'em up ever made and helped define what the genre could be.

The soundtrack is incredible. The combat feels great. Every character plays differently. I could go on forever about this game, and honestly, I already have in other videos.

It's an obvious choice for this list.

Secret of Mana

Secret of Mana is another masterpiece.

It was one of the first co-op RPGs where you could play with three players on a home console, and that absolutely blew my mind back in the '90s.

To this day, I think it's one of the best co-op RPGs ever made. The combat timing can feel a little weird if you're not used to it, but once you understand the rhythm, it feels really good.

Please don't take that out of context.

Seriously though, I can't say enough good things about this game.

Goof Troop

Goof Troop is one of my favorite co-op games of all time.

It's probably the closest thing we had to a co-op Zelda game for a very long time. Goofy is stronger, Max is faster, and the puzzles are genuinely fun.

Combat is simple. You don't get weapons. Instead, you're throwing barrels, catching barrels, and tossing them back and forth between players. The boss fights are fun, the music is fantastic, and the whole game is just incredibly well designed.

This was probably my favorite co-op game from my childhood. I was obsessed with it then, and honestly, I still am.

River City Ransom

River City Ransom is one of the all-time great co-op games.

Part beat 'em up, part RPG, part open world, this game was way ahead of its time.

When I first played it, I didn't really understand it. I kept trying to treat it like a linear beat 'em up. Once I figured out that you need to take out the bosses one by one and explore the map, everything clicked.

Then you start earning money, buying upgrades, punching faster, kicking harder, and suddenly you're destroying enemies with ease.

If you've never actually sat down and beaten River City Ransom, I highly recommend it. It's not a very long game if you know where you're going. Pay attention to the NPCs because they'll usually tell you exactly where to head next.

All you kids out there, play River City Ransom. You won't regret it.

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers

The NES didn't have a ton of co-op platformers, but Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers is one of the best.

This game was clearly built around co-op play. You're Chip and Dale, and the mechanics are easy to understand once you spend a little time with them.

Unlike a lot of NES games, it's actually pretty approachable. Most players can sit down and beat it after a few attempts.

When it comes to co-op games on the NES, this is absolutely top tier.

Kirby Super Star

Kirby Super Star is the perfect game to play with your kid, your non-gaming partner, or honestly your grandma.

Anyone can play it.

The second player becomes one of Kirby's helpers, created from his abilities. If they die, it's no big deal. Just grab another ability and bring them back.

That makes it perfect for less experienced players.

Out of all the co-op Kirby games, this one is still my favorite. I was obsessed with it as a kid, and I think it holds up incredibly well today.

I also love Kirby's Dream Land 3. The art style in that game is amazing. You really can't go wrong with either one.

World of Illusion

World of Illusion is another fantastic co-op platformer.

What makes it special is that it actually requires teamwork. You're not just running side by side.

There are sections where one player has to launch the other to a higher platform. Then that player drops down a rope and pulls their partner up. There are moments where Mickey has to rescue Donald and vice versa.

The game constantly asks both players to work together.

It's simple, but it felt incredibly innovative at the time. There really weren't many co-op platformers doing this kind of thing back then.

It's still one of my favorite co-op Genesis games.

Goemon's Great Adventure

I love the Goemon series, but Goemon's Great Adventure is the game that really made me fall in love with it.

The N64 was known for 3D games, and while I liked plenty of them, I missed traditional 2D gameplay. Then I saw this game.

Not only was it a side-scrolling platformer, it was also co-op.

That was a no-brainer for me.

I don't know if it's objectively the best Goemon game, but it's definitely my favorite co-op game on the N64.

Sunset Riders

I love run-and-gun shooters, and Sunset Riders is one of the best.

The arcade version is fantastic because it's four-player. The Genesis version is only okay, but the Super Nintendo port is excellent.

Years ago, me and my friend Will decided we were going to beat it. We sat there and played it over and over until we finally got good enough.

No cheats. No shortcuts.

I don't know if the game is actually considered difficult, but at the time it felt like a huge accomplishment.

Compared to games like Contra or Metal Slug, I think Sunset Riders is a little more approachable, which makes it a great entry point for the genre.

Metal Slug X

If I had to pick a Metal Slug game, I'd go with Metal Slug X.

It's basically an upgraded version of Metal Slug 2 with better performance, more weapons, different enemy placements, and a handful of visual changes.

The biggest improvement was fixing the slowdown that plagued the original release.

The pixel art is incredible. To me, Metal Slug is one of the main reasons to own Neo Geo hardware.

I remember playing this in an arcade called Bumpers at the mall. Later, I got the PlayStation version, which lets you use unlimited lives. Me and my friend Danny sat down and played through the whole thing together.

We died constantly. We laughed constantly.

Everything about this game just works.

Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble looks like a game made for babies, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

The gameplay is incredibly simple and approachable. Anyone can understand it within a few minutes.

That doesn't mean it's easy though. The difficulty ramps up significantly as you progress.

As one of the earliest co-op platformers, Bubble Bobble helped establish a lot of ideas that would influence games for decades.

When it comes to single-screen co-op platformers, it's one of the most important games ever made.

Guardian Heroes

Guardian Heroes is one of the best games that not enough people have actually played.

Originally released on the Sega Saturn, it later got a remastered version on Xbox Live Arcade, but that's about it.

The art style is beautiful, and it's another early beat 'em up that mixed in RPG elements. A lot of modern beat 'em ups are still borrowing ideas from this game.

I keep saying it throughout this list, but Guardian Heroes was ahead of its time.

That's really the theme here. These games weren't just good when they came out. They influenced the games that followed.

Gunstar Heroes

Another Treasure classic.

Gunstar Heroes took a lot of what Contra did and made it faster. It also introduced weapon combinations that allowed for a ton of customization.

The level design is fantastic, the bosses are memorable, and the game constantly throws new ideas at you.

Despite all that, it's still pretty approachable because you have unlimited continues. If you fail, you can just keep trying.

Me and my brother eventually beat it through sheer persistence. We definitely weren't experts.

It's one of my favorite co-op gaming memories.

ToeJam & Earl

ToeJam & Earl is one of the most unique games ever made.

It might honestly be the first co-op roguelite. It has procedurally generated levels, random items, exploration, and a structure that feels surprisingly modern.

The game doesn't take itself seriously. It has this weird Nickelodeon-style '90s humor that I absolutely loved.

But the thing that really blew my mind was the dynamic split-screen. If you're together, you're on one screen. If you separate, it splits.

I thought that was magic when I was a kid.

A lot of people bounce off ToeJam & Earl because they approach it like other games. That's a mistake. This game is doing its own thing.

Slow down. Listen to the music. Appreciate the humor. Enjoy the exploration.

And if you still don't like it, well... I guess you're a lost cause.

Twisted Metal 2

Years ago, me and my friend Will played through every co-op Twisted Metal game.

Twisted Metal 2 was always our favorite.

This is one of those games that defined the PlayStation for me. It made the PS1 feel edgy and mature. Games like Twisted Metal, Loaded, and later Metal Gear Solid made the console feel completely different from what came before.

Maybe the graphics haven't aged perfectly, but I've actually grown nostalgic for that early PS1, Saturn, and N64 3D look.

When it comes to vehicle combat games, Twisted Metal 2 is still my favorite.

Perfect Dark

I was obsessed with GoldenEye.

Then Perfect Dark came out and we basically never played GoldenEye again.

Not only did it have similar gameplay, but it added a co-op campaign, bots, and a ton of extra options.

My friends and I would load up four-player split-screen with a bunch of AI opponents and just go nuts.

The frame rate absolutely collapsed.

We did not care.

Back then there weren't many split-screen co-op shooters, and Perfect Dark stood out because it offered so much more than anything else.

It's still one of my favorites.

Gauntlet Legends

Gauntlet Legends is pure nostalgia for me.

The same group of friends that I played GoldenEye and Perfect Dark with also played a ton of Gauntlet Legends.

We'd stay up all night during sleepovers grinding levels and fighting monsters.

Somehow, despite all those hours, I've still never beaten it.

I think we spent so much time leveling up and messing around that we eventually got distracted by other games.

But regardless, Gauntlet Legends is one of those core gaming memories that will always stick with me.

The Simpsons Arcade Game

The Simpsons Arcade Game might not be the best beat 'em up ever made, but it's definitely one of the most iconic.

The gameplay is incredibly simple. You punch, jump, perform a jump kick, and occasionally pick up an item.

That's about it.

But the mechanics are so solid that it doesn't matter.

Like Turtles in Time, this was another arcade game that I played constantly with my friends.

And if you were a kid in the '90s, The Simpsons felt edgy. It felt like you were getting away with something.

The game also included fun co-op attacks and little competitive mini-games between stages, which helped keep things fresh.

Most importantly, it proves that beat 'em ups don't need complicated combo systems.

Just make the gameplay fun.

And make sure it's at least two-player co-op.

I'm not playing a single-player beat 'em up. Come on.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of games that could have made this list, and I'm sure some of your favorites didn't.

