The Best PlayStation Co-Op Games For PS5 And PS4

Between the expansive PS4 library and the growing PS5 catalog, there's no shortage of great multiplayer PlayStation games. Though competitive multiplayer tends to get the most attention, sometimes it's better to play alongside friends rather than against them. Some of the best gaming memories are created when joining up with friends and family and accomplishing a feat together. Whether you and your friends are looking for a new shooter or RPG to sink weeks into, or you're trying to introduce new players to gaming, we've put together this list of our favorite PS4 and PS5 co-op games. You'll find titles from every genre on this list, and we made sure to include games that are suitable for players of every skill level.

If you need more recommendations, be sure to check out our lists for the best co-op games on Nintendo Switch and best co-op games on Xbox.

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A Way Out

Most co-op games are actually single-player games that offer optional multiplayer modes, but A Way Out is designed specifically for two players in either local or online co-op. You and your co-op partner play as Vincent Moretti and Leo Caruso, a pair of friends breaking out of prison. Players need to work together to solve puzzles, platforming challenges, and combat sequences, and along the way will learn more about Vincent and Leo and their lives outside prison.

Read our A Way Out review.

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Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 is the biggest and most outlandish entry in the open-world looter-shooter series yet. Like previous games in the series, Borderlands 3 takes place on the remote planet Pandora, a world ravaged by conflict between various factions searching for Vaults--caches of treasure left by an alien civilization. Players take the role of a Vault Hunter, selecting from several playable classes and outfitting their character with unique abilities, skins, and--most importantly--heaps of unique firearms. Guns are procedurally generated, so you’re always finding something new and unexpected to aim at your enemies.

Read our Borderlands 3 review.

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Call of Duty series

Call of Duty games available across PS4 and PS5 have reached double digits, and most have online and local co-op content--whether that be full co-op support for the single player campaign, bespoke co-op missions, or the beloved “Zombies” and Special Ops modes. Then there’s also the online competitive modes, some of which let you team up with friends in matches against other players. The latest release is Call of Duty: Vanguard from 2021, which takes the series back to WWII. The next game in the series, Modern Warfare II, is slated for October 28, 2022. And then there’s Call of Duty: Warzone, a free-to-play battle royale where you can squad up with up to three of your buddies in massive 150-player battles.

See all our Call of Duty reviews.

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Chicory: A Colorful Tale

In this top-down action-adventure game, players explore a monochrome world on a quest to restore color to the hand-drawn landscapes and characters. Chicory gives players creative freedom in how they tackle the many puzzles and battle scenarios using their magical paintbrushes. The entire game is playable co-op and both players can express their painterly side. It’s a great option for duos looking or a wholesome adventure.

Read our Chicory review.

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The Dark Pictures Anthology series

The Dark Pictures Anthology is an ongoing collection of adventure horror games. The first “season” currently includes three games: Man of Medan, Little Hope, and House of Ashes. A fourth game, The Devil in Me, is planned to launch in 2022.

While each game tells its own standalone horror story, they all play the same: players watch events unfold on screen through in-game cutscenes while guiding the story at specific moments with branching dialogue options and quick-time-events. In co-op mode, each player controls the actions of a single character throughout the story.

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Destiny 2

Since its debut in 2017, Destiny 2 has slowly solidified itself as the premiere online “looter-shooter.” While the game is now free-to-start, Bungie supplies players with a steady stream of content, including massive yearly updates like the Witch Queen expansion. Like Bungie’s previous shooters, Destiny is designed to be played solo or co-op, but its structure is more akin to an MMO than a traditional FPS, with open worlds to explore, repeatable dungeons, daily and weekly objectives to complete, and competitive multiplayer modes to play alongside the main story campaigns. Between the constant content updates and plenty of lore to dive into, this sci-fi world will keep your and your friends busy for quite a while if you want it to.

Read our Destiny 2 reviews.

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Diablo 3

Fancy a stroll through the bowels of Hell? Diablo 3 is an isometric action-RPG where you battle infernal hosts in a seemingly endless string of dungeons, collecting batches of loot and gold and upgrading your character’s skills, abilities, and equipment as you see fit. There are local and online co-op modes that offer numerous quests, scaling difficulty options, and even randomized dungeons for endless replayability. This is the perfect choice for players that want a looter but not a shooter.

Read our Diablo 3 reviews.

