You know the feeling. The last level is done, the credits are rolling and you and your co-op partner are sitting there, holding controllers, wondering what to do next. You didn't just finish a game. You spent twelve hours failing at a puzzle together, laughing at it and figuring it out, and now the couch feels empty.
Most lists answer with a handful of party games where one player carries the other. This one assumes you want what It Takes Two did best: a game that needs both of you, in a way that feels like teamwork instead of a tutorial. It's Hazelight's trick, and it won Game of the Year at The Game Awards in 2021. Eight games that get at least part of that right, ordered from the closest match to the wildcards. No filler.
01
Co-op adventure / Hazelight Studios
Split Fiction
PC · PS5 · Xbox Series X|S
Play This First
Same studio, same idea, bigger ambition. Split Fiction follows Mio and Zoe, two writers, one of sci-fi and one of fantasy, who get trapped in a machine that merges their stories. The game switches between sci-fi worlds and fantasy ones, and every level hands you and your partner a different way to play: one moment you're racing on hoverboards, the next you're turning into a dragon. Like It Takes Two, it uses a Friend's Pass, so only one of you needs to own a copy. Optional side stories drop you into short, self-contained scenes that borrow a new mechanic for a few minutes and then move on. The weakness: the levels are so varied that some feel underdeveloped, and the story is lighter than the studio's earlier games. If you want the closest thing to a sequel, this is it.
The Hook: For players who want It Takes Two's inventiveness, delivered at a faster pace.
02
Co-op adventure / Hazelight Studios
A Way Out
PC · PS4 · Xbox One
Best Story Together
Before It Takes Two, there was A Way Out, a prison-break story in which you and your partner play Leo and Vincent, two convicts who escape together and go on the run. It's a much more serious game, with a grounded crime story and a few moments that hit hard, and the split-screen gameplay is built around two players who have to trust each other. One of you often distracts a guard while the other slips past, so the game constantly pushes you to describe what you're seeing. There are chases, fights and quiet scenes in which the game asks you to sit and talk. It also has a Friend's Pass for online play. The weakness: the story is predictable, the pacing is uneven and some of the co-op puzzles feel basic next to the studio's later work. It's also much shorter than It Takes Two.
The Hook: For players who want a co-op story with real weight and a heist-movie feeling.
03
Puzzle platformer / Valve
Portal 2
PC (also PS3 and Xbox 360)
Best Brain Teasers
Portal 2 has a full co-op campaign in which you and a partner play Atlas and P-body, two robots working through a series of test chambers. Each of you has your own portal gun, which means one puzzle can have four portals in play at once, and the solution depends on both of you communicating about what you see. It's one of the best puzzle games ever made for two people, and the humour is razor-sharp. You can play it online or in split-screen, and there are dozens of chambers to work through. Each co-op course introduces new tools, from excursion funnels to repulsion gels, so the puzzles keep changing shape. The weakness: some puzzles require precise timing, which can lead to arguments, and it's built for patient players. It's a game that will test your relationship, in the best way.
The Hook: For players who loved the puzzles in It Takes Two and want something that makes them think harder.
04
Party / Cooking / Team17
Overcooked! 2
PC · PS4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
Best for Chaos
Overcooked! 2 turns a kitchen into a battlefield. You and up to three friends are chefs who have to chop, cook and serve against a ticking clock, and every level changes the rules: kitchens that split in two, floors that slide, stations that move. Throwing ingredients across a gap or passing plates over a moving platform forces the whole crew to coordinate. It's easy to learn and very hard to do well. The shouting is half the fun, and it works in both local and online play. The weakness: it can turn friendly games into arguments, and the difficulty increases fast in the later levels. Don't play it with a partner you want to keep unless you're confident in your communication skills.
The Hook: For players who liked It Takes Two's teamwork and wanted it to be louder.
That's the first half: four games that share It Takes Two's idea of two players who can't win without each other. The second half gets more varied. A pair of yarn creatures, a spaceship that needs four crew, a cartoon boss rush and a bomb that needs an instruction manual.
