What are the best co-op games on PS5? For as long as video games have been around, there have been cooperative experiences to share with your friends and family. Co-op games are as prolific as ever on PS5, and we need your help to find the best examples.
Playing a co-op game can be one of the most enjoyable ways to play. There are obviously countless examples of competitive multiplayer, but buddying up with others to tackle a common goal can be just as rewarding, if not more so. The cooperative element can be as simple as an extra mode that's a side act to the main game — Returnal is a great example — or it can become the focal point of a title's whole experience, as seen with It Takes Two.
Whatever the case, playing alongside others is often hilarious fun as you strive to work together. Local couch co-op is arguably the best experience, especially with games such as Overcooked: All You Can Eat, but online co-op can be just as entertaining. Back 4 Blood and Deep Rock Galactic are proof you don't need to be in the same room to have a blast.
Just from our given examples, you can see that co-op games on PS5 are super varied. In order to find the best of the best, we need the Push Square community to determine which games feature on this list, and in what order. Yes, by rating co-op games, you'll have a direct impact on how this list looks. This page is driven purely by you and your rankings.
The easiest way to take part is to use the below search bar. Find a PS5 game featuring co-op, then click the star and choose your personal rating from 1 to 10. Doing so will influence what games appear on this list, and in what order!
Note: A game will need at least 50 ratings before it arrives on this page. If there's a game you think is missing from this page, it might just need a few more ratings to make an appearance — use the search bar and get those ratings in.
Without further ado, here are the best co-op games on PS5, as decided by you.
20. Diablo 2: Resurrected (PS5)
The resurrection of a real role-playing classic, the aptly named Diablo 2: Resurrected is an expansive remaster of Blizzard's 2000 title. While this is still very much the Diablo 2 from over two decades ago at its core, Resurrected does bring some welcome quality of life updates to the table, and the ability to jump between the original and revamped visual styles is a nice feature. All in all, the gameplay's a bit wonky by today's standards, but that old school atmosphere is hard to beat.
19. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (PS5)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War may have largely been considered a safe instalment for Activision’s juggernaut first-person franchise, but its campaign introduces some interesting wrinkles for the series. For starters, there’s more player agency than ever before, making this a thrill ride you actually have an active role in shaping. One level, which sees you undertake undercover activities in a KGB headquarters, is more Hitman than Call of Duty – and a truly refreshing change of pace. This is, of course, all anchored by the traditional set-piece spectacle you’d expect to find from the series, and a solid multiplayer suite spanning some genuinely sumptuous maps, including a highly detailed 80s mall.
18. Borderlands 3 (PS5)
Gearbox's popular looter shooter is back in typical style with Borderlands 3, and it looks and plays better than ever on PS5. While it doesn't innovate on older entries all that much, the third game in the franchise is probably the best. Improved gameplay makes the act of firing weapons a joy, there's a tonne of variety in quests and guns, and that signature love-or-hate humour is very much in place. It shines brightest on Sony's current-gen machine, too, thanks to boosted visuals and up to 120 frames-per-second on the right display. There are few better co-op shooters out there — this is an absolute blast with friends, whether playing locally or online.
17. Sniper Elite 5 (PS5)
Not every game needs to be revelatory, and Sniper Elite 5 proves that knowing your audience is sometimes all it takes. Gruff protagonist Karl Fairburne’s fifth outing takes him to occupied France, where he must put a stop to a MacGuffin plot named Operation Kraken. A mix of stealth and long-range skirmishes makes for a supremely satisfying blend, with Rebellion’s dense, vertical level design truly on target here. New wrinkles include an Axis Invasion mechanic, which allows competing players to infiltrate your single player campaign, upping the tension immensely. This a familiar outing overall, but a well-executed one – Sniper Elite just doesn’t miss.
16. Far Cry 6 (PS5)
After a few forgettable entries, Far Cry 6 found the fun again. Of course, there’s an undeniable familiarity here: you play as Dani – either male or female – and must work alongside a ragtag group of guerrillas to liberate the beautiful landscape of Yara from the rule of a menacing dictator named Antón Castillo. But while the core formula remains intact, there’s fun to be found in the emergent combat gauntlets and DIY armaments, with a backpack rocket launcher and Walkman assault rifle among some of the highlights. If you’re ever in need of open world comfort food, then you can’t really go wrong here.
