How we picked
Most "best co-op games" lists skip the first question every group asks: how many of us can play? So we sorted this one by group size. Every player count below comes from the game’s own Steam store page, checked in October 2026. Where a store page doesn’t state a number, we say so instead of guessing.
We also looked for variety. A good co-op rotation has a story game for two, something a group of four can sink a whole season into, and something that still works when eight people turn up on a Friday night.
- For two: co-op campaigns built for a pair.
- For three or four: the classic squad size, from shooters to kitchens to ghost hunts.
- For five to eight and more: survival worlds, sandboxes and party games with room for everyone.
This isn’t a ranking: we don’t have data that says one game is better than another, so we tell you what each one does well and who it suits. Full disclosure: we make one of the games on this list, and its card is clearly marked.
Best co-op games for two
It Takes Two
A genre-bending platform adventure created purely for co-op. You play as Cody and May, a couple turned into dolls by a magic spell, and almost every chapter throws a new kind of challenge at you. The store page lists couch and online co-op with split-screen, and a Friend’s Pass so a friend can join you.
Why it’s here: It’s the default answer for two players for a reason: it is designed from start to finish for two people talking to each other.
Split Fiction
The co-op action adventure from the studio behind It Takes Two. Mio and Zoe, one a sci-fi writer and the other a fantasy writer, are trapped inside their own stories and have to rely on each other while jumping between both worlds. The store page lists online and split-screen co-op and cross-platform multiplayer.
Why it’s here: If you finished It Takes Two together, this is the obvious next one, and it’s just as built around a co-op partner.
Portal 2
Besides its single-player story, Portal 2 has a complete two-person co-op mode with its own story, characters and test chambers. The Perpetual Testing Initiative also lets you design co-op puzzles for your friends.
Why it’s here: It’s the classic puzzle co-op on PC: two portal guns, and every room is a conversation about who goes where.
Best co-op games for three or four
Deep Rock Galactic
A 1–4 player co-op shooter about dwarven space miners. You explore procedurally generated, destructible caves, mine minerals and fight off endless hordes of alien monsters together.
Why it’s here: It’s a squad game you can play for a whole season, and a group of four gives everyone a clear job.
Overcooked! 2
Chaotic cooking action for a team of chefs, in classic couch co-op or online play for up to four players. You work together, or against each other in versus, to get the highest score.
Why it’s here: It’s the best test of how well your group talks, and it’s easy to hand to friends who don’t usually play games.
Phasmophobia
A 4-player online co-op psychological horror game. Your team of paranormal investigators enters haunted locations and uses ghost-hunting equipment to gather as much evidence as possible. It’s in Early Access on Steam.
Why it’s here: Four friends, four flashlights and a lot of screaming: it’s the classic co-op horror night.
Grounded
You’ve been shrunk to the size of an ant and have to survive in a backyard full of giant insects. You explore, build and survive alone or online with up to three friends.
Why it’s here: A long survival campaign for a steady group of four, in a world that looks completely different from ant height.
Best co-op games for five to eight (or more)
Most co-op games stop at four. According to their store pages, these don’t:
Valheim
A collaborative exploration and survival game for 1–10 players, set in a procedurally generated world inspired by Norse mythology. You craft weapons, build halls, sail the open seas and take on mighty regional bosses together.
Why it’s here: It’s one of the few survival games with room for ten, so a whole friend group can share one world.
Core Keeper
A 1–8 player mining sandbox adventure in a vast cavern full of creatures, relics and resources. You mine, build, fight, craft and farm, solo or in 2–8 player drop-in/drop-out online co-op.
Why it’s here: Drop-in, drop-out co-op suits big groups where people join and leave all evening.
Stardew Valley
An open-ended country-life RPG: you inherit your grandfather’s old farm plot and turn it into a home. The store page lists 8-player farming: invite 1–7 players to join you in the valley online, share resources and build a farm together.
Why it’s here: It’s the calm option for a big group, and the one your friends who don’t like shooters will actually play.
R.E.P.O.
An online co-op horror game for up to 6 players. You extract valuable, fully physics-based objects with a physics-based grabbing tool, with proximity voice chat and monsters that also obey gravity. It’s in Early Access on Steam.
Why it’s here: It’s the best pick for exactly five or six: big enough for the whole group, chaotic enough that every trip becomes a story.
