The Switch had a strong launch mostly due to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but one of the system’s other best titles released at launch as well. Snipperclips lets you and a friend, or three other friends, team up as little paper people. The core mechanic of the game lets you and your friends cut up each other’s bodies, and you’ll need to use that ability to solve a wide variety of puzzles.
best couch co op games 2017
Mario+Rabbids is primarily a single player affair, but after beating the first world you’ll also have the ability to play co-op. The game’s co-op comes in five different campaigns, each of which have you and a friend playing through various challenges with two teams. Mario+Rabbids is a strange ride, made even more fun with a buddy.
best couch co op games 2017
Call of Duty has long been a staple of couch co-op gaming, and WWII is no different. The series’ famously popular zombies mode returns, letting you and a buddy jump in to fend off waves of the undead. Of course, if you start to get tired of zombies you can always jump online with some splitscreen multiplayer.Sadly, however, WWII’s campaign is not playable in splitscreen.
best couch co op games 2017
Super Mario Odyssey may not seem like the obvious choice for a co-op game, but it can certainly be a blast. While it is a traditional 3D Mario game, you can play co-op by having one player control Mario, and the other control Cappy. It’s a little more involved than single player, letting the Cappy player collect coins, remove obstacles, boost Mario jumps, and more.
best couch co op games 2017
JRPGs aren’t generally known for being co-op games, but Tales has a long-standing tradition of letting two players pick up a controller. Tales of Berseria lets two players take control in every battle in the game. Of course, it’s still a lengthy JRPG with plenty of cut scenes and exploration. Still, if you have a friend that’s into this kind of experience, Berseria isn’t a bad choice.
best couch co op games 2017
Nex Machina is a twin-stick shooter that can stand up there with the best of them, filling your screen with crazy enemies and flashy attacks. The game feels like a throwback to the arcade hits of yesteryear, and its great pacing helps things flow smoothly. Two players can play through its entirety, making it the perfect option for an evening of gaming.
best couch co op games 2017
There’s an entire genre of Diablo-like games out there, and fans are always looking for a good co-op title. Vikings – Wolves of Midgard doesn’t have quite the depth or storytelling of Diablo, but it’s a good Diablo-like with a unique Norse setting. Two players can play through it in co-op, and the game even throws in some unique gameplay elements like having to contend with the cold.
best couch co op games 2017
Sonic Mania brought a glorious return to the blue blur of yesteryear, and it’s the best title we’ve gotten from the series in a long, long time. Its retro aesthetic has you blazing through hills and jumps as Sonic, and even better, your friend can jump in as either Tales of Knuckles.
Recommended Videos
Snipperclips: Cut it Out Together
The Switch had a strong launch mostly due to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but one of the system's other best titles released at launch as well. Snipperclips lets you and a friend, or three other friends, team up as little paper people. The core mechanic of the game sees you and your friends cut up each other's bodies, and you'll need to use that ability to solve a wide variety of puzzles.
Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
Mario + Rabbids is primarily a single-player affair, but after beating the first world you'll also have the ability to play co-op. The game's co-op comes in five different campaigns, each of which has you and a friend playing through various challenges with two teams. Mario + Rabbids is a strange ride, made even more fun with a buddy.
Call of Duty: WWII
Call of Duty has long been a staple of couch co-op gaming, and WWII is no different. The series' popular zombies mode returns, letting you and a buddy jump in to fend off waves of the undead. Of course, if you start to get tired of zombies you can always jump online with some splitscreen multiplayer. Sadly, however, WWII's campaign is not playable in splitscreen.
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey may not seem like the obvious choice for a co-op game, but it can certainly be a blast. While it is a traditional 3D Mario game, you can play co-op by having one player control Mario, and the other control Cappy. It's a little more involved than single-player, letting the Cappy player collect coins, remove obstacles, boost Mario jumps, and more.
Cuphead
Cuphead's art style is easily one of 2017's best, but it also turned out to be one of the best co-op titles of the year as well. The entire game is playable in co-op, with the players controlling Cuphead and Mugman. The 2D platformer is a blistering challenge, so bringing a friend along is honestly the best way to play.
Tales of Berseria
JRPGs aren't generally known for being co-op games, but Tales has a long-standing tradition of letting two players pick up a controller. Tales of Berseria lets two players take control in every battle in the game. Of course, it's still a lengthy JRPG with plenty of cutscenes and exploration. Still, if you have a friend that's into this kind of experience, Berseria isn't a bad choice.
Nex Machina
Nex Machina is a twin-stick shooter that can stand up there with the best of them, filling your screen with crazy enemies and flashy attacks. The game feels like a throwback to the arcade hits of yesteryear, and its great pacing helps things flow smoothly. Two players can play through its entirety, making it the perfect option for an evening of gaming.
Tooth and Tail
Tooth and Tail is a lite console RTS, with an absolutely unique aesthetic filled with anthropomorphic animals in a French Revolution kind of setting. It boils down the core ideas of an RTS and simplifies it into a system that's quick and responsive. Two players can team up to take on the AI in a variety of match types.