05
Puzzle platformer / Coldwood Interactive
Unravel Two
PC · PS4 · Xbox One
Most Underrated on This List
Unravel Two is the gentlest game on this list. You play two small yarn creatures, tied together by a thread, and your job is to travel through quiet environments, swinging, climbing and pulling each other over obstacles. The thread can be tied into knots, used as a swing or pulled taut to carry a partner across a gap. It's a game about patience, and the beautiful scenery gives it a peaceful feel. A second player can take over the other Yarny, and the thread between you is a good reason to talk. It's an easy game to introduce to someone who doesn't play much. The weakness: it's short and fairly easy, so experienced players may want more of a challenge. It's best as a relaxing evening instead of an all-night session.
The Hook: For players who want a co-op game that's more peaceful than frantic.
06
Co-op action / Asteroid Base
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
PC · PS4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
Best With Four
This is a game about piloting a spaceship, and everything on it needs a crew. You and up to three friends man the ship's stations: one steers, one fires the cannons, one operates the shield and so on. Each player has a role, and if you want to survive, you have to talk. Run it with the wrong crew and nobody ever fires the main cannon; run it with the right one and you'll be shouting about shields within a minute. It's a bright, colourful game with a retro-arcade look, and the chaos is a big part of the appeal. It also works with two players, though the ship is harder to manage. The weakness: it can feel overwhelming at first, and the solo experience isn't much fun. Play it with the right group, and it's one of the best co-op experiences available.
The Hook: For players who want to shout orders at their friends while flying a spaceship.
07
Run-and-gun / Studio MDHR
Cuphead
PC · PS4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch
Odd One Out, Worth It
Cuphead isn't a game about solving puzzles together. It's a boss-rush shooter drawn like a 1930s cartoon, and it's brutally hard. It's here because it has two-player local co-op, and playing it together turns a punishing game into a shared one. You and your partner play Cuphead and Mugman, fighting enormous bosses with a mix of guns and dodges, and you can revive each other if one of you goes down. A fallen player becomes a ghost, and a well-timed parry from the other player brings them back. The weakness: the difficulty is steep, and playing with someone who's struggling can be frustrating. It rewards patience and practice. If you want a challenge to share, this is a good choice.
The Hook: For players who want a co-op game that's hard enough to make winning mean something.
08
Party puzzle / Steel Crate Games
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
PC · PS4 · Xbox One · Nintendo Switch · mobile · VR
The Wildcard
One player sees a bomb. The others have a manual they can't show you. That's the whole game, and it's one of the best co-op experiences ever made. The player with the bomb has to describe what they see, the others have to work out the right way to defuse it, and the pressure of a ticking clock does the rest. It works best in a room with a few people, and it's easy to understand in under a minute. The weakness: it needs at least two people, a manual and some patience, and it doesn't offer much once you've memorised the modules. It's a party game, but it's a very good one.
The Hook: For players who want a co-op game that's more about talking than playing.
What these eight games prove is that It Takes Two's real trick wasn't the variety of its levels. It was the idea that both players are always necessary, and that success comes from talking, trusting and sometimes failing together. That's hard to design and easy to get wrong, which is why so few games try. If you want more, browse the adventure label and the nintendo-switch label, or try our Stardew Valley list for a calmer shared evening.
Frequently asked questions
What's the closest game to It Takes Two?
Split Fiction, from the same studio, is the nearest match, with the same inventive level design and the same need for two players. A Way Out, also from Hazelight, is a more serious version of the same idea.
Do we both need to own the game?
Not for Split Fiction or A Way Out, which both include a Friend's Pass that lets a second player join online for free. Overcooked! 2, Cuphead and Unravel Two can be played on one console in local co-op.
Which of these games can I play on Nintendo Switch?
Overcooked! 2, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Cuphead and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes all have Nintendo Switch versions. Check each store page for current versions before you buy.
Which of these is best for someone who doesn't play many games?
Unravel Two is the gentlest, with a calm pace and forgiving puzzles. Overcooked! 2 is easy to pick up but loud, so it suits a group that likes chaos.
Can we play these games online?
Split Fiction, A Way Out, Portal 2 and Overcooked! 2 all support online co-op. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes works over voice chat if you have a copy of the manual.
Which of these tested your partnership the hardest, and what did we leave off?
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