The original PlayStation had so many games, and a lot of them are co-op. So, here we are.

These are not going to be be ranked. I am going to group them together by genre, loosely. But before we do that, let's talk about some honorable mentions. So, I guess instead of this being a top 20, it kind of turns it into a top 25. I don't know. It really doesn't matter.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Loaded is a game that I have a lot of nostalgia for. I remember playing it at my cousin's house when I was a kid, and it felt very edgy. It felt like PlayStation was for grown-ups, and that's why I wasn't allowed to have one. But going back to it, it just doesn't hold up as well as I thought it would. It's very slow, you spend way too much time on the levels, and there's a ton of slowdown. Um Jammer Lammy is a really great rhythm game. The only reason I'm not putting it on this list is because the co-op mode isn't available from the start. You have to complete missions, and then you can replay the levels in co-op. There are three Rampage games on the system. I like Rampage, but I don't think it's a PS1-defining series. Fighting Force is another one that I played a lot when I was a kid, especially on the N64. I think it's okay, but ultimately most 3D beat 'em ups don't hold up that well. Assault: Retribution is a game that feels pretty unique for the time. It's ultimately a run-and-gun shooter, but the angles change. Sometimes it goes into third person, but a lot of the time it's side-scrolling and you can move up and down in depth as well. The main downside is that the platforming sections suck. Those games are all definitely worth playing, but they're not my favorites. These ones are my favorites, so let's get into it.

METAL SLUG X

I love all of the Metal Slug games. Metal Slug X is one that maybe isn't the best, but it's a really great version. It's essentially an enhanced, remixed version of Metal Slug 2, which originally had a lot of slowdown and performance issues. This version on the PS1 is a really great port. They even added some extra content, but pretty much all the old-school Metal Slug games are great. This one specifically I have a lot of memories with. I remember renting it as a kid on the PS1, and then me and my friend Danny played through it over a weekend at his place. Truly, this is one of the best run-and-gun shooters of all time.

FUTURE COP: LAPD

This is sort of like a run-and-gun shooter from a top-down perspective, but also a mech and vehicle combat game mixed in. You can play the campaign in split-screen co-op, which works really well. You can split up and try to accomplish the objectives separately, or you can double up your firepower and try to stay together. This game feels pretty ambitious for the PlayStation 1. There's a lot of voice acting, and it's pretty good. If you can get over some of the dated visuals and controls, this one holds up really well.

WARGAMES: DEFCON 1

This is another vehicle combat game that's loosely based on WarGames. What I like about this game is the variety. You can take control of tanks, jeeps, and helicopters, and you have a set amount at the beginning of each mission. If one of your vehicles explodes, you're able to take over another one. You can play this in split-screen co-op. This is one that I never hear people talk about. I feel like it's one of those games you probably saw on a shelf somewhere and didn't really think twice about it. If you did, you probably didn't know that it had co-op. WarGames: Defcon 1 is actually a really good co-op game.

MACHINE HUNTER

I mentioned Loaded earlier, and I think this is very similar to Loaded, but actually a lot better. First of all, the performance is a lot better. It still has some slowdown when there's a lot of action on the screen, but there are a few things that make this game feel better. It has twin-stick controls, and there's more variety in the levels. There are objectives where you have to save hostages, and in the second level you have to get bombs, set them at a specific place, and then run to the exit. It also has this really unique feature where you destroy certain enemy machines and then take them over. When it comes to top-down run-and-gun shooters, this is one of the better ones. I think it's definitely a hidden gem, and I highly recommend it.

TWISTED METAL 2

Outside of the first Twisted Metal, most of these games have local co-op and you can play them in split-screen. I think most of you know this game. It's one of the most popular games on the system, and for good reason. I still think it's probably my favorite vehicle combat game ever made. It's very fast-paced, you get a lot of variety in weapons, and all the characters have their unique personalities, styles, and special abilities. You can't go wrong with any Twisted Metal game, honestly, but this one has always been my favorite.

