The Best Co-Op Games For Parents And Children

Summary

• Co-op gaming enhances parent-child bonds without mature game content.
• LittleBigPlanet 3, Sackboy,
  and
  Ratchet & Clank
  offer fun and creative gameplay for families.
• Games like
  Stardew Valley, Minecraft,
  and
  Terraria
  provide family-friendly fun with crafting and exploration.

As a parent, nothing can trump quality time spent with kids and the family. There are, of course, numerous ways for parents to deepen their relationship with their children, and one sure way is through gaming.

However, when it comes to selecting the right game, it can feel overwhelming with numerous titles available and advertising themselves as kid-friendly. Some child-appropriate games may feel too advanced for some kids or maybe boring for older ones. So, where does one start? Well, thankfully, there are many fantastic cooperative games for kids that parents can enjoy too.

Updated by Chad Thesen on December 17th, 2024: There are so many amazing co-op games out there. However, parents need to make sure that their kids are safe. This is where finding a game that they can play with their kids is so important. This list has been updated to add 3 new titles for the parents that have already made their way through all the others already. This includes Rayman Origins, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

27 LittleBigPlanet 3

Creativity & Imagination Maximized

The LittleBigPlanet games have always been overflowing with whimsy and creativity, and it lets its players both explore and push its boundaries through user-created content. The third mainline installment offers more content than ever before, and will give parents endless playtime with their little ones. LittleBigPlanet 3 supports up to four players from a single console, with a marvelous narrative adventure, plenty of replay value, and limitless user-created content to dive into — a lot of which are inspired by other properties that the little ones might hold dear in their hearts.

As the story progresses, each level will reward players with new cosmetics for their adorable little sack people, changing their materials, clothing, accessories, and more. Players can look like animals, funky mismatches, or whatever the imagination can dream up. This means parents can have fashion shows with their kids between levels, and save their favorite designs. This is a must-have for any parent to play with their children.

26 Rayman Origins

Just as Fun as Legends

If playing Rayman Legends was an utter blast, here is some great news; the game’s predecessor, Rayman Origins, is still worth playing. Origins has a much stronger focus on its platforming compared to Legends, with fewer level gimmicks and mini-games. Origins also poses more of a challenge with its level designs, requiring more reflexes. This can mean kids might get bubbled more often, but parents can hop in to save the day. The levels are still oozing with creativity and artistic designs, so all that awe and wonder from playing Legends can be extended with even more game worlds to discover.

There are so many hidden areas to explore that this game can provide weeks, even months of enjoyment, and it sees some massive discounts with it being such an old title. The game originally released all the way back in 2011 as one of the best platforming titles around — and it still holds up after all these years.

25 Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

High-Speed Kart Racing Fun

Sonic the Hedgehog and many other iconic Sega characters can be played in this fast and fun Kart Racer. This is perfect for players that do not have a Nintendo console for playing Mario Kart, and features all the best elements of the kart racing genre — and then some. One of the biggest pros of this game is that the entire campaign mode can be played with 3 players.

All 3 players receive all the benefits of the highest placing racer, which means it promotes teamwork over playing against one another. Whoever comes in first gets the gold for everyone else and this can mean lots of congratulating each other for doing so well. Perfect for building bonds and fostering confidence. Players will race as karts while on land, but these karts will transform into different vehicles for special parts of each course. This can have them turning into boats when falling off the track onto some water, but also turning into aircrafts to spin around spires and dive through floating rings.

24 LEGO Marvel Super Heroes

Super Powered Action

Another great LEGO game to try out is LEGO Marvel Super Heroes. The LEGO games are well known for their humorous takes on established lore, making this a great choice for child fans of the MCU. THere are plenty of linear missions to follow, as well as some open world sandboxing when kids just want to have a few more minutes of fun before turning off. There are over 150 iconic Marvel characters to choose from. These include Spider-Man, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, and Black Widow — each with their own super powers.

The game features a drop-in/drop-out style of gameplay, meaning one player can hop into the game at any time — even mid-mission. The game also offers a split-screen experience, so there is no need to own multiple copies of the same title or need to play on different devices. One of the best parts of the game is that there is also a custom character creator for kids to create their very own custom superheroes to use. This is one of the best open world superhero games around, and one parents can enjoy with their kids.

23 PlateUp!

Combines Overcooked’s Chaos With Roguelite Elements In A Fast-Paced Cooking Sim

Players who love the gameplay loop of Overcooked and don’t mind a roguelike twist on the concept will love what PlateUp! has to offer. As one would expect from reading out the title, players are tasked with decking out their restaurant and catering to as many customers as possible without messing up too many times.

