Best Local Co-Op & Split-Screen Games On Steam

Couch co-op and split-screen tend to be associated with consoles as the terms conjure images of friends playing Mario Party and Crash Team Racing on a TV, but PC owners have plenty of options as well. Nowadays, most major multiplayer releases make their way to Steam, and they typically offer online support to simplify the process of finding partners. LAN parties have generally transitioned to online connections, a decision that permits users to either play with friends or strangers.

Online is the standard in modern gaming, but that does not mean local co-op has gone extinct. In fact, some of the most memorable multiplayer experiences on Steam let players share a screen. Even though PC gaming is not synonymous with local co-op or especially split-screen, there are plenty of games that demonstrate the potential of these multiplayer experiences.

Updated March 12, 2024 by Mark Sammut: Steam will always be associated with online multiplayer rather than couch co-op, but Valve’s platform does not completely ignore the latter option either. While most months do not produce many notable local co-op Steam games, the store has amassed a varied enough library to satisfy most needs.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Steam User Rating: 96%

After achieving near-perfection with Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is also a great co-op PC RPG, Larian Studios did the impossible and produced something arguably even better. After spending almost three years in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 finally made its proper debut in August 2023, and to say the game was well-received would be an understatement. Hailed as a new benchmark in the CRPG genre, the long-awaited sequel is a deep and rewarding single-player experience that can easily keep somebody entertained for months on end. A big part of the game’s appeal is its flexible and reactive design that seeks to morph the world to complement a player’s choices.

While a fantastic solo experience, Baldur’s Gate 3‘s local co-op feature is also not an afterthought. Players can join someone’s else campaign, or start a new one where they play together from the beginning. Thanks to the use of split-screen, adventurers are not tied to each other, and one party member can head out to explore on their own while their partner does something else. Even though they will likely stick together during most sessions, Baldur’s Gate 3 makes it possible for both players to feel in control.

It Takes Two

Steam User Rating: 95%

Hazelight is responsible for two of the best 2-player Steam games. A Way Out is fantastic and an easy recommendation for any duos seeking a mature storyline; however, 2021’s It Takes Two is generally regarded as the superior overall package. The story follows a married couple who are shrunk down and have to go on a wild adventure to make it back home. The premise might sound derivative, but the game absolutely nails its characters and visuals.

As May and Cody are on the verge of getting a divorce, their shared situation forces them to openly communicate and work together after years of growing apart. It Takes Two‘s co-op gameplay reflects and enhances the narrative’s themes.

Bread & Fred

Steam User Rating: 89%

Bread & Fred is a challenging and adorably crafted physics-based adventure that sees two penguins (or a penguin and a heavy object in single-player mode) attempt to scale a mountain peak by swinging and jumping their way through multiple locations. Similar to titles like Jump King and Getting Over It, Bread & Fred takes the prospect of climbing up cliff faces and cranks it up to eleven.

Not only can players bring a friend along both locally and online, but there are costumes to unlock, story bits to uncover, mini-games to play, and more.

Broforce

Steam User Rating: 97%

The gaming equivalent of an ’80s action movie, Broforce is loud, stupid, and relentlessly fun. An explosive parody of genre classics and iconic characters, Free Lives’ game features pitch-perfect run ‘n’ gun combat, which is enhanced through environmental destruction and endearing pixel graphics.

While perfectly enjoyable in single-player, Broforce really comes alive when multiple meatheads are rampaging through stages en route to planting an American flag where a fearsome boss once stood.

Portal 2

Steam User Rating: 98%

Valve is responsible for some of the most popular and long-lasting multiplayer games on the market, most of which revolve around co-op. While games like Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, Alien Swarm, and Counter-Strike all prioritize teamwork, they are generally associated with online multiplayer or LAN support more so than local co-op. The same could be said for Portal 2 to an extent, although the game is better equipped to take advantage of local two-player action than most of the developer’s other projects. For one, the title supports split-screen right out of the box, which makes it a more viable option than the Left 4 Dead games.

The 2011 release reached legendary status thanks to its single-player story, which arguably ranks alongside Half-Life 2 as Valve’s magnum opus. Less known is Portal 2‘s co-op campaign that sees two robots work together to try and complete GLaDOS’s various challenges. Gameplay-wise, this mode retains many of the same fundamentals as the single-player; however, these identical mechanics take on a new flavor when a second player is thrown into the mix.

