When I started playing games as a kid, co-op games consisted of blasting through Contra with my best friend, starting fights in Ice Hockey, and draining quarters into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade.

Since then, I’ve played all kinds of games. Over the past few years, however, I’ve been chasing a specific type of genre: fun couch co-ops to play with my kids. There are plenty of options out there, to be sure. But, it can be difficult to find games that match my kids’ current skill level and still make them want to come back for more.

In this post, I want to share a few of our favorite co-op games and call out the ones that they enjoyed at each stage of their gaming adventure.

Tutorial Level: I’m Doing My Part!

The first time my daughter and I attempted co-op gaming was with Super Mario Odyssey. My daughter controlled Mario’s hat (Cappy), which could hit enemies and collect items, and I controlled Mario. For her, the controls were simple. Just wave the Joy-Con around and hope for the best.

It was chaotic, but it still felt like teamwork. There were moments she would spin the hat, and I would use it as a platform to jump on to access hard-to-reach places. There were also times, specifically during boss fights, where she would drop the controller and run out of the room, leaving me to fend for myself.

This early stage was all about figuring out how to control a character on the screen and remembering what each button does. Games that shine in this stage encourage exploration, embrace mistakes, and turn frustration into funny moments.

Here are other games we really enjoyed during this stage:

Animal Crossing: Perfect for beginners and for kids learning how to move their characters around with a controller. Some kids will love the collecting and decorating parts, and others may enjoy running around and hitting the other villagers on the head with a net.
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Eevee!: A remake of the classic Game Boy title with simple controls and new motion-based Pokéball throwing. A second player can join to help in battles and catch Pokémon.
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: This one’s a bit tougher, but player two can ride on Donkey Kong’s back during the more difficult sections of the game (insert metaphor for early parenting). A nice bonus is when you’re carrying Dixie Kong, her helicopter spin gives you extra height for your jumps. Other characters give similar perks as well.
Totally Reliable Delivery Service: The goal is to deliver packages, but that’s more of a suggestion than a rule. My kids and I spent countless hours crashing vehicles, launching ourselves off cliffs, and trying (and failing spectacularly) to reach the map’s highest points.

What we loved about this game is that each of us could do our own thing. One of us could be flying a helicopter into the ocean while another discovers a jetpack halfway across the map. Occasionally, we did work together to pull off silly stunts. But most of the time, we just created our own mayhem. It’s also great for young players to explore and have fun without consequence.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants: A great introduction to old-school beat’em ups. My son couldn’t wait to yell Pizza Power! (while playing as Michelangelo) every time he got the chance to use the power-up.
Moving Out / Moving Out 2: Think Overcooked, but with furniture and fewer arguments. The pace is more forgiving and the physics are hilarious. It’s also great to watch them figure out the fastest way to move a couch is by throwing it through a window.
Knights and Bikes: An artistic adventure about imagination and friendship. It’s silly, story-driven, and full of simple puzzles that reward teamwork.
Minecraft (Creative Mode): The perfect digital sandbox for new players. There’s no danger or pressure, just infinite blocks and imagination.
LEGO Voyagers: A gentle adventure where you solve simple puzzles as two LEGO pieces exploring each level. There’s also a creative twist near the end that lets you build something that’s incorporated into the game. The only complaint from us is that the game ended too soon.

We also learned that not every great co-op game works at this stage. We tried It Takes Two early on, but it was a bit too much too soon. The boss fights required more coordination than we had developed at that point. So we shelved it and came back to it when they were ready.

Co-Op Campaign: Now With Actual Teamwork

This stage is where we started to “git gud”. We were solving puzzles, defeating bosses, and completing challenges while racing against the clock.

When my daughter started learning how to use the mouse-and-keyboard controls for Portal, I left her to figure out a puzzle while I went downstairs to grab something. After a few minutes, I heard her yell, “I did it!” from across the house. It was one of those unexpected but noteworthy milestones.

Below are some of our favorite games from this stage, organized into a few categories.