Things can get chaotic in no time, which is why teamwork is imperative to ensure that players succeed at all costs. A single misstep can have dire consequences, and parents who don’t want their children screaming at them for messing up should make it a point to be efficient in every way so that their restaurant makes a ton of progress in no time.

22 Sackboy: A Big Adventure

The Adorable Platformer That Everyone Needs

From the same roots as LittleBigPlanet comes a more familiar platformer: Sackboy: A Big Adventure. This game offers all the joy and charm of the LittleBigPlanet games but streamlines it into a more traditional platforming experience. Players will encounter ever-changing mechanics, new characters, new ways to interact with the game, and plenty of fun minigames.

This game features up to four players locally, if the family has enough controllers, and playing together means that anything grabbed by one player is unlocked for all the others. Parents can congratulate and thank their children for noticing and collecting cosmetics that the whole family can enjoy.

21 Spiritfarer

A Melancholic Game For Parents Seeking A Mature Family-Friendly Experience

The idea of exploring themes of loss and death with a child may seem heavy, so parents who want to check out Spiritfarer with their kid might want to wait until they have the mental capacity to register what is happening in this title. While its charming art style makes it easy for players to get into this title, Spiritfarer‘s deeper themes take a while to rear their heads.

Parents and children can have a great time gathering materials to help the spirits on their ferry remain happy and satiated, slowly revealing their stories to the player before eventually passing on. It’s a heartfelt game with charming visuals and engaging gameplay that players will be hopelessly enamored with in no time.

20 Ratchet And Clank: All 4 One

Lots Of Action & Adventure With Comedic Antics

A lot of children these days want combat in their video games, but combat does not need to be violent. Ratchet and Clank is a long-running franchise known for offering a massive arsenal of weapons, which means each member of the family can find different weapons they enjoy using while they play. There are many bosses that will appear throughout the game, and players will each need to contribute to taking down these powerful foes. This is also a game where players don’t need to rely on a high skill level. They can increase their health to survive longer, or their damage to help topple enemies in a shorter time.

There are plenty of sections where players will need to work together to overcome obstacles, and this means plenty of celebrating as the family unites to pull through in these situations. There are lots of zany and humorous elements, such as the retro-cartoon instructional videos of how to use weapons, as well as hilarious one-liners said by the numerous characters.

19 Stardew Valley

A Zen Game Perfect For Bonding With Family

Stardew Valley is an indie gaming gem that took the world by storm, using a simple farming gameplay loop and dressing it up with wonderful pixel graphics, fun character interactions, and a myriad of interesting discoveries that players can have a great time with.

The game features a co-op mode where two farmers can combine their efforts to create a detailed farm full of life. The cozy and pleasant nature of this game makes it a perfect pick for a family to spend their time trying to scrounge materials and create the farm of their dreams, which makes for a great bonding time.

18 Minecraft

A Relaxing Way To Hang Out With A Child And Craft Stuff With Them

Pretty much everyone will have heard of Minecraft at this point. Easily the biggest indie game of all time, Minecraft‘s simple crafting loop and blocky aesthetic have bled into pop culture in a way no one could’ve imagined. Massive servers host custom worlds that either feature original creations or replicate worlds from established franchises.

This is a game that stimulates the mind and encourages creativity, which is why it’s a no-brainer for families who want to generate and live in a custom world of their own design. Block by block, parents and children can create something magical that they can look at proudly as a unit, which is a gameplay loop that most video games can only dream of.

17 Splatoon 3

A Competitive Shooting Game That Isn’t Violent At All And Completely Safe For Kids

One of Nintendo’s newer IPs that have been pretty successful, Splatoon‘s core gameplay loop is always engaging and does a great job of letting players enjoy a non-violent third-person shooter where covering the map with their color is more important than taking out opponents.

Multiple players can team up on the Switch to cooperate together and strategically tackle a map. It makes for a great time, and parents and their children can certainly enjoy a few games together in a genre that is normally dominated by more mature experiences.

16 Rayman Legends

An Excellent Platforming Game With Co-op Support

Rayman Legends is one of the most colorful and engaging platformers that players can check out. This Ubisoft title received rave reviews for its great platforming, innovative level design, and excellent eye-catching art style that kids will certainly get a kick out of. If all of this wasn’t a winning combination as is, then players will be elated to know that Rayman Legends supports local co-op too!

The game’s scope increases over time as players slowly come to grips with the controls, and the challenge level can leap up quite a bit in the later stages. Thankfully, by this point, most people will be pretty familiar with how the game works and can engage in some much-needed teamwork to conquer some of the tougher challenges in the game.

