The 9 Best Couch Co-Op Games to Play With Friends and Family

Looking to kill some time with your family? Here are some great games that won't have you fighting over who goes next.
The 9 Best Couch Co-Op Games to Play With Friends and Family

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Having family around can mean scrambling for entertainment options. After all, you can only play Monopoly so many times before it starts to get old. Sure, you can play other board games, but what about video games?

Nobody wants to watch you play through the Halo games in a row again. Instead, why don't you pick up a few games that let you put those extra controllers to use?

9. Ultimate Chicken Horse

Okay, I'll be honest here: Ultimate Chicken Horse isn't really a cooperative game. You're trying to get to the goal while preventing other players from getting there, which isn't exactly cooperative in spirit.

That said, the game will have you laughing as you fail instead of shaking your head in frustration, and you can always opt to lend other players a hand if they're having a tough time.

8. Cuphead

Cuphead is a tough game, despite how friendly (and gorgeous) its retro cartoon graphics may look. You might think adding another player would take the edge off the challenge, but you'd be wrong.

The game ups the challenge accordingly when you add another player, but at least you're not loosing again.

7. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe

You might have memories of playing one at a time in older Mario games, but that's not the case here. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe supports up to four players running, jumping, and fireballing their way through levels.

While the aim is to play cooperatively, there's plenty of opportunity for griefing other players too if you happen to be that kind of family.

6. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a great game no matter how many people are playing it, but it can be a bit much trying to control your ship's various functions alone.

What better way to spend time with your family than to enlist them into helping you blast your way across the galaxy? Then you'll always be able to talk about that time you took that trip through space.

5. Unravel Two

The original Unravel was a cute, friendly platformer with some fun puzzles starring a character named Yarny.

As the name implies, Unravel Two lets you play as two Yarnys, which can make working your way through the puzzles more fun as you bounce ideas off of each other. The game's cute look means it's ultra family-friendly as well.

4. Rayman Legends

Rayman Legends was originally released in 2013, but keeps getting ported to new systems as they come out. That's a good thing as the game is so fun it deserves to be played, no matter the system you play it on.

Adding more players doesn't exactly make the game easier, but it definitely makes it even more fun, and it's a great way to have family members feel involved instead of like bystanders.

3. Snipperclips

If all you have is your Nintendo Switch but want to play some games with your family, Snipperclips is a great way to play.

All you need is the two JoyCons, though you can play with up to four players. This is a cooperative puzzle game that has you creating shapes out of each other, and while the challenge ramps up, it never gets frustrating.

2. Overcooked! 2

You might think a game about preparing and serving food would be boring, but Overcooked 2 is anything but. This game begins slowly, at least for the first 30 seconds or so.

After that it quickly picks up the pace, and you and your family will be frantically yelling orders back and forth to try to prep, cook, and plate as many dishes as you can as fast as you can.

1. Don't Starve Together

Don't Starve is a game about, well, not starving. Surviving in the game isn't easy, which is why the developer released a free expansion titled Don't Starve Together.

This game supports up to six players, which can make staying alive easier, but it's still not a cakewalk. You can optionally enable Player versus Player, which makes everything much more dangerous.