So let me know what retro co-op games are your favorites.

And if there's anything on this list you haven't played yet, I genuinely think every single one of these games is worth sitting down and playing with a friend.

The Cozy Co-op Game Nobody Played

Some games stick with you long after you finish them.

And here's one of those games.

A lot of smaller co-op games end up getting buried, especially the quieter ones. And Voyage is probably one of the best examples of that. It's one of those games that I've brought up before and I'm going to bring it up again because I just think more people need to play it.

Voyage is a cinematic puzzle platformer with local co-op. And if you've never heard of it, that's kind of the whole reason I'm making this article because this game deserves a lot more attention.

What Is Voyage?

Voyage is a short co-op adventure where two characters wake up in a strange world with almost no explanation.

There's no long intro dump, no massive tutorial, no character constantly talking at you, explaining every detail of the world. You just jump into the game.

You start moving through forests, ruins, strange landscapes, abandoned technology, and mysterious locations, slowly trying to understand where you are and where you're going.

And the best part is you can finish the entire thing in one sitting.

The game never really rushes to explain itself. And honestly, I think that's one of its best qualities. It respects the player enough to let you experience the world first.

It's a game told without any dialogue. Instead, the story is told through visuals, movement, music, and the relationship between the two characters.

So many modern games are just loud, and they're afraid to have moments of silence. They constantly stop gameplay to explain things. They repeat objectives or tell you exactly how you're supposed to feel.

Voyage does the opposite. It trusts that the player will just be able to experience the game and figure things out on their own.

And because of that, I think this story just feels more personal. You're not just being told what to think. You're absorbing the world as you move through it.

There's room for interpretation, and I always appreciate that.

The Visuals and Atmosphere

Visually, this game is beautiful.

It has this hand-drawn watercolor look where every screen just feels carefully crafted. At times it looks like a moving storybook. Other times it feels dreamlike.

There's a lot of detail in the environments, but it never feels cluttered. The colors are vibrant without being overwhelming. The landscapes feel peaceful, but also mysterious.

And because the game doesn't bombard you with combat or dialogue, you actually have time to notice all of it.

You get to slow down and take the world in.

That's something a lot of modern games forget to do.

I've played through this game three times now, and there were definitely moments where me and my partner would just stop moving because the visuals and music together created a really peaceful atmosphere, and we just needed to soak it in.

Why the Co-op Works So Well

This game works really well as a co-op game.

It's another place where Voyage really shines.

A lot of co-op games technically allow two players. One person usually ends up feeling less important or just dragged along for the ride.

That's not the case here.

Both players feel equally involved. You help each other climb ledges. You move objects together. You solve puzzles together. And you navigate the world as a pair.

Neither player feels useless.

Neither player feels like they're just following behind.

It actually feels like two people sharing the same journey.

And I think that matters a lot in co-op design because yeah, if one player gets bored, the whole experience kind of just falls apart.

Voyage just avoids that completely.

Relaxed Puzzle Design

The puzzles are really relaxed.

So, if you're looking for brutally difficult puzzles, this probably isn't the game for you.

Mechanically, this is a very simple game. The puzzles are mostly about moving objects, activating paths, helping each other reach places, and interacting with the environment.

I'm sure there's going to be plenty of people that are going to wish that this game had more challenge.

I don't see that as a weakness for this game.

The puzzles are just not the main event.

They exist to keep both players engaged and moving forward together without killing the atmosphere.

You're not going to spend 40 minutes stuck in one room yelling at each other.

This is the kind of game where the gameplay supports the mood instead of overpowering it.

I think a lot of co-op games could learn from that.

Why Voyage Feels So Cozy

Voyage is cozy.

That's the best word for it.

It's peaceful. It's warm, quiet, and emotional.

There's very little danger, very little stress, very little conflict, and somehow it still holds your attention.

And I think that's really hard to pull off.

Most games rely on non-stop action, upgrades, combat, or challenge to keep players engaged.

Voyage relies almost entirely on atmosphere and emotion.

The Soundtrack and Emotional Design

The soundtrack does a lot of heavy lifting here.

It's subtle, emotional, and immersive without trying too hard.

Nothing feels overdramatic. Nothing feels forced. It just complements what is actually happening on screen.

There are moments where the visuals and music line up perfectly and you kind of stop thinking about mechanics entirely.

You just really sink into the experience.

This is genuinely one of those games where I'd recommend playing with headphones or decent speakers because it really does make a difference.

The Little Details That Make Voyage Special

There are little touches throughout Voyage that really stick with you.

The pacing feels intentional.

Even the way the camera frames scenes sometimes makes it feel less like a traditional game and more like you're watching a story unfold around you.

And then there's the hug mechanic.

You can hug each other.

It doesn't unlock anything. It doesn't give you points. It's just there.

And honestly, I kind of just love that because it tells you exactly what this game values.

It's about connection over complexity.

Shared experience over challenge.

Why Nobody Played Voyage

So, why didn't this game blow up?

Honestly, I think Voyage got overlooked because it doesn't sell itself in an obvious way.

It's not packed with combat. It's not some giant online game. It doesn't have crazy boss fights or massive progression systems.

It's just a short, beautiful co-op experience.

And in today's market, games like that often get buried.

But that doesn't make them any less meaningful.

Not only that, it's just a small-budget indie game that people probably just didn't even notice or know what it was.

And for a while, it was only on Steam, so console gamers probably missed it.

But now it's on just about every modern platform.

Just because the game doesn't quite fit into the mold of modern gaming doesn't take away the unique experience that it offers.

Sometimes these smaller indie games that are more focused on just having an experience, telling a story, or capturing a certain feeling, actually stick with you longer.

They have a long-lasting impact on you.

At least for me, I would much rather have a game like this over a AAA massive budget game with unlimited marketing behind it.

There's a time and place for those games, but sometimes I think games like that have so many people involved that they kind of lose track of what they were trying to do to begin with.

The great thing about these smaller indie games is they really do stay true to the developer's original vision.

Co-op Games as Art

I love the conversation of video games being art.

And there's a number of games that have been thrown into that conversation. They've been called art games.

Games like GRIS, Journey, Shadow of the Colossus, and Limbo, just to name a few.

These are games that often tell a story in a unique way. They're atmospheric. The music and visuals often work together. Sometimes they have little to no dialogue, and the story is told through actions and gameplay.

This style of video game, the art game, has become one of my favorite genres in all of gaming.

But even though we see plenty of games that are described as art games, we don't really see that many of them that are actually built around co-op.

Reanimal is a recent example that was built around co-op, and I think it did a really great job.

Voyage just might be my favorite co-op art game.

Playing Voyage With My Daughter

I played this game with my daughter a couple of years ago. She must have been about six years old, and we beat it in one sitting.

You might think that a game like this could be boring for a little kid because it might not keep their attention, but believe it or not, she was able to focus the entire time.

I think it's because the game does a really good job of constantly moving forward.

Even though the puzzles aren't that challenging, that works in its favor because you never really get caught up or slowed down.

If you do have to stop to do some kind of puzzle, it's pretty easy to solve and then continue forward.

That's the main driving force of the game.

You're constantly moving forward.

A Game Meant to Be Experienced Together

You don't know why, and you don't really need to know why.

Even when you get to the end, the story is pretty vague. You don't exactly have a clear answer.

It's all up for interpretation.

But like I said, this game is about the experience.

While you're moving through the environments, you just take it all in.

The visuals, the music, and the overall atmosphere.

And the fact that you're able to share this with a partner is, I think, why it's so special to me.

I think video games all have different goals and purposes.

Some are meant to be challenging where you just try over and over again until you get good at it.

Others are just meant to be experienced.

Voyage is a game meant to be experienced with a partner.

Voyage Isn't for Everybody

I don't think this game is for everybody.

I think a lot of people are going to play this and not enjoy it.

You might not be able to just slow down and take it in, and that's okay.

This game is probably just not for you.

And to be fair, Voyage really isn't a perfect game.

There are a few parts where you're going to have to backtrack a little bit.

And sometimes when you're moving something for a puzzle, it takes way too long.

So there are moments like that that could turn people off.

But if you are open-minded and you want to try something that's a little different, something a little more relaxed and cozy, give Voyage a try.

You really only need two hours and a partner.

One of the Most Underrated Co-op Games Ever

Voyage really can be one of the most unique and meaningful co-op experiences that you can ever have.

I cover a ton of couch co-op games. Hundreds of them. Retro games, modern games, obscure games, hidden gems, new releases, and AAA games.

And Voyage, for some reason, still sticks in my mind years later.

That tells me something.

Not every game needs to be massive to matter.

Sometimes a game can be small, simple, and still leave a lasting impression.

Voyage definitely did that.

If you want non-stop action, this isn't it.

If you want hardcore challenge, this isn't it.

If you want constant combat and huge set pieces, this is not it.

If you want something more cozy, relaxing, and you just want to have an experience with your partner, that's what Voyage is.