15. Dying Light 2 (PS5)
The original Dying Light game might have gone under the radar critically, but it certainly sold impressively well on PS4. As such, expectations were high for this PS5 sequel, with developer Techland promising all sorts of narrative choices and intriguing story beats. And while the finished product didn't live up to those claims, the actual open world title is still a fun one. Looking for something to turn your brain off to and start slicing and dicing the undead? You can't do much better than Dying Light 2. Complete with an awesome parkour moveset, traversal has never felt this good.
14. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (PS5)
Team Ninja puts its action RPG experience to good use in Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. While it shares some of its DNA with the Nioh series, this game makes enough changes to stand apart. With a heavier emphasis on parrying and poise, the combat is intense and frantic, though no less challenging. Based loosely on the famed Romance of the Three Kingdoms, you'll team up with many legendary warriors as you fight against an evil force. Once you get used to this game's rhythms, it delivers some truly satisfying action.
13. Destiny 2 (PS5)
Bungie's online shooter is still at the top of the pile when it comes to gunplay, although there's no denying that Destiny 2 is a tough nut to crack if you're completely new to the sci-fi sequel. Get stuck in, though, and you'll find an abundance of quality content to chew on. Campaigns, co-op missions, competitive multiplayer — it's a game that feels like it's fit to burst at points, and the aforementioned action is the glue that holds everything together.
12. Dead Island 2 (PS5)
It took nearly 10 years to materialise, but against all odds, Dead Island 2 is a great zombie-slaying adventure. Set in Los Angeles, you work your way through various open levels as you fend off the undead with a wide variety of weapons and abilities. The story isn't anything too special, but the game makes up for it with gloriously gory action and a rounded, well-realised setting. If you just want to smash open some zombie skulls, look no further.
11. No Man's Sky (PS5)
The initially rough reception of No Man's Sky can safely be put to bed. Hello Games has stayed fully committed to its procedurally generated space exploration adventure, fleshing it out with a staggering number of huge updates. Not only does the game look and run much better these days, it's bursting with things to see and do, and that's without considering the 18 quintillion planets waiting to be discovered. The PS5 release is the best version you can play on console, too, with minimised load times, great DualSense integration, and now even optional PSVR2 support.
Comments (46)
"Elden Ring’s crowning achievement is taking a relatively niche gameplay loop – refined over the years with Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, et al – and presenting it to the masses. FromSoftware’s open world magnum opus is a staggering achievement: a sandbox bursting at the seams with vulgar secrets, all presented with enough ambiguity to make combing every square inch of its dramatic Lands Between backdrop feel like true discovery. With a complex combat system enabling an eclectic array of gameplay styles, and some of the most devilish encounters in gaming history, this is an unmissable experience – and then some."
I don't get it. This does not help me in any way understand how co-op works in this game.
Same for most of the rest. Also, how Demon's Souls is above It Takes two as a co-op game is beyond me.
If a game can't be a single player game because it does have some multiplayer/co-op component, then a co-op game can't be one if you can play it alone, right? Using Pushsquare logic here.
You need to be more consistent with these lists. You change what exclusive "means" every time too.
Weird seeing Soulsborne games dominate the co-op list. I guess I'm in the minority of playing those games primarily single player? Last thing I want ruining my immersive Elden Ring experience is the threat of being invaded, seeing thousands of messages littering the ground, and a bunch of player ghosts jumping around. Plus the co-op in those games are always so unintuitive.
In terms of local co-op, It takes two, followed by overcooked 2. Haven’t really found anything else we like, although that Haven looks interesting.
This list is based off of the games PS rating. I feel they need to be reviewed for multiplayer instead.
To clarify: the list is actually based on the Push Square USER score, not our review scores. If you disagree with anything on the list and want things to change, get those user ratings in.
Removed - unconstructive
@Blaze215 It is Easter Monday.