Project Zomboid

Steam User Rating: 94%

Project Zomboid has been in early access for over a decade, which is typically not a great sign. However, the open-world survival game has somehow managed to remain relevant, and it is still receiving fairly consistent updates as it gradually moves towards its full release. Even if that day seems to be still far in the future, Project Zomboid is already in an impressive state that makes it an easy recommendation for anyone craving a sandbox zombie experience that emphasizes survival above everything else.

While not part of the game’s original 2013 Steam release, split-screen co-op support was added to the package a few years later, allowing four friends to work together to try and make the best of a terrible situation. Online co-op is also available through 32-player lobbies, making the early access project a rather robust multiplayer option.

Cuphead

Steam User Rating: 96%

Studio MDHR’s Cuphead puts players through the wringer, overwhelming them with colorful bosses inspired by old-school cartoons. This journey will always be crushingly difficult, but Cuphead does not need to face the Devil’s debtors alone. He can be accompanied by Mugman (or Ms. Chalice in The Delicious Last Course DLC), although the power of friendship might not result in an easier time.

Although an acquired taste, Cuphead achieves everything it sets out to do. The game’s visuals are eye-catching, its gameplay is punishing but generally fair, and the soundtrack is great. Provided people are looking for a challenge, this project is one of the best local co-op games on Steam

Castle Crashers

Steam User Rating: 96%

Originally a 2008 Xbox 360 exclusive, Castle Crashers eventually made its way to other platforms, including a 2012 Steam release. Invariably, each port served to further cement the game’s status as a co-op masterpiece. Players pick a knight and bravely head out to save four princesses, a process that involves a lot of hacking and slashing through cartoonish enemies. The color-coded playable characters not only come with unique abilities but also support build variety through customizable stats and weapons.

Castle Crashers represents co-op at its absolute best, especially since it encourages players to form balanced parties. Also, the game is pretty funny in a very late 2000s type of way.

Overcooked! 2

Steam User Rating: 90%

Team 17 has a great track record when it comes to co-op projects. Worms is the publisher’s most well-known property, but The Escapists and Alien Breed deserve honorable mentions. If asked to select a local co-op PC game to represent the developer’s portfolio, it is difficult to look beyond Overcooked! 2. Do not be fooled by its vibrant visuals and a tentative association with the party genre – Overcooked! 2 is a stressful restaurant sim.

Up to four players must step into a kitchen and keep the dishes rolling as orders pile up. Like the real deal, organization and teamwork are vital if the chefs want to stay ahead of the curve.

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

Steam User Rating: 93%

Surviving space is always difficult, but having the right partners can make the process a bit less painful. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a co-op game that really emphasizes communication and coordination. Players find themselves stuck in a spaceship that requires seven crew members to man all of its stations; unfortunately, at most, only four people are available. Consequently, players will have to regularly jump from station to station to try and keep things moving forward, an accomplishment that is easier said than done. Each station has its complexities, and they must all be properly managed if a successful and safe flight is to be achieved.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime can only be played in local co-op, although Steam’s remote play is an option as well. This decision makes sense because players need to maintain open lines of communication to ensure they coordinate their efforts well. Wasted movement is a death sentence, and this is one of those games that can test a few friendships.

Moving Out 2

Steam User Rating: 87%

One of the better co-op games of 2023, Moving Out 2 builds on the ideas of its predecessor and goes for broke in terms of its story. While playable solo, SMG’s project is undoubtedly intended to be enjoyed as part of a group, and the game is hard to recommend if someone plans to mostly play on their own. The premise is fairly straightforward: carry furniture. That’s largely it. Players have a moving service, one that is willing to take on most jobs regardless of their destination. Sometimes, that could mean traveling to another dimension.

With purposefully wonky physics and a strong sense of humor, Moving Out 2 can inspire laughter and frustration in equal measure, although the latter does not usually stick around for too long.

