Chris Jecks
Cuphead
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Whatever you do, don’t let Cuphead’s cartoony art style lull you into a false sense of security. This game is an absolute grueling challenge and quite possibly the hardest game on this list, regardless of whether you’re playing solo or in co-op. Combining boss fights with tricky platforming levels, Cuphead will see you take on whatever the cartoony world throws at our heroes as they try to pay back their debt to the devil. Cuphead is couch co-op for two players.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an isometric RPG of epic proportions and is perfect if you’re looking for a couch co-op experience that’ll keep you and your friend occupied for over 100 hours if you’re intent on seeing everything the world has to offer. There’s a staggering amount of content in here, from different NPCs to befriend or kill, nearly every object being interactable, and plenty of quests to have you exploring every corner of the world. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is couch co-op for two players on Xbox Series X|S
Don’t Starve Together
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
In Don’t Starve Together, your objective is simply to stay alive for as long as possible. That means gathering resources, building items, and using your various abilities to stave off the sinister threats of the world… and hunger as you uncover the weird and wonderful world you find yourself in. Don’t Starve Together is couch co-op for two players. Its online co-op allows for up to six players in a single game.
Gears 5
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
If you can’t get enough of chainsawing your way through all manner of nasty alien creatures, then Gears 5 has you covered. With its co-op campaign for up to three players, the latest entry in the series has plenty for you to sink your (chainsaw) teeth into. The game does also feature the ever-popular Horde mode for up to five players, and the all-new Escape mode that tasks you with escaping a Hive after planting a bomb, but both of these are online co-op only. Even so, playing through the semi-open-world campaign with a friend or two is a blast all the same. Gears 5 is couch co-op for up to three players.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Queue the epic music, the bad-mouthed grunts, and grav hammers galore, because Halo: The Master Chief Collection has more of all three of these things than you can shake a stick at. Even better, it can all be played in couch co-op multiplayer, too. Including six mainline Halo titles, players can hop into the campaigns with up to two players in couch co-op (four players online), taking on the Master Chief’s saga over 67 epic-scale missions. If you’ve yet to do the driving final mission on Legendary difficulty in Halo 3 or delivered the final blow to a Scarab with the help of your friends, you’ve yet to experience some of the very finest couch co-op action to grace the video games world. And when you’re done with all the campaigns, you can hop into multiplayer, too. Halo: The Master Chief Collection features couch co-op for 2 players.
It Takes Two
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
It Takes Two is the latest game from Hazelight Studios and is yet another title that’s been built from the ground-up with co-op gameplay in mind. In fact, it’s not possible to play this game solo… unless you like juggling controllers in a frankly impossible manner. Assuming control of the clashing couple Cody and May, players will need to use the different, complimenting abilities or weapons that each area throws at them together in order to overcome little platforming sections and boss battles, as the two remember why they fell in love with one another in the first place. It’s a heartwarming, light-hearted couch co-op game that’s perfect for playing with your significant other, or just a really good mate who enjoys games! It Takes Two is a couch co-op title for two players.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Most spaceships in science-fiction have all (or at least most) of the controls in one convenient cockpit. Not in Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. In this game, you and up to four friends will need to manage various different stations dotted around a maze-like interior of a spaceship as you try and free the bunnies and take down the boss at the end. Watch out for those asteroids, though! You’ll need to keep your ship in good condition if you’re going to make it out alive! It’s another truly great couch co-op game on Xbox Series X|S thanks to its simple controls and compelling gameplay. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime has couch co-op for 2-4 players.
Minecraft
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
When every other game fails you for couch co-op, Minecraft certainly won’t. What more could you ask for than an enormous blocky world where you’re free to create whatever your mind can conjure up? Where you can battle beasties or spend hours on end trying to dig up diamonds and, most importantly, where you can tame and breed an army of doggos. Whatever you all fancy doing can become this enormous collaborative effort and Minecraft has this habit of gobbling up hours of your time without you noticing. A true GOAT of the couch co-op games on Xbox Series X|S. Minecraft is couch co-op for up to four players.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
If you’ve ever thought you might be a bit of a Gordon Ramsay when it comes to an uncontrollable rage whenever you’re in a culinary conundrum, then Overcooked is here to assure you that you’re assumptions are absolutely correct. Overcooked sees you and up to three friends frantically making different dishes in increasingly hazardous kitchens full of gaps, moving tiles, and rules that’ll be sure to infuriate you as you try and manage an increasingly-hectic list of orders, cook the food and wash the dishes. It requires stellar communication and co-ordination… which makes it absolutely perfect for couch co-op when everything inevitably goes wrong. Overcooked: All You Can Eat combines both the first and second games into one convenient package with couch co-op for 2-4 players.