@Jayslow if you play it in offline mode you will only ever get invaded by the npc's in the game..
My choice:
@Quintumply I must thank you though since I was about to purchase diablo 2 to play couch co op with my gf. Can't believe it doesn't have local
Create a list of dedicated local co-op. In no order but should be on this list...
Castle Crashers 4p
Alienation* 4p
Guns, Gore, Canoli 1&2 4p
Dragon Crown Pro* 4p
Helldivers* 4p
and a couple I came across recently but there's a whole bunch more...
I am the hero*
Streets of Red*
*PS exclusive
It would be nice to have a few words about the co-op experience in each summary. For example Elden Ring is super easy to play with a friend, but I had heard that Demons Souls is a major pain.
“Let Me Solo Her” would like to have a few words
The ascent is pretty good in co-op online and offline..c'mon people lets see those votes .
So this list is just "The Highest Rated Games that Have a Co-Op Option". Which are not necessarily the best games to play co-op.
I had to double check what I was reading, as I thought it was a co-op list. Less than half the games on here would be classed as true co-op. Going by this list, it seems every game is co op, as all you do is hand the controller over to your friend if they want a go 🙄
But seriously, the best co-op games IMO are the Borderland series, Destiny 2, Overcooked, A Way Out, Lego Skywalker Saga, every Lego game..
@Blaze215 Wait it doesn't? Kind of dumb since III has it lmfao
@JosephTheSheik I know right, I just assumed it would since I played through III on local so this list has saved me a purchase.
For me it's Streets of Rage 4. Had do much fun playing this.
Gotta be honest, I’m pretty surprised RAINBOW 6: Extraction didn’t make the list. I know it’s nothing ‘revolutionary’, but it’s an incredibly solid, competent and very fun co-op FPS which can also be played solo. I’d certainly put it above some of the other games on this list but to each their own….
I was really looking forward to this list as I'm always on the lookout for couch co-op multiplayer games with my kids, but as many have pointed out, this list is best rated game (with even vague mp elements), rather than best co-op experience - so a really mis-leading list IMHO!
I think a personally curated list would be far better here, and I think there is enough true multiplayer games to split your list between mp and couch co-op.
How Streets of Rage 4 (great couch co-op game!) "avoided" this list is beyond me! And the myriad of Lego games...
Adding to this list, is Spelunky and the subtly improved Spelunky 2.
@Pushbuttons, some other great ideas, which I'd like to try out
@naruball That's because they are just using user ratings to rank them and sticking the summary and pros/cons from each review. They are making the same article each time but with a different opening paragraph and genre filter. The lists, regardless of purpose, are all ranked the same way. It's quite frankly become very low effort and not of the quality this site is known for.
@Jaz007 thanks. I didn't realize that until I read some of the comments, including yours. I just don't get what the point of such a list is. Like, now I feel less inclined to click on the next list they publish, if it's gonna be as... unhelpful as this one.
Hopefully, the constructive feedback we left here will be taken into account and some more effort can be put into these lists.
@thefourfoldroot my wife and I enjoyed Haven. Nice and chill, well-written central relationship, some genuinely funny moments to discover with a bit of exploration.
It Takes Two is great.
This list seriously misses Lovers in a Dangerous Space-time, Helldivers and Towerfall Ascension which are all excellent. We also really enjoyed Haven.
Finally, Surgeon Simulator as co-op is one of the biggest laughs you can have with a partner.
Hey, overcooked is fantastic, the best game for me on this list, because for me, only a few games on this list I truly considered co-op.
I do not understand why you say Elden Ring has too many loading screens, you load once into a game and that's it. You only get loading screens if you die or fast travel, and even then it only takes like 2 seconds on PS5
@Jaz007 @naruball Fair feedback. We're using some new tools here that we think in the long-run are going to make these articles better.
In the past these articles have been been down to editorial opinion, which has proven:
The goal here is to use some new tools to put the power in the readers' hands, which we think is a more positive approach to take. This will make these lists more dynamic and representative of the wider communities' tastes, as games mature and opinions change.
