Co-op games are on the rise, connecting people across great distances while also entertaining friends sitting on the same couch. Bangers like Split Fiction and REPO have kept the genre going strong, from high-tier games all the way down to bite-sized friendslop experiences. Big or small, every game is bound to present a new, fun challenge.
29 Best Co-Op Simulation Games, Ranked
Even though simulation games tend to emulate real-life experiences, they can be fun to play, especially the ones with a co-op mode.
Speaking of challenge, the following co-op games are especially apt at pushing players through some of the best and toughest hurdles. Restaurants will be ruined, lives will be lost, friendships (and patience) will be tested, but by the end of these co-op games, if players lock in and sync up, they’ll have friends they can count on for life.
PlateUp!
Friendships Will Be Pressure Cooked
Have you ever dreamed of running a business with your friends? PlateUp! is the perfect place to start for a group of up to four to make their very own restaurant from start to finish. However, running an eatery is stressful work. Everyone will need a role to excel at, and everyone will need to be synchronized to deliver food in a timely manner to guests. The game will throw curveballs like difficult customers, which is bound to test the limits of any friendship or relationship.
That said, if players emerge successful, they can start really working their way up with all the upgrades and customization options, all the way from futuristic kitchen equipment to even opening up new locations (and those come with their own new challenges, of course). Working in sync in a fast-paced environment is going to test a squad’s patience, but it’s also an incredibly satisfying game with solid rewards as you get to watch the fruits of your labor grow into something successful.
Chained Together
Count To Three, And Jump Together
If you and your friends were stuck in hell, chained together, and the only way out was to climb up, how successful would you be? Thanks to Chained Together, you can now find out the answer to that question. This is a hilariously unique co-op game on climbing, think PEAK but dialed to one hundred, as players have to make jumps and climb in a perfectly coordinated fashion. One mistake, and it could be over for everyone.
8 Most Fun Local Co-Op Games, Ranked
Players who want the good, old-fashioned fun of local co-op will find plenty to love with the following games.
Coordination is one of the hardest teamwork skills to hone, so surviving through Chained Together’s worlds with friends is a serious achievement. It requires serious communication, and for everyone to be on the same page. By the end of your climb, you’ll feel like you can take on the world with your squad.
Don’t Starve Together
A Dark, Unforgiving Sandbox Survival That Will Harden Your Friend Group
Don’t let the cutesy, cartoon vibes of Don’t Starve Together fool you. At its core, it’s an almost Lovecraftian survival sandbox game that won’t hold anyone’s hand and will absolutely challenge even the most seasoned gamers. In this dark world, players will have to deal with monsters, insanity, hunger, nightly darkness, and eventually, the cold of winter.
By working together to gather resources and setting up a base in a good spot with beefalo, it’s possible to start thriving. However, everyone needs to pull their weight, and having the right character is also crucial, as each comes with its strengths, bonuses, and quirks. Don’t Starve Together is a bit like Minecraft survival, but less forgiving, so if Mojang’s sandbox has already been conquered by you and your friends, give this one a try, and you’ll come out of it with friendships strengthened for life.
Deep Rock Galactic
You’ll Need Your Friends To Survive These Infested Caves
Looter shooter lovers looking to put their friendship to the test will find exactly what they’re after in Deep Rock Galactic. As a squad of dwarves, players will descend into caves in search of resources and then extract before a horde of monsters destroys them. Since each dwarf has a unique class or specialty, similar to Don’t Starve Together, you’ll want to make sure everyone is on the same page and has the right perks and weapons for the cave dive ahead.
No cave is the same in this game, so with the element of surprise and unknown, your team will be challenged differently every time, and everyone will have to do their job, whether it’s to put down turrets or to scout ahead with light, to ensure survival. It’s the perfect, thrilling shooter for players who want to test their mettle together and emerge stronger on the other side.
PEAK
No Climber Left Behind
Following a plane crash, PEAK sends a small squad of players climbing through several increasingly difficult terrains to get to the end extraction. These terrains are tough: rain that makes climbing impossible, scorching hot sun, dangerous enemies… Environmental hazards are plentiful as you proceed, and if you don’t hold out your hand to help your friend who’s running out of climbing stamina, it may spell their doom as they plummet down into the depths of a ravine and die.
19 Games Perfect For Long-Distance Couples
These charming online co-op games are perfect for couples who are in long-distance relationships.
Since stamina is such an important but limited resource, and each player can only carry so much, PEAK forces players to work together. Especially towards the end, resources like food and first aid kits become scarce, so making sure that everyone is alive and everyone is carrying something useful is a must to complete the game. Players will definitely learn how to organize their group and communicate, and if they do, they’ll come out of PEAK as stronger friends than before.
Lethal Company
Your Friends Are Your Salvation And Demise
Working for a mysterious, abusive boss who has players diving into dangerous, abandoned locations for scrap and junk is a recipe for chaos and shenanigans among groups of friends (especially with the mod that allows more players). However, if you’re looking to really succeed in Lethal Company, you’ll have to learn to trust your friends.
One of the best features of the game is the walkie-talkie. One player can stay behind on the dropship to monitor everyone else and communicate with one other person through a walkie-talkie. They can also see where there’s loot, where the monsters are, and so on, which means communication is absolutely key. You wouldn’t want to leave anyone behind, right? Let alone do something that could kill them, right? Successfully make money in Lethal Company and avoid some of its toughest enemies, and you can count on your friends for life.
It Takes Two
A Bickering, Divorcing Couple Is A Blueprint To Stronger Relationships
There’s no better co-op game to strengthen your relationships or friendships with than It Takes Two. After all, the two main characters are on a journey to fix their own, crumbling relationship. It’s an emotional story that will have players consider their own real-life relationships as they go through the same lessons as Cody and May, while learning to work together for the betterment of both of them.
Throughout the main story, players must work together in harmony in order to progress. There’s no solo play here: both must help each other to get to the next level or to defeat the next boss in their path. That said, there are a few fun mini-games scattered throughout the path that pit players against each other, but the main exercise here is to see how well players synchronise and communicate with each other—an exercise Cody and May also desperately need amid all their bickering. By the end of the story, It Takes Two’s touching story guarantees that you two will be closer than before.
8 Best Co-Op Games to Play If You Loved Peak
Fans of the co-op climbing game PEAK should try out these other excellent cooperative games with friends.
