There are co-op games, and then there are games like It Takes Two. This is a co-op game of a pretty particular flavor. It Takes Two is a special game, with its monumental success finally (hopefully) showing publishers that people do still like to play co-op games side by side with their friends after all.
So for this list, we'll be covering games that offer experiences that overlap with It Takes Two–games and require close teamwork to complete puzzles, platforming segments, and other activities that generally don't involve shooting people in the face. Crucially, each of these games can be played locally.
10 Unravel Two
Unravel Two's story may not be as cinematic as It Takes Two, but it still has a ton of heart and charm in its narrative. Two tiny cottony creatures, called Yarnlings, must work together after finding themselves stranded following a shipwreck.
The two Yarnlings are physically bound together by their respective strings, which means you'll be relying on each other to swing, rappel, and bound across the beautifully detailed levels. The game is played on a 2D plane, but each level is filled with depth and intricacy, heightening the sense of adventure as the two creatures traverse misty coastlines, forests, and backyards to find their way home.
9 Trine 4
The long-running 2.5D co-op platformer may have lost some of its direction in the third outing, but returns in excellent form here. Set in a magical and sparkly fairytale world, it sees you control a wizard, a thief, and a knight, each of whom has unique abilities to help overcome the puzzles and enemies you encounter on this adventure.
Something new to Trine 4 is that you can switch between characters, even if another player already is the character you're switching to. So you can have three wizards telepathically moving everything around, or three knights smashing everything up. It makes for a great mix of whimsical fun and satisfying co-op challenges.
8
A Way Out
It would be remiss to talk about games like It Takes Two without mentioning developer Hazelight's previous game. A Way Out sees players take control of Leo and Vincent, two prison inmates who join forces to plot their escape.
While A Way Out may not be as polished or as nice to look at as It Takes Two (being set in a prison and all), it still follows the same split-screen principle and has a similar approach to getting players to complete puzzles together. It's more of a prison-break cinematic game than a platformer, but it's a thrilling ride.
7
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Sackboy may not have enjoyed the best launch on PC, but that doesn't negate the fact that it's a breezy platforming yarn (yep, we abstained from that pun for the Unravel entry, so we could use it here). You can play through the entire adventure with up to three other players.
It's worth noting that while Sackboy works seamlessly as a co-op game, it's less dependent on teamwork than It Takes Two and other games designed for two or more people. But what it lacks in co-op puzzling it makes up for in lighthearted charms and 3D platforming that never gets so hard that it's likely to put your fellow players off.
6
Portal 2
This list's solitary venture into first-person games takes us to the cold clean laboratories of Aperture Science, where a pair of endearingly bleepy and bloopy robots use those now-iconic portal guns to complete a large procession of "experiments".
While the single-player campaign is where you'll find one of the best-written stories in video games, the dedicated multiplayer campaign is a marvel of co-op design. The slowly increasing challenge is as smooth as the white glossy chassis of an Aperture bot, and the inherent playfulness of the portal gun is doubled when both you and a friend get to wield one.
5
Rayman Legends
It's been around for a few years now, but Rayman Legends is still one of the best co-op platforming games on the more casual end of the spectrum. The game is extremely unpunishing, and when one player gets knocked out they can jump straight back in with ease.
The cartoony aesthetic really gives Rayman and his derpy companions oodles of character, and it has a nice smooth difficulty curve that never overwhelms. There's also a pretty compelling unlockables system, where you collect Teensies and some in-game currency to get new characters and heroes to play as. It may not make you think as much as It Takes Two, but it'll definitely make you smile.
4
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Where most games in this list see you progressing across bright and colorful stages in a mostly linear fashion, this co-op space-faring game sees you and your crewmates run around between the various controls of a spaceship, trying to guide it through the asteroid belts and giant cat-monsters of the cosmos.
Communication is critical here, as you'll need one person controlling the thrusters while another gets on the guns, for example, or order two people on different thrusters to smoothly guide the ship through the hazardous territories. It's a deceptively intense and quintessentially cooperative bonding experience, though be warned that it's also the kind of game that makes people shout without realizing it.
3
PHOGS!
Echoing Nickelodeon's weird morning cartoon Cat Dog (but without the cat), PHOGS! puts players in control of a stretchy dog-thing with two heads connected by the bottom half of its body. This premise means both players will need to coordinate and work closely with each other if they're to avoid getting in a tangle.
Complete all kinds of mini-games and physics-based puzzles across numerous imaginatively themed levels - from sweet candylands to starlit castles. It's a cheery, silly game, but stay sharp, because some of those later puzzles can get challenging.
2
Untitled Goose Game
Whether you have a friend who isn't much of a gamer, or simply wants to play something that'll relax them rather than amp them up, Untitled Goose Game is a great choice. Its accessibility and whimsical style are capable of tapping into even the most game-averse hearts.
You and your friend are, quite simply, geese, tasked with causing mischief in the mini-sandbox environments of a sleepy English village. You break into gardens, honk at people, trip up kids, and get up to all other kinds of lighthearted mischief. The puzzles are largely built around single-player, but going through it all together is a great (if not terribly long) experience that scratches that It Takes Two itch with a long orange beak.
1
Knights And Bikes
Made by a studio formed by a couple of LittleBigPlanet alumni, Knights and Bikes is a two-player adventure that definitely has some of that LBP DNA. With its 80s setting and cardboard cutout aesthetic, the game evokes childhood memories of going on daring bike rides with friends, and while it's made for all ages it also touches on some themes that will resonate with everyone.
Playwise, it's a top-down affair with a focus on puzzles that require both players, fairly lightweight combat, and some great storytelling through its two leads Nessa and Demelza.