It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios is one of the best co-op games of the last decade. It garnered great reviews, which came as no surprise considering it was made by the same team as A Way Out, another popular and unique co-op experience.

It Takes Two requires multiplayer and has gamers play as Cody and May, an estranged couple considering divorce. When a magical spell transforms them into dolls, they must use their individual skills to navigate creative platforming levels to escape. Along the way, they attempt to mend their broken relationship. It Takes Two hardly ever uses the same mechanic twice, making it an unpredictable and exciting adventure for friends and couples to enjoy together. It's a pretty unique co-op game, but there are a lot of other amazing cooperative experiences to dive into after completing it that are just as special.

Updated on April 6, 2024: Hazelight's It Takes Two is such a unique beast that, all these years later, it is still among the strongest co-op experiences on the market. While not producing anything that warrants a mention among the best games like It Takes Two, March 2024 was a decent month for co-op releases. The Outlast Trials made its full debut, and it is an easy recommendation for horror fans. Contra made its return with the enjoyable Operation Galuga, while Rise of the Ronin and South Park: Snow Day! also launched on consoles and PC. The latter is not great, unfortunately.

Human Fall Flat

Puzzle-Fueled Hijinks

This wacky and puzzle-filled cooperative romp sees players wobbling their way through a wide array of levels. The wonky ragdoll-like physics create a hilarious gameplay loop that sees players attempting to pull levers, move objects, and more all while struggling just to remain upright at times.

Human Fall Flat has a lot of replayability thanks to its fun (and funny) mayhem-infused gameplay, with costumes to unlock and multiple levels to explore. There are even hidden secrets to be found and some of the puzzles are a blast to solve with friends.

Moving Out 1 & 2

Coordination Is Key

Players who want to truly test their cooperative skills should look into Moving Out or its 2023 sequel. This multiplayer moving game sees colorful characters band together to move furniture, boxes, and other items from a variety of locations.

Each level rewards players for moving items to a nearby truck as quickly as possible and there are tons of replayability with special tasks and challenges that unlock for each level after players complete it for the first time. With up to four players at a time, Moving Out is a chaotic blast that rewards cooperative play, planning, and execution.

Kirby And The Forgotten Land

Nintendo's Charming 3D Plarformer

Those looking for a fun and wholesome experience that's just as colorful and endearing as It Takes Two will definitely want to go through Kirby and the Forgotten Land with a friend or loved one. This Kirby adventure is unlike any other, pitting the pink puffball (and a friend in Bandana Waddle Dee) up against a colorful cast of enemies in a 3D-styled adventure similar to Super Mario Odyssey.

Players seeking something a bit more relaxing compared to the other franchises on this list should load up Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which allows players to hop in by using a second Joycon or Pro Controller.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Made For Co-Op

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is just as polished and charming as any other mainline entry in Nintendo's franchise. After roughly a decade, Mario and friends finally returned in October 2023 for a new 2D adventure, and Wonder serves as a great evolution of this formula. While a great pick for solo runners, the game also supports 4-player co-op, with the participants being able to pick from 12 playable characters such as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, and Light-Blue Yoshi.

Accessibility is a cornerstone of most of Nintendo's primary franchises, none more so than Mario. Consequently, Wonder is designed to be as beginner-friendly as possible, including the incorporation of an invincibility feature that can be assigned to individual characters. As such, parents can introduce their young children to the magic of gaming through Wonder, all the while removing the frustration that might come from a mistake.

It Takes Two and Super Mario Bros. Wonder are very different games in the grand scheme of things, with the latter largely disregarding its story. However, they both take players on visually gorgeous adventures filled with memorable characters and locations.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Beat 'Em Up Throwback

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and It Takes Two are widely different co-op experiences, but they both execute what they are trying to achieve extremely well. Tribute Games' title is a beat 'em up that takes inspiration from the Turtles' storied history in the genre, particularly during the '90s. Utilizing a gorgeous pixel art style, Shredder's Revenge pays loving homage to the past without sacrificing modern quality-of-life improvements required to make a modern package deliver more than just a nostalgia trip.

