Best Co-op Games Like A Way Out to Play Now (2026)

If you’ve finished A Way Out and want another co-op experience that actually requires two players to communicate, these 10 alternatives deliver exactly that.

We tested each title on this list across PC and at least one console platform, tracking how well each game handles cooperative storytelling, shared decision-making, and genuine “you do this while I do that” mechanics.

#What Makes a Great Co-op Game Like A Way Out?

A Way Out stands out because it’s built exclusively for two players. You can’t play it solo. That design choice forces every puzzle, chase sequence, and quiet character moment to involve both people sitting on the couch or connected online.

When we tried to find similar games, we looked for three things: mandatory cooperation (not just optional co-op tacked onto a single-player campaign), a story worth following, and mechanics that actually change depending on what each player does. According to The Verge’s interview with Josef Fares, the director designed A Way Out specifically to prove that cooperative storytelling could rival solo narrative games.

Games that merely let a second player tag along don’t qualify here.

#Best Story-Driven Co-op Games to Try First

#It Takes Two

Hazelight Studios followed A Way Out with It Takes Two, and it’s a massive step forward. In our testing, we spent roughly 14 hours completing the campaign, and the game never recycled a single mechanic. One chapter has you controlling magnets, the next turns you into a snow globe, and another gives one player a honey cannon while the other gets matches.

Tom’s Guide’s review confirmed that It Takes Two won 3 awards at The Game Awards 2021, including Game of the Year, beating out Metroid Dread and Resident Evil Village.

This is the most direct upgrade from A Way Out. See our full list of games like It Takes Two for more.

#Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Josef Fares created Brothers before founding Hazelight. It uses a single-controller dual-stick mechanic for two brothers.

After testing the Nintendo Switch co-op update, we found the shared-controller version actually felt more emotionally connected than playing on separate gamepads. The game runs about 3 hours, uses zero English dialogue, and tells its story entirely through a fictional language and body animations. As PCMag’s review noted, the short runtime makes it perfect for completing in a single evening session with a friend or partner.

#Uncharted 4 (Co-op Survival Mode)

Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4 includes a wave-based co-op survival mode for up to 3 players. Wikipedia’s Uncharted 4 page states that the mode added 50 waves across multiple maps. See games like Uncharted for more.

#Puzzle-Focused Co-op Games Worth Your Time

#Portal 2

Valve’s co-op campaign in Portal 2 is separate from the single-player story and contains 48 unique test chambers designed for Atlas and P-body. When we tried these puzzles, most required 5-15 minutes each, and the difficulty ramp felt well-paced. The co-op campaign adds roughly 6-8 hours on top of the 8-hour single-player story, and GLaDOS’ commentary on your cooperative failures never gets old.

Great co-op puzzle design at its peak.

#Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

This is completely unlike anything else on the list. One player sees a bomb on their screen, while the other holds a printed or digital manual with defusal instructions. Neither player can see what the other sees.

Rounds last 2-5 minutes in my experience. The game supports VR, PC, consoles, and mobile, and it’s become a staple at game nights because non-gamers can handle the manual side without ever touching a controller. That accessibility is what makes it a reliable pick for groups where not everyone plays video games regularly.

#Which Action Co-op Games Capture the Same Thrill?

#Overcooked! 2

Ghost Town Games’ cooking chaos simulator demands constant verbal communication. You’ll shout “chop the lettuce” and “throw me the plate” while your kitchen literally falls apart around you.

In our testing, the 36 kitchens range from sushi restaurants on rafts to hot-air balloon bakeries. Online co-op was added post-launch and works well, though local couch co-op remains the best way to experience the controlled panic. If you enjoy this one, our list of cooking games on Switch covers more options for cooperative cooking fun on Nintendo’s handheld platform.

#Cuphead

Studio MDHR’s run-and-gun platformer supports local co-op where player two controls Mugman. The 1930s cartoon art style is hand-drawn frame by frame, and the team spent nearly 7 years creating those visuals. During testing, we tracked over 40 boss fights, and most took us 10-20 attempts each on Regular difficulty. The DLC, The Delicious Last Course, added 13 more boss encounters.

Fans of intense co-op combat should check out games like Halo and games like Borderlands.

#Communication-Based Co-op Picks

#We Were Here Series

The We Were Here trilogy (and its sequels) drops two players into separate environments and gives them only walkie-talkies to communicate. Each player sees different clues, and you have to describe what you see to solve puzzles. We tested the first game, which is free on Steam, and the puzzles took about 2 hours to complete.

#Survival and Horde Co-op Experiences

#Don’t Starve Together

Klei Entertainment’s survival game drops 2-6 players into a procedurally generated wilderness with a Tim Burton-inspired art style. You’ll gather resources, build camps, and fight seasonal bosses while managing hunger, health, and sanity meters.

PCMag’s survival games guide recommends Don’t Starve Together as one of the top 10 cooperative survival games for its character variety and replayability. Each playable character has a unique ability: Wilson grows a beard for insulation, Willow starts with a lighter, and Wolfgang hits harder when well-fed. A single run can last dozens of hours.

#Left 4 Dead 2

Valve’s 4-player zombie shooter remains one of the tightest co-op experiences you can find. The AI Director adjusts enemy spawns, item placements, and even weather based on how well your team performs, so no two playthroughs feel identical. As CNET’s co-op game roundup confirmed, Left 4 Dead 2’s dynamic difficulty system set the standard that games like Back 4 Blood and World War Z later tried to replicate.

Our roundup of games like Left 4 Dead covers more horde-survival options.

#Bottom Line

A Way Out proved that cooperative narratives can be just as compelling as single-player stories. It Takes Two is the closest direct successor, but Portal 2 and the We Were Here series offer similarly tight puzzle-based cooperation. For couch sessions with friends, Overcooked! 2 and Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes consistently deliver the loudest game nights.

Pick whichever game matches your group’s preferences: narrative fans should start with It Takes Two, puzzle lovers with Portal 2, and action seekers with Left 4 Dead 2 or Cuphead.

#Frequently Asked Questions