If there was any doubt before that Josef Fares and his team at Hazelight Studios were the kings and queens of co-op gaming, then Split Fiction erased that.
The game has headlined what has already been a great year for couch co-op in general, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. For years, Fares and company have delivered co-op hit after co-op hit with Game of the Year winner It Takes Two, A Way Out, and now Split Fiction.
Is it the king of co-op games, though? Some may say it is, but that’s a more opinion-based take. Luckily, we have science on our side and can rank co-op games based on their critical scores. To be honest, we were a little surprised to see so many games fare better than Split Fiction, but if anything, it proves how strong the genre is.
Split Fiction sits at a rating of 91, so which co-op games have managed to best this impressive mark?
By definition, a co-op game is a video game in which two or more players collaborate to achieve a common goal. These games come in all shapes and sizes, so we’re keeping an open mind here while ranking them based on their Metascore.
10
Team Fortress 2
Some of my fondest college memories revolve around co-op adventures from Valve games.
While Left 4 Dead may not have scored as highly as I would have liked to qualify here, Team Fortress 2 does, and if you spent any time playing during its heyday, it’s easy to see why.
Grouping up with friends and participating in one of the best games of the 2000s delivered an unparalleled experience. Don’t get me wrong; there were plenty of other great shooters during that decade. But few, if any, matched Team Fortress 2 and its importance placed on teamwork and co-operative gameplay.
Valve released a PVE co-op experience, Mann vs. Machine, in 2012, which was a very welcome addition. Did it match the highs of traditional Team Deathmatch? No, but it was still a great way to have fun with friends.
9
Minecraft
Do you know what’s more fun than creating your own custom world in Minecraft? Doing it with friends.
As the buzz and hype surrounding Minecraft grew, it also came with the concept of everyone having their own Minecraft servers. This meant that you could control everything about your gameplay experience as you worked together to achieve various goals.
As Minecraft has grown and expanded beyond its humble beginnings, the types of gameplay experiences available have also grown. At its heart, though, the DNA of Minecraft remains unchanged, and it’s better with friends. Whether you’re building and crafting, exploring dungeons, or roleplaying, Minecraft is a quintessential co-op experience.
8
World of Warcraft
Modern World of Warcraft has somewhat evolved to be an experience that can easily cater to just one player. On the one hand, I get it; it’s nearly impossible to coordinate with 39 of your friends to make your way through the game’s raids.
That’s not to say that to experience the magic of World of Warcraft, you are required to participate in its “traditional” endgame content. Even if you’re not playing with pre-made groups and participating in raids and the Mythic+ dungeon system, there’s still plenty to see and do, and you better believe it’s better with a friend or two.
It’s that type of magic that makes Classic World of Warcraft a timeless experience. There’s an impressive amount of organic events that can take place in the world of Azeroth, particularly the old world and especially on an RP server, that stay with you even today. This is what makes playing through the Classic era so appealing to people.
World of Warcraft proved that the journey is more important than the destination. Sure, picking up epic loot is nice, but what fun is that without the friends you’ve made along the way while venturing off the beaten path?
7
Rock Band 3
Come on, did you really think we wouldn’t involve plastic instruments?
While many may look back more fondly at either Rock Band 2 or even the original Rock Band, Rock Band 3 is the high point in the franchise for me.
The impressive DLC releases may have been slowing down, but it’s here that Harmonix nailed the perfect co-op experience. The ability for anyone to pick up and play during a song was a big deal in my household. It meant anyone who was a regular part of our playgroup was able to join in when they got home from work or school. There was no more waiting for the next song.
Combined with the same gameplay that remains a blast to play today, as well as the surprisingly enjoyable introduction of the keyboard instrument, Rock Band 3 is the perfect co-op game for anyone, whether you’re at a party, trying to beat high scores, or anywhere in between.
6
Diablo
Before Diablo II consumed our lives, and long before Diablo IV made its way onto Game Pass, there was Blizzard’s original action RPG: 1997’s Diablo.
I’m of the belief that there is no bad Diablo game (yes, that includes Diablo Immortal, which was enjoyable until you get locked behind the pay-to-win wall). While many consider Diablo II the pinnacle of the franchise, it’s the original that, surprisingly, holds a higher rating.