Vikings - Wolves of Midgard
There's an entire genre of Diablo-like games out there, and fans are always looking for a good co-op title. Vikings - Wolves of Midgard doesn't have quite the depth or storytelling of Diablo, but it's a good Diablo-like with a unique Norse setting. Two players can play through it in co-op, and the game even throws in some unique gameplay elements like having to contend with the cold.
Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania brought a glorious return to the blue blur of yesteryear, and it's the best title we've gotten from the series in a long, long time. Its retro aesthetic has you blazing through hills and jumps as Sonic, and even better, your friend can jump in as either Tales or Knuckles.
The LEGO Ninjago Movie Video Game
LEGO games have always been great for co-op, and their revolutionary adaptive splitscreen feature changed the game for local multiplayer. Ninjago is yet another brick in the road of LEGO games, but this time around the combat is a bit improved. Ninjago doesn't have the huge open environments of other games, but it does have combat that gives you combos and special moves to play around with.
Conga Master Party!
Conga Master Party is a game all about, well, building the longest conga line you can. The Switch version of the game comes with a few different co-op modes, letting you race against a friend to build the longest conga line. You can even throw them for a few loops by using abilities like stealing your opponent's conga members.
Wulverblade
Wulverblade plays like a classic side-scrolling beat 'em up, and it has the difficulty to match it. It sports a unique hand-drawn aesthetic that uses elements of Norse mythology and Medieval influences. Hacking and slashing with a friend can be great fun, and help with the difficulty.
ARMS
ARMS may be a fighter, which typically focus on 1vs1 matches, but in typical Nintendo fashion, there's a wealth of co-op options as well. Grand Prix, Versus, and Party modes are all playable in co-op. Considering there's 2vs2 battles and other various match types, this can be one seriously fun local multiplayer experience.
Brawlout
Brawlout might help scratch that itch for fans clamoring over a new entry in the Super Smash Bros. series. It doesn't feature the iconic roster of characters, but there's a host of original ones joined by the likes of Gucamelee and Hyper Light Drifter. Gameplay-wise Brawlout is very similar to Smash, with hit percentages, flying off the screen, and all.
Spelunker Party
Spelunker Party is another experience that can be entirely played in co-op or single player. The game is based on the 1983 NES Platformer Spelunker, but is actually an updated version of the rerelease from 2015, Spelunker World. It's a challenging platformer, and while it isn't super heavy on content, the entire game can be played through with up to four players.
Nine Parchments
Nine Parchments comes from the developers of Trine, another interesting co-op game, and it plays a lot like Magicka. You and up to four other friends control spellcasters in twin-stick style, that can use a variety of spells against enemies. There are a lot of different options for spell combinations, and things can get pretty hectic when playing with friends.
NHL 18
NHL 18 provides a wealth of multiplayer options for players, with co-op playable both online and locally. A friend can jump in and help you in Hockey Ultimate Team, online vs, and the incredibly fun new mode EA Sports NHL Threes.
Death Squared
Death Squared is a devilishly hard puzzle game that requires you to move blocks around, with you yourself playing as a colored block. The game is actually designed to be played in co-op, although you can play it in single player. Bring along up to three other friends, but make sure they're ready to put their thinking caps on.
Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the critically-acclaimed sequel from Larian Studios, providing players with a vast, intricate world to explore. It can also be played entirely in co-op. There's a ton of options for working cooperatively with friends and screwing with them, like stealing a sword and then gifting it to your friend. The huge gameplay variety in Original Sin 2 runs even deeper in co-op.
FIFA 18
FIFA has always been a go-to title for co-op gaming, and FIFA 18 gives you more options than ever for playing with a friend. Whether you want to jump right in for some quickplay or play a co-op season in FIFA 18 Ultimate Team, there are plenty of options to keep you and your soccer-loving friend occupied.
Raiden V: Director's Cut
When Raiden V originally launched on PS4 it strangely didn't include co-op, to the dismay of fans. Luckily the Director's Cut rectifies that mistake, while adding on a host of new levels and unlockables. Raiden is a legendary shoot 'em up series, and now with the addition of co-op Raiden V can stand up with the best of them.
Star Wars Battlefront 2
Star Wars Battlefront 2's launch was mostly surrounded by loads of controversy, but underneath all that there's still a decent time to be had with a friend. You can play through the game's arcade mode or skirmishes with co-op. Sadly, however, you can't play in the standard multiplayer or campaign with co-op. Keep in mind too, if you just want to try it out you can play the first 10 hours of Battlefront 2 through EA Access.
Sky Force Reloaded
Sky Force Reloaded is the sequel to a mobile shoot 'em up that was ported to consoles, and it brings a wealth of content for two players to invest in. All 15 of the game's levels are playable in co-op, and also have multiple difficulty levels, meaning you can jump back in a few times. In traditional shmup fashion things get hectic quick, especially with two players.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2
While Ninjago changed up LEGO's combat system for something more engaging, Marvel Super Heroes 2 gives you more of what you know and love about LEGO games. There's a massive open world area to explore and a staggering amount of playable characters. Combine that with a fun and hilarious story, and you've got one of the best LEGO games to date.
About the author
Hayes Madsen
A connoisseur of all things RPG related, and always looking for the artistic expression in gaming. His love of Gundam is only matched by his love of Pizza. Playing Games Since: 1991 Favorite Genres: RPGs, JRPGs, Strategy,