The 15 Best Couch Co-Op Games Of This Generation

As games like Destiny and Halo 5: Guardians choose to use the full might of the latest console hardware technology on a full screen rather than reallocate resources across divided ones, the split-screen game has become increasingly rare. Many games offer the option to go online and work together with other players, but sometimes you want to be able to look to the side and see your co-op partner next to you while playing a game. You want to talk to them without the aid of headset, and be able to knock the controller out of their hand when they’re being unreasonable.

For those occasions, we’ve crafted a list of our favorite games on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U that can be played without the aid of telecommunications.

Affordable Space Adventures
Platform: Wii U

Affordable Space Adventures is among the increasingly rare Wii U game that was not developed by Nintendo, but uses the Gamepad in an interesting way. It’s a puzzle game where three players can each opt to control a specific part of a ship while moving through a dangerous planet and solving puzzles. Making it through the world requires teamwork, coordination, and communication.

Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The Handsome Collection bundles and upgrades Borderlands 2 and The Pre-Sequel for release on current-gen consoles. All the things that made the game a great co-op experience when it originally released move forward here. Shooting and collecting guns with a friend on the strange world of Pandora is fun, many unlockable skills make working together more advantageous, and most importantly, it can all be done by splitting the screen up to four ways.

Call of Duty: Black Ops III
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Black Ops III offers a number of interesting multiplayer modes and every one can be played – at least in some capacity – with multiple players on the same screen. The campaign, zombies, and multiplayer modes can be played in two-player split-screen modes, and if you go offline, the multiplayer can be played in four-player split-screen.

Diablo III: Reaper of Souls
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Considering Borderlands (another game featured on this list) borrowed many of its most important hooks from Blizzard’s demonic loot grabber, it’s no surprise that the current-gen version of the latest Diablo game garners a spot on this list. Fighting demons and collecting loot is fun on its own, but adding in another player with complementary abilities makes the whole experience even better. And being able to do it all with a friend (or three) right next to you elevates it even higher.

Divinity: Original Sin
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Divinity: Original Sin is great single-player RPG, but it also offers an interesting local cooperative experience by letting two players control themselves as well as distributing responsibilities among NPCs. During important story-decision moments, both players get to offer input separately, and a rock-paper-scissors-type game is used to handle the bigger decisions.

FIFA 16
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U

FIFA 16 has always had quality co-op, both offline and on, and 16 is no exception. Couch buds can play on the same team in more than just straightforward exhibition matches and work together in the Ultimate Team, Seasons modes, or even your career. It's a commendable level of flexibility for those who don't want to wade into the competitive international waters.

Helldivers
Platform: PlayStation 4

One of the rare games that features four-player couch co-op, Helldivers is a twin-stick shooter, but unlike most in the genre, it relies on strategy and the careful conservation of ammunition. It’s a tough game, but one that rewards those who work well together.

For more great, current-gen co-op games, head to page two.

Lego Dimensions
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U

In the blossoming toys-to-life genre, each series offers its own interesting co-op experience. Lego stands above the rest by offering its quality Lego cooperative experience with a wide range of characters and abilities. Frankly, you can’t go wrong when it comes to Lego and local co-op, but Dimensions is our favorite.

LittleBigPlanet 3
Platform: PlayStation 4

The LittleBigPlanet series has always encouraged players to work and play together, but the third game in the series ups the multiplayer ante by emphasizing cooperative problem-solving by taking advantage of disparate abilities among different characters. OddSock, Swoop, and Toggle join Sackboy, and they each have their own specific abilities.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Platform: Xbox One

One way to describe Lovers is that it’s the video game interpretation of the scene from the original Star Wars where Han and Luke man the turrets against TIE Fighters, mixed with Katamari Damacy’s visual flair. In the game, players are tasked with jumping between different stations that control a spaceship. One moves the ship, a few others control the outside guns, while another moves the shield. It’s colorful and cute, but it demands teamwork and coordination as you take on enemy ships and try to stay alive.

Minecraft
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U

Minecraft has been a fantastic co-op game since the option was added to the game, and it will continue to be (if sales are any indication) for the rest of time. The ports of the game to current-gen consoles work great, and the local co-op is as fun as ever.

Rayman Legends
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U

A platformer that can compete with Nintendo’s best, Rayman Legends is stylish and fun and straddles the often difficult to identify line where players can both help and hinder one another, but not at the expense of fun. Up to four players can play simultaneously – make sure you don’t skip the music levels!

Rock Band 4
Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One

The latest entry in Harmonix’s Rock Band series doesn’t stray too far from the original formula. Considering the game has always been a blast to play with others, it’s hard to consider that a disappointment. And with the ability to play nearly every song from previous entries in the Rock Band library, it’s likely you can find tracks everyone enjoys.

Rocket League
Platform: PlayStation 4

Two unlikely genres, racing and sports, somehow mash up perfectly to create a game that just about everybody can appreciate – and that’s what makes it so perfect for couch co-op. The mechanics are simple, borrowing heavily from soccer with a healthy injection of cars, and working together inspires the same joy you get from non-virtual sports participation.

Super Mario 3D World
Platform: Wii U

Mario’s first core 3D adventure on Wii U brought back the cast and abilities of the 1988 NES classic, Super Mario Bros. 2, but it lets everyone play at the same time. Things can and do get crazy when there is more than one player on screen, but whether you’re throwing your friends off the edge or carrying them to the finish line, 3D World offers a hugely enjoyable cooperative experience.