Summary

  • Game nights are a great way for families to spend time together, and local co-op video games provide a new way to connect.
  • Hand-picked titles like Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Portal 2, and Super Mario 3D World offer wholesome and fun experiences for kids and parents to play together.
  • These games encourage cooperation, problem-solving, and creativity, while providing entertaining and visually appealing gameplay.

The modern rush of day-to-day life can make it difficult for families to spend time together. Everyone is busy with work, school, sports, band prac﷽tice, and other responsibilities. But parents, kids, and siblings need to set aside time to spend with their loved ones.

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One idea is to schedule a family game night. Traditionally, a game night would revolve around tabletop games. But, with so many local co-op video games available now, you can connect 𓆏with family in a new way. While some games contain violence and adult themes, none of those are listed below. Instead, these hand-picked titles are wholesome and perfect for kids and parents to play together.

Updated on March 22, 2025 by Tom Hopkins: Family co-op games are having a renaissance, thanks in large part to Hazelight Games. Whether you're sat next to a family member on the couch or playing from your own homes with crossplay, there are more excellent games to play than ever before. Arguably the best released in early 2025 and has been added to this list as a priority.

9 🍰 Split Fiction

Zoe and Mio from Split Fiction dressed in fantasy and sci-fi garb with sci-fi and fantasy backgrounds.
4.0/5

Released
🐠 March 6, 2025
ESRB
🌃 T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude🐭 Humor, Language, Violence
Developer(s)
♉ Hazelight Studios
Engine
▨ Unreal Engine 5 🍨
Multiplayer
🐠 Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op 𒁏
Cross-Platform Play
🐟 Yes - all platforms𒉰
Number of Players
2
Steam Deck Compatibility
Unknown
PC Release Date
♑ March 6, 2025
Xbox Series X|S Release Date
ꦛ March 6, 2025ꩵ
PS5 Release Date
🅰 March 6, 2025 ꦍ
X|S Optimized
Yes
Local Co-Op Support
Yes
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty

Hazelight Games is back with another brilliant family𝄹 co-op game. As a couple of girls who are budding authors, you're sucked into the world of their books, solving puzzles together to♚ get out. It's inventive, varied, funny, and a lot of fun.

While younger players might find it hard to✅ keep up with the gameplay at times, due to how many different mechanics are thrown at you, none of the individual moments are too tricky. Whatever challenge there is is more than matched by how much fun it is to run through the magical world.

8 Ratchet & Cജlank: All 4 One ꧋

All four playable characters Racket & Clank All 4 One.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
Platformer

Released
🧜 October 18, 2011
ESRB
꧑ E10+ For Everyone 10+ // Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language
Publisher(s)
Sony Computer Entertainment ꦛ
Engine
🏅 Insomniac Engine v. 4.0 ♏
How Long To Beat
10 Hours

The Ratchet & Clank series has always been a fun, action-platform game. The main characters are likable, have good back-and-forth banter, and must save the universe. Before this spin-off of the series, you would play as Ratchet in a single-player adventure. But, developers Insomniac create𓂃d a way for up to four people to play simultaneously with All 4 One.

You can choose from Ratchet, Clank, Captain Quark, and Dr. Nefarious. Enemies are plentiful and require players to cooperate to succeed. There are some light puzzles and game mechanics that have everyone working 🙈together. The colorful and cartoony visuals are top-notch, with slick cutscenes and professional voice-overs.

7 Portal 2

Atlas and P-Body Going Through a Portal.

Released
April 1🌱8, 2011 ♍
Developer(s)
Valve
Publisher(s)
Valve
Platform(s)
PS3, Xbox 360, Switch, PC

The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Portal series offers a creative mixture of puzzle-solving and platforming. The game gives you a portal gun to ꦡfire an entrance and exit portal. You navigate rooms filled with robotic turrets, toxic sludge, and seemingly impossible pathways.🌼 The sequel, Portal 2, takes this concept and adds co-op.

You play as one of two androids trying to escape the treacherous Apertu♎re Science Labs. You must lift, move, and throw objects, create momentum with portals, and use colorful gel. When a🤡pplied to surfaces, this gel grants abilities like bouncing. The writing is clever and funny, with GlaDos, the villainous robot, commenting throughout.

6 ܫ Super Mario 3D World

Cat Toad, Cat Luigi, Cat Peach, and Cat Mario jump after clearing a level in Super Mario 3D World.

Released
N𝕴ovember ꦑ22, 2013
Developer(s)
𓄧 Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)
Nintendo

The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super Mario series has been popular for decades, thanks partly to Nintendo's continued innovation. With Super Mario 3D World, you can play up to 4 players simultaneously. Bowser is at it again, and you must 𓄧rescue♐ several Sprixie princesses. You can choose to play as Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad.

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The isometric top-down view makes it easy for all the char🧸acters to be visible on screen. Don the famous catsuit and use your claws to climb tall ledges and dispatch en🍨emies. The themed levels and new gameplay mechanics offer variety and keep things interesting.