While enjoyable solo, Shredder's Revenge is at its best when played with friends. The game has seven playable characters, each of whom has unique attacks, strengths, and weaknesses. As the stages can get quite challenging, players will need to learn to work together, and they can even execute a few co-op moves.

As fun as this game is, Shredder's Revenge will probably not change the minds of people who do not like beat 'em ups.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

One Of The Best Co-Op Platformers

As its 10-year anniversary slowly approaches, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze might soon be described as a "classic," a label the game fully warrants. One of the best titles on the Wii U, Retro Studios' project was eventually ported to the Switch, where it immediately established itself as one of that console's premium titles. In the grand scheme of things, Tropical Freeze is a relatively safe entry in the Donkey Kong Country canon as the game does not deviate too significantly from the beaten path; that said, the platformer is about as polished of an experience as they come.

The AAA Nintendo game can be played single-player without any issue, and most people will undoubtedly have a blast going through the campaign's fantastic stages on their own. That said, co-op is an option and a pretty good one at that. While Donkey Kong is the primary playable character, players do eventually unlock Dixie, Diddy, and Cranky as support figures. All three of them have unique abilities that come in handy when traversing levels, and co-op allows a player to take charge of one of these characters. Their main function is to aid Donkey Kong, but they should still be kept busy throughout most of the game.

As Dusk Falls

Family Drama

As Supermassive Games has proven, interactive dramas can be a good fit for co-op experiences. While Until Dawn, The Dark Pictures Anthology, and The Quarry are all fun, they are horror games and quite far removed from It Takes Two. Consequently, Interior Night's As Dusk Falls is a more complementary recommendation since, similar to Hazelight's title, it also deals with family relationships.

Solo players can enjoy As Dusk Falls' gripping narrative, but the game's multiplayer feature adds a fresh dimension to the experience. Rather than assign players to different characters, everyone gets to vote on the choices made in the story, with the most popular pick transpiring.

KeyWe

Cute Co-Op

A puzzle-platformer that can be played solo but is really meant for co-op, KeyWe's charm goes beyond a clever pun. Players are cast as Jeff and Debra, two kiwi birds operating a busy post office. In order to manage an avalanche of letters and responsibilities, Jeff and Debra must efficiently split the workload to ensure they are covering all their bases.

Although not story-driven like It Takes Two, both games emphasize communication. In KeyWe's stages, players will be off doing their own thing as they need to work independently to achieve most objectives; however, these actions need to be well coordinated.

Grounded

A Shrunken Co-Op Adventure

Somewhat like It Takes Two, Grounded shrinks down its main characters and drops them into a wild adventure. Unlike Hazelight's title, Grounded is a survival game set within the protagonists' backyard, which proves to be quite treacherous when experienced from a different perspective than usual.

The title mostly follows the genre's standard gameplay loop, tasking players with acquiring resources, building a base, and fighting off a few predators. While playable solo, Grounded supports co-op, permitting friends to work together as they try to survive the challenges offered by an unkempt lawn.

LittleBigPlanet 3

Creative Levels & Community Content

LittleBigPlanet is, overall, great for co-op. The three mainline games are charming platformers with impressive visuals (for the era), fun gameplay, and plenty of variety. Even the Sackboy spin-off is awesome, and it is a better pick for people looking for a traditional 3D platformer. LittleBigPlanet 3 is not generally considered the franchise's high point, and it garnered a fairly mixed reception compared to its immediate predecessor; however, at this point, it is the best overall option in terms of content. The game has quite a lot of stages from the previous entries in the series, which almost transforms it into something of a greatest-hits collection. More importantly, LBP3's servers are still active, granting access to community levels and online co-op.

While the optional content will likely hog most of someone's time, LBP3 also comes with a fun adventure mode that can be played in co-op. The implementation of the feature is nothing too special since it doesn't add much to most stages outside of having two copies of the same character running around, but the core gameplay still shines through. As long as someone is not specifically seeking a story-driven masterpiece, LBP3's charm, level design, and visuals should get the job done.