15 Super Mario Bros. Wonder

The Entire Family Can Jump Into The Game And Control Memorable Mario Characters

Given the prominence of the 3D Mario games in the Switch era, most people simply couldn’t believe that a 2.5D Mario game would have the allure that most people would expect. So, when Super Mario Bros. Wonder rolled out, fans were genuinely impressed by the sheer character present in this game.

Every level is a celebration of creativity, color, and splendor. The music and platforming challenges augment the experience players have with this game, and the Wonder Flowers make each level feel more alive and dynamic as players eagerly look forward to this effect in each level. It won’t take long for players to realize why this game is perfect for families, given Nintendo’s family-friendly history when it comes to their first-party offerings.

14 Castle Crashers

A 4-Player Beat-em-Up That’s Both Charming And Jovial

Any great game that a child can enjoy should ideally have a cute and endearing art style to keep these kids engaged for the long haul. Such is the case with Castle Crashers, a cute-looking brawler that can be pretty entertaining when everything clicks. The gameplay loop can take a while to click, but a few rounds will make it clear that there’s more to Castle Crashers than what meets the eye.

The simple yet addictive gameplay loop makes it a perfect title for parents and children to mess around with. The violence is pretty cartoonish and downright amusing in certain instances, and parents don’t have to worry about subjecting their son or daughter to something too scandalous for their own liking.

13 Good Job!

A Funny Co-Op Puzzle Game Great For Building Communication Skills

• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Released: March 26, 2020
• Developer: Paladin Studios

Being an adult is far from a fun time, with the weight of responsibilities weighing heavy on the shoulders of people who have to go to a 9-to-5 job and try to manage everything else in their lives too. As a result, Good Job! can bring up a rather negative feeling in the minds of most players, but the game is actually a pretty light-hearted and engaging game that will keep players engaged for quite some time.

The office environments are pretty hilarious to mess around in, with players being able to break valuable things and ruin the day of co-workers by disrupting their functions with the sheer silliness of their actions. The puzzles are pretty ingenious, and two players need to be really smart about how they deal with certain tricky levels if they don’t want to be stuck for hours. As long as children don’t get the wrong idea about how corporate life works, parents can have a great time sharing this experience with their kids.

12 It Takes Two

One Of The Best Co-Op Video Games Around

It Takes Two is a great game that won a ton of awards upon launch, and it’s easy to see why. The game combines several entertaining gameplay loops while pushing the notion of co-op gameplay, which makes for a great time.

The story of a broken relationship being mended through these trials and tribulations is also heartwarming. Both parents and children alike will have a great time fighting both with and against each other in It Takes Two. However, keep in mind that there is some foul language scattered here and there in It Takes Two, along with a rather disturbing scene midway through the game that may not be appropriate for kids who are too young.

11 Portal 2

A Great Puzzle Game Perfect To Enjoy With Friends And Family

Portal 2 is a brilliant puzzle game and one of Valve’s best releases. Not only is the single-player pretty fun as is, but the title also features a separate co-op campaign that is completely unique and perfect for parents and slightly older kids to play together.

The fact that two test robots can somehow have so much personality is a testament to Valve’s amazing work. ATLAS and P-body are both really fun characters, and forming portals between the both of them to solve the game’s many puzzles is fun indeed.

10 Overcooked 2

Chaotic Fun That Promotes Teamwork And Coordination

The idea of being chefs who have to team up together to form and serve dishes sounds fairly simple and easy. However, people familiar with Overcooked 2 know just how chaotic things can get if their teamwork isn’t spot on.

This makes for a great time as players have to coordinate actions and designate responsibilities while trying to get as many orders out as possible. Be warned that this game can get so hectic sometimes that families may actually get mad at each other, but that shouldn’t be too much of a worry! It’s perfect for players who don’t mind when family game night gets a little intense.

9 Snipperclips

A Charming Puzzle-Solving Game That’s Extremely Kid-Friendly

Snipperclips is a great family-friendly co-op game that has a pretty unique way for players to solve puzzles. Players need to snip and snap their own characters to form structures that can be used to solve the many mind twisters present in the game.

The title has several game modes that accommodate two to four players. Its creative puzzle design, coupled with its soothing aesthetic, is a big reason why this title is such a hit with families.

8 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury

The Co-Op Functionality Lets Parents And Children Have A Great Time Together

The release of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury on the Switch was a source of great joy for Mario fans, who got to see the next evolution of the series firsthand. Bowser’s Fury is a great add-on where Mario can explore a vast and seamless world interspersed with platforming challenges.

It helps that both the original game and 3D World have full co-op functionality, even if it might be a little better in the latter. Regardless, parents and their children can have a great time going through the many stages and cooperating together to solve the game’s many puzzles.