After E3 2021, the future of co-op games is looking pretty bright, as announcements and showcases of games like Redfall and Back 4 Blood show that cooperative online multiplayer games are here to stay. Unfortunately, despite the cooperative nature of many upcoming games, very few of them seem to support split-screen couch co-op.

Earlier this year, the incredibly successful It Takes Two reminded gaming enthusiasts just how exciting couch co-op can be. As such, it makes sense that many fans of the genre are disappointed about the lack of split-screen multiplayer in the many upcoming co-op titles. Here are five games that deserve to have couch co-op features that don't look to be getting them anytime soon.

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Redfall

Redfall characters

Serving as something of a mic-drop for Microsoft at the end of their E3 2021 presentation, Redfall is a Left 4 Dead-inspired vampire shooter by Arkane Studios. Though not much is known about Redfall, as it was announced with nothing more than a completely computer-generated trailer, it seems like it won't support couch co-op. This is a shame, as the game seems to be built for playing with friends in the same room while players fight off the undead.

Halo Infinite

halo-infinite-master-chief-overlooking-new-halo-ring

Released in 2001, the original Halo: Combat Evolved helped establish couch co-op as an important part of multiplayer gaming in the Xbox and Xbox 360 era. However, the most recent entry in the Halo seriesHalo 5: Guardians, dropped split-screen co-op entirely. Playing Halo campaigns and online multiplayer with friends in split-screen mode was a defining part of the Xbox brand, but it seems like the company might drop that aspect of the series for good. 343 Industries has promised that Halo Infinite will bring back Halo couch co-op, but there hasn't been any update on that front in over a year, so it's possible that, in the delay and shift in focus, the game might omit that feature.

Back 4 Blood

Screenshot from Back 4 Blood.

Back 4 Blood is the spiritual successor to the hit zombie co-op shooters Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, so when it was announced that Back 4 Blood would be skipping couch co-op features, some fans were disappointed. In an E3 2021 interview with Turtle Rock Studios executive producer Matt O'Driscoll, it was confirmed that the game will not have split-screen multiplayer. Still, it seems like if fans are vocal enough about the lack of couch co-op features, studios might look into patching them in like in the case with Halo Infinite.

Evil Dead: The Game

evil dead the game cover art

Watching campy horror movies together with friends is one of the best ways to experience them, so Evil Dead: The Game should allow its players to experience it in the exact same way. While it hasn't been confirmed that couch co-op will be missing from the game, there isn't anything in its marketing to suggest that it will feature split-screen modes. With Evil Dead's nature as a somewhat quirky multiplayer-based survival game, it seems like a no-brainer to include couch co-op. At this point in time, however, its inclusion seems unlikely.

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Now, clearly, Microsoft Flight Simulator has very little to do with the rest of the games on this list due to its genre. However, as it's finally made its way to consoles this month, the game should get split-screen multiplayer support. After all, airplanes are complicated machines that require pilots to keep track of quite a bit, so it would make sense to add in a co-pilot update that allows friends to fly together and help each other out. There's already co-op in the game, but players aren't in the same cockpit together. Further, with the console version of Flight Simulator not offering split-screen co-op of any kind, this addition would be welcome.

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