Chaos and Coordination

Overcooked / Overcooked 2: The ultimate test of teamwork. You’ll shout out culinary panic orders more times than you thought possible. But nothing beats the joy of finishing up the final plate before the timer ends.
Tools Up!: Like Overcooked, but for home renovation. If you ever wanted the frustration of performing home improvement projects with your kids, without the reward of having something to show for it at the end, this is your game. Also, once they find out they can throw each other around the map, you’re not getting any work done.
Castle Crashers: A fun beat’em up that my son really liked. It does require a bit more coordination than your average button masher. Otherwise, you’ll spend most of the time trying to revive your teammates while taking on waves of enemies.
Minecraft Dungeons: This dungeon crawler game may feel like a natural progression for kids that loved Minecraft. My son enjoyed collecting new weapons, armor, and enchantments which motivated him to take on the more difficult levels. The straight-forward design also kept him focused on having fun without getting too overwhelmed by any gameplay mechanics.

Adventure and Imagination

Sackboy: A Big Adventure: A spin-off of LittleBigPlanet, this game provides interesting levels and challenges players to explore in order to find all the orbs. My kids also loved the stages that were synced to music like Uptown Funk and Toxic.
Super Mario Wonder: Mario’s latest co-op adventure that’s creative and features new power-ups and gameplay mechanics.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land: A fun adventure where player one gets to inhale cars, while player two makes do with a spear. My kids typically played as Kirby, and I took on the role of Bandana Waddle Dee with his limited move set. However, the imbalance actually made it more fun and challenging. For me, it turned into a “protect the president” mini-game as I tried to keep them alive while they lost their powers and scrambled to get them back.

My kids enjoyed being rewarded when they explored each level. This resulted in saving more Waddle Dees, getting upgraded powers, and earning cool figurines to show off in Kirby’s home in Waddle Dee Town. They became experts in sniffing out hidden areas and easily pointing out clues that indicated certain barriers could be broken.

It Takes Two: The gold standard for couch co-op adventures. Every level feels interesting and success depends on communication. We tried it too early at the start, but we came back to it later and loved it.
Split Fiction: From the same studio as It Takes Two, Split Fiction takes everything that made that game special and cranks it up with faster pacing, flashier visuals, and bigger boss fights. The levels are creative and full of secrets that encourage exploration with Easter eggs and secret levels.

This became one of my daughter’s favorite games. It was also accessible for my younger son, who’s always eager to play whatever she’s playing. There were a few tricky spots where he needed help, but most of the time he was able to hold his own.

Puzzles and Patience

Unravel Two: A beautiful little game where two yarn creatures, tied together, solve puzzles through teamwork. It’s also a great way to work on their 2D platforming skills.
Portal 2 (Co-op): Equal parts brainpower and comedy, this classic game features puzzles that are clever and fun. The single-player campaigns for both Portal and Portal 2 are must-plays as well.
Human: Fall Flat: You play as two floppy ragdoll characters solving puzzles with questionable coordination. It’s a combination of teamwork and comic disaster. We ended up laughing harder as we completed each level.

Endgame: When Player Two Becomes Player One

We’re only at the start of this stage, but I’ve already noticed a shift into more online adventures and solo quests.

Recently, my daughter completed Pokémon Scarlet and Violet from start to finish on her own. There’s no support trainer to play as, like I did in Pokémon Let’s Go. But she defeated all the gyms and navigated the map entirely on her own. I’ll admit, a part of me missed being needed to help with the boss fights or gym battles in this case.

We’ve also participated in a few PvP battles. With their differences in age and skill, we naturally gravitated toward games where we work together instead of against each other. But the games we really enjoyed in this area are Smash Bros. and Boomerang Fu.

Either way, I’m always on the lookout for new games to play with my kids, especially while they still get excited about finding a new adventure or challenge to do together.

If you played any co-op games you’d highly recommend, please feel free to share.

Images used from game press kits for editorial purposes. All trademarks and copyrights belong to their respective owners. I just play the games.