Hand in Hand: Seven of the best cooperative games for friends
Projects with a local cooperative, which you can play with a friend while sitting on the same couch, come out quite often. However, many successful ones are lost, as not all developers focus on this mode. Izvestia has compiled a selection of recent games that can be enjoyed by the company.
Chained Together
Genre: 3D Platformer, Action, Adventure
When it was released: June 2024
Co-op: up to four players
What to play on: PC
There is a whole subgenre of platformers that seem to have been specially created in order to drive streamers to despair with their complexity. Perhaps the most famous examples are Only Up!, Jump King and Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. Although Chained Together looks like one of the most merciful representatives of the genre against their background, the game retains the complexity of such projects and adds a full-fledged cooperative. From two to four gamers are chained to each other and must escape from hell by overcoming a huge vertical map. As in Only Up!, users will have to jump on platforms, cling to ledges and climb higher. One mistake can lead to the loss of a significant part of the progress. It's this collective fear of falling down that makes the game so exciting.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate
Genre: roglike
When it was released: 2024
Co-op: up to four players
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
There are several dozen Ninja Turtle games, and they cover a wide variety of genres and game styles. Although co-op is not present in all projects of the series, for a franchise with four brothers in the main roles, playing together seems to be a completely natural solution. A lot of decent bitemaps have been released, and the developers of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate have decided to turn the adventures of famous heroes into a roguelike action game. The game was released after the phenomenal success of Hades, and the impact of the Supergiant Games hit is impossible not to notice. The project really successfully adapts the formula of the popular roglight to the TMNT universe, while offering enough of its own ideas not to look like a copy. The game begins with the kidnapping of Splinter's teacher. The turtles and their allies set out to rescue the mentor, fighting their way through armies of enemies and numerous bosses.
Absolum
Genre: beatmap, roglight
When she came out: October 2025
Co-op: up to two players
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
It seems that almost every few months another successful representative of the beatmap genre comes out, and most of them support both local and online cooperative play. Absolum is another gem created by the team that gave gamers the magnificent Streets of Rage 4. Compared to its predecessor, Absolum is even more dynamic and spectacular. The developers have added roglight elements to enhance the replayability and make each playthrough unique. For the genre, the game pays unusually much attention to the plot: in the dark fantasy world of Talam, magic was banned. King Azra seizes power, who begins to brutally persecute wizards and establishes a dictatorship. You need to play as a rebel hero and his squad, trying to overthrow a tyrant and restore freedom to the world.
Split Fiction
Genre: action, adventure
When it was released: March 2025
Co-op: two players
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
Another great adventure from the Hazelight studio. As with It Takes Two and A Way Out, you can't go through Split Fiction alone: the game is designed exclusively for two participants. The main characters are the writers Zoey and Mio. The former writes fantasy, the latter prefers science fiction. After the corporation steals their ideas, the worlds they created come to life. To get out of these realities, they have to travel through their own works and constantly work together. The game has a huge variety of mechanics and cooperative challenges that cannot be solved alone.
Rhythm Doctor
Genre: rhythm game
When it was released: December 2025
Co-op: up to two players
What to play on: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
After five years in early access, Rhythm Doctor has reached a full release in 2025. This is one of the most original rhythm games of recent years, and at the same time one of the most difficult. If you go through it in a cooperative, you will have to perfectly feel the tact and move with your partner as a whole. In addition to the gameplay, Rhythm Doctor boasts an excellent soundtrack and an unexpectedly strong story that tells about doctors, patients and work in an unusual hospital.
Rotwood
Genre: roglight
When it was released: March 2026
Co-op: up to four players
What to play on: PC, Nintendo Switch 2
A pleasant cooperative roglight bitmap with an exciting combat system, excellent animations and extensive character customization options, both cosmetic and affecting gameplay. After the release, Rotwood received a lot of positive feedback, but over time, the community's attitude became more restrained. Not all updates were received positively by the players, and the full-fledged release of version 1.0 took place at a time when there were already active disputes around some of the changes. The main complaint of gamers to this day remains the system of relics. But even with this drawback, Rotwood remains a high-quality cooperative action game with a fabulous plot. The world of the game is infected with a mysterious evil that turns animals and creatures into aggressive monsters. During the cataclysm, scientist Reynard Mulligan is killed, and his grandson Flitt gathers a team years later to get to the source of the infection and stop the spread of the taint. The player acts as a Hunter who joins Flitt's group.
Reanimal (18+)
Genre: Horror, action
When it was released: February 2026
Co-op: up to two players
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2
The studio that created Little Nightmares decided to fully realize its horror potential in this project. Players will control two children trying to escape from a creepy world inhabited by nightmarish creatures. You can also complete Reanimal alone, but many tests require active cooperation, which makes the project especially well-developed when you complete it together. From the point of view of mechanics, the game does not try to surprise with complex systems or unusual solutions. It largely follows the formula of Little Nightmares, offering to explore locations and solve simple puzzles. The power of Reanimal lies in the oppressive atmosphere, the elaborate environment, and the narrative with half—hints that add up to a creepy picture in the finale.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