Biped

A Fun Little Adventure With Dedicated Co-Op Levels

Biped's unique feature is not directly related to its co-op: the playable character's legs are mapped to the two analog sticks. As such, players will be moving their cute character forward by just pushing the sticks back and forth, which is a cool concept that has surprisingly not been explored all that much by the gaming industry. In terms of multiplayer, Biped supports 2-player local co-op, with levels catering specifically to the feature. That said, solo runs are also possible.

Narratively, this indie title is nothing like It Takes Two, and the gameplay is not particularly similar either. However, they are both creative co-op games that blend adventure, platforming, and puzzle elements. Biped is a fairly short sit, so players can run through it within a few hours.

Cuphead

Boss Rush & Awesome Visuals

This 2D side-scrolling platformer has a unique style that borrows a lot from cartoons from the 1930s. Not just the style but the whole Cuphead package is quite unique, from the boss battles to how the puzzles are performed. However, where Cuphead truly shines is that it's an extremely difficult game.

When teaming up with another player via couch co-op or multiplayer, Cuphead gets even harder as the boss's health doubles and everything gets turned to eleven. However, this shouldn't deter anyone from playing the game; in fact, it only inspires players to think quicker every time they screw up.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Family-Friendly Fun

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is serving as a placeholder for most of the Lego games since they typically include co-op as an option. The campaigns are not written around the concept of there being more than one player, but a second person can drop in whenever they want and go along for the ride.

The Skywalker Saga covers the nine main Star Wars movies, and players are free to pick and choose which trilogy they focus on. Along with featuring expansive environments that can be explored, the game comes with a massive roster of playable characters, so it is very likely that most people's personal favorite is included in the game.

Guacamelee!

Great Indie Action

Guacamelee is a 2D action platformer that is best played with another player (or three). It offers countless hours of fun and is very accessible because of how gradual its learning curve is. Also having a nonlinear gameplay style means players can revisit areas in Guacamelee to unlock secrets.

Once players learn how to combo properly, Guacamelee's combat becomes incredibly fluid and impactful. What will pull players in the most, however, is the game's art, rich world, characters, and interesting boss battles, proving things that are in triple-A games can also be found in indie games like Guacamelee.

Rayman Legends

Beautiful Visuals & Addictive Gameplay

Playing Rayman Legends with a friend is the best way to enjoy it. A simple game to learn, Rayman Legends is all about maintaining the player's momentum. The levels are designed to trip up players, so timing is literally everything.

Rayman Legends gets more and more complicated as it goes on, and levels gradually become more abstract, so much so that players are unlikely to find the same style anywhere else. What is cool about Rayman Legends is that, unlike other platformers, the world changes, offering more challenges and things to do.

Unravel 2

Cozy Puzzle-Platformer With Co-Op In Mind

Unravel 2 is the sequel to Coldwood Interactive's highly acclaimed single-player platformer, Unravel. The premise is fairly simple: two small dolls made of yarn who are connected to each other go on an adventure. The yarn can be used to lasso and swing from trees, build bridges, and drag objects from one place to another.

In Unravel 2, players can play alone and switch between the yarn dolls, but it's much more enjoyable to partner up with a friend. Unravel 2 depends on the collaborative aspect, and most puzzles require some teamwork. The game's levels are beautifully designed and its soundtrack is amazing. Players who want to dive into another whimsical platformer with their friends after completing It Takes Two should definitely take a look at Unravel 2.

Overcooked! 2 (Or Overcooked! All You Can Eat!)

Run A Kitchen Together

Overcooked! 2 is a fast-paced co-op game developed by Team17 and Ghost Town Games. As the title implies, it is the sequel to Overcooked. Both are essentially the same game and have similar mechanics, but the sequel is just slightly superior. In Overcooked! 2, players must join together and save the Onion Kingdom by successfully running restaurants set in wild, imaginative kitchens. It also has a ton of DLCs, so there's a lot of content to explore with this one.

The levels are completely unpredictable; sometimes players will be isolated to one side of the kitchen and have to pass ingredients back and forth, and in others, the kitchen may be constantly shifting. Delegation is extremely important in Overcooked! 2, and while it can technically be played with only one or two players, it's much harder to get the scores required to get to the next level without the full four players. That said, Overcooked! is commonly cited as one of those games that can ruin friendships, so proceed with caution.

