Best Co-Op Games on PS5

"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.

@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

@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.

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