Best Co-Op Games to Play With New Gamers

Since its inception, gaming has been a social hobby. Long before single-player experiences and console gaming began to dominate the industry, players huddled around arcade cabinets to play both with and against each other, and that competitive and cooperative spirit still persists in several of the most popular games being primarily multiplayer experiences made possible by the advent of seamless online gaming. But couch co-op is just as valuable and important as online multiplayer, and sometimes you might need a game that’s a perfect jumping-on point to get a spouse, sibling, child, or friend into the hobby despite them not having any prior experience. The following co-op games are some of the best titles to play with non-gamer friends and loved ones, even if it’s their first time picking up a controller.

• Release Date — July 22, 2016
• Developer — No Brakes Games
• Publisher — Curve Games
• Genre — Platformer, Physics, Puzzle
• Review Aggregate Score — 70% (Mixed or Average)
• Steam User Score — 94% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Platformers are an excellent genre for teaching players the basic rules and mechanics of a video game (after all, many gamers of a certain age cut their teeth on Super Mario Bros.), and physics-based platformers merge intuitive gameplay with hilarious moments brought on by realistic interpretations of gravity. Human Fall Flat is easy enough for anyone to just pick up and play with little instruction, and its wacky use of in-game physics means even experienced players will have moments of failure as often as new players. Expect plenty of laughs as you both learn the ropes.

• Release Date — September 9, 2015
• Developer — Asteroid Base
• Publisher — Asteroid Base
• Genre — Shooter, Action, Management
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 92% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Some of the best co-op games emphasize not just playing together but working together, coordinating actions that are essential to both players’ survival. One of the best to do it is Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, which requires two players to manage and maintain a spaceship in-between some hectic shooting sections. Like some of the other games on this list, gameplay in Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime starts slow and then quickly ramps up in intensity, but it does so gracefully enough that you barely notice yourself getting better at adjusting to its difficulty curve. Plus, it’s way less stressful than a game like Overcooked!.

• Release Date — November 22, 2013
• Developer — Nintendo EAD Tokyo
• Publisher — Nintendo
• Genre — Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 93% (Universal Acclaim)
• Platforms — Nintendo Switch, Wii U

Any Mario game could (and should) go on a list of the best co-op games to play together with an inexperienced gamer, as the series has basically been the jumping-on point for the medium for 40 years strong. But for our money, the Mario game that is unmistakably geared toward co-op play while also being friendly to beginners is Super Mario 3D World. 3D World blends elements of both the 3D and 2D eras of Super Mario Bros. while also having some of the best and most fun implementation of 4-player co-op of any Nintendo game, with players racing against one another and sabotaging their friends to victory with well-timed head stomps.

• Release Date — June 16, 2022
• Developer — Tribute Games
• Publisher — Dotemu
• Genre — Beat ’em Up
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 94% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Beat ’em ups are one of the all-time great genres for couch co-op, and the ongoing renaissance of the old-school beat ’em up means players now have plenty of excellent options to choose from when wanting to experience some visceral co-op fun. Some of the newer beat ’em ups have a bit of a high skill ceiling and difficulty, though, which is what makes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge so refreshing. Shredder’s Revenge is easy to pick up and play, whether it’s your first beat ’em up or your hundredth, and the sheer number of characters means that just about anyone can find a playable hero that suits their playstyle.

• Release Date — August 18, 2020
• Developer — Thunder Lotus Games
• Publisher — Thunder Lotus Games
• Genre — Cozy, Management, Adventure
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Thunder Lotus Games’ Spiritfarer is a deeply poignant and moving cozy management game about death, and its co-op mode is brilliantly implemented. One player controls the main character (the new Charon) while the other controls her cat, and each player has roughly the same amount of agency in what they can do during gameplay. So while one player is maintaining the vessel carrying souls across the River Styx, the other can be talking to the ship’s passengers and helping to carry out their last requests.

• Release Date — April 5, 2022
• Developer — Traveler’s Tales
• Publisher — Warner Bros. Games
• Genre — Action Platformer
• Review Aggregate Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 90% (Very Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Similar to both beat ’em ups and platformers, the LEGO games are a fantastic first foray into video games because they combine elements of both genres. One of the all-time best LEGO games is LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Not only is it a great entry point for a younger or more inexperienced gamer, it does an incredible job of communicating the magic of Star Wars and its iconic characters, settings, and stories. Plus, The Skywalker Saga has one of the most impressive libraries of content of any game in the series.

• Release Date — October 8, 2015
• Developer — Steel Crate Games
• Publisher — Steel Crate Games
• Genre — Puzzle
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 97% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — Android, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Equal parts stressful and hilarious, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is arguably one of the perfect games for “non-gamers”. One player gets to view a series of increasingly intricate and complex explosive devices while their companions describe how to disarm them, teaching valuable lessons about coordination, teamwork, and communication. The thrill of successfully disarming a bomb is fun enough as it is, but even failure can lead to plenty of laughs and enjoyment as players scamble to avoid exploding.

• Release Date — March 6, 2025
• Developer — Hazelight Studios
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Genre — Action-Platformer, Co-op
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• Steam User Score — 97% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Xbox Series X/S

Joseph Fares and Hazelight Studios have carved out a unique niche of making exclusively co-op titles, following up 2021 Game of the Year winner It Takes Two with this year’s excellent Split Fiction. Going into Split Fiction after playing It Takes Two, I anticipated that it might be a bit too complex for someone with limited gaming experience, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Instead, it’s been the perfect game to play and enjoy with my non-gamer wife as we sit back and take in its humorous story and incredibly inventive gameplay vignettes.

• Release Date — February 26, 2016
• Developer — ConcernedApe
• Publisher — ConcernedApe
• Genre — RPG, Simulation
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 98% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One

Like Spiritfarer, the unexpected and seamless co-op mode for Stardew Valley is arguably one of the best ways to enjoy an already excellent game. Best of all, Stardew Valley is the epitome of a “cozy” game, meaning it’s the perfect low-stress, low-risk game for a new and inexperienced gamer to get into and discover their love for the hobby. Managing your farm is surprisingly addictive, and being able to team up on activities like harvesting and crafting makes an already enjoyable and relaxing experience even better through the rewarding nature of teamwork.

• Release Date — March 26, 2021
• Developer — Hazelight Studios
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Genre — Action-Platformer, Co-op
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• Steam User Score — 95% (Overwhelmingly Positive)
• Platforms — PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

As much as I love Split Fiction, I still think that It Takes Two is arguably the better co-op game for newer players to try because of its more gradual on-ramp to the medium. If someone begins It Takes Two with little skill at playing platformers or action games, the title does a great job of helping them quickly acclimate to the point where they’ll be incredibly familiar afterward. As both an experience and a teaching tool for the mechanics and rules of video games, It Takes Two is almost without equal. And that’s without even mentioning that it popularized the trend for the free “Friend Pass” that allowed anyone to join another player with a copy.