Unravel Two
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Unravel Two is all about forging new friendships and memories in the present, rather than holding onto ties to the past. This time around, the adorable Yarny is joined by a blue counterpart, who together can overcome puzzles and obstacles just one little woven creature cannot. It’s also got a beautiful visual art style, and the introduction of a second player makes for far more interesting puzzles along the way. Unravel 2 is couch co-op for two players.
Stardew Valley
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Not every co-op game has to be some fast-paced shooter or grueling adventure. Sometimes you just wanna kick back and chill with a friend, soaking up some quiet time and maybe just tending to a few crops and livestock. Y’know, everyone’s casual everyday fantasy. Well, that’s where Stardew Valley comes in. This retro-inspired farming simulator allows you and up to three friends to tend to your various crops and creatures together, and interact with the locals. They can mine, fish, fight, forage, marry NPCs and take part in festivals. Essentially, they can do everything player one can do, making things far more interesting for the second, third, and fourth players. Stardew Valley is couch co-op for up to four players.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Here’s a great, recent couch co-op game for Xbox Series X|S that we can’t recommend enough. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga contains over 45 levels spanning all nine of the mainline Star Wars movies, recapping the most iconic moments and bringing a cast of over 300 characters along for the ride. Its gameplay is simple but that just makes it great for a casual session with your friends and family, and even better for gaming newcomers that need something relatively low-stress to get to grips with. Plus, as each character has a different ability that they’ll need to use to complete the level, the co-op gameplay is actually pretty engaging for both players, rather than player 2 just being a glorified spectator. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is couch co-op on Xbox Series X|S for up to two players.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a great game to play in local co-op thanks to the fact that this is basically a Borderlands game with a Dungeons and Dragons skin draped over the top. With a big focus on loot, crazy creatures, and the Borderlands series typical humor, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is a great game to enjoy with some friends on your couch. It’s particularly good if you’re looking for a slightly lengthier runtime than other titles on this list. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is couch co-op for up to four players to join in the fun of shooting enemies and grinding out the best loot.
A Way Out
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
A Way Out is a more serious and grittier true co-op experience than It Takes Two — the more recent game from developer Hazelight Studios. In A Way Out, two players assume control of two inmates as they escape prison and embark on an epic adventure avoiding the police in their life from out behind bars. This isn’t some single-player experience with co-op tacked-on, though. This is a co-op story-driven experience through and through and has to be played to truly be appreciated. A Way Out is couch co-op for two players.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
One of the best dungeon crawlers of recent times has arrived on Xbox offering not just couch co-op for 2-4 players, but the ability to have you combine both local and online co-op to get a team of four together. It’s perfect for when your squad all can’t make it to the same place, so you can continue to grind out gear together. Coming complete with the Reaper of Souls expansion and Rise of the Necromancer pack, the Diablo III: Eternal Collection is the definitive way to experience this classic. Diablo III: Eternal Collection has couch co-op for 2-4 players.
Rocket League
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
A giant football + rocket-powered remote-control cars = Rocket League, and what a genius combination it is. The premise can’t be described much more than that, but Rocket League is a prime example of a game being easy to pick up but difficult to master, and that’s what makes it so special. Team up with up to three of your friends and take on rival teams online or the AI offline. Rocket League is, without a doubt, one of the best couch co-op games on Xbox Series X|S, complete with enhancements for the current hardware, and it’s free-to-play, too! Rocket League is couch co-op for 2-4 players.
Castle Crashers Remastered
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Looking for something easy to hop into? Then Castle Crashers, despite being a pretty old game at this point, is still an absolute blast with friends. You and your friends will take on countless enemies as you amass a small fortune of gold and save numerous princesses. Spend that gold on items and take on even more formidable fortresses. It’s a rather compelling gameplay loop that’ll keep you hooked for hours on end. Castle Crashers is couch co-op for 2-4 players.