5 Unravel Two 🐓

Unravel Two image showing the playable yarn characters climbing a log.

Released
June 9, 2018 🐻
ESRB
E for 📖Everyone: Mild Fantasy Violence ꦅ
Developer(s)
Coldwood Interactive 𒊎 🌸
Engine
𒁏 Modified PhyreEngine 💃
Multiplayer
💛 🃏 Local Co-Op
Platform(s)
PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox One
How Long To Beat
5 Hours
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Unravel Two features charact🍷ers made from yarn called Yarneys. The wonderfully animated an♕d imaginative side-scroller has you working cooperatively with another player. The colorful Yarneys attached by thread must overcome obstacles using their bond to their advantage. For example, you can help each other with your yarn when climbing up or down.

Use your thread to swing, bounce, and more as you explore the changi✱ng environments. The symbolism behind the game is about creating essential bonds along your journey. The characters physically attached by yarn are a literal interpretation of bonding. The story about friendship and adven♏ture includes a lot of heart and problem-solving.

4 ജ Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy runs down a path surrounded by enemies.

Released
November 12🍨, 2020 ♒
Developer(s)
Sumo Digital♓ 👍
Publisher(s)
Sony
Platform(s)
PS4, PS5, PC

The LittleBigPlanet series has been a Sony staple since it was first released in 2008. The game puts you in control of the cute and expressive Sackboy, a hand-knitted adventurer. Both side-scrolling and 3D levels combine with colorful storybook visuals and problem-solving. T﷽he best part is that you can play with up to four players via🥀 split-screen.

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It's challenging, but all players must work together to overcome the environments and enemies. The game oozes positivity with crafted graphics that make you feel like you're back in art class. Nearly every elemen♑t in the game looks made from craft supplies and stimulates creativity.

3 Party Animals 🅺

Party Animals screenshot of four animals jumping around a bar.
Party Animals
Party Game

Released
September 20,💎 2023
ESRB
E10+ ꦯFor Everyone 10+ // Fantasy Violence🌺, Alcohol Reference
Developer(s)
🐈 Recreate Games
Publisher(s)
⭕ Source Technology
Engine
Unity
Multiplayer
ও Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PC, Xbox One, a🔯nd Xbox Series X/S 🐼
Number of Players
2-8
How Long To Beat
N/A
X|S Optimized
Yes
File Size Xbox Series
10 GB (November 2023) 𓄧
Platforms That Support Crossplay
PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S ඣ
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

A party game featuring cute animal characters, Party Animals is an excellent choice for a co-op game. Although some may object to the brawling aspect of the game, it offers 20 maps and three different play modes. You can wrestle and fight family members in a physics-based environment where the goals vary. Imagine a virtual game of King of the ✃Hill bu🐎t with stuffed animals.

⭕You can ꧅form teams together or compete against loved ones with various objectives. The environments and character movements make the game fun and more challenging than you think. Choose from 12 characters, including cats, dogs, pigs, and even a dinosaur.

2 Overcooked! 2 🐽 🧜

Overcooked 2 screenshot of four players preparing food and running in Rail Track Stage.

Released
🔯 August 7, 2018 ﷺ
Developer(s)
Team17, Ghost Town Games
Publisher(s)
Team17

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a chef in the most overwhelming kitchen imaginable? In 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Overcooked! 2, work with up to four other players and cook, add items to plates, and wash dishes as quickly as possible. Space is limited in the kitchen, so you'llജ want to avoid bumping into other playe🍃rs in ridiculous situations.

Thꦐe game ramps up the pressure with elements like moving floors, hot air balloons, and portals.🌞 With fun visuals, inspired outfits, and silly restaurants, it'll make you smile. Journey to the Onion kingdom, throw ingredients across the room, and stop the Unbread (Zombie toast). Remember, when this game gets hectic, tempers can rise, so be sure to take a break occasionally.

1 Unrailed!

A train and station in Unrailed.
Unrailed!
Action
Puzzle

Released
September 9, 20ꦚ19 🐎
ESRB
e
Engine
monogame
Multiplayer
🔜 Online ♋Multiplayer
Platform(s)
PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One
Developer
🐲 Indoor Astronaut ♏
Publisher
♛ Daedalic Entertainment
Release
𓂃 2020-09-23
OpenCritic Rating
Strong

Imagine a world with obstacles galore, and you must construct tra🧸cks before a train derails. In Unrailed!, you and up to three other players must clear the area, craft resources to make tracks, and lay them. Meanwhile, if you're not quick enough, a train slowly inches along and will go off♋ the tracks.

Cooperation is critical, and the varied terrain keeps things interesting. The visuals are reminisce🔯nt of Minecraft, with a blocky and colorful෴ look. You'll also run into strange characters along the way to shake things up. The unique biomes, day/night cycle, and weather effects increase the challenge.

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