Helldivers Dive Harder Edition

Steam User Rating: 92%

Arrowhead knows a thing or two about co-op, and while most of the company’s projects are not necessarily amazing, they are decent additions to the multiplayer space. 2011’s Magicka is a solid adventure game that is only difficult to recommend because its sequel is superior; meanwhile, Gauntlet is a solid co-op dungeon crawler. The developer’s crowning achievement is undoubtedly Helldivers, a twin-stick shooter that pits humanity against three enemies in a gloriously over-the-top war.

Although the core gameplay is typical for the genre, the title gets most of the basics right, and it also includes a fun multiplayer option that expands its replayability. Supporting 4-player co-op (and friendly fire), Helldivers is at its best when a group of soldiers is taken on the Cyborgs or bugs. This allows the team to coordinate their load-outs, adding an element of strategy to the matches.

Helldivers 2
is an awesome co-op game, but it only supports online multiplayer.

Streets Of Rage 4

Steam User Rating: 92%

A contemporary take on an all-time beat ‘em up classic, Streets of Rage 4 improves on everything that worked in the original releases, arguably to the point of becoming the best entry in the series. At its core, the sequel sticks close to the 1990s trilogy’s fundamentals, and the story mode feels ripped right out of arcades. However, Streets of Rage 4 also expands quite a bit on the core combat through the introduction of mechanics like a combo system. These elements combine to create one of the deepest beat ‘em ups of the modern era.

Obviously, any Streets of Rage game needs to incorporate co-op in some form or another, and the fourth entry does not disappoint in this area. Up to four players can team up to clean the streets of Wood Oak City, and they can pick from a range of playable characters (four right out of the gate, one unlockable, and a few DLC options).

Children Of Morta

Steam User Rating: 89%

Once the campaign’s prologue is completed, Children of Morta opens up its local co-op option, permitting two players to take on the roguelite’s procedurally generated challenges. The Bergsons exist to protect the world, which generally involves taking on the many monstrosities that exist within Mount Morta. Initially, only two members of the family are playable, but the roster expands as players get further into the campaign.

While failure does reset progress in the dungeons, the game does not completely start over, and Children of Morta even has a story that develops in between runs. Each character has their own play styles, strengths, and weaknesses, which adds a wonderful dimension to co-op since players should try to complement each other.

Totally Reliable Delivery Service

Steam User Rating: 82%

Totally Reliable Delivery Service has a simple premise: deliver the goods. Set in a charming sandbox, players take on the role of delivery workers who are tasked with traveling across the city in order to complete tasks. This means they will need to fill up their chosen vehicle with the requested items, make the journey, and then complete the delivery. Sounds easy, right? Well, Totally Reliable Delivery Service is a physics-based game, which means the characters are unwieldy and far from the ideal picks to carry fragile boxes.

While possible solo, this indie game is far better when experienced with friends. Players will find themselves “working together” to try and complete their deliveries, although they are arguably more likely to get in each other’s way than actually help. Even though these types of games can be frustrating, Totally Reliable Delivery Service‘s quirky presentation and humorous attitude lend themselves to a hilarious rather than infuriating time.

Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes

Steam User Rating: 97%

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a party game with a high-stakes premise that could easily fuel the final act of a ’90s Hollywood blockbuster starring Steven Seagal. Essentially, the players are divided into two roles: one person has to defuse a bomb while being fed instructions by the rest of the group who have access to a manual. Naturally, the former must describe the bomb to the latter since they cannot view it, and the process is usually fairly complicated and intricate.

This setup creates an experience driven by frustration and laughter. It will test the group’s communication and listening skills through gameplay that should be accessible to most people, even those who might not be that familiar with gaming.

Stardew Valley

Steam User Rating: 98%

One of the most popular PC indie games of all time also happens to be a robust co-op split-screen package. Stardew Valley lets players live out their farming life, with a side of dungeon crawling. The base game is deep, expansive, and addictive; someone can only play solo and never feel like they are missing out on anything. However, Stardew Valley‘s co-op is well-executed as well.

After selecting “co-op” in the starting screen, players can decide to host or join a world. If they do the former, they will need to set up cabins for their guests, who will then act as farmhands. Even though they are not the “main” players, guests are able to do almost everything the host can.

