If you’ve successfully broken out of prison and are itching for more games that foster teamwork, camaraderie, and perhaps the occasional friendly squabble over tactics, then you’re in luck. Here’s a list of 20 games that, like a well-mixed cocktail, blend the right amount of cooperation with a dash of competition—just enough to keep things interesting without spilling over into a full-blown argument about who forgot to press the right button at the crucial moment. So, grab a partner, and let’s dive into a world where ‘together’ means more than just sharing the couch. So without any further ado, let’s jump straight into the list of 20 Co-op games similar to A Way Out.
1. It Takes Two
Story & Setting: It Takes Two is a co-op adventure that follows the story of Cody and May, a couple transformed into dolls by a magic spell. They must navigate through a series of challenges orchestrated by a love guru book to fix their fractured relationship.Mechanics: The game combines various gameplay elements like platforming, puzzle-solving, and action sequences, requiring players to work together to progress.Synopsis: With its heartwarming narrative and innovative co-op mechanics, It Takes Two offers a unique blend of storytelling and gameplay that encourages teamwork and communication.Genre: Action-Adventure PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
2. Portal 2
Story & Setting: In Portal 2, players explore the dilapidated Aperture Science Labs, encountering ingenious puzzles and a darkly humorous story involving GLaDOS, the AI antagonist.Mechanics: The game’s core mechanic involves using a portal gun to create interconnected portals to solve puzzles and navigate the environment.Synopsis: Portal 2 expands on its predecessor’s formula with a more extensive single-player campaign and a separate co-op campaign that challenges players to think creatively.Genre: Puzzle-PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
3. Overcooked: All You Can Eat
Story & Setting: This chaotic cooking simulator puts players in the shoes of chefs in increasingly bizarre and challenging kitchens.Mechanics: Players must work together to prepare and cook orders under time pressure, often dealing with obstacles and changing environments.Synopsis: Overcooked: All You Can Eat combines the content of Overcooked and Overcooked 2, offering a feast of cooperative culinary chaos that tests communication and teamwork.Genre: Indie StrategyPlatforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
4. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Story & Setting: This narrative-driven adventure tells the story of two brothers on a quest to find a cure for their ailing father, set in a world filled with myths and fairy tales.Mechanics: Players control each brother with a different analog stick, requiring coordination to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles.Synopsis: Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a moving single-player experience that captures the essence of cooperation through its unique control scheme.Genre: AdventurePlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android
5. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Story & Setting: In this high-stakes bomb-defusing game, one player is trapped in a room with a ticking bomb while the other players have the manual to defuse it.Mechanics: Communication is key as the defuser describes the bomb, and the other players guide them through the defusal process without seeing the device.Synopsis: Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is an intense cooperative experience that requires clear communication and problem-solving under pressure.Genre: PuzzlePlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
6. Payday 2
Story & Setting: Payday 2 is a cooperative first-person shooter where players take on the role of a member of the Payday gang, pulling off heists and big scores.Mechanics: The game focuses on teamwork, with players choosing different roles and coordinating their actions to successfully complete various criminal objectives.Synopsis: With a variety of heists and a strong emphasis on cooperative play, Payday 2 offers a thrilling experience for those looking to engage in some virtual criminal activity with friends.Genre: First-Person ShooterPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux
7. Sea of Thieves
Story & Setting: Sea of Thieves is an open-world multiplayer game that puts players in the role of pirates sailing the high seas in search of treasure and adventure.Mechanics: The game emphasizes exploration, combat, and cooperation as players manage their ship, engage in naval battles, and hunt for treasure.Synopsis: Sea of Thieves offers a vast, shared world full of opportunities for cooperative play, making it a perfect choice for those who love the pirate life.Genre: Action-AdventurePlatforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows
8. Divinity: Original Sin 2
Story & Setting: Set in the fantasy world of Rivellon, players embark on a quest to become a god in this critically acclaimed RPG.Mechanics: The game features deep turn-based combat, a rich story, and the freedom to explore and interact with the world and its inhabitants.Synopsis: Divinity: Original Sin 2 is renowned for its complex systems and cooperative gameplay, offering a rich and rewarding experience for RPG fans.Genre: Role-Playing GamePlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS
9. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Story & Setting: This colorful and quirky game has players piloting a spaceship through a neon galaxy, rescuing animals, and fighting off enemies.Mechanics: Up to four players must work together to control different parts of the ship, from navigation to weapons, to overcome challenges.Synopsis: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a fun and frantic co-op game that emphasizes teamwork and coordination in a vibrant and whimsical setting.Genre: ActionPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
