15 Best Games Like It Takes Two To Play For An Exhilarating Co-op Experience in 2024

Multiplayer and single-player games continue to dominate most of the games being released worldwide today. Still, co-op games are another genre that has quickly attracted its fair share of loyal following thanks to the lively games being released for them.

With the ever-increasing demand for players wanting to play games with their friends, families, or partners, Co-op games have steadily gained much traction lately among new and old gamers alike, and by the looks of things, it will only get better.

One of the major reasons why co-op games, in particular, are on the rise is mostly down to the fact that these expertly crafted co-op games allow players to experience all the action and excitement with a real person, doubling the entertainment value provided by it.

Speaking of providing entertainment value, no game conveys that feeling better than Hazellight Studios’ very own masterpiece, It Takes Two.

It Takes Two is a co-op action-adventure game with numerous platform game elements to keep things fun and interesting. Moreover, it is, to date, one of the few titles that was specifically designed for split-screen cooperative gaming, and it does a great job of utilizing the technology to provide its players with an unforgettable gaming experience they won’t forget in a hurry.

In this game, players take on the roles of Cody and May, a married couple who have mysteriously been converted into small, life-like dolls. With each other’s help, they must overcome various larger-than-life obstacles and challenges to try and not only save their faltering relationship but also find a way out of their current predicament.

So if you’re looking to play a fun and engaging co-op game with your loved ones, the games mentioned in the list below should guide you the right way and provide you with countless hours of entertainment.

1) A Way Out

A Way Out is an exclusive co-op, an action-adventure game in which players take on the role of two imprisoned convicts, Vincent Moretti and Leonard ‘Leo’ Caruso, who plan to execute a brave escape plan in exchange for their freedom.

In this game, the progress each player makes in the game is not synchronized, which means that when one player’s character is engaged in a cinematic cutscene, the other character can freely move around within the premises of the prison and take part in some other activities.

Using the two characters, players have to make them work in tandem with each other to make sure they carry out all the necessary steps required for their escape.

For example, a player may need to keep a lever of a door pulled for the other player to go in and procure an item of importance or distract a guard to enable the other player to sneak by unnoticed and accomplish a specific task.

On top of exclusively being a Co-op game, A Way Out is also specifically designed for split-screen co-op multiplayer gameplay, which means that the game does not contain a dedicated single-player mode at all and that two players are mandatory to play this game.

2) Core Keeper

Core Keeper is a pixel-graphic, top-down, action-adventure, survival-crafting sandbox game in which players take on the role of a miner who gets transported to an expansive procedurally generated underground cave system and must now fend off various enemy mobs they run into while also trying to find their way out of there.

Staying true to other popular sandbox games, Core Keeper gives players immense freedom to approach the game in whatever fashion they wish. Players wanting to mine, farm, forage, build a house or a castle, construct an expansive underground tunnel system, and kill legendary bosses can indulge in these activities whenever they see fit.

Although the game is very much playable as a singleplayer game, there is no doubt that the developers of this game intended it to be played with other players, as all the activities players might engage in, it instantly becomes more enjoyable in sandbox games like these when played with a fellow survivor.

3) Unravel 2

Unravel 2 is an adventure puzzle game in which players take control of two Yarnies, either in single-player mode or multiplayer mode, and try to solve various intriguing puzzles while exploring and traveling through picturesque and urban locations inspired by real-life Scandinavian environments.

In this game, players will have to use the two Yarnies to solve the various challenging puzzles and challenges to not only progress ahead in the game’s story but also to advance in certain challenging puzzle sections present in the game.

Using the environment will play a key role in solving certain difficult puzzles in this game, as players will need to jump, slide, swing, etc., to find the solutions they are looking for.

Although advertised as a single-player game, Unravel 2 is a better experience in co-op. So, if you want to play an engaging co-op game with decent music and excellent platforming elements, then definitely try this game.

4) Human: Fall Flat

Human: Fall Flat is a third-person adventure puzzle game in which players play as a human-like dummy called Bob, with their main objective being to solve the various physics-based puzzles and challenges the game throws at them.

Each puzzle in this game is open-ended, meaning players can approach it in any way they see fit, as each puzzle has multiple ways by which it can be solved, and the game encourages and rewards out-of-the-box thinking and ingenuity.

To make the playable character reflect their personality, players can customize their character by equipping them with many clothing options to help them stand out from the other dummies in the game.

5) Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince is an action-adventure, 2.5-D platformer game that allows players to control 3 characters, Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight, and switch between them at will, as they embark on an epic adventure to traverse through the beautiful map in the game and save the world from the Nightmare Prince’s evil shadow.

