Highlights

• Local co-op games like Overcooked have created a subgenre of task-juggling teamwork games that provide a fun and exciting alternative to other party games.
• Games like Plate Up! and Lumberhill offer challenging gameplay that requires coordination, speed, and communication among players, making them great choices for Overcooked fans looking for a new challenge.
• Trash Patrol and Tools Up! provide a similar experience to Overcooked with top-down views and item shuffling, adding their own unique twists to the gameplay. These games offer a wild and festive multiplayer experience.

Local co-op-focused games are a lost art of sorts, with the rise of competitive and online multiplayer as well as single-player epics. But Ghost Town Games and Team17 proved such a style can still be interesting and exciting. They've done this in the form of their surprise indie hit Overcooked and its beefed-up sequel. The games bring a fun arcade sensibility with their simple mechanics and frantic gameplay on the one hand.

At the same time, they truly do their own thing, with an emphasis on multitasking and collaborating with others. This has spawned similar efforts — though there are also comparable titles that predate it. Here are some of the most fun and interesting games Overcooked fans should love. For the most part, these titles stress coordination and juggling different tasks on the fly, usually (but not always) through multiplayer.

Updated November 26, 2023 Stephen LaGioia: Once upon a time, Overcooked stood mostly alone with its unique brand of party gameplay and frantic co-op multitasking. Few managed to strike that tricky balance of casual social gaming and hardcore precision and speed like Team17's romp.

Fast forward several years, and the game has helped cook up a whole subgenre of these task-juggling teamwork games. They've become a fun, exciting alternative to the usual minigame fest, racing romp, or fighting brawls often found at social gatherings. And with the holiday season heating up, we felt it was time to add some more ingredients to this list of enjoyable multitasking games.

23 Baby Storm

Steam Score: N/A

Perhaps one of the only tasks more stressful than cooking several meals is tending to several babies and toddlers. Players assume the role of a kindergarten teacher with her hands full, as she must scramble about her classroom in a futile attempt to maintain order. Objectives mostly revolve around subduing the rowdy kiddies and keeping them under control.

These include chores like giving toys, changing diapers, feeding, cleaning, and breaking up squabbles. While this may sound more anxiety-inducing than fun, the aptly named studio Baby Corp manages to make this cute sim amusing and exciting. This is especially the case when unlocking more complex settings and dealing with babies laced with powers.

Baby Storm can be played solo, though it's advised to team up with a few more adults.

22 Plate Up!

Steam Score: 95%

Plate Up! by developer It's Happening seems to offer most of the same flavors of Overcooked on the surface; and on one level it does. Though the game spices things up with punishing roguelite progression as well as sim and management bits.

The need to build upon and decorate restaurants, as well as utilize abilities while serving food, demands teamwork, speed, and communication. The procedurally generated locales ensure players will never get too comfortable during this chaotic scramble to satiate customers.

With so much to do — from cooking to designing to placing appliances — players will want to team up with multiple friends and allocate tasks wisely. While some may be turned off by its complexity, this is a great choice for Overcooked master chefs looking to dial up the challenge.

21 Lumberhill

Steam Score: 80%

In Lumberhill, players will need to work together to take on hostile forces — including those of nature. With a slew of obstacles and elaborate maps, gamers will quickly find that there's far more to this romp than nature walks and chopping down trees.

They'll control determined lumberjacks set on chopping as much wood as possible amidst animal attacks, slim pathways, and hazards that include lightning and even falling meteors. Players will need to access tough-to-reach lumber mills by hopping across rivers, dealing with harsh weather, and evading angry dinosaurs. And this must all be achieved while racing against the clock.

This title can accommodate a single player more than the likes of Overcooked, though this is not recommended given its difficulty.

20 Trash Patrol

Steam Score: 70%

• Available on PC

MediaCube Game's amusing indie runs with a similar Overcooked vibe of top-down views and item shuffling — and adds quite a bit of raccoon mischief. Trash Patrol has players running wild as the pesky critters as they scurry and rummage through houses, grabbing what they can.

The kickers are that they must evade the homeowner and wash their newly-obtained goodies — because what self-respecting raccoons want dirty items? Up to three other teammates can be utilized to bait the homeowners and reach hard-to-get goods. While lacking the polish and depth of Team17's hit, Trash Patrol is even more unapologetically wild and festive.

19 Tools Up!

Metascore: 62

• Available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Switch

Tools Up! from The Knights of Unity is to home renovation what Overcooked is to cooking and baking. Outside the vastly different themes, the core gameplay rings quite similar to Team17's party game.

