The best local co-op games 2020

Local co-op games have never been more important than now. Just because you’re stuck in the same home with the same people, doesn’t mean you can’t be connecting in new ways. Local couch co-op is perfect for this.

So whether you’re packing a PC, entertaining with an Xbox One, switching on a Switch, or playing on a PlayStation 4, there’s something for every platform and every age in our list of best local co-op games.

And if you’re planning on upgrading to the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, the good news is that most (if not all) of the local co-op games below will be playable on your shiny new next-gen console.

Rocket League is a bona fide video game phenomenon, having crossed the 50 million players mark late last year. It’s easy to understand why. Few concepts are as instantly appealing as “soccer, but with rocket-powered cars instead of people”. Real life version when?

Developer Psyonix was astute enough to realise how much fun groups of friends could have behind the wheel together, so Rocket League doubles down on couch co-op, accommodating up to four people playing together on the same team using the same screen.

In the mess of tyres screeching and airborne cars doing backflips to connect with the oversized ball, coordinating strategy with teammates is no easy task. If it goes wrong, the entire team will end up haplessly chasing the ball around like an under 10s footy team. But when it all goes according to plan, it’s a thing of beauty: few gaming moments are more satisfying than nailing a perfectly weighted cross into the back of the net.

Psyonix has kept Rocket League fresh with constant updates, adding new modes and iconic screen vehicles like K.I.T.T. from Night Rider, various Batmobiles, the DeLorean from Back to the Future, and even the Jeep from Jurassic Park.

Rocket League even achieved world peace. Well, kinda. It’s one of the only games that’s completely cross-platform friendly, meaning PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC players can all battle against each other, ensuring the community will thrive in the long-term.

Rocket League is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC via Amazon Australia.

Few modern shooters are as geared towards co-op as, er, Gears. Not only is the game’s lengthy campaign playable (and arguably better) in couch co-op, but the wave-based Horde 3.0 Mode is ready and waiting once you’re done with the story.

Set a generation after the original Gears of War trilogy, players take control of JD Fenix, son of original protagonist Marcus Fenix, and his squad of Outsiders. No longer sanctioned by COG, JD and his crew need to battle new robotic foes the DeeBees without the help of Sera’s mighty military-industrial complex. Fortunately, JD’s dad is a pretty useful guy to call on in a pinch…

The campaign is a whirlwind of pretty sights, intense firefights, and a fun but schlocky sci-fi B-movie story. Levels feature more branching paths and open combat bowls than ever before, giving co-op partners more tactical options than you can point a chainsaw-machinegun at.

From the standalone breakneck vehicle sections, the crunchy cover shooting, or the defend-the-fort Horde Mode, everything feels right in Gears of War 4. And it feels even… righter… in co-op.

Gears of War 4 is available for Xbox One via Amazon Australia. 

Want to work in a professional kitchen but don’t want to deal with the wage theft and grievous workplace HR violations? Overcooked 2 is hilarious, intense co-op action for up to four players, both locally or online.

Clear communication is essential as you work together to chop, cook, and serve up the onslaught of incoming food orders from increasingly irate customers. This is made more complicated by the random oven fires and platforming hazards that naturally occur when your kitchen just so happens to be situated on a white-water raft or a hot air balloon. (Ok, maybe the HR violations can’t be avoided?)

Overcooked 2 adds the ability to throw food to your co-op partner or even straight into the pot from a distance. This means if you’re accurate enough you can minimise walking time and maximise food production efficiency. It’s a nice touch that gives skilled players more options while also adding to the overall hectic vibe – nothing says “everything is under control” quite like a steak being hurled across a burning kitchen.

Few co-op games are as hilarious as Overcooked 2, which is always a hit among small gatherings.

Overcooked 2 is available for PlayStation 4 via Amazon Australia.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a bizarre X-COM inspired concoction starring the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest characters and Ubisoft’s most annoying, is far better than it has any right to be. There’s a certain genius in its madness.

Although you can’t play the main story mode with friends, there are five extra campaigns that can be blasted through in couch co-op. Action plays out a lot like in single player, except instead of controlling the entire squad, each player takes charge of two characters.

The turn-based nature of combat means you’ll be waiting around to take control for a little while, but with games like this discussing the finer points of strategy is part of the charm. Many abilities become exponentially more powerful when they interact with others, so successfully teeing up match-winning chain reactions with a friend never stops being hilarious fun.

Few co-op games are as hilarious as Overcooked 2, which is always a hit among small gatherings.

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is available on Nintendo Switch via Amazon Australia. 

A Way Out is the rarest of breeds: a game that only works in co-op. The brainchild of developer Josef Fares, who previously dabbled with co-op in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, A Way Out incorporates multiplayer and storytelling in an innovative, unique fashion.