ROAD RASH: JAILBREAK

I grew up playing the Sega Genesis Road Rash games, specifically two and three. For a long time, I dismissed the other ones because they didn't really have co-op elements. But Jailbreak actually has a mode that's built specifically for co-op. Player one drives, and player two is in a sidecar and can fight. They're not just stuck there fighting and unable to do anything else. The second player also needs to help player one lean into the turns. This is a big part of where the cooperation comes in. You always have to be in sync, and of course you can punch and kick the other racers as they drive by. I really like this approach. It kind of reminds me of Mario Kart: Double Dash, but way before that game came out. This is one of those rare racing games that actually feels like it was made to be a co-op experience.

GEKIDO: URBAN FIGHTERS

This is that other 3D beat 'em up I was talking about. I'm not always the biggest fan of 3D beat 'em ups. I just think that they don't work very well. But this is one that I think is really solid, primarily because it still feels like a 2D beat 'em up. It just has 3D assets. I think this game works a lot better than Fighting Force does. It has all this licensed music with that early-2000s butt-rock vibe, which I think is hilarious. But this is a fun 3D beat 'em up, and I highly recommend it.

BUGS BUNNY & TAZ: TIME BUSTERS

This is a 3D platformer, and it does feel a little bit dated. The controls and the visuals obviously show their age, but there are certain things about this game that I really love. First of all, it's built to be a co-op game. You have to work together in certain areas. Sometimes Bugs has to bounce on Taz to get to a higher platform, and sometimes Taz has to dig a hole for Bugs to jump through. The main issue is the camera. Playing this in co-op, you are both stuck to one camera. If this were a split-screen game, that would have completely fixed the problem, but it's not. Sometimes the camera doesn't really know what to do or who to follow. If you can get over that, this is a really fun co-op game that feels like it was designed around two characters working together to solve various puzzles.

HERC’S ADVENTURES

This is made by LucasArts, and I've heard a lot of people say that it feels like a spiritual successor to Zombies Ate My Neighbors. I can kind of see that. It has this really nice cartoon art style, and it's all in a large interconnected world rather than short arcade stages. I mostly played the Sega Saturn version of this game, but the PlayStation one seems to be the same. You can let me know if there are any differences between the two, but this is a really great co-op game that's pretty different from anything else on this list.

CRASH BASH

This is kind of like Mario Party, but with Crash Bandicoot characters. The best part about this game is that you can actually play through the story mode in two-player co-op. It'll be you and a partner against two AI opponents. You play these various minigames in a set world. Whenever you complete a minigame, you earn trophies. Once you get enough trophies, you're able to fight the boss, and then you go on to the next world. I really like that progression element inside of a party game. That definitely felt unique.

G-DARIUS

This is an excellent horizontal shoot 'em up. When it comes to home consoles of the time, the PlayStation was the only console that got this game ported to it. It has this really unique feature where you have a capture ball. You throw that onto certain enemies, and then they become part of your ship and give you some extra firepower. This is just a cool idea, and it adds a lot of variety to your gameplay style because you can switch to other captures anytime you want. I really love the visuals here. It has that PS1 look of early polygonal graphics, but it's not trying to be hyper-realistic. It has a cartoony look, and I think it works really well, especially with the bosses. There are a lot of great shoot 'em ups on the PS1, and this is definitely one of the best.

RAYSTORM

This is another one of my favorite shoot 'em ups on the PS1. It's a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up with a really great 2.5D presentation. This is another one where I really like the visuals. Even though it's technically just a vertical-scrolling shoot 'em up, the background always has a lot going on. It's constantly moving around while you're still scrolling vertically, and it makes it feel like you're moving more than you actually are. You're going to be switching between your lasers and your lock-on attack constantly. With all that going on, sometimes it feels like a mix between a shoot 'em up and an on-rails shooter at the same time, if that makes sense.

N2O: NITROUS OXIDE

I guess this is what you would call a tunnel shooter, but it has a lot of psychedelic elements. Visually, there's a lot going on. The enemies are mostly bugs and insects that you're going to be shooting. It kind of plays like Tempest, but you're in a tunnel and spinning around it in a full circle while moving through it. I really love the soundtrack. It's very upbeat techno, and playing this in co-op is a lot of fun. There are two ways you can do it. There's one where you're on the same screen and you're both circling around together, and then you can play it split-screen so you can separate from each other. But when you're playing in split-screen, it sometimes feels like you're not even playing together because a lot of the time you're not shooting the enemies at the same time. I actually prefer playing this on a single screen. This is definitely a hidden gem. I don't ever hear people talk about this game, and I highly recommend it.