Vampire Survivors

Steam User Rating: 98%

Vampire Survivors is firmly established as one of Steam’s most popular games, and that will not change anytime soon. While not initially included, local co-op was added to the project in August 2023 to coincide with the release of the Switch version, and it was a great addition that elevated an already immaculate project. Up to four players can team up to take on the waves of enemies, with each one being allowed to pick from the available characters and weapons. In execution, co-op does not alter Vampire Survivors too significantly; however, it does tweak a few things ever so slightly to take advantage of the multiplayer element. If someone enjoys the single-player iteration, they will likely have fun with local co-op.

Like nearly every update released for the game, Poncle’s implementation of co-op was well-thought-out, with the developers even introducing a few options to reduce the frustration that might result from having multiple similar-looking playable characters on the field. That said, co-op is just a bonus rather than something that defines Vampire Survivors.

Resident Evil 5

Steam User Rating: 87%

In February 2023, Capcom released a PC patch for Resident Evil 5 that removed the defunct Games for Windows Live and added split-screen support. The latter has been available on consoles for more than a decade, but this update was still a nice and random surprise for people who might be interested in revisiting RE5‘s PC port. Although local co-op is not too uncommon, PC split-screen games are fairly rare, so any new (or old) projects that embrace the feature tend to conjure up some excitement.

Now, as an actual game, RE5 is a mixed bag. Set in West Africa, the title abandons any horror elements in favor of full-blown action. While not quite as ridiculously outlandish as Resident Evil 6, its predecessor is still basically a blockbuster in video game form. RE5‘s saving grace is its well-implemented co-op as the campaign was specifically intended to be experienced in this mode.

Warriors Games

Steam User Rating: 83% (Samurai Warriors 5)

OK, Koei Tecmo’s Warriors games are the definition of an acquired taste. Some people find them cathartic and endlessly entertaining, while others find them shallow and boring. The same does extend to their co-op modes, which split the screen in two so that players can work together to clear a map. Co-op does not significantly alter the gameplay’s rhythm, but it does not diminish its strengths in any way either. Basically, if someone loves playing these solo, they will likely enjoy the co-op just as much or more so.

Now, there are many Warriors games on the market, be it Dynasty Warriors, Samurai Warriors, or the various Musou spin-offs. Most of the ones available on Steam support two-player co-op, and they are generally of similar quality. The main exceptions are Dynasty Warriors 9 and its Empires spin-off since they are among the weakest entries in the franchise. People looking for a place to start should go with either Samurai Warriors 5 or Dynasty Warriors 8, both of which represent Musou’s fast-paced hack and slash action at its finest. Anime fans might also want to try One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, which can be really fun presuming someone is familiar with the source material.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Steam User Rating: 94%

A polished beat ‘em up that is a loving throwback to the genre’s ’80s and ’90s classics while still adhering to modern standards, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a prime contender for the franchise’s best game. Featuring seven playable characters and supporting 6-player co-op, the 2022 release is intended to be played in multiplayer, although solo runners should still have a blast with the well-paced campaign. Still, co-op is the way to go here, and the combat system even incorporates a few moves that center around the feature.

Boasting beautifully retro visuals, tight gameplay, and a diverse roster of enemies and locations inspired by various points in the license’s history, Shredder’s Revenge is not only a must-play for TMNT fans but also for anyone remotely interested in beat ‘em ups.

Trine Games

Steam User Rating: 89% (Trine 4)

Frozenbyte’s Trine games are nearly all brilliant, with the only exception being the somewhat underwhelming third entry. Even then, The Artifacts of Power is still an above-average co-op experience. Each game follows a group of fantasy archetypes on a puzzle-platforming adventure.

Solo players can swap between the characters on the fly, and this is a core mechanic since puzzles require the use of the heroes’ unique abilities. In co-op, each player specializes in one of the characters as they come together to form a party ripped right out of D&D and classic fantasy stories.

All games’ campaigns support 3-player co-op; however,
Trine 4
‘s Unlimited Mode allows for a fourth person to join in.

Lego Games

Steam User Rating: 91% (Skywalker Saga)

Similar to Trine, Lego games are always a reliable choice for local co-op. Traveller’s Tales has fine-tuned the general gameplay and expanded the scope with each new entry, but someone’s preference is likely to come down to their preferred license.

While these titles offer co-op, they do not all support split-screen; therefore, if two players are specifically interested in that feature, they should double-check it is supported before purchasing a Lego game.

Steam has more
Lego
games than just the ones mentioned above.