The Best Co-op Games For Short Play Sessions

The co-op genre has no shortage of sprawling open-world titles and lengthy heartfelt stories to be experienced with another player. Sometimes, though, it’s nice to be able to hop into a game with a buddy for a short session and still enjoy the experience without having to worry about spending 100s of hours on the game.

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First-person shooters are some of the most popular games around, but for players without much free time, these games offer short and sweet sessions.

Many games solve this issue with shorter form levels as the primary content, while others might have slightly longer form stages that can still be broken up into more manageable and digestible chunks that can be played through in just one session.

8

Unravel 2

Hold On Tight

Released

June 9, 2018

Developer(s)

Coldwood Interactive

The first entrant in the series was a sweet and characterful experience full of puzzles and beautiful scenes that were begging for a friend to be around. Thankfully, the follow-up provides a simplistic co-op experience very akin to the first Unravel that builds upon the mechanics introduced and keeps the players smiling throughout.

The story and premise are easy to follow, the puzzles are both challenging and engaging and the whole journey feels better together, pulling at the chords and helping one another cross gaps and swing past the many perils along the way. With a fairly short campaign broken up into manageable chunks, players can take their time swinging and sliding across the world.

7

Resident Evil 5

Carnage And Shooting In Every Moment

Released

March 5, 2009

OpenCritic Rating

Fair

For all horror and action fans, this is the perfect title for some funny dialogue and even funnier action sequences. The horror aspect certainly still exists but the focus is shifted more onto the action and shooting, making for some enjoyable co-op fight scenes and unique boss battles both challenging and disgusting.

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Taking hordes of infected zombies alone was always a bit tiring, so having a companion you can boost to higher points and focus down larger targets with is a nice change to the Resident Evil formula and a welcome change for fans of the series. Each segment is both action-packed and easily digestible in a short time, giving players the opportunity to take breaks from annihilating the undead.

6

Phogs

Stretchy Puzzles From Start To Finish

Released

December 3, 2020

Developer(s)

Bit Loom Games

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

What’s better than working together as a team? Being physically attached at the waist for the entire game, of course. Phogs is a unique puzzling title that involves two players taking on the role of a double-headed dog that can stretch and bounce around to solve a range of brain teasers that require coordination and teamwork.

It’s adorable, and it’s fun, with each level taking no more than a few minutes to traverse and complete, allowing players to hop in and out when they can and not being locked into long drawn-out sequences for hours on end.

5

Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap

Traps, Traps, And More Traps

Third-Person Shooter

Tower Defense

Action

Roguelite

Strategy

Indie Games

Systems

Platform(s)

PC, Xbox Series X/S

Developer(s)

Robot Entertainment

Base building on steroids. Orcs Must Die has always been a cult classic in the tower defense genre, having many successes and having a unique twist in a shooter style with placeable traps that can take down the hordes of orcs approaching.

Deathtrap takes all the learnings from the previous games and pushes the envelope with a new rogue-like gameplay loop that keeps teams of players coming back for more and more. Runs range in difficulty and length, but a full set can be finished in under 30 minutes, with each run adding new traps and new buffs to help take on the swarm.

4

It Takes Two

Cute, Quirky, And Cry-worthy

Released

March 26, 2021

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

One of the most beautiful, emotional, and amazing co-op titles ever made, Hazelight has hand-crafted a masterpiece that will continue to impress duos of gamers for generations to come. The unique inclusion of forced split-screen for the majority of the games keeps players feeling close to one another and requires precise timing and coordination to succeed.

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Co-Op Games That Require The Most Teamwork

By default, co-op games are based on the idea of teamwork. However, the following co-op games become downright impossible without a functional team.

The game is split into handy sections and areas, ranging from the innards of a tree, to exploring the house in a microscopic form, so the controller can be put down at virtually any moment. But because of the joy and love that went into the development, players will want more and more each time and will truly be changed by the end credits.

3

R.E.P.O

Proximity Comedy With A Horror Backdrop

Horror

Roguelike

Action

Stealth

Released

February 26, 2025

Developer(s)

semiwork

Co-op horror comes in all shapes and sizes, with a new generation including extraction-style mechanics, combined with comedy to create montages in every session. R.E.P.O is a great title that employs proximity voice, loot collection, and plenty of horrifying enemies to encounter, all with a more cartoony lick of paint that makes the game feel fun and funny always.

Working together is key as if players want to successfully extract a decent bounty, communication is required and if a friend goes down, it’s up to the others to recover their body and rescue the mission. Games can be quick and end with no consequences to progression, so it’s perfect for shorter party sessions with a group of eager and terrified friends.

2

Portal 2

The Best Duo Puzzle Experience

The gold standard for co-op adventures, Portal 2 is a title that sits on most people’s top games of all time. Its simple game mechanic of colored portals, and expertly crafted puzzles, make that first playthrough feel so immersive and engaging that when it ends, there will be a void that’s hard to fill by another game.

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Co-Op Indie Games To Play With Friends

It’s not just AAA games that have excellent co-op modes. These indie titles have some of the finest co-op gameplay for friends to enjoy.

Valve puts so much effort and affection into developing lovable characters in a unique setting and story that has so much flavor and leaves people with the desire for more. The separation of levels makes it incredibly easy to jump in and out of, and the commitment levels are low which allows players to progress through each set of puzzles at a pace that suits them.

1

Split Fiction

The Best Co-op Can Possibly Be

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
90/100


Critics Recommend:
98%

Released

March 6, 2025

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

The game of this generation and everyone that will follow, Split Fiction is not just the best co-op game ever made but places high on the list of the best of all time. It is simply perfection from start to finish, from the references to the combat to the puzzles and story, everything is made with passion and with a fun-first philosophy in mind.

An easy game-of-the-year contender, it takes the split-screen gameplay and breaks it in half, adding nearly every possible game genre in just a 12-hour playthrough. And with additional side content that can be experienced whenever, the time taken in each session can be short and sweet, with each being clearable in just a few moments. Then when ready, players can march on with the main plot into magical forests, gigantic castles, and Blade Runner-esque cityscapes that rival any modern title in their beauty and grandeur.

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