Best 2 Player Video Games

Most video games support two players as an afterthought. The games on this list were built around it.

Two-player video games split into two very different categories: co-op and competitive. Co-op games (It Takes Two, Overcooked, Portal 2) put you on the same team. Competitive games (fighting games, sports games, puzzle games with ranking) put you against each other. They feel completely different, which matters when you're choosing.

The couch co-op category has had a real resurgence. It Takes Two won Game of the Year in 2021. A Way Out requires two players to exist — it literally won't run single-player. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime was designed for exactly two people on the same couch. These aren't afterthoughts — they were built from the ground up for two.

Online play adds complexity. Some games work well remotely, some are best in-person. Some have local split-screen, others don't. The filter options let you narrow by platform and play mode.

Puzzle games translate well to two players because you can solve together without coordinating controllers. Strategy games work if the complexity stays manageable. Action games are hit or miss — sometimes the chaos is fun, sometimes it's a mess.

This list skips massively multiplayer games and games that technically support two but play much better at four or more. Everything here specifically shines at two.