One reason is that while the sequel would polish and refine the formula, everything was established here from the get-go. The randomly generated dungeons, the enemy variety, the graphics, the gameplay: this is where it all began, and the franchise continues to stay true to its roots today.
Add in the online multiplayer, somewhat still a novelty in the late ’90s, allowing you to link up with your friends to explore dungeons, slay monsters, and gain loot together, and you have the recipe for many marathon gaming sessions.
5
Gears of War
Many look at Gears of War for being responsible for the rise in popularity of cover-based shooters, which I totally get. It remains one of the best, and if Gears of War: Reloaded is any indication, the gameplay has aged super well today.
Yet for me, the other thing Gears of War also helped popularize is the concept of co-op gaming. Sure, you could run through the campaign alone, but Epic Games developed that campaign with the idea of playing with a friend in mind.
While Hazelight Studios is responsible for the growth in co-op gaming today, I look back at the Xbox 360 generation, and all of that love for co-op gaming stemmed from Gears. Working together to tackle the game’s harder difficulties and defeating the Locust swarms is a blast, and I can’t wait to feel that experience once again when E-Day releases.
4
Portal 2
I could spend hours upon hours talking about how disappointing Portal 2’s campaign was. For me, it lost the plot and forgot what makes Portal so special, eschewing the short and sweet gameplay and satisfying puzzles for going all-in on humor and jokes.
Thankfully, the co-op campaign exists, where Valve remembered what made the original so great.
Portal 2’s co-op is designed solely around playing with a friend, similar to something like Split Fiction or It Takes Two. It does have the downside in that it’s a puzzle game, so if you’re playing with someone who’s beaten it already, they already know how to solve the puzzles.
Having said that, two people playing Portal 2 fresh is one of the best experiences you can have in gaming. Skip the single-player story, and stick with the co-op puzzles. You’re welcome.
3
Baldur’s Gate 3
It’s Baldur’s Gate 3, but with someone else. Sick.
Hold up, I’m being told I need to say more than this. Fine, though let’s be honest, Baldur’s Gate 3 with more people involved in the campaign should be all you need to know.
Larian’s epic RPG already felt like everything we’d ever want from a video game tabletop experience, and adding in someone else during a co-op campaign is the icing on the cake. There’s nothing lost in translation when playing in co-op, and as they say, the more, the merrier.
Don’t be surprised if you stumble upon some new and unexpected outcomes while playing Baldur’s Gate 3 co-op. To be honest, with so many branching pathways, twists, and turns, it would be a miracle if you didn’t find something new.
2
Halo: Combat Evolved
I want to make it clear that I’m not upset by the decision to remake Halo: Combat Evolved and release it on the PlayStation 5. My issue is the lack of multiplayer that will exist in Halo: Campaign Evolved (I still can’t believe that’s what it’s actually called).
Thankfully, Halo Studios and Xbox Game Studios made the correct decision to support co-operative play, which means there will still be plenty of fun and games to be had with friends.
If, for some reason, you’ve never played the original Halo, you’re in for a treat. One of the best console launches of all time, Halo’s staying power and longevity stems from just how good this campaign is, especially when playing with friends. Few shooters, if any, can match Halo’s gameplay on console even today.
Are there some pacing issues that will assuredly be addressed with the remake? Yes. Will the original DNA that made Halo: Combat Evolved such a beloved co-op experience still be there? God, I hope so. I spent hundreds of hours playing co-op with friends in high school just because it’s so much fun. The game never grew stale or old, and I can’t wait for a new generation of gamers to finally experience it.
1
Super Mario Odyssey
I have a bit of a confession to make: I didn’t realize that Super Mario Odyssey was a co-op game until my wife read the back of the box and asked to play with me.
In typical Nintendo fashion, the co-op experience comes with a slight catch: one person controls Mario while the other performs the role of Cappy. The two of you must work together to progress through the game, including pulling off some of Mario’s more complicated platforming moves.
We couldn’t believe how seamless this experience was. Normally, this type of co-op experience is incredibly frustrating and feels tacked on, where one player is stuck with the short end of the stick in terms of gameplay. That’s not the case here, though, partially due to the size and scope of the game itself.
With two people working together to not just play the game, but also explore Mario Odyssey’s worlds, it feels like it opens up more possibilities and secrets to discover.