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Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a modern take on the classic PC RPGs of the 90s--which probably sounds like an odd choice for a console co-op experience, but the game is entirely playable in local or online co-op with up to four players. Each player controls their own unique character and can make their own decisions throughout the story and controls their own actions in the tactical combat system. It works surprisingly well and is an excellent way to experience this epic RPG.

Read our Divinity: Original Sin 2 review.

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Dying Light 2

Dying Light 2’s giant open world, branching storyline, and endless hordes of zombies make for an excellent co-op FPS experience. But the best part is the parkour. Players leap across rooftops, scale buildings, and even soar through the skies on parachutes. This is one of those games where simply moving through the world feels good, and few other open-world games match the scale and sense of freedom to be found in Dying Light 2’s zombie-infested sandbox.

Read our Dying Light 2 review.

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Final Fantasy XIV

An MMORPG might bend the definition of “co-op” to its limit, but Final Fantasy XIV is an excellent multiplayer game and deserves a spot on this list. This is a huge game with hundreds of hours of content, including some of the best storylines in the Final Fantasy series--and video games in general. A lot of that content is playable solo or with random other players, but MMOs like Final Fantasy XIV are best played with a partner or group of friends. The game requires a monthly subscription to access all the in-game content, but there’s a free trial version that lets you experience the first two major storylines (which could easily last you 100 hours or more) without paying a penny.

Read our Final Fantasy XIV reviews.

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Haven

Lovers Yu and Kay find themselves stranded on an unknown planet, and now must find a way to survive. Players use the couples’ aerobatic platforming abilities to explore the world, find parts to repair their ship, and stylish combat moves to fend off strange creatures that live on this remote planet. While playable as a single-player experience, Haven is rewarding as a co-op game, where each player controls one of the two characters. A recent update gives players options over the genders and voices of both characters, making it possible to play as same-sex couples in the game.

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Heavenly Bodies

What if QWOP was a puzzle game set in outer space, where every object and motion is affected by zero-gravity? That’s Heavenly Bodies. Each button on your controller operates a specific limb or action of your tiny cosmonaut character. You’re tasked with solving various puzzles that run the gamut from malfunctioning ship equipment, to performing complex space flight maneuvers. It sounds complicated, but Heavenly Bodies’ simulated astrophysics makes for a rewarding--and oftentimes unintentionally hilarious--time that’s fun to share with a co-op partner.

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It Takes Two

It Takes Two comes from the same team behind A Way Out and Brothers, and is once again designed from the ground-up as a two-player game. Unlike the studio’s past efforts, It Takes Two is about a married couple who recently decided to divorce but are magically trapped in their daughter’s toys and must work together to return to their real bodies. Each level of the game involves a different thematic and gameplay hook where both players must work together in unexpected ways to progress. It Takes Two garnered critical praise for its story and gameplay design, including a spot on our own list for the Best games of 2021 and winning Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2021.

Read our It Takes Two review.

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Jackbox

This party game is perfect for large groups--whether in-person, online, or even while live streaming to an audience. Unlike all the other games on this list, Jackbox is played with your smartphone, and join the host player’s game over the internet. Players compete in board game-like mini games presented like a crass (but never obscene) television game show. Jackbox minigames can be purchased in bundles, or a la carte as standalone games.

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KeyWe

In KeyWe, players take the roles of Jeff and Debra, a pair of kiwi birds that run an animal postal service. The whole point of the game is to keep the post office running smoothly, completing puzzles, light platforming challenges, and other obstacles using the avian duo’s limited moveset. Each level presents its own unique gameplay mechanics to master and charming side characters to meet.

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Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is a family-friendly game based on the nine main Star Wars films. Players select from (and collect) over 400 characters from the Star Wars universe, and play through the events of the original, prequel, and sequel trilogies. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is bigger than previous Lego Star Wars games, with large open environments to traverse and a deeper combat system. While this makes for a meatier adventure seasoned players will appreciate, it’s still a great game for kids and new players, too.

Read our Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga review.

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Nioh 2

Nioh 2 is a tough game with combat that cribs equally from Team Ninja’s Ninja Gaiden series and FromSoftware’s brutal Soulsborne games. While you can expect to get your butt handed to you by Nioh 2’s bosses, you can tackle this one in chunks thanks to the mission-based structure. And even if you need to retry a mission a few times, you’ll still make incremental progress thanks to the loot and leveling systems. Still, we recommend this for co-op groups that are looking for a challenge rather than a relaxing way to wind-down in the evenings.