Unlike most co-op games, where breezy arcade fun is the primary goal, A Way Out is a narrative-driven experience. Players take control of either Vincent or Leo, two inmates that meet in jail and begin plotting their escape. After gathering the necessary materials for their plan they eventually break out, at which point the story switches to a good ol’ fashioned on the lam tale. And, as you know, these always have happy, not-at-all tragic endings…

Action largely takes the form of a series of cinematic minigames. None excel in and of themselves, but taken as a whole it’s a great way to make sure both players feel invested in the narrative outcomes. A Way Out is a reminder that even in the worst circumstances, trust, either earned or misplaced, is a powerful tool.

A Way Out is available digitally for PC via Origin. 

Sure, there’ve been two CoDs since, but Call of Duty: WWII still has the best two-player split-screen co-op to date. While CoD may be renowned for its short-lived campaign and bombastic multiplayer, one of the somewhat-sung-but-not-sung-loud-enough parts is the co-op Zombies mode. Nazi Zombies, to be specific. With CoD: WWII, this went full circle. What started as a tacked-on co-op mode in the World War II-set Call of Duty: World at War has evolved into a full-fledged, insanely fun horde-based shooter that’s packed with puzzles and underlined with a strangely addictive B-grade story (in the very best kind of way). You can play it in two-player split-screen for the zombies, for the joy of cracking the puzzles, or to have it all. Either way, you’ll have a blast.

Call of Duty: WW2 is available for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One via Amazon Australia.

The simple things in life are often the best, and Heave Ho proves that’s also true of co-op mechanics. In Heave Ho, you play as a disembodied head albeit with arms flapping off either side of your noggin. In terms of controls, it’s a cinch. Grip or release your customisable avatar’s left and/or right hand and the movement of your left and/or right arm. The rest is up to physics and strategy. You could play Heave Ho alone, and while fun, it doesn’t hold a candle to the sheer hilarity of four-player same-screen co-op. Working together to physics platform your way through increasingly trickier levels as a team is as challenging as it is entertaining. It’s also equally hilarious to fling your friends into certain death, or deliberately not catch them when they swing for your dangling arm. Play it for the puzzles but love it for the side-splitting LOLs.

Heave Ho is available for PC and Mac via Steam and Nintendo Switch via the eShop.

Competitive games can lead to temper tantrums for gamers of all ages (let alone young’uns), which is why kid-friendly couch co-op games are such a great gaming outlet. Take Moving Out, for instance. It takes the a few pages out of the delicious Overcooked recipe book and mixes in its own herbs and spices. More importantly, Moving Out is infinitely less stressful and yell-y than Overcooked.

As the name suggests, you play as a removalist, with local co-op allowing for up to four players to lug furniture at a time. If that reads like a gamified version of one of life’s least-fun activities, fret not. Toss items through windows. Sprint between moving traffic Frogger style. And slap ghosts that try to slow you down in a haunted mansion. Moving Out is easy to pick up and play, plus it gets bonus points for being fun for the whole family.

Also, if you’ve got Xbox Game Pass, you’ve already got access to Moving Out.

Moving Out is also available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One via Amazon Australia, and can also be purchased digitally on Steam

In ye olde gaming days when arcades reigned supreme, brawlers were an incredibly popular genre of game, with fistfuls of quality examples like Double Dragon, Alien vs. Predator, Streets of Rage, and Final Fight. At long last, the dormant beat-’em-up genre is seeing a resurgence, and Streets of Rage 4 is a great mix of respecting old-school brawler gameplay albeit spray-painted with a contemporary sheen.

The gorgeous hand-drawn art style is a great complement to the rose-tinted glasses of older gamers who have fond memories of an iconic look that really doesn’t look too flash these days. What’s even better is the killer soundtrack, or purists can jump back to the original soundtrack. It’s worth grabbing four controllers and three buddies to get the most out of Streets of Rage 4 because it’s tough but oh so rewarding to put the hurt on the seemingly never-ending waves of punching bags ready to throw down. Nab it on Xbox One or PC with Xbox Game Pass.

Streets of Rage 4 is also available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch via Amazon Australia, or digitally for PC on Steam.

You could easily replace Trine 4 with the original Trine: Enhanced Edition or Trine 2: Complete Story (which is also a runner-up above) here because it’s an amazing series. Wait, what about the obvious missing series entry Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power? For that one, developer Frozenbyte took the pitch-perfect 2.5D action-puzzle-platforming of the first two games and pushed it into a fully 3D world. That change had mixed results. Trine 4 corrects this misstep.

Play locally with up to three players in a shared-screen 2.5D experience that’s as enchanting as it is entertaining. You’ll quickly discover your favourite character of the returning trio. Built-for-battle Pontius the Knight. Nimble-archer Zoya the Thief. Or magical-platformer Amadeus the Wizard. You can play this solo, switching between the characters, but there’s more satisfaction to be found in dragging another player or two along for the puzzle-packed ride. The combat is also best-in-series and the skill trees offer compelling aspirational unlocks.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch via Amazon Australia.