What are the best local multiplayer games on PS5? Video games have always had multiplayer, and playing them together with pals is some of the most fun you can have. There are so many great examples on PS5, and we need your help to find the best local multiplayer on the platform.
As mentioned, local multiplayer is as old as games themselves, and the ability to play together in the same room remains a staple despite the arrival of online play. On PS5, there are hundreds of games featuring local multiplayer options, and thus the variety of experiences is off the charts.
Fans of various sports are well catered for, with games like FIFA 22, Madden NFL 22, NBA 2K22, and other annual franchises offering local multiplayer. Similarly, if you enjoy a bit of racing, you can go split-screen with titles such as DIRT 5, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and WRC 10.
However, there's more to local multiplayer than sports and cars. It Takes Two, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Borderlands 3, and many more games offer excellent experiences for more than one player, and of course there are fighting games like Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate for when things get serious.
PS5 is a great place for fans of local multiplayer games, then, but which ones are the best? Well, that's where you come in. Below is our list of the best local multiplayer games on PS5, and it's entirely determined by our community. This list is ranked and rated solely by you lot, based entirely on your user scores for each game.
If you disagree with the order, or think a deserving game is missing, it's down to you to change things. Below is a search bar where you can type in any PS5 game with support for more than one player, and then award those games a rating from 1 to 10. Alternatively, you can click the star on any game's page to do the same and make yourself heard. These ratings are fed into this list, so have your say and watch it change over time!
Any game will need at least 20 ratings before it appears on this page. If there's a game you feel is missing from this list, it's possible the title just hasn't been rated enough times, so make sure you cast your votes.
Alright, let's have at it. Here's our list of the best local multiplayer games on PS5, as determined by you.
20. Chicory: A Colorful Tale (PS5)
If you're looking for a breather after those big, violent blockbusters, Chicory: A Colorful Tale is a perfect antidote. This charming indie game will pull you in with its adorable characters and cartoonish aesthetic, but it pairs all that with compelling gameplay and a touching story. You wield a magical brush with which you can paint the environment however you see fit, and you'll also use colour to solve puzzles and even fight bosses, solo or in co-op. An imaginative and heartfelt game.
19. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (PS5)
Two of the industry’s puzzle titans clash in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2, the sequel to SEGA’s absurdly addictive block-stacking mash-up. With support for up to four different players, and a variety of curiously compelling modes – including the bonkers Fusion, which sees you managing a board of Tetraminos and Puyos simultaneously – this vibrant outing will have you hooked from the very first line you clear. If you’re a fan of single player campaigns, then there’s even a cute story you can play through, and you can collect cards to boost your abilities in the brand new Skill Battle mode.
18. King of Fighters XV (PS5)
King of Fighters XV is very much a return to form for the long-running SNK series. The three-on-three fighter boasts a sizeable character roster and a respectable suite of gameplay modes, complete with smooth rollback netcode, should you decide to test your skills online. A pleasingly robust fighting game package.
17. Overcooked: All You Can Eat (PS5)
Overcooked: All You Can Eat serves up everything from Overcooked and Overcooked 2 in one delicious meal. All that content has been refreshed and remastered, with online play now spread across both games, and even more DLC added on top. The brilliance of this series is how it forces you to truly work together — if you don't, chaos can quickly take hold, and you'll never get those three-star ratings on each level. It's also extremely accessible, with easy-to-grasp controls and objectives. Looking better than ever on PS5, it's the ultimate way to enjoy one of the best co-op party games in recent memory.
16. F1 22 (PS5)
As is the case every year, Codemasters' F1 22 is another rock solid entry in the officially licensed racing series. Featuring all the season's teams and cars, this iteration ditched the story mode, instead focusing efforts on the robust Career modes. It also introduced F1 Sprint events for the first time, as well as supercars, allowing you to drive road-legal vehicles around some of the tracks.
15. Quake (PS5)
There are plenty of retro-tinged first-person shooters available these days, and many of them owe their existence to Quake. Following in the footsteps of id Software's DOOM, this game is viewed as one of the progenitors of the modern FPS; it was incredibly advanced at the time it originally launched. Now, it's fully playable on PS5, with upscaled visuals, local and online multiplayer, and even some brand new content. Horde mode is exactly what it sounds like, while the Dimension of the Machine expansion is a fresh chapter in the game's single-player campaign. Obviously this is a product of its time, but if you're in the mood for an old-school frag fest, this is a great choice.
14. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5)
The force is strong with this one. While there have been several instalments in the past, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the culmination of TT Games' previous efforts. Encompassing all nine mainline movies, this is a huge platformer adventure featuring all the most iconic sequences you remember from the big screen. When you're not progressing the story, it turns into a sandbox, letting you explore myriad locations from the films and play as one of hundreds of characters. Its gameplay is also more modern than the older LEGO Star Wars titles, sharpening up shooting and making combat more exciting. There's so much to see and do here that Star Wars fans need not play anything else for a while.
13. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS5)
Crash Bandicoot is one of PlayStation’s most iconic platforming heroes, and now that he’s double-jumped onto PS5, there’s no excuse for skipping Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time. This sequel stays true to the series’ origins, but it’s bursting with brand new ideas and jaw-dropping set-piece moments. Running at a flawless 60 frames-per-second in sparkling 4K resolution — and cutting those load times to almost nothing — this release is at its absolute best on Sony’s next-gen console.
12. F1 2021 (PS5)
F1 2021 is the best and most complete version of the annual motorsport simulator. As expected, it contains all the teams, cars, and tracks from the real-world season, and the in-depth career mode is as engrossing as ever. However, it's the ways the game broadens its appeal that really impress. Braking Point is a great introduction to the world of Formula One, offering not only a fun primer for the proper career modes, but a twist of drama with some cool characters. The addition of Two Player Career and other features make it a more flexible game, letting you really tinker with it to get the experience you want. Oh, and Codemasters' typically excellent handling model is a winner once again.
11. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance (PS5)
The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is the ultimate version of this beloved rogue-like shooter. With creepy overtones and a cartoonish aesthetic, it's not to everyone's tastes, but the addictive gameplay and sheer variety of potential builds you can create make it an incredibly moreish prospect. There's a ridiculous amount of stuff to see and discover here, and you can enjoy it in local co-op with three buddies, too.
Comments (22)
Sackboy is fantastic. It got me into the LBP franchise but literally 4 days after I started, the LBP 1, 2 and 3 servers were DDOSED. My god, the things people do to feel alive. At least the Vita version is okay.
Been thinking about getting Sackboy on PS4 since we have 2 controllers and not sure when I'll get a PS5, or a 2nd PS5 controller.
Is R&C: Drift Apart still 1 player only? I'd prefer it to be, but A4O had couch co-op and they seem to be pushing the female Lombax so I thought maybe.
Utterly redundant shortlist of a tiny handful of games that fit the criteria; just there for selling these games on Amazon and getting a percentage. Doesn't even mention Borderlands 3, presumerably because its too cheap.
This can go on the feedback article. Is anything happening with that?
I would agree with sackboy but now I wouldn't because the game locked me out of completing it on ps5. The second level on the fourth world just simply would not unlock and I couldn't continue. I've been on Reddit and lots of people are saying about it but I don't see it reported in the media.
@rjejr I had a chance to play Sackboy on PS4 once and while it lacks some cool little details and the haptic feedback of the PS5 version, it's still great
I still don't get how people enjoy Overcooked. I was more tense playing that split-screen than when I played at Smash tourneys (not boasting, totally didn't win btw) 😓
Does anyone know if you’re able to play Overcooked (the PS5 version, that is) with a PS4-controller? I hardly ever play local multiplayer and don’t really feel like buying another DualSense for a single game lol
@fingalf the dualshock does work on PS5 with most PS4 games. It doesn't work with PS5 exclusive games, however I don't know if Overcooked getting a PS5 update means it won't work on that game anymore. Do a Google search and see if someone's asked that about Overcooked on reddit or something.
@Voltan Yeah I can't imagine the PS4 and PS5 versions being all that different for a game like that on my 1080p tv.
I'm planning on buying a 4k tv in the next couple of weeks, ahead of a PS5 in June, but I'm nervous b/c all I can think about is how bad my PS4 and Switch games might look after all these years on the 1080p. My Wii (not U) was almost unwatchable on a 1080p screen after 5 or 6 years on my old 36" CRT. Zelda Twilight Princess in particular was harsh. I'm just hoping the fact that my 1080p tv is 12 years old means whatever pitfalls there may be about outputting 1080p to a 4k tv is made up for by the decade newer tech. I'm sure PS5 will look better on the 4k than the 1080p, and the few movies I stream. Recently upgraded from 100 to 300 just to make sure. (I know I only need 25 but we always have several devices going at once, we're a tech heavy household.)
Sorry 'bout the rant. 😁
Tried Overcooked with my girlfriend for the first time and as many times as reviewers shout from the rooftops how good it is, there needs to be more. I've never been blown away by co-op aspects of couch co-op games but I was amazed by how naturally it made us communicate and coordinate with each other. So so good
@Hyperluminal Overcooked All You Can Eat is the PS5 version - it contains levels from Overcooked 1 and 2 and a few new ones, as well as improved visuals, haptic feedback, online multiplayer for all levels (originally only available in O2) and so on. Interestingly enough, this version is coming to PS4 later this month.
@fingalf you can't use the DS4 for any native PS5 games but you could get the original PS4 game or wait for the PS4 version of All You Can Eat, which is coming soon, as I mentioned.
@Brydontk sounds like you're better at this game than most people. It's been known to cause a lot of screaming at each other in many households
I can't find it on "best ps4 local coop games", so I'll say this: don't forget river city girls on ps4, the local coop is really fun
As much as I love SM 3D World and think it's a better 1 player game than Sackboy, the latter has the better co-op mode imo.
@Voltan Bahaha really? Maybe we haven't gone far enough yet but it helps that she's not much of a gamer, she prefers watching when I play, so my expectations were tapered a bit. Made for chill experiences.
Shredder's revenge needs to get rated very highly on this list. Id personally put it at the top. So much fun to blast through with a few friends or the kids. Proper couch co-op fun with robust online.
Not gonna lie… this list makes me a little sad. 20 best couch multiplayer half of it is sports and racing and the other half is a lot of kind of meh games.
And still no Shredders revenge. Daft list that needs revising badly.
Agreed with number 1 wholeheartedly. The wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wouldn’t say PS5 is a particularly solid couch co-op system thus far. Bought the console January 2021 and I have played a co-op game exactly 0% of my time with the system. I wish the co-op library was stronger. My family plays co-op all the time with the Switch.
To the author. Thank you for writing about "offline, local multiplayer" bc it's important and played more often than people realize. The suggestion I would like to make is it would be more interesting if this was "exclusive to Playstation (with the exception of PC), co-op, versus or both". And keep the sport sims out of it too. It's a challenge but or starters and consideration I can think of some to talk about: Alienation, Dead Nation, Dragon's Crown, Fat Princess, Helldivers, I Am The Hero, Viking Squad, GigaBash...
I am also a video game lover. Have you tried Terraria yet? Recently it is quite popular and is interested by a lot of young people.
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