ELEMENTAL GEARBOLT

This is a really unique light-gun shooter that mixes in some RPG elements. It also has these really beautiful anime-style cutscenes. The soundtrack really stood out to me as well. It actually sounds like a cinematic score for a movie. I did find this game to be very difficult, and I've never been able to beat it, but it's definitely one of my favorite co-op games on the PS1.

PROJECT: HORNED OWL

This is another light-gun shooter that's kind of similar. It also has some anime cutscenes, and they are great. That's all done by Masamune Shirow, who's mostly known for Ghost in the Shell. If you're familiar with that movie, the art style looks very similar. This is one of the light-gun shooters that I hear way fewer people talk about. It might not be as good as Elemental Gearbolt, and it doesn't have the RPG elements, but I do think this one is a lot easier to pick up and play. I think this one is excellent as well, and I highly recommend you play both of those games.

GAUNTLET LEGENDS

I primarily played Gauntlet Legends on the N64, and I never played the PS1 version until recently. It's kind of a weird experience because it feels similar but just slightly off. Visually, it looks more like a PS1 game. Some of the sound effects are different, some of the level layouts are different, and the specials are sometimes different colors. But ultimately, it's Gauntlet Legends. I love Gauntlet Legends. It's kind of fun to play a slightly different version than what I grew up with. Unfortunately, this version is only two-player. There is no four-player option.

DIABLO

The PlayStation version actually added local co-op, which was not in the PC version. This is the game that started it all, and it's probably the most influential dungeon crawler ever made. It's actually kind of impressive that a PC game like this translated so well to a couch co-op game on the PlayStation 1. Of course, it's not perfect. It's a little bit slow in parts, and it's incredibly hard, so there might be a bit of a learning curve. But it's definitely worth playing if you've never played this version of it.

CHOCOBO’S DUNGEON 2

The first game only came out in Japan on the PS1. This one came out in the United States and also added local co-op. This is actually a roguelite, and from the beginning you can play in co-op. Once you get through the cutscene, player two can immediately take control of the helper. All the dungeons are randomized, so whenever you go into them, they're going to be a little bit different. It has a lot of familiar Final Fantasy creatures and spells, but unlike traditional Final Fantasy games, Chocobo's Dungeon uses a simultaneous turn-based combat system. Time only moves when you move. It's a grid-based positional dungeon crawler where every single step counts as a turn. This is another one that a lot of people don't talk about.

LEGEND OF MANA

I love the Mana series. Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3 are two of the greatest co-op games ever made and two of the greatest RPGs ever made. Then Legend of Mana came out on the PS1, and I think this is the best-looking PS1 game ever made. It's just beautiful. Unlike the other Seiken Densetsu games, player two doesn't take control of a main character. They're a companion, and while you're playing the game, you're going to get different companions throughout. But for most of the game, you will have a companion with you, so player two will be involved for at least most of the game. The combat works really well. Unlike the other games, where you just go up to enemies and immediately start fighting, you're going to be running around without your weapons. Then when you get into a fight, it looks like it's going to turn into a turn-based battle, but you pull out your weapons and it's still a real-time battle system. I love this game. It's not my favorite of the series, but it's still incredibly good.

TALES OF DESTINY II (TALES OF ETERNIA)

Finally, let's talk about Tales of Destiny II, also known as Tales of Eternia. They just called it Tales of Destiny II in the United States for some reason. The first game also has local co-op, but it takes way too long to unlock it. Ultimately, I think this one is better. Once you get past the initial cutscenes and the tutorial, player two can immediately jump into the action. Once you have four people in your party, you can actually play this with up to four players locally. Unfortunately, this is only in battles, so outside of that it's only going to be player one moving around. The battles are great. It's another real-time battle system, and it kind of feels like a side-scrolling action beat 'em up type of game. The Tales series is known for co-op gameplay, and this is another one that's just really great in the series.

FINAL THOUGHTS

So, there's a bunch of co-op PS1 games. Twenty-five of them, I guess. Which ones are your favorites, and what did I miss?