Best RPGs With Local Multiplayer

RPGs offer you vast fantasy lands filled with hidden quests and exciting NPCs, inviting you to battle mighty foes, explore dungeons, and collect precious loot. While RPGs can be incredibly immersive for single-player playthroughs, it’s even better when these games allow you to share your journey with a dear friend or a loved one.

Not every RPG offers couch co-op options, but the ones that add an essential layer to the experience. With that in mind, here are the best couch co-op RPGs.

Updated on December 15, 2024 by Casey Foot: Although RPGs aren’t known for being multiplayer, there’s a fair amount of great RPGs with couch co-op. If you’re looking for an RPG to play with friends, we’ve added a couple more examples so you can experience more stories together.

12

The World Ends With You: Final Remix

Considering The World Ends With You’s emphasis on working together with your partner, it makes sense that the remastered version, Final Remix, finally introduced co-op to the RPG. In the game, protagonist Neku Sakuraba is pulled into the Reapers’ Game and must team up with a partner to defeat the Noise using pins and win the game.

In single-player mode, your partner acts as a pin to activate, but in co-op, two players can have a Joy-Con each to control Neku and his partner, respectively. Even if you played the original, being able to play with a partner just like Neku is a great way to experience the game again.

11

Tales Of Vesperia

Co-op has been a staple in the Tales Of series, with only a few titles lacking this feature. Tales of Vesperia is one of the more well-regarded entries in the series, following Yuri Lowell who joins a guild to stop the misuse of blastia across the world.

Vesperia has four-player local co-op, allowing you and three friends to play as Yuri and three of his party members. The game’s battle system is also fun and easy to learn, making it ideal for multiplayer. You just have to wait for the story to get going if you want to play with two or three extra people, though.

10

For The King

Inspired by tabletop games, For the King is a great RPG to play with your loved ones in couch co-op. At the beginning of each playthrough, you and up to two partners will build an adventurers’ party to explore a randomly generated map with a set goal to achieve. This roguelike element helps make each playthrough unique while restricting a whole adventure to a single match.

For the King’s exploration and turn-based combat are entirely dice-based, a nod to classic tabletop RPGs. That design choice also adds scenarios you and your team must overcome with careful planning and a lot of luck. So, while its size makes For the King an excellent entry-level RPG to share with newcomers, its challenging game loop can still keep veterans entertained.

9

Moon Hunters

While Moon Hunters can be experienced as a single-player game, this indie title shines when you have up to three friends to share it with you in couch co-op. In Moon Hunters, you choose between six different characters to traverse a procedurally generated fantasy land, where the goal is to bring the Moon back and defeat the evil Sun Cult. Each playthrough of Moon Hunters is relatively short, but the many different possible endings of the game keep you coming back for more.

All the actions you and your couch co-op allies take during a playthrough will highly influence the game’s ending and even the final boss fight. That’s where Moon Hunters stands out, thanks to clever writing that shows how every action has a consequence.

8

Cat Quest 2

Cat Quest 2 is a classic top-down action RPG where you and a couch co-op partner explore dungeons, collect loot, and get stronger to fight more powerful enemies. While Cat Quest 2 doesn’t offer any significant gameplay innovation, the title is still a well-polished adventure wrapped in a cute package. That’s because your characters are a cat and dog duo exploring a colorful world.

Cat Quest 2’s lighthearted story makes it perfect for some family fun. At the same time, its many side quests can keep two people entertained for many hours, making this the perfect gateway to more complex RPG adventures.

7

Nobody Saves The World

Nobody Saves the World is a unique action RPG that shakes up the formula by giving you and a couch co-op partner shapeshifting abilities. As you progress through the game, you’ll collect alternate forms, each with unique attacks and skill progression. That offers an incredible variety to gameplay, as each form is helpful in combat and in puzzle-solving.

Nobody Saves the World also boasts a gorgeous 2D art style and clever character designs that will keep a smile on your face for your entire playthrough. It’s a quirky and sweet action RPG that only gets better in couch co-op, where a second player takes control of summoned creatures to increase your strategic possibilities.

6

Outward

Outward is an open-world RPG with a heavy emphasis on survival mechanics. That means you and a couch co-op friend will have to work together to collect resources and survive the harshness of an unforgivable fantasy world while trying to progress on the main story. You’ll have to fight enemies while controlling hunger levels, dealing with extreme temperatures, and protecting yourselves from unexpected threats.

What makes Outward even more challenging is that the game has permadeath, meaning you’ll lose all progression if you don’t take the time to learn its many systems. Outward also has an automatic save system that makes every choice permanent. So, since you can completely alter the state of the world depending on your actions, each playthrough of Outward feels unique.

5

Children Of Morta

In Children of Morta, you can invite a friend or loved one to explore a land infested by corruption. A story-driven action RPG, Children of Morta puts you in control of a family destined to fight evil. Each time you leave the HUB house, you will choose up to two family members to explore the wilderness and take down the monsters who threaten to devour everything in their way. You’ll gather resources, grow stronger, and find items that help you explore the loving relationship between every family member.

With eight unique characters to choose from after a robust DLC addition, Children of Morta offers you many different tools to tackle combat and exploration. So, while the procedurally generated levels can feel a bit repetitive at times, each character is so unique that experimenting with different family members keeps things fresh for your entire playthrough.

4

Secret Of Mana

Considered the best entry in the Mana series, Secret of Mana is a classic RPG that got a complete 3D remake. Featuring real-time combat and a charming story, Secret of Mana allows up to three people to share an unforgettable couch co-op experience.

As one of the most beloved titles of the SNES era, Secret of Mana leads you on a quest through unique environments filled with brilliantly designed enemies. The real-time combat helps keep things fresh as you discover a layered story among the best genres. Plus, the three playable characters all have their unique strengths and weaknesses, forcing all three players to communicate and work together to overcome challenges.

The Collection of Mana is currently available on Nintendo Switch with the first three games in the series, including Secret of Mana.

3

Diablo 3

Diablo 3 is arguably the best entry in Blizzard’s beloved RPG series. With hundreds of items, weapons, and spells that can be freely combined, Diablo 3 allows each adventurer to have a unique build tailored to their preferred playstyle. Since up to four people can join in its couch co-op experience, the many ways to approach combat and exploration allow you to have a party where each member is ready to compensate for the weaknesses of the others.

Diablo 3 is massive, has tons of secrets, and will take literally hundreds of hours if you are willing to explore every nook and cranny. As such, this is a great experience to share with friends in the long run.

2

Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a game development achievement. Even though Larian Studios lacks the money of big triple-A companies, they managed to deliver a complex RPG inspired by the mechanics of Dungeons & Dragons that has engaging combat, thrilling exploration, and branching storytelling that makes even your simplest choices reflect on the general state of the world.

With a co-op partner on your side, it becomes even better to explore the fantastic original story of Divinity: Original Sin 2, as you’ll need to decide together how to approach each challenge and which NPCs to fight or befriend. While a single playthrough will take you dozens of hours to finish, the incredible replay value of Divinity: Original Sin 2 will keep you coming back for more.

1

Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian took everything it learned with the Divinity series and used it to build Baldur’s Gate 3, the most faithful adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The turn-based RPG system of Baldur’s Gate 3 perfectly mimics the experience of playing the tabletop RPG, while its impressive storytelling allows you and a co-op partner to explore the world however you wish.

There are no limits to choices in Baldur’s Gate 3, and you can play both as an evil or good character, reaping the consequences of your actions in a narrative system that’s so detailed and complex that it considers everything you do. It’s no wonder Baldur’s Gate 3 is the ultimate RPG experience.