To me, this is easily one of the most underrated couch co-op games I've ever played.

And honestly, I think way more people should experience it.

Couch Co-op Games Coming in June 2026

These are the couch co-op games coming in June and some recently announced news.

But first, let’s talk about some of the games that came out in May that I didn’t cover last month.

May Couch Co-op Games I Missed

Forehead Chip

This is a retro sci-fi pixel action game inspired by 80s and ’90s movies. The game supports couch co-op and it plays like a run-and-gun platformer. I haven’t had a chance to try this one out yet.

Project Solar

Project Solar got a demo on May 5th. This is an open-world, fully 3D split screen co-op game with asymmetrical gameplay.

One player controls this larger robot named Ray while the second player controls a smaller drone called Pip. Each character has different abilities, so the game is built around cooperation.

The visuals look really nice here, and I still need to try this one out.

Gangs of Asia

Gangs of Asia also came out on May 5th, and this is a game described as a multiplayer strategy brawler hybrid, so that sounds really unique.

And of course, I’m a sucker for pixel art, so I definitely plan to try this one out.

Dead as Disco

Dead as Disco entered early access on May 5th, although this build of the game does not include local co-op. The full version is supposed to include co-op gameplay.

It’s basically a rhythm-based brawler where combat syncs to the music. I played the early access version a little bit and it was a really good time.

Hydroneer

Hydroneer added four-player split screen to PS5 and Xbox on May 8th. This was already available on PC.

I wish more sandbox games still did local multiplayer like this because most crafting games like this completely ignore split screen.

Stitchlings

Stitchlings came out on May 12th and it’s a totally free game. It’s a co-op puzzle platformer with these cute stitched art style characters.

I haven’t had a chance to try this one out yet, but it has some really good reviews on Steam.

The Clubies

On May 13th, The Clubies was released. This is a 3D platformer that looks pretty cute, and you can play this one with up to four players locally.

I’ll probably end up trying this one out, too.

R-Type Dimensions 3

R-Type Dimensions 3 came out May 18th. I always love seeing old games get modern releases, but this is mostly getting negative reviews.

I think that’s mostly because of some performance issues and some glitches, so hopefully that gets patched out in the future.

The Last Conduit

The Last Conduit came out on itch.io on May 18th, so if you have a PC, you can actually play this game for free.

It seems kind of like a top-down hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, maybe with some tower defense added as well. From the trailer, I gathered that there is this portal where you have to grab things to put in there to strengthen it. And while you’re doing this, you have to fight enemies and keep them away from the portal as well.

Seemed like this one might be pretty fun.

Goonect 2

On May 20th, Goonect 2 came out. This is a sequel to a game that exclusively came out in Japan. I wasn’t familiar with that game, but this looks like a 3D platformer where both characters are connected and you have to obviously work together to get through this environment.

Schrödinger’s Cat Burglar

Schrödinger’s Cat Burglar came out on May 21st, and it’s a puzzle adventure game where you play as these two cats.

Vortica

Vortica came out on May 25th, and it’s another action roguelite that involves shooting down a bunch of aliens.

Bounty Brawl: Most Wanted

Bounty Brawl: Most Wanted came out May 28th. You can play this game with up to four players locally, and it’s a fast-paced action roguelike.

Duo Quest

Duo Quest recently got a demo, and this is another one that’s built around co-op. It mixes some deck building and RPG mechanics.

I’m definitely going to try this one out.

Dang Darn Island

Dang Darn Island came out May 29th, and this is a top-down action roguelike game with some Indiana Jones vibes. It seems like it might have some Overcooked elements as well.

Notable May Couch Co-op Releases

Here are some of the most notable May releases, games that I mentioned last month and now have actually come out.

Mad King Redemption

Mad King Redemption came out into early access on May 14th, and I played this game a couple weeks ago on a live stream.

My first impression is I love the art style here and the gameplay feels really good. It definitely reminds me of Golden Axe, but I found the game to be incredibly difficult and there were a few glitches here and there.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I want to play it some more.

Wheelmates

The demo for Wheelmates came out last month. It’s a game clearly inspired by It Takes Two, but you’re in RC cars.

Really, the only complaint that I had were the controls, which makes navigating and doing just about anything kind of difficult. So, hopefully the full release fixes some of those issues.

Directive 8020

Directive 8020 came out on May 12th, and it’s kind of getting mixed reviews.

I played this for about an hour, and I did like what I saw so far. As a local co-op experience, it’s not exactly ideal as one player is going to just kind of sit there on the sidelines while the other player is walking around and going through the story beats, and then you just switch back and forth.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight came out on May 22nd, and on Steam this is getting overwhelmingly positive reviews. People are praising the overall gameplay as well as the visuals.

I haven’t had a chance to try this one out yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Couch Co-op Games Coming in June 2026

Here are some of the games that actually have official release dates coming out in June.

Unrailed 2

Unrailed 2 launches on June 7th. The first game was already one of the better chaotic teamwork co-op games out there, so I am interested to see how they expand on that formula here.

Lost Castle 2

Lost Castle 2 is coming out on June 11th. This is a 2D beat ’em up with some roguelite elements.

I’ve heard a lot of people compare it to Castle Crashers. I never played the original one, but I know people like it. I’ll probably be checking both of them out sometime soon.

Adventures of Elliot

Adventures of Elliot comes out June 18th. This is an action RPG with some Zelda-like elements. It has a really beautiful HD-2D art style.

The co-op is just an assist mode where you take control of this fairy character. So, we’ll see how involved that actually is.

Dark Scrolls

Dark Scrolls was supposed to come out in May, but they pushed the release date back to June 22nd.

This is one of my most anticipated games. It has some really nice pixel art that looks like the NES, and it’s an auto-scrolling run-and-gun shooter, so I’m excited for this one.

The Artifactory

The Artifactory is coming to Switch on June 25th. This was already out on Steam.

This is another Overcooked-like, but this one seems to be more focused on witches and a magical theme.

Star Fox

The biggest announcement we got was a complete surprise, which is Star Fox, a complete remake of Star Fox 64.

This one comes out June 25th. Similar to Star Fox Zero on the Wii U, this game has a co-pilot option where one player takes control of shooting and the other takes control of the ship.

I would have liked to see a split screen co-op option, but I do really enjoy this kind of gameplay as well.

What I’ve Been Playing Recently

Here are some co-op games that I’ve been playing recently.

I just finished Cult of the Lamb a couple of weeks ago, and it’s definitely one of my favorite couch co-op games I’ve played recently.

I just started Baldur’s Gate 3 again, which is obviously going to take me forever because that game is massive, but it is a goal of mine to finally play through that game and finish it co-op.

I also replayed a game called Voyage, which is the third time I’ve played through it. Outside of modern games, I’ve been going through and playing every single co-op Super Nintendo game and getting footage for an upcoming project.

Like I said, I played Mad King Redemption a little bit. I also played Saint Slayer, which is a Castlevania clone that has co-op, and it’s incredibly hard, but I do recommend it if you like those types of games.

And with my daughter, I’ve been playing Rotwood, which is also another game I would really highly recommend.

So, yeah, I’ve been pretty busy with some co-op games lately.

Retro Co-op News

Project Neon

Project Neon was originally released on the Neo Geo in 2024, and now it’s getting ports to the Sega Saturn, the Dreamcast, as well as the N64.

What’s interesting is the Saturn version is actually going to be cartridge-based, and I think that’s the first time that’s been done.

This is a vertical scrolling shoot ’em up with co-op. And I always think it’s cool seeing entirely new co-op games still getting developed for old hardware.

Overserved

Those same developers also announced another game called Overserved.

It’s described as a mix between Bomberman and Smash TV, and it supports up to eight players. So, it’s primarily a competitive game, but there are team options. Theoretically, you could do four humans against four AI bots.

This one is coming out on Neo Geo, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, as well as modern platforms, and there’s going to be options to actually play this online with crossplay between all platforms.

So, that is pretty interesting.

They’re also releasing a four-player adapter for the Neo Geo itself, and that has never existed before. That hardware was always limited to only two players, so maybe that’ll open the door for more four-player homebrews on the Neo Geo.

Guardian Heroes

Recently, Treasure has been posting some cryptic stuff around the 30th anniversary of Guardian Heroes.

I’m trying not to get my hopes up too much about this, but hopefully this means some kind of re-release or sequel announcement.

If you don’t know Guardian Heroes, it originally came out on the Sega Saturn and then there was a remake that came out on Xbox 360 Arcade. It’s a really great beat ’em up with some RPG elements. So, anything related to that game I’m excited for.

Disney Afternoon Collection

Disney Afternoon Collection just came out physically on the Switch and Switch 2, so that means more people can finally play stuff like Chip ’n Dale and Goof Troop again.

Evercade Neo Geo Collection

The Evercade also just announced a new Neo Geo collection. The co-op games that are included in that are Metal Slug 4, Blazing Star, Robo Army, Three Count Bout, and King of the Monsters.

So, that’s a pretty solid co-op lineup.