Resident Evil 5

Action Horror Co-Op Fun (& More Action Than Horror)

Full disclosure, this recommendation was almost omitted as Resident Evil 5 and It Takes Two have virtually nothing in common. One is a fantastical puzzle-platformer with bright visuals and strong themes; meanwhile, the other is a blood-soaked action-horror romp about shooting zombies in the face. 99% of the time, these games would never feature in the same discussion, and they cater to different audiences. That said, they share one thing in common: they are both great co-op experiences.

Resident Evil has a couple of multiplayer options, with Revelations and RE6 also being decent picks. However, RE5 set the franchise's benchmark for co-op and has yet to be surpassed. And, while very different from It Takes Two, Capcom's game delivers a robust story-driven campaign that blends action and puzzles. The project was seemingly designed with co-op in mind, and this focus shines through the mechanics, plot, and level design. RE5 can be enjoyed solo, but it is far superior when played with another person.

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

Perfect For Local Co-Op

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a space shooter, but it's not just any space shooter. One to four players play in a condensed spaceship to navigate through neon galactic environments to destroy the powers of Anti-Love. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is often cited as a great game to play with a significant other on Valentine's Day, but there's not really any romance going on. Instead, the premise of the game is simply to eliminate Anti-Love, which everyone should be in favor of.

If players prefer to play on their own, they can and will partner with an AI space pet to help them. But similar to Overcooked, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is truly meant to be a cooperative gameplay experience. Each player has a job or protects a side of the spaceship, and having to do it all alone is much more difficult. Unfortunately, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is not equipped with online features, but for gamers who have someone nearby to play with, this whimsical space shooter is a great game to play after finishing It Takes Two.

Haven

A Happy Couple

Yu and Kay are traveling the stars in search of a new home, which they find in the form of Source. Gorgeous as this planet can be, it is also not particularly welcoming to visitors, and the couple have their work cut out for them if they want to set up roots on this naturalistic terrain.

Like It Takes Two, Haven revolves entirely around the relationship between the central couple; in fact, progression reflects the strength of Yu and Kay's bond. As a survival game, Haven dedicates quite a bit of time to menial tasks like collecting resources, which can get a bit tedious after a while. Thankfully, these sections are broken up by battles that are quite a lot of fun, and they allow players to synergize Yu and Kay's attacks to create devastating combos. The campaign can be played in co-op.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

A Quintessential Co-Op Franchise

The fourth installment of Frozenbyte's popular series, Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince sends three heroes on a journey to save Prince Selius from his dark visions that are beginning to spill into reality. Trine 4 can be played in couch co-op, online, or a combination, so there are no obstacles preventing gamers from enjoying this magical platformer together.

Trine 4 is one of few puzzle platformers with an interesting story that develops as players progress through the levels. Fans who enjoyed the emphasis on storytelling in It Takes Two will probably appreciate Trine 4's as well, and the game environments and art style are captivatingly beautiful. The levels require players to use the heroes' different abilities to accomplish goals, so players who enjoyed that aspect of It Takes Two can experience it again with Trine 4.

The other Trine games are also generally good, including 2023's fifth entry.

A Way Out

Hazelight's Other Co-Op Masterpiece

A Way Out strikes a more adult tone than most entries in this list, so it's probably not a game to be enjoyed by the family. With that said, a lot of adult fans who haven't played A Way Out will probably turn to it after finishing It Takes Two. A Way Out is developed by Hazelight Studios and directed by Josef Fares, the same team that put It Takes Two together.

A Way Out is known for its mandatory cooperative gameplay; there is no single-player option for it. That means the mechanics are designed around the fact that everyone who plays the game will be experiencing it alongside someone else. In A Way Out, gamers play as either Leo or Vincent, two criminals trying to break out of prison. Just like It Takes Two's Cody and May, Leo and Vincent are completely different characters who each have their own story. Although it's not as zany and whimsical, A Way Out is a great game to play after completing It Takes Two.

Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons Remake

Better Solo, But Co-Op Is An Option (& The Story Is Powerful)

Before establishing Hazelight, Josef Fares worked with Starbreeze on Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a project that shares a few things in common with the creator's subsequent releases. Brothers focuses on two siblings as they go on a dangerous journey to find a cure for their father's alignment, and their fragile bond is tested and strengthened along the way. The game tells a powerful family story, and it highlights a different dynamic than It Takes Two while still hitting similar highs. Unlike Hazelight's masterpieces, the original version of A Tale of Two Sons was specifically designed to be a single-player experience, despite featuring two playable characters. Players are expected to simultaneously use each thumbstick to control one sibling, a format that can take some getting used to at first; however, this decision complements and enhances the story brilliantly.

In 2024, Avantgarden released a remake that comes with a graphical upgrade and tweaked controls, along with one significant alteration: co-op support. Now, this feature was already implemented in the Switch port of the 2013 original, but it was kept away from the other versions; consequently, the remake represents the first time that PlayStation, PC, and Xbox users can experience Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons in co-op. And, it is a fine option that could help encourage a second playthrough, especially since the campaign does not otherwise have all that much replay value. That said, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons should be first experienced as a single-player game. Co-op is a bonus but not the default.

A Hat In Time

Endearing 3D Platformer

Released in 2017, A Hat in Time instantly attracted praise for being a charming addition to the 3D platformer genre. These types of games might have been a dime-a-dozen in the early 2000s, but modern releases that gain mainstream attention are few and far in-between, especially ones that are not associated with established brands like Super Mario or Kirby. A Hat in Time defied all odds, showing that these projects can find an audience even when they are not backed by Nintendo.

At launch, Gears for Breakfast's game did not include local co-op, but this was added later down the line. Presented in split-screen, two players can work through the campaign together, with each person receiving the same abilities, moveset, and responsibilities. As such, both parties are on equal footing, which makes for a balanced experience. A Hat in Time also has an online multiplayer option, although this is not treated as co-op. Essentially, players share the same world while still going on solo adventures. There is also the Vanessa's Curse DLC for those who want a PvP multiplayer option.

Baldur's Gate 3

The Adventure Of A Generation

Baldur's Gate 3 was one of the best games of 2023, and it is an easy recommendation for RPG fans. Furthermore, Larian's project supports both online and offline co-op, with split-screen being included for the latter. Now, it should be said that Baldur's Gate 3 and It Takes Two are widely different experiences in nearly every area. The former is a tactical RPG set in a vast Dungeons and Dragons world filled with secondary content and dialogue options. It is easy for players to get distracted in BG3, which might not be welcome by those who enjoy It Takes Two's linearity. If anything, co-op heightens the game's non-linearity since the main story will likely take a back seat during play sessions.

For all their differences, both games offer fantastic writing and fleshed-out characters. They also deliver a sense of adventure that few other titles can match; while It Takes Two delivers an imaginative and evolving curated campaign, BG3 emphasizes freedom and choice. The RPG's co-op also encourages players to do their own thing rather than forcing everyone to be constantly tied to each other.

We Were Here

Clever Co-Op Puzzles

Anyone who loves the puzzle-like mechanics of It Takes Two will definitely want to check out the We Were Here series. The franchise is a cooperative puzzle-lovers paradise, launching two players into an array of locations and forcing them to work closely together to escape situations.

The original release, We Were Here, is a free experience that will help players get an idea of whether they enjoy the aesthetic of the series. For those who strike gold and are looking for an even bigger experience, they can try the game's sequels, We Were Here Too and We Were Here Together.

Portal 2

Brainteaser

Those who loved It Takes Two but are craving an experience where they can flex their brain muscles a bit harder will adore the challenge and ingenuity presented in Portal 2. The sequel to the hit release, Portal, gives a truly unique cooperative experience like no other, where two players are forced to operate the varying sides of a portal gun. Gamers familiar with the franchise will once again find themselves trapped in a series of tests, where they must use portals to escape each level, all while dodging hazards, turrets, and other unique obstacles.

Portal 2 also features an engrossing single-player experience that's completely separate from the cooperative playthrough. This means that those who have already beaten the title alone can find an entirely new storyline to play through with a friend, and vice versa.