Drive UP: Together
A co-op climbing game built on a proper driving simulation. Up to eight friends drive the same route up one mountain: planks barely wider than your axles, near-vertical ramps and the insides of giant pipes. Every meter is earned: one slip can cost you a lot of hard-won height.
Every car is a solid object, so the same controls let you be the bridge (park across a gap so a friend drives over you), the engine (push someone over a ledge no single car can clear) or the problem (tap a bumper one wheel from the summit).
Why it’s here: It was designed around a full lobby of eight on one mountain. Every car is solid, so the group builds bridges, pushes each other over ledges and piles up on narrow planks, and nobody sits out waiting for a turn. Skip it if your group wants a long story campaign: this is one big shared climb.
Golf With Your Friends
Fast-paced, simultaneous mini golf for up to 12 players online, on courses where nothing is out of bounds.
Why it’s here: When even eight isn’t enough, this one takes twelve, and every hole is over in a couple of minutes.
Quick comparison
| Game | Players (store page) | Kind of game | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| It Takes Two | A pair (co-op only) | Story platformer | Couples and best friends |
| Split Fiction | A pair | Co-op action adventure | Duos who finished It Takes Two |
| Portal 2 | Two-person co-op mode | Puzzles | Puzzle fans |
| Deep Rock Galactic | 1–4 | Co-op shooter | A regular squad |
| Overcooked! 2 | Up to 4 | Cooking chaos | Mixed groups |
| Phasmophobia | 4 online | Co-op horror | Horror nights |
| Grounded | Solo, up to 4 online | Survival | Long campaigns |
| Valheim | 1–10 | Survival + building | Big groups |
| Core Keeper | 1–8 | Mining sandbox | Drop-in groups |
| Stardew Valley | Up to 8 online | Farming | Relaxed groups |
| R.E.P.O. | Up to 6 online | Physics horror | Groups of 5–6 |
| Drive UP: Together | 1–8 online | Driving climb, solid cars | Groups of 5–8 |
| Golf With Your Friends | Up to 12 | Mini golf | Huge groups |
How to pick tonight’s game
- Count heads first. Two of you: It Takes Two, Split Fiction or Portal 2. Four: Deep Rock Galactic, Overcooked! 2, Phasmophobia or Grounded. Five or six: R.E.P.O. Seven or more: Valheim, Core Keeper, Stardew Valley, Drive UP: Together or Golf With Your Friends.
- Then pick the mood. Story, teamwork, scares, building or pure chaos: ask the group before anyone opens the store.
- Check the store page. Player counts and features change with updates, so check the current numbers before you plan a big night.
- Mix long and short. A survival world can last for months; a quick party game is perfect for the last hour of the night.
- Got a specific number? We have deeper lists for 4-player co-op games and 8-player co-op games, and for groups who love it when things go wrong, co-op physics games.
Want to try Drive UP: Together with your group? How to play with friends covers lobbies, invites and solo play, and the game page shows what the climb looks like.
Got a group of eight?
Drive UP: Together is out now in Steam Early Access for 1–8 players online. Try the free demo and see who in your group is the bridge and who is the problem.
FAQ
What are the best co-op games to play with friends on PC?
It depends on your group size. For two: It Takes Two, Split Fiction and Portal 2. For four: Deep Rock Galactic, Overcooked! 2, Phasmophobia and Grounded. For bigger groups: Valheim (1–10), Core Keeper (1–8), Stardew Valley (up to 8 online), R.E.P.O. (up to 6), Drive UP: Together (1–8) and Golf With Your Friends (up to 12).
What is the best co-op game for two players?
It Takes Two and Split Fiction are built from start to finish for a co-op pair, online or on a split screen. Portal 2 has a complete two-person co-op mode with its own story.
Which co-op games support 8 or more players?
According to their Steam store pages: Valheim (1–10 players), Core Keeper (1–8), Stardew Valley (8-player farming online), Drive UP: Together (1–8 online) and Golf With Your Friends (up to 12).
What co-op game works if some friends don’t play games?
Overcooked! 2 and Stardew Valley are easy to pick up, and Golf With Your Friends takes a minute to learn. In Drive UP: Together the first hill teaches you what you need, and stronger drivers can help the rest of the group up.
Is Drive UP: Together co-op?
Yes. It’s a co-op climbing game for 1–8 players in online lobbies, built on real driving physics. Every car is solid, so friends can bridge gaps, push each other up ramps, or knock each other off.
Can I try Drive UP: Together for free?
There’s a free demo on Steam, so your group can try the climb before deciding.