In this game, players will travel through various picturesque fairytale-inspired locations during their journies and meet a host of friendly faces. Additionally, players will also come across enemies that want to put an abrupt halt on their adventures; hence, players will have to utilize the various skills of their 3-in-1 heroes to reign supreme.

Players will also be faced with numerous intricate puzzles to solve, ranging from straightforward ones to more complex ones that include fire, electricity, air, etc.

One aspect that we liked a lot about the puzzle system in this game is that it scales in difficulty based on the number of players playing the game, which, in our book, was a nice twist to their overall challenge.

Since the game has multiple characters to play around with, playing it in co-op with another partner is a great idea as it makes all the mechanics of the game that much more enjoyable and seamless to experience.

6) Grounded

Grounded is an action-adventure, survival-exploration game where playable characters have been shrunk down to the size of ants and must try and survive against all the creepy-crawling infesting their backyard while also dealing with aspects like starvation and dehydration.

In this game, players must survive against the dangerous insects and creatures in the backyard by scavenging for various resources, exploring uncharted territories, and building their very own bases.

Players will encounter various insects like ladybugs, spiders, bees, etc., infesting the game’s world, and it will be up to them to arm themselves accordingly to survive against them.

Spiders, in particular, are the game’s main apex predators that players will encounter, but players are advised not to initially engage with them till they are strong enough to take them on.

Co-op is especially encouraged in this type of game as additional pairs of hands are a blessing in a hostile world like this. It allows players to harvest resources quicker, fight against enemies, and also assist in uncovering the reason behind their unique, shrunken situation.

7) Ibb & Obb

Ibb and Obb is a 2-D, side-scrolling, co-op puzzle game in which players take on the role of two blobs, a green blob creature called Ibb, and a pink blob creature called Obb, and try to help them navigate through a world where gravity goes both up and down.

In this game, two players must work in tandem to cross the many challenges placed in front of them as they progress through the game’s numerous levels.

If you are someone who enjoys playing challenging, gravity-defying games with their co-op partners, then this intriguing puzzle game has all the elements in place to be a great way to pass your time.

8) Cuphead

Cuphead is a side-scrolling, 2-D shoot-em-up game in which players take control of Cuphead as he goes on a quest to recover the souls of various other characters in the game’s world as a form of repayment to the devil himself.

In this game, players will take on numerous ‘levels’ where they must fight various smaller enemies before engaging with the main boss.

The game has three difficulty levels to choose from, simple, regular, and expert, but certain achievements and levels in the game are locked behind certain difficulty levels.

In the game’s co-op multiplayer mode, up to two players can play the game by choosing between Cuphead or Mugman and engaging in various challenging levels. It is worth pointing out that the game considerably scales up in difficulty when an additional player joins the game, so get ready for a lot of retries.

9) Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter Rise is an action-adventure, monster-slaying game in which players take on the role of a monster hunter who must embark on dangerous missions to try and hunt down some of the most feared monsters present in the realm.

To slay or catch the monsters, players will not only need to utilize various powerful weapons and tools to do the job for them, but they’ll also need to understand how the numerous environmental features present in the game’s world will be able to assist them in their fights.

In the game’s multiplayer mode, apart from powerful weapons, players can also call upon their friends’ help to experience the adventure with them.

The game follows quite a simplistic yet addictive gameplay loop in which players search and hunt various monsters, use the spoils of their hunt to craft better gear, and search for tougher monsters to face to unlock more powerful gear, and so on.

The game also comes with a seamless map that charts out the entire region with points of interest for the player to freely explore during their free sessions.

Unlike previous iterations in the Monster Hunter franchise, the terrain in Monster Hunter Rise has more verticality to it, so a new tool like the Wirebug, a type of grappling hook, is provided to the players for quick traversal.

10) Portal 2

Portal 2 is a first-person, puzzle-solving game in which players take on the role of a human named Chell in the game’s single-player campaign and ATLAS and P-Boy in its multiplayer campaign.

In this game, across both campaigns, players are tasked with exploring the mechanized maze called the Aperture Science Laboratory and try to solve the various puzzles scattered around in numerous test chambers with the help of their trusty portal-creating device, the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device.

While solving the numerous puzzles, players will come across elements that will aid them in moving forward to the next puzzle, like the orange and blue paint/gel and the modified storage boxes. The gel will coat certain tiles in the test chambers and allow players to form portals on them to open ways to previously inaccessible places.

Storage boxes have been modified a little, too, enabling them to not only allow players to use them to reach hard-to-reach places but also to be capable of redirecting laser beams to open locked doors and flipping switches found in the game’s world.