10. Unravel Two
Story & Setting: In Unravel Two, players control two Yarnys—small creatures made of yarn—as they navigate through beautiful natural landscapes.Mechanics: The game combines platforming and puzzle-solving, with players using their yarn to swing, climb, and solve environmental puzzles.Synopsis: Unravel Two is a charming and visually stunning platformer that can be played solo or with a friend, offering a serene yet challenging co-op experience.Genre: Puzzle-PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
11. The Escapists 2
Story & Setting: The Escapists 2 is a strategy game where players plan and execute daring escapes from some of the toughest prisons in the world.Mechanics: It involves crafting, stealth, and strategy as players find ways to break out without getting caught.Synopsis: With its pixel-art style and sandbox environment, The Escapists 2 offers a humorous take on prison life and the challenge of escaping.Genre: Strategy, SimulationPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
12. Cuphead
Story & Setting: Cuphead is set in a 1930s cartoon universe and follows the story of Cuphead and Mugman who make a deal with the devil and must repay their debt.Mechanics: The game is known for its challenging run-and-gun gameplay and boss battles.Synopsis: Cuphead stands out with its hand-drawn animations and jazz soundtrack, offering a tough yet rewarding co-op experience.Genre: Run-and-GunPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch
13. Castle Crashers
Story & Setting: In Castle Crashers, players embark on a quest to rescue princesses and defeat an evil wizard in a medieval fantasy world.Mechanics: The game features hack-and-slash action with RPG elements, allowing players to level up and unlock new abilities.Synopsis: Castle Crashers offers a mix of humor, action, and RPG mechanics, making it a great co-op game for all ages.Genre: Action, RPGPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch
14. Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
Story & Setting: Trine 4 follows three heroes on a quest to stop the Nightmare Prince, set in a beautiful 2.5D world of fairy tales and magic.Mechanics: Players use the unique abilities of each character to solve puzzles and combat enemies in a physics-based environment.Synopsis: With its enchanting visuals and cooperative puzzle-solving, Trine 4 is a magical adventure best enjoyed with friends.Genre: Puzzle, PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
15. Rayman Legends
Story & Setting: Rayman Legends is a platformer set in a whimsical world filled with music and lore, where Rayman and friends embark on an adventure to save the Teensies.Mechanics: The game combines traditional platforming with rhythm-based levels and cooperative play.Synopsis: Rayman Legends is praised for its creative-level design, stunning visuals, and seamless co-op integration.Genre: PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
16. Human: Fall Flat
Story & Setting: This physics-based puzzle game has players navigating dreamscapes as a wobbly human character.Mechanics: The game focuses on exploration and creativity, with players manipulating the environment to solve puzzles.Synopsis: Human: Fall Flat is a hilarious and open-ended game that encourages experimentation and teamwork in co-op mode.Genre: Puzzle, PlatformerPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
17. Don’t Starve Together
Story & Setting: Don’t Starve Together is the multiplayer version of the survival game Don’t Starve, where players are dropped into a dark, gothic world and must survive.Mechanics: Players gather resources, craft items, and fend off creatures to stay alive.Synopsis: With its Tim Burton-esque art style and challenging survival mechanics, Don’t Starve Together is a co-op experience that tests players’ resourcefulness.Genre: SurvivalPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux
18. Helldivers
Story & Setting: Helldivers is a top-down shooter set in a dystopian future where players are part of an elite unit fighting for humanity’s survival.Mechanics: The game emphasizes cooperative play, with players working together to complete objectives and survive against overwhelming odds.Synopsis: Helldivers offers a mix of intense action and strategic gameplay, with a strong focus on teamwork and player coordination.Genre: ShooterPlatforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
19. Gauntlet: Slayer Edition
Story & Setting: Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is a modern reboot of the classic dungeon crawler, where players choose from different classes to battle through hordes of enemies.Mechanics: The game combines hack-and-slash action with RPG elements, allowing for character progression and loot collection.Synopsis: Gauntlet: Slayer Edition is a tribute to the original, offering a co-op experience that’s both nostalgic and fresh.Genre: Action, RPGPlatforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows
20. Moving Out
Story & Setting: Moving Out is a physics-based moving simulator that turns the mundane task of relocating furniture into a fun and chaotic experience.Mechanics: Players work together to move objects from various locations to a moving truck, dealing with obstacles and time limits.Synopsis: With its humorous scenarios and cooperative gameplay, Moving Out is a lighthearted and engaging game perfect for co-op play.Genre: Simulation, PuzzlePlatforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