Lethal Wedding

There’s a new game for the Sega Genesis called Lethal Wedding. This is hitting Kickstarter on June 2nd.

The demo for this game has been around for a few years and I’ve actually covered it on the channel, but it plays a lot like Zombies Ate My Neighbors. It’s a pretty decent game, so I’m looking forward to the full release. It sounds like it’s getting ported to some modern platforms as well.

New Couch Co-op Announcements

Cappy Castaway

A new trailer for Cappy Castaway came out, and it has some behind-the-scenes interviews with the developers.

This is a story-based cozy game that was announced a couple of years ago, so hopefully we get a release date soon.

Bot Fest Station

Bot Fest Station was just announced, and this is a 1 to four-player tower defense game.

Taival

Tyal is another game that was just announced, and this one I’m really excited for.

It’s a four-player split screen action RPG with Minecraft visuals.

Lucky Duckies

Lucky Duckies is a 3D platformer, and you can play in split screen co-op.

Just hearing the name alone, it’s not really something that would interest me, but the gameplay itself actually looks pretty interesting.

Aye Aye Captain

Aye Aye Captain is a four-player pirate game where you’re constantly repairing your ship, fighting off enemies, and doing some exploration.

Box Knight

Box Knight is another action RPG, but with a hand-drawn art style and a lot of humor.

Wild n Chill

Wild and Chill was announced. This is a sequel to Cast and Chill, which was a cozy, relaxing fishing type of game.

This seems to be very similar. It has really nice pixel art just like the original game, but this one is focused on foraging, hunting, and building things around your off-grid cabin.

I’m always looking for new cozy games to play, and this one looks great, too.

Redemption: The Sin Eternal

Redemption: The Sin Eternal is a supernatural horror game that you can play in split screen co-op.

Visually, it looks pretty good, and some of the monsters actually look kind of creepy.

We definitely need more 3D games that are split screen co-op, and I’m always looking for horror games, so I’m hoping this one is good.

Wish for Eternity

Wish for Eternity has a teaser trailer.

This game is still in very early development, and the expected release date isn’t until 2028, but I really like the visuals here.

This is a dungeon crawler where you play as these two spirits, and it seems to be built around co-op where you’re going to solve puzzles together. So, I’m definitely going to keep an eye on this game.

Toziuha Night: Nosferatu's Curse

Toa Knight: Nosferatu’s Curse just got a trailer, and it looks like a Castlevania clone with 8-bit graphics.

You can play this one in two-player co-op. There’s no release date for this yet, but if you know me, I love games in this style. So, another one that I’m going to keep an eye out for.

World of Anterra

World of Anterra got a new gameplay trailer. I didn’t know about this game, but I guess it was announced a few years ago.

It’s an open-world RPG with pixel art visuals and turn-based combat. I think this game looks really interesting and it’s supposed to be coming into early access sometime this year.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion

If you’re a fan of Marvel Cosmic Invasion, we got two new characters, Cyclops and the Thing.

I did really enjoy this game, so I’ll probably try this out.

Outward 2

Outward 2 finally got a release date. It’s going into early access on July 7th.

The Crimson Hunt

A trailer for a new third-person shooter just came out called The Crimson Hunt.

I don’t know too much about this one. Visually, it looks pretty good. And it looks like you can play the whole game in split screen co-op.

Lost in Tandem

Lost in Tandem is supposedly coming out in July.

This is a 2D cinematic platformer where you play as a girl and this robot.

Showcase Highlights

There were a couple of showcases that highlighted some upcoming couch co-op games. I think a lot of these games were already announced previously, but they have new trailers.

61 Indie Showcase

The first one was 61 Indie Showcase.

There were 61 games here, but the only couch co-op game that I could confirm was Twins of Olus.

This looks like a top-down action game where there’s this spirit that is attached to the main character. So, I’m guessing player 2 will take control of the spirit.

Visually, this game looks pretty nice. But yeah, that’s pretty unfortunate that out of all of those games, this was the only one announced.

AG French Direct 2026

The other showcase was the AG French Direct 2026.

The couch co-op games that I was able to confirm were Tiebreakers, which is a tennis-themed run-and-gun shooter, and it has a nice hand-drawn art style.

Heave Ho 2 is officially coming out sometime this summer. No official date yet, but this is one that I’m definitely looking forward to.

Clerks and Quirks now has a demo available and this seems like another Overcooked-like game.

Last Moon was already announced previously, but they mentioned it again. This looks like a top-down action RPG with some Zelda vibes as well. I really like the art style for this game, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Final Thoughts

So, there you go. Some notable releases from May, a handful of games coming out in June, and some couch co-op news.

There’s quite a bit of couch co-op stuff still happening today, and hopefully some of these caught your attention.

Which games are you most excited for?

Best Family-Friendly Couch Co-op Games

Some couch co-op games are made for hardcore players, but these are the kinds of games you can actually sit down and play with your kids, your partner, your parents, or basically anybody.

A lot of modern co-op games are built around difficulty. Roguelikes, giant RPGs, survival games, and experiences where if one player isn’t already experienced with gaming, they’re probably going to get frustrated pretty quickly. But there are still a ton of family-friendly couch co-op games out there.

These are games where almost anybody can pick up a controller and understand what’s happening within a few minutes. Some are relaxing, some are chaotic, and some are surprisingly emotional. But all of them work really well for families, casual players, or anyone just looking to hang out and play together.

I also wanted to mix retro and modern games together because honestly, some of the best family co-op games ever made are still older games.

Classic Platformers Still Hold Up

Games like Bubble Bobble, Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Kirby Super Star are still some of the best examples of approachable co-op design.

Bubble Bobble is incredibly simple. You trap enemies in bubbles and pop them. That’s basically it. But the arcade pacing and level design make it one of the most addictive co-op games ever made, and there’s almost no learning curve.

Kirby Super Star is another perfect family co-op game because one player can naturally guide the experience while the second player still feels useful. Nintendo has always been great at designing co-op games that allow players of different skill levels to enjoy themselves together.

And modern Nintendo games still carry that same philosophy. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land, Yoshi’s Crafted World, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and Super Mario 3D World are all fantastic family games that feel approachable without being boring.

Modern Family Co-op Games

Some of the best modern family co-op games don’t get talked about enough.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure is one of the best modern platformers you can play with family or kids. The controls feel great, the levels are creative, and the handcrafted visual style gives it a ton of charm.

Glitch Busters is another underrated one. It’s basically a kid-friendly third-person shooter mixed with a 3D platformer, and the stacking mechanic creates some genuinely fun teamwork moments.

Disney Illusion Island also deserves more attention. It takes inspiration from older Disney platformers like World of Illusion, but modernizes the formula with four-player co-op and a stronger focus on movement and teamwork instead of combat.

And honestly, Survival Kids surprised me a lot. It’s basically a survival game designed for younger players. You gather resources, craft items, build structures, and work together without the usual stress or complexity that survival games often have.

Puzzle Games and Creative Co-op

One of the best things about family co-op games is that they often focus more on communication and creativity than actual gaming skill.

Snipperclips is still one of the best examples of this. Players literally cut pieces out of each other to solve puzzles, and the entire game revolves around teamwork and communication.

Pode is another really relaxing co-op puzzle game where both players have different abilities and need to combine them to progress.

And Chicory: A Colorful Tale feels almost like a giant interactive coloring book. The co-op is built around painting the world together, and it creates this really cozy collaborative experience that almost anybody can enjoy.

RPGs and Dungeon Crawlers for Families

Action RPGs and dungeon crawlers can usually feel overwhelming for casual players, but there are some great beginner-friendly options.

Minecraft Dungeons is probably the easiest example. It basically simplifies the Diablo formula into something families can immediately understand.

Riverbond has a similar vibe. It feels like Diablo or Gauntlet for kids, with colorful voxel visuals and really approachable gameplay.

Portal Knights is another really underrated one because it combines building mechanics with RPG progression. Younger players can focus on building and exploring while experienced players dive deeper into combat and progression systems.

And Cat Quest III is just a really fun, goofy action RPG with simple combat and a lot of co-op charm.

Beat ’Em Ups Are Perfect Family Games

Beat ’em ups are still one of the best genres for couch co-op.

TMNT: Turtles in Time is one of the greatest beat ’em ups ever made and still one of the most approachable. It’s colorful, simple to understand, and genuinely fun for almost any age group.

Shredder’s Revenge modernized that formula perfectly. It keeps everything that made classic Ninja Turtles arcade games great while adding smoother combat, incredible animation, and larger multiplayer support.

Castle Crashers is another classic modern co-op game that still holds up extremely well. The humor, colorful visuals, and simple gameplay make it easy to recommend, especially for families with older kids.

Double Dragon Gaiden is a great choice because of how customizable the difficulty is.

LEGO Games Never Fail

If you’re looking for safe couch co-op games for families, LEGO games are still some of the most reliable options ever made.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is probably the biggest and most polished LEGO game overall, with a massive amount of content and really approachable gameplay.