Moving Out
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Moving out of an apartment or place is stressful. Trying to cram all your belongings into some cardboard boxes that will inevitably give way as your halfway down the stairs, scattering your prized possessions over the floor like some overly-eager pinata. The passive-aggressive conversations you have with friends and family helping and playing Tetris with the aforementioned boxes in your car and moving van are all part and parcel of the fun (read: nightmarish stress). Well, Moving Out is a game all about… all of those horrible things. But it actually manages to make the act pretty fun, as you and your friends go about flinging virtual furniture from room to room and all hell breaks loose. Moving Out is couch co-op for 2-4 players.
The Dark Pictures Anthology Games
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
How many times have you screamed ‘don’t go in there!’ with your friends when watching a horror movie? Yes, we’ve forgotten how many times too. Well, The Dark Pictures Anthology is here to finally put you in the unlucky shoes of various protagonists as they face sinister and spooky scenarios on an abandoned ship, creepy village, and ancient tombs respectively. With Movie Night mode, The Dark Pictures Anthology sees each player selecting a character(s) and then passing the controller round as the story focuses on a different character. You’ll need to choose what dialog options each character will make and, more importantly, how they’ll react to all the scary goings-on in the adventure. Can you and your friends get all of the protagonists out alive, or will you try and send them to their untimely deaths? The choice is yours. The Dark Pictures Anthology games are couch co-op for up to 5 players.
Portal 2
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
There are few games that go down in video games history the same way that Portal 2 has. Offering a hilarious narrative, absolutely brain-melting puzzles, and clean visuals, Portal 2 is the perfect co-op game for when you’re looking for something a little more high-brow than blasting away some Locust in Gears of War. Take on the puzzles with the help — or hindrance — of a friend and share all the highs, lows, and laughs that the game has to offer. Portal 2 is couch co-op for up to two players.
#IDARB
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
An oldie but still a goldie in our eyes. #IDARB is one of the best games for playing when you have a few friends around at your house. You can work together against the computer, or get into teams and battle it out in what is essentially a more complex version of pong. Each team must grab the ball and get it into the other team’s goal on the opposite side of the screen. The team with the highest score at the end wins. There’s also a mode where you and your friends can take on other teams of human players online, making for some epic co-op action where you’ll all be screaming and shouting at each other for great plays… and the not-so-great. #IDARB is couch co-op on Xbox Series X|S for 2-4 players.
Halo Infinite
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Halo Infinite brings the dangerously compelling FPS gameplay back to our Xbox consoles, complete with a couch co-op option. That means you can hop into the game’s multiplayer and take on other teams with a friend by your side. It does require you to both have Xbox Live accounts and to be logged into them, but once this is done you’re all set to dive into Slayer, Capture the Flag, Strongholds, or whatever other mode you fancy. Want to show off your prowess together? Then dive into the Ranked playlists and grind your way to Onyx. Later this year, Halo Infinite will also receive a co-op campaign update, allowing you to play through the story with a friend, too. No official release date has been shared for this as of yet, though. Halo Infinite is couch co-op for up to two players.
FIFA 22
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Team up to take on other players online in the ever-popular, card-based UItimate Team mode, or just pick your favorite team and take on another duo online in Online Seasons. With all of the updated rosters, latest player ratings, and a new engine powering the Xbox Series X|S version of FIFA 22, you can bet your bottom dollar this is the best couch co-op soccer game you can play on Microsoft’s latest console right now. FIFA 22 is couch co-op for up to two players.
Madden NFL 22
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
Regardless of whether we’re in the off-season or mid game week, there’s never a bad time to settle down and duke it out with your favorite team in Madden NFL 22. With the latest rosters and player ratings, playbooks, and everything else you’d want from the definitive football experience, Madden 22 is the perfect couch co-op game to set up with your friends. Madden NFL 22 features couch co-op for up to two players.
Minecraft Dungeons
Best Xbox Series X|S Couch Co-Op & Local Multiplayer Games
If the slow-paced, building-based experience in vanilla Minecraft just doesn’t do anything for you and your friends, you can take on the endless waves of enemies in Minecraft Dungeons, instead. In this dungeon crawler set in the Minecraft world, players will fight their way through various stages based on the different biomes in Minecraft, earning materials to upgrade their new gear, or just new equipment altogether. Minecraft Dungeons is couch co-op for 2-4 players. You can check out our list of best Xbox One couch co-op games, too, if you’re looking for games you can play on the last-gen console.
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