Though the experience is a bit rough around the edges, scrambling with a friend to move furniture and tear down wallpaper is more enjoyable than one might expect. It's an amusing alternative for Overcooked fans looking to branch out and try something different.

18 Cake Mania

Metascore: N/A

• Available on PC, DS, Wii, PS2, and PSP

As one might expect, there are ample parallels between Overcooked and this multitasking pressure cooker, with a key difference being that the player must scramble to serve dishes solo here. Of course, another distinction (aside from the 2D aesthetic) is that cakes alone are the focus. But while its gameplay just revolves around crafting one treat, that doesn't mean Cake Mania is any less thrilling or tough.

The series began as a Flash-based time management game in 2006. This eventually became a popular mobile game, and even saw releases on Wii and PS2. Still, it's hard to beat the charm of the original, which (despite being fairly crude) shines for its gripping, accessible gameplay.

17 Witchtastic

Steam Score: 86%

• Available on PC

Described as Overocoked with a witchy overlay, Witchtastic has up to four sorcerers scrambling through Gothic, rustic, and autumn-themed locales to whip up potions. In a similar fashion, players will work simultaneously to brew their concoctions by grabbing different ingredients cued by dozens of recipes on screen.

Rather than pizza dough and burgers, players will be working with garlic, mushrooms, and nightshade. A few other unique elements are sprinkled in to align more with Witchtastic's themes. These include creatures that stun and collectible wood to keep the cauldron burning. In another departure, the game offers an entertaining solo mode to amp up the multitasking.

16 39 Days To Mars

Metascore: 71

• Available on PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S

This hand-drawn puzzler is a huge departure from the colorful Overcooked – and most other games for that matter. Still, the emphasis on communication and multitasking certainly has some overlap. 39 Days to Mars has players tinkering with several weird, inventive puzzles in order to progress and repair their inspiring steampunk ship.

The campaign is slim, but the "outside the box" thinking and juggling of several tasks set the stage for extended trial and error sessions. Objectives span from controlling a space bicycle to simply fixing some tea. While it can technically be played alone, 39 Days to Mars truly thrives when collaborating, much like Overcooked.

Players can technically tackle this one solo by juggling more tasks, though relying on the AI adds a huge layer of challenge that can be tough to overcome.

15 A Way Out

Metascore: 78

In terms of motifs and gameplay mechanics, A Way Out looks about as distant from the whimsical Overcooked as can be. Yet those who delve into this co-op thriller will recognize many parallels. Hazelight Studios' game similarly includes intense two-player trials that demand synergy and communication.

While these elements are fun and innovative, they're strengthened by a character-driven plot featuring two downtrodden leads, and a gritty, cinematic style. The result is a rare friendly co-op that primarily appeals to adult gamers.

14 Unrailed!

Metascore: 77

Fittingly, Unrailed revolves around up to four players working with haste to construct train tracks through blocky worlds in real-time. While this can be tricky enough given all the chaos and ambiguous visuals, studio Indoor Astronaut also keeps gamers off-balance with procedurally generated landscapes.

On top of this, players must share a limited selection of tools to work. As the game chugs along, players can get a better grasp on the situation by getting aid from other inhabitants and upgrading the train, to avoid the disastrous prospect of derailment.

13 Space Food Truck

Steam Score: 70%

• Available on PC

Thought rapid-fire meal prep was intense? How about trying to perform these actions in a small food truck in space? Blending sci-fi themes with aspects of cooking, card games, and even a bit of Oregon Trail-esque survival, Space Food Truck makes a unique, delightful co-op game.

Players are put in procedurally-generated galaxies as they seek alien ingredients to prepare and serve to planets from their "Galaxy Gourmet" ship. In the meantime, they must work through various random elements and deal with the looming dangers of outer space. Assuming players are willing to deal with the tough grind, Space Food Truck serves as an enjoyable and fresh title.

12 Good Job!

Metascore: 78

• Available on Switch

Managing a megacorporation has never been so enjoyable! Overcooked fans may recognize Good Job's similar fusion of puzzle, party, and co-op gameplay with this romp from 2020.

The game tasks players with overseeing and completing increasingly complex office jobs. These range from setting up projectors to transporting objects with slingshots. The game keeps the virtual CEO on their toes, with over 30 floors of unique trials to work through and obstacles (figurative and literal) to navigate.