LEGO City Undercover is basically family-friendly Grand Theft Auto in the best possible way. You explore a giant open world, mess around with vehicles, and play through a surprisingly funny story together.

And LEGO Voyagers feels much more focused on actual cooperation, almost giving off It Takes Two vibes with how both players constantly interact with each other.

Assist Modes Are Great for Younger Kids

Some games handle co-op by giving the second player a support role instead of full control, and honestly, this works really well for younger kids.

Super Mario Odyssey lets player two control Cappy, which allows younger players to participate without constantly worrying about difficult platforming.

Jet Force Gemini is a childhood favorite of mine. Floyd is a robot companion you get get and player two can help double up the firepower.

Pikmin 4 and Donkey Kong Bonanza use similar ideas where the second player supports the main player while still feeling genuinely useful.

Even older games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 did this years ago with Tails.

These kinds of assist modes are really important because they let families play together even when skill levels are completely different.

Couch Co-op Still Matters

Family-friendly couch co-op games are some of the most important games still being made.

A lot of people’s best gaming memories started with sitting on the couch with siblings, parents, friends, or their kids. And even now, there are still developers making games specifically built around that kind of experience.

If you’ve been looking for couch co-op games to play with your family, hopefully this gave you some good options.

Modern 3D Couch Co-op Games Prove Local Multiplayer Still Has Room to Evolve

Not every modern couch co-op game is a 2D pixel art platformer.

People still kind of act like local multiplayer stopped evolving after the Xbox 360 era. Like every modern couch co-op game is either a retro-inspired indie game or another side-scrolling beat ’em up.

But over the last several years, we’ve started getting way more fully 3D couch co-op games. Bigger games, more cinematic games, open world games, horror games, physics-based games, RPGs, and even a few giant AAA experiences.

Now, to be fair, 2D indie games are still definitely carrying couch co-op right now. That’s still where the genre mostly exists. AAA local co-op is still pretty rare, but the important thing is these kinds of games still exist at all.

And honestly, I think the future is starting to look a lot more hopeful again.

So, I wanted to highlight some modern 3D couch co-op games that prove local multiplayer still has room to evolve.

A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction

When most people think of modern couch co-op games right now, they probably think of Hazelight.

A Way Out was one of the first games in years that really made split screen feel cinematic again. The camera constantly shifts perspectives between players, characters are always doing different things simultaneously, and the entire game was designed specifically around cooperation.

Then It Takes Two came out and took a lot of those concepts and improved on them. It became Game of the Year, which was a huge deal for local co-op. Every chapter was constantly introducing new mechanics. There’s platforming, shooting, flying sections, puzzle solving, mini games. It just never stops changing things up.

Then we got Split Fiction, which continued a lot of those concepts and took them to even bigger places.

Even Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons added co-op. Originally, the game was meant to be played by one person controlling both characters, but the Switch version added co-op, and then the remake let you play through the entire game with a friend.

I actually think it works really well as a co-op experience.

The main thing Hazelight proved is that there’s still a huge audience for couch co-op gameplay. And not just smaller ideas. Fully 3D, immersive stories built from the ground up for two players.

Bigger AAA Couch Co-op Games

We also got Gears of War: Reloaded. Even though the Steam version did not have split screen, the PS5 and Xbox versions still included the original split screen gameplay.

Gears of War was one of the biggest franchises back in the Xbox 360 era, so seeing modern versions of these games still supporting local multiplayer is definitely an important detail.

Borderlands 4 continued this as well. There are definitely not a lot of first-person shooters, especially in the AAA space, that allow split screen co-op. Again, it was missing in the PC version, but on PS5 and Xbox, it still had split screen co-op, and you can play through the entire story that way.

Then there’s Baldur’s Gate 3. This might be one of the most ambitious couch co-op RPGs ever made. It’s a giant open-ended role-playing game with huge battles, exploration, dialogue choices, tons of customization, and full character building.

When I was playing this with my girlfriend, we spent a solid 45 minutes just building our characters. But the entire game can be played in split screen co-op.

Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 were made by the same developers, and they deserve a lot of credit too. There’s something really cool about sitting on a couch making big giant story decisions together in games that are this massive.

Sackboy and Nintendo’s 3D Co-op Games

On a totally different note, we have Sackboy: A Big Adventure.

This one might feel like a smaller scope of a game, but it was published by Sony, so I feel like it still counts as AAA. It’s a 3D platformer you can play with up to four players, and it’s one of the only games in the genre that really feels like it could rival Nintendo.

And since I mentioned Nintendo, they’ve always been big supporters of couch co-op gameplay. Although a lot of their games are still 2D, they do have some good 3D support as well.

All of the Hyrule Warriors games are fully 3D split screen co-op, and those games have massive stories.

Donkey Kong Bonanza was a huge deal too. It’s a fully open world Donkey Kong game where you can destroy everything. It plays like a 3D platformer. The co-op mode isn’t as equal since the second player takes control of Pauline and mostly assists with some firepower, but it definitely helps.

Back on the original Switch, Super Mario Odyssey took a similar approach with assist co-op. Player two can control Cappy. It’s definitely not equal, but with the right player, it can be really helpful for collecting things and helping with boss fights.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is another excellent game. This was the first time Kirby was actually in a fully 3D game, and the second player takes control of Waddle Dee. He doesn’t have the same copy abilities as Kirby. He just has a spear. So depending on your player, some people might get bored with that, but in the right hands, Waddle Dee can be a great assist player.

I’m a big fan of all of these games, and I think they’re really good examples of doing assist mode the right way.

Astral Chain is another Switch exclusive with interesting co-op. You basically split up the controls, where one player controls the main character and the other controls the Legion. That player does a lot of the combat.

I like the concept, but the execution isn’t great. You have to play with Joy-Cons, you can’t use regular controllers, and the controls are overly complicated and take a lot of getting used to.

Then there’s Pikmin 3 Deluxe, which can be played entirely in split screen co-op. This might be my favorite of all the co-op Nintendo Switch games. You each control your own group of Pikmin, and you work together to solve puzzles and attack enemies. It’s an excellent co-op game.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is another one worth mentioning. I don’t know if this fully counts as a 3D game because the camera is more fixed, but you rotate it around, so I’m still counting it. It’s a really fun puzzle-focused co-op game, and it’s different from the typical Mario platformer.

Smaller Games That Feel Bigger

Outside of the AAA space, we also have smaller teams making games that almost feel like they could be AAA. Maybe double-A is the better term.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, but this one actually added full co-op support. It feels like a throwback to a weird experimental Xbox 360 era type of game, but modernized.

They did a great job making it feel like an equal co-op experience. It plays like a 3D platformer, similar to games like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet & Clank, but in an open world environment, and you can play it in split screen co-op.

This game just has a really fun energy that works perfectly in co-op.

Then there’s Ys X: Nordics. The PC version actually lets you play through the entire game in local co-op. There’s no split screen. You just share the screen from a third-person perspective.

I think this game works really well as co-op because each character takes an equal role in the story. And it’s just not too often that you see fully 3D action RPGs with local co-op.

PowerWash Simulator 2 also added co-op, and it’s definitely different from everything else here. It’s one of those games where you kind of just turn your brain off and take your time clearing every section of the environment.

I found it incredibly tedious, and it’s just not for me. But it is fully 3D, and I’m glad to see it.

Open World and Soulslike Co-op Games

On a much darker note, we have Outward.

This is pretty much a Soulslike you can play in split screen co-op. It’s a huge open world action RPG, and it’s another really good equal co-op experience.

I have a hard time with Dark Souls games because I’m bad at them, but when it comes to Soulslikes, Outward is probably one of the best co-op versions.

Another one people don’t mention very often is The Last Oricru. It’s similar to Outward in a lot of ways, but with a much lower budget.

That being said, it’s another fully 3D split screen open world Soulslike. It’s definitely lower quality, but I did actually enjoy it, and I think more people should give it a chance. It’s better than its reputation, especially when you play it in local co-op. I think a lot of the complaints were more about connectivity issues when playing online.

While we’re talking about Soulslikes, another one that basically never gets mentioned is Hellpoint. This one stands out because it has more of a horror and sci-fi vibe. I think this game is totally underrated.

Shooters, Horror, and 3D Beat ’Em Ups

Earth Defense Force 6 is a third-person shooter you can play in split screen. You run around shooting giant alien bugs, and this series has been pretty consistent with split screen co-op going all the way back to the PS2 era. This is another pretty good addition.

TMNT: Mutants Unleashed was another interesting attempt at bringing Ninja Turtles into a larger 3D environment. It still has beat ’em up gameplay, but instead of side-scrolling action, it’s a 3D beat ’em up with some platforming sections too. It continues the story of the modern Seth Rogen TMNT movie, and I really like this one. I need to play it some more.

Another big one is Reanimal. I think this is one of the most exciting examples of a local co-op horror game. It was really built around co-op, and it’s one of my favorite couch co-op games of 2026.