Read our Nioh 2 review.

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No Man's Sky

No Man’s Sky is one of those rare stories of a game overcoming its initial launch woes and growing into a phenomenal experience. What started as a simple (but still fun) sandbox survival experience has blossomed into a massive game where you can build bases, command massive star cruisers, and even become a space pirate. But while No Man’s Sky is always changing and adding new features, the core concept has always remained the same: exploring a seemingly endless galaxy filled with unique planets home to bizarre alien life. Best of all, it’s now possible to explore those worlds with your friends online.

See our No Man’s Sky reviews.

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Overcooked: All You Can Eat

The Overcooked series holds an infamous reputation as a great game to play if you want to test your romantic relationships and friendships. And sure, this cooking-themed puzzle game gets tense, but it’s actually a lot of fun to play with a group of friends. Players rush around fantastical--and chaotic--kitchens, prepping ingredients, washing dishes, delivering orders, and more. Things will inevitably go wrong, but that’s part of the fun, and thanks to an array of difficulty settings and accessibility options, players of any ability level can join in. Overcooked: All You Can Eat compiles both games in the series and all of the DLC, which makes it the ideal choice for those looking for a wild party game.

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The Quarry

The Quarry is the latest adventure-horror game from Supermassive Games, the studio known for other interactive drama titles like Until Dawn. The Quarry features a classic horror movie premise: nine different characters find themselves trapped and stalked by killers in an abandoned summer camp. Players watch scenes unfold like a movie and occasionally controlling each character's actions, dialogue responses, and other interactions. If played co-op, each player controls their own character. Each action affects which scenes you see, and even which characters live and die, so every playthrough can feature totally different story beats and endings.

Read our The Quarry review.

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Returnal (with the free Ascension DLC)

Returnal launched as a single player-only game, but the recent free Ascension DLC expansion adds a new co-op mode so you and a friend can take on the game’s deadly alien world together--and you’ll definitely want a friend covering you in the many buttle-hell-like shootouts against alien creatures that make up the bulk of Returnal’s gameplay. Between those explosive battles, you explore the planet’s strange alien ruins. Returnal uses a roguelite gameplay structure where levels are slightly randomized after you die so each run has unique pathways, weapons, and enemies.

Read our Returnal review.

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Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy: A Big Adventure brings the PlayStation-exclusive 2D platforming series, Little Big Planet, into 3D. The evil being Vex wants to turn the vibrant land of Craftworld into a wasteland devoid of color and imagination. It’s up to Sackboy to save his friends, stop Vex’s plans, and return peace to Craftworld. You and up to three other players can take on each of the game’s 47 main levels and 43 bonus stages in local or online co-op.

Read our Sackboy: A Big Adventure review.

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Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is an action-RPG spin-off that mixes loot-driven, souls-like gameplay of Team Ninja’s Nioh series with Final Fantasy’s classic job and magic systems. Stranger of Paradise is technically a prequel to the original Final Fantasy, but be warned: this game doesn’t take its story seriously--a fact lead protagonist Jack Garland makes abundantly clear numerous times throughout the game. While that will disappoint some Final Fantasy players, there are still plenty of easter eggs for fans to enjoy, including dungeons based on each of the mainline Final Fantasy games, remixed music from throughout the entire series, and a bestiary of classic Final Fantasy enemies to pulverize.

Read our Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin review.

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Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands

Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is yet another first-person looter-shooter on PS4 and PS5. This Borderlands spinoff features one of the series’ most well-known characters, Tiny Tina, but instead of a post-apocalyptic sci-fi romp, Wonderlands is set in Tina’s imaginary tabletop-RPG world that pops with the series’ signature celshaded art style. Like Borderlands, you’ll select from a roster of unique characters and collect ridiculous weapons while adventuring through fantasy environments with Tiny Tina as your dungeon master.

Read our Tina Tina’s Wonderlands review.

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Warhammer: Chaosbane

The Warhammer universe is a world beset by constant war, but unlike the heaps of Warhammer strategy games, Chaosbane is a top-down action-RPG that puts you and your friends in the middle of a bloody conflict against the forces of Chaos. Players select from five character classes, customize their character’s skill trees and abilities, and outfit them with unique loot collected from slain enemies.