However, we appreciate this comes with some teething problems:
Ultimately, while there are disadvantages, I think moving forward this will be the right approach for these. Admittedly, as we adopt a new direction there will inevitably be teething troubles.
Hopefully you understand better now what we're trying to do, though, at least!
The other thing I'd add is that we envisage these lists being relevant for several years (the entire generation of the PS5 and beyond) so while I understand you perhaps have concerns with what you're seeing on the page today, allow us a bit more time to further develop them because this is just v1.0 right now.
I do appreciate the feedback, though, it'll help us moving forward as we continue to expand on these. 👍
@get2sammyb "...we envisage these lists being relevant for several years (the entire generation of the PS5 and beyond)..."
With backwards compatibility, graphic and framerate improvements, PS4 games should be included in the conversation especially those that receive performance updates
@get2sammyb, Thanks for the insight, and yeah that third point is the biggest problem right now. Appreciate that you are attempting to automate as much as possible to free up time for other things that I'm sure need more curation, but be warned, we all give developers hell for releasing stuff in 'beta' state, so y'know us folk and our pitchforks....
@AnotherLuke, yeah another good shout with Lovers in a dangerous spacetime, and Towerfall Great 4 player games also, with Lovers a great intro into team work!
I did try Helldivers, but I got bored after my kids found it more hilarious to blast me to pieces, rather than the aliens
To anyone else reading these comments for other local multiplayer ideas, I forgot these too:
Puyo Puyo Tetris (or no 2)
Super Bomberman R (or online!, if you're hardcore enough)
Trine games
Unravel 2
Ghost of Tushima Legends is quite deep and fantastic game. It should be on this list. Haven’t bought single player yet but I am now level 120 with Samurai.
@PushButtons Yeah, it’s a tricky one with BC. I see the lists remaining separate (at least for now) but with better crosslinking.
Overcooked and the new Sackboy for sure.
big lol on Elden Ring, jesus, it will win best RPG, action game, walking simulator, co-op and maybe even best sports game now?
Wow. This list is terrible and most co op fans will agree. I get it, Ellen ring is amazing. Soul games are amazing. But for co op fans, there are much better games to scratch that itch.
—Which games are couch co-op?
***How many can play together?
—Which games are online co-op only?
***How many online users?
***Is it cross-platform online co-op? (a la Deep Rock Galaxy’s PS4 & PS5 users can play together)
***Is it PvP or PvE or do the players work together?
—Does the game shine most brightly as a 1 player game (like Returnal sounds like it is from the write-up) or is the main focus of the game the co-op aspect (a la It Takes Two and/or Overcooked)?
Demon Souls and Elden Ring write-ups don’t even mention they’re multiplayer in the write-up. If they are truly THE BEST multiplayer games for the PS5, what’s so great about the multiplayer mode(s)?
I don’t mean to be negative, I just need more info, especially so I know what games I can play on the couch with my daughter. Thanks!!
Tribes of Midgard is actually a fantastic co op which has surprised me immensely. Me and my brother have sunk many many hours into it. I’d say it is more worthy of this list than some of the other games mentioned as it is actually a co op in the more traditional sense.
OUTWARD! It's at least better than half of these games in co-op.
Some of these games mentioned are a very weird choice to put on this list, particularly Demon’s Souls and Elden Ring. Those games are great, but co-op is a backdrop and not really that fluid. There are many other games that could have easily replaced those games, such as Streets of Rage 4, TMNT Shredder’s Revenge, and Diablo 3. To each their own, however.
@thefourfoldroot Take a look at Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Gameplay is 2D, but chaotic multiplayer like Overcooked.
@BlackMayge Agreed… there are so many Beat ‘Em Ups that could’ve made the list.
@PushButtons Helldivers and Alienation are great. In the same genre is the Ascent which is awesome too
Really?!?!? Who wrote this? My grand mother???? Ehhh, you missed Unravel 2. Great of this game is you can play it with a friend but also not to go for some great score or smth bit play with your kid.
Absolutely TERRIBLE CO-OP list.
Not a great list for the reason others have pointed out.
IMO Sackboy should be higher, brilliant game.
Is divinity on here? If not it should
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