Experimental Indie 3D Co-op Games

We’ve also had some fully 3D games made in the indie space, and these are a lot more experimental.

To me, this is where modern couch co-op gets really interesting because indie developers are experimenting with fully 3D ideas way more than they did before.

Bloodborne PSX is a fan game remake of Bloodborne made to look like a PS1 game. The story, map, and cutscenes are actually pretty faithful to the original game, but the visuals have that old school look. I thought it was a really fun way to revisit that game.

While we’re talking about PS1-inspired games, Vaccine Rebirth is another one worth mentioning. It’s a survival horror game that’s clearly an homage to Resident Evil and Silent Hill. It even has that PS1 look, but it also adds roguelite elements. When you enter rooms, the items and map are procedurally generated.

You can play it with a fixed camera or switch to first person. This is actually one of my favorite modern survival horror games, and we don’t get a lot of those with co-op, so this one was really cool.

Chained Together became massively popular because the idea itself is just ridiculous and stressful. You’re physically chained together, trying to climb upward out of hell, while constantly ruining each other’s jumps. If one of you falls, you drag your partners back down. So you really do have to work together here. You can play this one in four-player split screen co-op.

Arise: A Simple Story is another really underrated game. One player controls the main character while the second player manipulates time itself. You change seasons, which affects the world around you.

It’s slower and more emotional than most co-op games, but it creates a really unique collaborative experience. It feels completely different from almost anything else out there.

Together: Moon Escape is a newer one that mixes puzzle solving, platforming, and escape room mechanics into something that feels heavily inspired by It Takes Two in a first-person perspective, but it still does its own thing. I really liked this one.

That game reminded me a lot of Escape Academy, which is basically an escape room simulator you can play in split screen co-op. That’s another one I really enjoyed.

Popucom kind of plays like Splatoon with more focus on puzzles and platforming. You can play it in split screen co-op, and it’s a really unique concept. It’s bright and colorful, but it also gets very difficult.

Then there’s Emissary Zero, which takes things in a much darker direction. This is a fully 3D first-person horror game. You can play it in two-player split screen co-op, but you can also play it online.

I played this with a couple of friends, one locally and one online, and we really enjoyed it. It’s very weird, but in a good way, and I definitely found it pretty creepy. This is a smaller game that not a lot of people know about, so I highly recommend trying it.

Aaero 2: Black Razor Edition is an on-rail shooter that mixes in rhythm-based gameplay. I love the visuals, the soundtrack is awesome, and it works surprisingly well as a co-op game.

KIBORG is a fully 3D beat ’em up with some roguelike elements, and you can play it in two-player split screen. It leans into brutal sci-fi combat. Each run lets you upgrade your armor and weapons, and sometimes you get guns or melee weapons. This one is a lot of fun.

Haven is a turn-based RPG built around co-op. I love the visuals, the turn-based combat is pretty solid, and the soundtrack is really good. But there is a ton of dialogue, and it kind of just goes on and on.

Blood: Refreshed Supply is an old school first-person shooter, but this remake added split screen co-op. You can play four-player split screen on all platforms, and on Xbox and PC, you can play with up to eight players split screen. So if you’re a fan of boomer shooters, this is definitely one worth trying.

Barony also deserves more attention, because there aren’t many fully 3D first-person dungeon crawlers that you can play in co-op. This one lets you play four players locally.

No Straight Roads is a really cool mix of rhythm gameplay, action combat, 3D platforming, and music-driven boss fights. The Switch port even adds a third player option that can jump in and assist.

Frogun Encore is a retro-inspired 3D platformer. If you like early 3D platformers from the PS1, N64, or Sega Saturn era, this is an homage to those types of games.

Onirism is a really interesting game. On the surface, it kind of just looks like a cute little game made for kids, but it’s actually a really fast-paced third-person shooter. I haven’t heard many people talk about it, but I really liked it. It also has some platforming sections, so if you skipped it just based on the look, definitely give it a try.

Chip ‘n Clawz vs. The Brainioids mixes 3D platforming with strategy elements, and you can play it in split screen co-op. Visually, I think it’s pretty impressive. Similar to Revenge of the Savage Planet, it has that Ratchet & Clank or Jak and Daxter style, but with a strategy element that makes it stand out. This one is definitely a hidden gem.

And then there’s Human Fall Flat. This is way different from most of the games on this list. Maybe it’s considered a friend slop game. I don’t know. You play as these weird characters with ragdoll physics, and the main obstacle is just controlling the characters themselves.

There are puzzles too, but it’s mostly just a fun, lighthearted co-op game that pretty much anyone can pick up and play.

Upcoming 3D Couch Co-op Games

The future lineup is part of why I wanted to make this video, because there are a bunch of couch co-op games coming soon.

Orbitals is at the top of my list. It looks like it’s taking a few notes from It Takes Two and Split Fiction. It’s a co-op-only game with a really nice anime art style, and it’s probably my most anticipated game of the year. It’s coming exclusively to Switch 2.

Hela is another 3D platformer. I think you can play it with at least two-player split screen, maybe up to four, but this one looks pretty unique. It’s made by the same team that made Unravel Two, so they definitely know their way around a co-op game.

Ikuma is another story-based split screen game where one player controls a teenage boy and the other controls the dog. I really like the visuals, and it’s always cool to see more story-based games.

Luminary is definitely inspired by Breath of the Wild. It’s a fully 3D action RPG with a lot of exploration. They originally said it had local co-op, and I haven’t heard any recent updates, so hopefully that’s still there.

Dual Firewall City looks like a really interesting co-op action game that’s definitely inspired by A Way Out. It looks a little lower budget than a Hazelight game, but hopefully it’s still good.

Whisk is a pretty interesting first-person puzzle game where you’re basically playing catch with a little ball that has a cat in it. You have to throw it back and forth between players and try to get the ball to its goal.

Outward 2 is coming, and it looks like it has even better visuals. I’m guessing it’s going to be even bigger than the first game.

LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight is a fully 3D game that’s meant to be open world. LEGO games have been a reliable source for couch co-op gameplay for a long time, so I’m really glad they included it here too.

Wheelmates already has a demo available, and it feels like It Takes Two with RC cars. When I played the demo, it definitely had some issues with the controls, so hopefully the full version is tightened up. But this is one I’m definitely interested in.

Dead as Disco is in early access, but they haven’t added co-op yet. Hopefully the full version includes it. I played a little bit of the early access in single player, and it’s really cool. It’s a 3D beat ’em up with rhythm gameplay, where you want to hit enemies on the beat of the song. It’s very satisfying, and I can’t wait to see how they make it work in co-op.

Gears of War: E-Day is another huge one. I don’t know if split screen has been confirmed yet, but every previous entry had split screen, so it would be crazy if they didn’t include it.

On Switch 2, we’re getting a full remake of Star Fox 64, and they confirmed local co-op. It’s not split screen. It takes some ideas from Star Fox Zero, where the tasks are split up. One player controls piloting, and the other handles shooting. I really enjoy games like that, so I’m definitely looking forward to this one too.

Another new game that was announced is Taival. This is a fully 3D action RPG with some Minecraft-style visuals, and you can play in four-player split screen co-op. It says it’s going to have a lot of exploration. I don’t know too much about it yet, and there’s no release date, but it definitely looks interesting and right up my alley.

And probably the biggest one coming out is Halo: Campaign Evolved, a full remake of the original Halo. This is actually coming to PS5, which is just crazy to see. But it has confirmed that the campaign can be played in full split screen.

I have a lot of memories playing the original Halo in co-op. Even though I loved playing Halo competitively over the years, my favorite memories are playing through the story mode in split screen co-op. So the fact that they included that is really, really important to me.

I’m hoping this helps bring split screen shooters back into the conversation, because Halo basically helped define couch co-op shooters in the first place.

Final Thoughts

Are we suddenly back in the golden age of split screen games?

Not exactly.

Most couch co-op games are still indie games, and most are still 2D. But I do think we’re in a good place.

With bigger titles like Halo, Orbitals, and all of the Hazelight games, I think the doors are wide open for future developers to make fully 3D split screen and local co-op games.

I’m really hoping we see that a lot more in the AAA space.

Compared to where things were a few years ago, I genuinely think things are looking a little bit better. And honestly, seeing fully 3D couch co-op games continuing to exist at all gives me a lot of hope for where the genre could go next.

Local Co-op Games You Can Beat in a Weekend

You got some friends but not a lot of time?

Well, here you go.

Here are some couch co-op games you can actually play through in a weekend. Some of these are short enough to beat in one sitting. Some might take a couple sessions. And a few are longer games that are still totally doable if you want to make a whole weekend out of it.

Blazing Chrome

Let’s start with some shorter games you can beat in one session. These are mostly around one or two hours each.

Blazing Chrome is pretty much the peak of the run and gun shooter genre for me. It takes everything from Metal Slug and Contra and just improves on it.

It’s nonstop action, and it still has that classic Contra difficulty, but luckily there are difficulty settings. So, if you just want to experience the game, you can put it on easy and run through it pretty quickly and painlessly.