11 Storage Inc.

Metascore: N/A

• Available on Xbox 360/XBLA

In true Overcooked spirit, Storage Inc. takes a seemingly mundane task and makes it hectic and fun, this time centering around warehouse work. Players will need to buckle down as they shuffle, pack, and deliver packages around using a forklift. The premise might seem simple on the surface. However, there's a fair bit of micromanaging, navigation, and coordination that can be overwhelming at first.

The 2017 sequel adds fluidity and action to the experience, bringing streamlined multiplayer and more complex jobs into the fold. But despite being an early-comer of the recent indie boom, this XBLA original from 2009 still shines.

10 Among Us

Metascore: 85

This clever Innersloth indie brings whimsical party game charm — while tempering things with uneasy doubts as to who players can trust. Among Us blends a slew of unique minigames with detective work and social gameplay. The popularity of this 2018 release really took off after increasingly becoming a go-to social game for Twitch Streamers and YouTubers.

Players must team up and tackle various bite-sized games across their spaceship. Events include minigames ranging from attaching colored wires to gingerly swiping cards. At the same time, the crew must deal with the looming danger of murderous Impostors and sniff them out.

On the other side — the Impostors must craftily blend in and deflect attention while taking out enough of the ship's crew to either outnumber them or sabotage the ship.

9 Snipperclips: Cut It Out Together!

Metascore: 80

This uniquely charming game is akin to a co-op puzzler fused with a virtual elementary school art project. SFB Games will have players working together to solve several puzzles and complete tasks; often through goofy, yuk-invoking ways.

This colorful game inspires communication, creativity, and improvisation. Players will be given little information as they must improvise their way through visual tasks and tinker with physics-based moves. As the name implies, a good chunk of the mechanics and goals revolve around snipping the controllable shapes, which is triggered by overlapping them.

8 Joggernauts

Metascore: 70

An obscure sidescrolling indie might seem like a far cry from a cooking-based party romp. But at its core, this colorful game from Space Mace and Graffiti Games is Overcooked-esque in its co-op focus, multitasking, and quick decision-making. Whether playing cohesively with others or shifting tasks alone, the game brings a uniquely tricky journey.

The name of the game is to sort out color-coded avatars while chugging forward, which corresponds to platforms and other elements. Bringing the right color forward allows players to progress through color coordination. Meanwhile, mismatching the colors often leads to a swift death or pitfall. Joggernauts is truly a fun, inventive spin on the puzzler/platformer that has players think and act differently.

7 Surgeon Simulator 2

Metascore: 70

• Available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Like the Overcooked games, this is a frantic arcade-style sim that will have multiple players fumbling through various tasks. While bobbling tasks in Team17's game simply lead to grumpy, hungry customers, Surgeon Simulator 2 puts lives on the line. These high stakes — coupled with precise controls, wonky physics, and deep surgical procedures — produce a uniquely tense experience.

The sequel to the 2013 sleeper hit dials up the depth and toughness, injecting co-op gameplay and a story mode that immerses players. Like Overcooked, there are some funny moments to be had, thanks to cartoony visuals as well as bizarre circumstances and physics.

6 Human Fall Flat

Metascore: 70

This overlooked indie gem from No Brakes Games fell out of nowhere; bringing gameplay that's as hilarious as it is inventive. Human Fall Flat has quietly built a following since release, with its wild, fluid movement and creative puzzle platforming. Just a brief look at the stumbling, doughy avatars clues gamers in as to the trippy, unpredictable ride ahead.

Players team up in groups of stretchy, staggering clay figures — who struggle to run or jump let alone traversing tough obstacles. Fumbling with drunken physics proves both challenging and funny. Players will drag, hop, and fall around by the dozens online while shuffling platforms and contraptions that open the next area.

5 Death Squared

Metascore: 78

Take the collaborative, multitasking gameplay of Overcooked, rework it into a block-centric puzzler, and the result is Death Squared. Just as that game has chefs fumbling with different ingredients, this puzzle game forces players to deal with several contraptions, electric currents, and deadly robot explosions.

Multiple actions and triggers need to be initiated at once to progress. This means players will either need to be superb at multitasking, or have a friend to help synchronize tasks.

4 Conduct Together!

Metascore: 80

• Available on Switch and PC

Much of the excitement of Overcooked comes from racing against the ticking clock and completing the job on demand. It's much the same with this even more intense game, which is described as a "party railroad game." That about sums it up — as Conduct Together! takes the job of navigating trains and adds intense, fun twists with its frantic arcade gameplay.

Players must shift from multiple points of interest, as various trains will be chugging along different paths. The goal is to guide each train to its station and pick up commuters, all while evading each other and avoiding crashes.