Also Read: Interested in playing more Co-op games? Check out our list of some of the best upcoming co-op games to play in 2023 and 2024.

11) Overcooked 2

Overcooked 2 is a co-op cooking simulation game where teams of up to 4 players come together to harvest, prepare, and cook various delicious dishes in various uniquely designed kitchens across its fantasy world and try to earn as many coins as possible until time runs out.

In this game, players will harvest and cook various delectable dishes for numerous customers across various locations like alien planets, magic schools, sushi restaurants, and more, with each location equipped with unique challenges that players will have to adapt to and overcome.

Apart from just procuring, chopping, and cooking dishes, players will also have to plate them up, serve them to the customers, and even wash crockery when required.

The game features a detailed overworld map allowing players to select areas they would like to visit to meet specific challenges. Throughout their journey, players will be required to prepare a wide variety of dishes from varied cuisines ranging from pizzas, burgers, and sushi, to more uncommon preparations.

Although the game sounds quite calm, it is anything but, as the time allocated to a particular gameplay session is usually quite less, and players receive quite a lot of orders to be prepared simultaneously, so it is fair to say the atmosphere in the kitchen becomes quite hectic.

12) Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime is a co-op, action-adventure space shooter game in which up to four players can play together and are tasked with maneuvering a spaceship through space and keeping it in one piece while fighting endless waves of alien enemies.

To fight off the forces of anti-love and defend their spaceships against their relentless barrage of attacks, players will have to manage all the various intricate stations located inside the spaceship, including the engines, weapons, shield systems, etc., to have any chance of making it through.

Players playing this game will control a character of their choice and will have to always be on their toes as they will have to juggle between maneuvering the ship and battling the endless waves of anti-love forces. Collaboration is key in this game as every character is important in this game, provided they man their stations efficiently.

The spaceships players will use in this game are upgradable but players will first need to find hidden gems scattered around the game’s world. On acquiring the gems, players will unlock access to unique abilities and skills that will give them and their ships an upper hand against the evil adversaries.

13) Haven

Haven is a third-person, action-adventure, exploration-based game with survival elements in which players take on the roles of Yu and Kay, two lovers, as they try to settle down on a seemingly unoccupied planet called Source after leaving their home planet.

In this game, players must explore the unknown planet and scavenge for resources that will help them survive. Moreover, players will face numerous hostile creatures on the planet, and both partners will have to come together and defeat them using their attacks in sync with each other.

Players will also have a crashed spaceship at their disposal which will act as their base, called Nest where they can freely rest, cook, or spend quality time with their better halves when in it.

Traversal plays a major role in this game as players will be required to travel to various points in the game to either collect resources or progress the game’s story. To make traveling effortless, both the characters are equipped with anti-gravity boots, that enable them to glide through the air.

Although primarily advertised as a single-player title, players can easily play it through co-op as well, with one player taking control of Yu and the other of Kay, and experience the love story of the two lovers first-hand.

14) Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons is a cozy story-driven platform game in which players must guide two brothers through a fantasy land to find and bring a cure, the ‘water of life’, to their ailing father.

In this game, players will embark on an epic journey where they will traverse through numerous dangerous locations, fight epic boss battles, and solve many intriguing puzzles.

What this game lacks in terms of its somewhat simplistic gameplay mechanics is that it more than makes up for it with sheer heart and emotions.

Players looking to experience the heart-touching story of these two brothers alongside another player in co-op mode are in for a treat, as although this game can be played solo, the exploration and puzzles especially are better off in co-op, to give players a more immersive experience.

15) Don’t Starve Together

Don’t Starve Together is an open-world, action-adventure, survival-simulation multiplayer game in which players have to explore a procedurally-generated world jam-packed with various monsters, flora, fauna, and allies and survive against them, all while trying to establish their very own little base in the unknown lands.

The game’s main objective is for players to survive against the plethora of enemies for as long as possible, all while trying to make useful allies and set up their very own bases to call home in the process as well.

This game acts as a standalone multiplayer expansion of the base game, Don’t Starve, and is perfect for players looking to play this challenging game in co-op with their friends and family, as having another pair of hands in this game’s unforgiving world will do wonders for everyone concerned and will make all the in-game activities more engaging to indulge in.

And there you have it. These were some of the best co-op multiplayer games we could find for you all today that play a lot like It Takes Two, and we are sure they will give you countless hours of enjoyment and help you create some truly memorable co-op experiences.

Please keep coming back to this post from time to time if you ever need to know which are the best co-op games to dive into, as we’ll keep updating this post regularly by adding more top co-op games to this list to keep things fresh, as and when they are available to play.