Of course, if you want to be tested, you can ramp up the difficulty, deal with limited lives, and actually master the levels. But on an easier setting, this is a great quick co-op game.

Final Vendetta

Final Vendetta is an arcade-style beat ’em up that you can probably beat in 30 to 40 minutes.

If you’re a fan of games like Final Fight, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, or Captain Commando, it has that same kind of vibe. It’s a straightforward two-player co-op beat ’em up, and that’s what I love about it.

It doesn’t add a bunch of extra genres or weird systems. It’s just a barebones beat ’em up, but it’s done really, really well.

This one was also developed for Neo Geo hardware, so if you somehow have a super obscure AES console, you can actually play it there. Or if you’re planning on getting the AES Plus console, this is one you could get for it if you really wanted to.

Dandy & Randy

Being a big fan of Goof Troop, Dandy & Randy feels like it was made for me.

It’s basically a Goof Troop-like. It has similar puzzles where you kick blocks into the right position to move forward. It has co-op. It has that same kind of item management. You can get a hookshot.

It’s just a really, really fun game that I think went under a lot of people’s radar. It’s honestly one of my favorite hidden gems when it comes to indie co-op games.

You can beat this one in about an hour.

Micro Mages

Micro Mages is another really good one.

This was actually made for the NES, but it’s also been ported to other consoles and Steam. It’s a four-player precision platformer, and seeing this run on original NES hardware is genuinely impressive.

There’s a lot going on, but the controls feel really solid. The wall jumping is excellent, the attacks feel good, and it feels fair. If you die, you know it’s your fault.

I also really love the boss fights here. If you haven’t played Micro Mages, you really should. I think it’s one of the best co-op games ever made for the NES.

You can beat it in about an hour or two.

The Eternal Castle

The Eternal Castle is definitely interesting.

A lot of modern indie games try to go for an NES or Super Nintendo aesthetic, but this one takes a totally different approach. It’s aiming to replicate home computers of the 80s with CGA animated graphics.

I really like the art style here. It’s simple, with a very limited color palette. The game is supposed to be a sequel to a fictional game from 1987 called Eternal Castle, which is just a really cool idea.

There isn’t much dialogue, and the story is mysterious and kind of unwraps as you play. Co-op is fun, although the second player is basically a clone of the first player, so it’s not always perfectly equal.

But for the most part, it feels good to play with a partner. Some of the animation and boss fights are really well done, and the game has a darker tone with an incredible soundtrack.

You can beat this one in about one or two hours.

Retro Co-op Games

Retro games are easier to play now than ever, whether it’s through compilations, emulation, or Nintendo Switch Online. And the best part about retro games is that a lot of them are perfect for short pick-up-and-play co-op sessions.

On Genesis, you can play Streets of Rage or Streets of Rage 2. These are both excellent beat ’em ups, and they play pretty differently. I still think Streets of Rage 2 might be the best beat ’em up of all time, but the first one is great too. You can beat both in under an hour each.

ToeJam & Earl is another great co-op game with a really fun dynamic split screen and a ton of personality. You should be able to beat that in under an hour too.

Then there’s Gunstar Heroes, one of the best run and gun shooters of all time. You can probably beat it in an hour to 90 minutes. It gets pretty difficult later on, but the gameplay is so good that it’s absolutely worth it.

For NES, there’s Double Dragon II, which is probably my favorite of all the Double Dragon games. It can be difficult, but after a few attempts, you should be able to beat it in under an hour.

River City Ransom is another excellent beat ’em up, but it takes a totally different approach. Instead of just walking in one direction, you explore a map, level up your characters, and buy upgrades. It’s one of my favorite co-op games of all time. If you know where to go, you can beat it in under an hour, but if you don’t, it might take a little longer.

Mendel Palace is another underrated NES game. I’ve actually never beaten it, but it’s really solid. It was made by Game Freak, the same team that made the Pokémon games. It’s a single-screen puzzle-action game where you flip tiles and eliminate enemies. Totally worth checking out.

For N64, the main one I’d recommend is Perfect Dark. If you like GoldenEye, this is basically the spiritual successor, and you can play through the entire story mode in two-player split screen co-op. This one is longer, around 8 hours, so maybe not one sitting, but if you have the whole weekend, you can pull it off.

On Super Nintendo, all three Donkey Kong Country games are around 4 to 6 hours each if you’re just doing the main story. These are tag team modes, so keep that in mind, but they’re still great games to play together.

Kirby’s Dream Land 3 is another great Super Nintendo option. The second player controls Gooey, and like most Kirby games, it’s easy to pick up and great for any skill level. This one takes roughly 4 hours to beat.

And of course, if you have original hardware or use emulation, that opens the door to basically unlimited possibilities.

Goof Troop

Goof Troop is a go-to for me.

It’s one of my favorite games on the Super Nintendo and one of my favorite co-op games of all time. It’s basically a simplified, more linear Zelda-like built around co-op puzzles.

You should be able to beat this in about 45 minutes to an hour. Unless you really suck at the puzzles. Then maybe it’ll take longer. I don’t know.

World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

World of Illusion on Sega Genesis is a really basic platformer, but I love it.

It’s built for co-op in a way a lot of licensed platformers weren’t. You actually have to work together. There are parts where one player helps the other up ledges, parts where you catapult one player up so they can drop a rope, and even a part where Donald Duck gets his ass stuck crawling through a tunnel and Mickey has to pull him out.

It’s simple, easy, and really charming. You can probably beat it in about 45 minutes.

The Simpsons Arcade Game

Honestly, almost any arcade game is going to be a good option if you want something under an hour.

One of my go-tos is The Simpsons Arcade Game. You can beat it in probably 30 minutes, and it’s four-player co-op.

It’s simple to learn, it gets pretty difficult, and it’s one of those straightforward arcade brawlers that doesn’t have a bunch of bells and whistles. It doesn’t need anything fancy. It’s just fun.

Still one of my favorite beat ’em ups ever made.

Reanimal

Now let’s talk about games you could beat in one long session or maybe two shorter sessions. These are more in the 3 to 4 hour range.

Reanimal is one of the newest games on this list, and it’s built around co-op. It has a dark, mysterious setting, and the story is very vague. The ending leaves things up for interpretation, which I really liked.

For the most part, I think almost anyone could pick up and play it. It’s not super difficult. The co-op elements involve solving puzzles, boosting your partner up to ledges, and even teaming up in a tank where one player controls movement and the other handles shooting and aiming.

This is easily one of my favorite couch co-op games of 2026. It took us a little over 4 hours to beat, so you should be able to finish it in one or two sittings pretty easily.

Morkredd

While we’re talking about creepy dark co-op games, I should mention Morkredd.

If you like Reanimal, you’ll probably like this one too. I’ve covered it a couple times before, and it’s a really great game that doesn’t get talked about as much anymore.

The concept is simple but unique. You have this orb that provides light, and you need to move it through the environment. You have to stay in the light at all times, because if you step into the shadows, you die.

The entire game is built around carrying this orb through obstacles and working together. You have to communicate, and it works really well.

There’s no dialogue, and the game has a very creepy atmosphere. You’ll see strange creatures in the environment, and later on, they kind of become the environment.

You can beat this one in about 3 hours.

Baladins

I also wanted to include an RPG, which usually isn’t the genre you think about when you want a quick playthrough.

But Baladins works really well for that.

You can play with up to four players locally or online. It plays out like a board game, where each player rolls, moves around the map, and lands on spaces that turn into NPC interactions, towns, battles, or little story moments.

It has a choose-your-own-adventure style where the party votes on decisions. I also really like the art style. It kind of reminds me of Paper Mario.

To fully complete it, it’ll take at least around 4 hours, but each session around the map can be done in about an hour, which makes it really nice for quick sessions.

Arise: A Simple Story

Arise: A Simple Story takes a similar approach to Morkredd in that it tells its story through action, but the tone here is way more emotional.

You follow an old man as he relives his life, experiencing the trauma, love, and heartbreak he went through firsthand.

The co-op gameplay is really unique because the second player controls time itself. They can fast-forward and rewind, which changes the environment.

So when the old man needs to reach a platform, the second player might rewind time to bring something into position, or move a bee into sight so he can grab onto it and fly.

It’s a really unique concept, and it’s executed very well. This is another game that doesn’t get enough attention, and I have a real soft spot for it.

You can beat it in about 3 hours.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Now for some games that are a little longer. These are around 5 to 8 hours each.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime was made for co-op. You can play it with up to four players locally, and the whole concept is fun and chaotic.

You’re trying to control a spacecraft, but each player has to manage different parts of the ship. One player might control movement, another handles weapons, another controls the shield, and everyone is constantly running between stations.

With two players, it’s a lot more difficult because you’re running back and forth constantly. But with four players, this is where the game really shines. Everyone can focus on one part of the ship and work together to survive.

It’s a modern classic, and you can beat it in about 5 or 6 hours.

Left 4 Dead

The original Left 4 Dead blew my mind when I first played it on Xbox 360.

It’s a first-person horror shooter where you and up to three friends shoot down hordes of zombies and other monsters while trying to survive and reach the exit.

You can play it in two-player split screen on console, or with up to four players online. Unfortunately, the Steam version still only has online support, but this is still a top-tier co-op game.

You can beat it in about 7 hours.

Portal 2

Portal 2 is just one of the best co-op experiences you’ll ever have.

It’s very puzzle-heavy, and if you’re watching this channel, I’m sure you probably already know it. But if you somehow haven’t played it and you have a weekend available, now might be the time.

You should be able to finish the co-op campaign in about 5 or 6 hours.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

The Nintendo Switch version of Pikmin 3 added local co-op gameplay, and it’s a very equal experience.

You can play in split screen, each player gets their own Pikmin, and you work together to solve puzzles and manage tasks around the map.

To me, this is the best of all the Pikmin games because it’s the only one with a full couch co-op story mode. Pikmin 4 just had that assist mode, which was really disappointing.

You can beat Pikmin 3 Deluxe in probably 6 to 8 hours. I think it took us around 7.

Resident Evil Revelations 2

These next games are more in the 8 to 12 hour range. So these are great if you want to spend the whole weekend on something.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 is my favorite of all the co-op Resident Evil games because the concept is more unique.

Instead of just doubling up your firepower, this one takes a more asymmetrical approach.

There are two pairs of characters, and you switch between them throughout the game. Player one controls the characters with weapons, Claire and Barry, who are more focused on combat.

Player two controls the support characters, Moira and Natalia.

Moira uses a flashlight to stun enemies and reveal hidden items, and she can also use a crowbar for melee attacks. Natalia can’t attack directly, but she can sense enemy locations and point out hidden items.

I really like this approach because it forces both players to actually work together instead of just making player two another gun.

You should be able to beat this one in about 9 to 11 hours. Unless you’re taking your time or trying to be a completionist, then it’ll take longer.

Split Fiction

An obvious choice is Split Fiction.

Everyone knows this game, so I won’t get too deep into the details here, but I really enjoyed it. I recently finally finished it, and I’m still not sure if I like it more than It Takes Two, but I had a great time with it.

If you’re trying to 100% complete it, it’s definitely going to take more than 12 hours. But if you just want to experience the main story, you can probably rush through it in about 12 hours.

Gears 5

I’m a big fan of the Gears of War games. I’ve played through pretty much all of them in couch co-op, and I really enjoyed Gears 5.

I like that it added an assist character, which means you can actually play it in three-player local co-op. That was a really nice surprise.

This one focuses heavily on story, and the production value is huge. Outside of Split Fiction, I think this might be one of the biggest production couch co-op games I’ve seen.

I remember when it first came out, visually it was one of the most impressive games I had ever seen.

I just really hope Gears of War: E-Day continues the tradition of split screen. Otherwise, I’m just not going to play it.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any Gears of War game, but this one might be my favorite in the series. If you’re just doing the story, you should be able to beat it in about 10 to 12 hours.

Final Thoughts

So there you go. Those are some co-op games you can play through in a weekend.

There are a ton of other games I could talk about, especially when it comes to retro games and indie games, but this should give you a pretty good mix of quick one-session games, longer weekend games, and a few bigger co-op campaigns.

What are some of your favorite co-op memories from games you played through with a friend over a weekend?

It Takes Two on Wheels?!

So, this is Wheelmates. It’s basically It Takes Two with RC cars… but is it actually that good?

Well, after playing through the demo in split screen with my friend Shawn, I came away pretty impressed with it overall. And honestly, the demo itself was way bigger than I expected.

Me and my friend played through the whole thing in about an hour and 45 minutes, which is pretty substantial for a demo. For something that’s basically an early preview, that’s a really good sign for how much content the full game might end up having.

You can play the game online, but I focused entirely on split screen co-op because that’s what I care about most here. And thankfully, the game feels very built around that experience.

There’s definitely a lot of influence from games like It Takes Two and Split Fiction. This is a co-op-only style experience where both players constantly have to work together to progress. That said, it’s definitely lacking the polish and production value of something like It Takes Two. But honestly, that’s kind of expected. This is an indie game, and this is only the demo.

The developers sent me an early code for the demo, but all the opinions here are my own.

Driving Around an Oversized House

There is some story here, although I’ll be honest, I probably missed a few details while we were playing. You’re inside this eccentric professor’s house, driving these little RC cars through oversized environments where everything around you feels huge.

And yeah, it absolutely gives off It Takes Two vibes because of that setup alone.

Most of the game revolves around completing objectives throughout different parts of the house. You’ll be driving through bedrooms, vents, garages, attics, and other areas while moving from one goal point to another.

The game actually does a really good job guiding you, too. There’s no full map, but there’s a waypoint marker showing the direction you need to go, so you’re rarely lost or wandering around aimlessly.

At first, the gameplay is mostly about driving to specific locations and learning how everything works. But pretty quickly, the game starts introducing puzzle mechanics.

A Puzzle-Heavy Co-op Game

This is very much a puzzle-focused co-op game. At least in the demo, there’s no combat whatsoever.

Most of what you’re doing revolves around hitting switches, interacting with objects, navigating the environment, and coordinating with the other player. A lot of the puzzles are built around fairly simple ideas at first, but the co-op implementation is what makes them interesting.

Eventually, you start unlocking new abilities.

You get a hookshot that lets you hit certain switches and swing across gaps. Then later you unlock a magnet ability that’s used for moving covers, revealing switches, and carrying batteries to power machinery.

So there’s definitely some layering happening with the mechanics as the demo progresses.

And one thing the game does really well is asymmetrical co-op design. There are sections where one player is doing something completely different from the other player at the same time.

For example, there’s one part where one player has to stop steam blocking the path while the other moves forward. Then you switch roles and repeat the process.

That kind of stuff works really well here.

One of the coolest sections in the demo involved this giant cylinder tank puzzle that basically played like a claw machine. One player controlled forward and backward movement while the other controlled up and down movement. Each person only had partial control over the mechanism, so you constantly had to communicate to position everything correctly.

And the tricky part was that you couldn’t just hit the buttons normally. You actually had to drive your RC car onto them to activate them, which made things way more chaotic than expected.

It led to a lot of moments where both players were yelling directions at each other trying to line things up correctly.

The Biggest Problem: The Controls

The biggest issue I had with the demo was definitely the controls and camera.

The gameplay design itself actually feels solid. The problem is just how the RC cars feel to control.

Right away, we lowered the sensitivity as much as possible, which definitely helped, but even by the end of the demo I never fully felt comfortable controlling the car.

I kept getting caught on ledges, flipping upside down, backing into corners, and getting stuck in awkward situations.

Honestly, a lot of the challenge in this game didn’t come from the puzzles themselves. It came from just trying to properly control the vehicle.

Thankfully, there are some really good quality-of-life features that help with this.

You can pause the game and hit an “I’m stuck” option that basically explodes your car and resets you back to your last safe position. And if you fall off a ledge, there’s a quick reset option that brings you right back.

Those systems helped a lot.

Also, to be fair, both me and Shawn are kind of terrible at racing games and vehicle controls in general, so maybe other people won’t struggle with it nearly as much as we did.

Still, I did want to mention it because it was definitely noticeable throughout the demo.

Surprisingly Great Visuals

Visually, I actually really liked how this game looked.

It has this stylized art direction that mixes realism with these slightly cartoony CGI-looking elements. At times it reminded me a little bit of the Toy Story movies.

The environments especially looked really good for an indie game. It’s obviously not AAA-level visually, but honestly, it looks better than a lot of indie co-op games I’ve played recently.

And I really appreciate that it’s a fully 3D split screen co-op game.

We just don’t get enough of those anymore.

Is It as Good as It Takes Two?

No. I wouldn’t say it’s on that level.

But to be fair, It Takes Two is one of the best co-op games ever made, so that’s an insanely high bar to compare against.

What I will say is that Wheelmates is doing a lot right already.

If the developers improve the controls and continue expanding on these co-op mechanics, I could absolutely see this becoming one of the better couch co-op games of 2026.

If you like co-op games where communication and teamwork are the main focus, there’s a really good chance you’ll enjoy this.

The demo already has some genuinely creative ideas, and even though the controls are rough right now, there’s clearly a lot of potential here.

And honestly, I’m just happy to see more games like this getting made.

I love pixel art games and retro-inspired co-op stuff, but we’ve definitely gotten a lot of that over the years. So it’s refreshing seeing a fully 3D co-op-focused experience trying to do something different.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Wheelmates ended up being a really cool surprise.

I went into the demo expecting something much smaller and simpler, but there’s actually a decent amount of content here already, along with some genuinely creative co-op puzzle ideas.

Hopefully the full release lands sometime in 2026, because after playing this demo, I definitely want to see where the game goes next.

And whenever the full game does release, I’ll absolutely be playing through the entire thing.