10 Best Local Co-Op Split-Screen Games (PC, PlayStation, Xbox)

There is something about sitting on a couch with a friend, glued to the split-screen playing co-op online multiplayer. Local co-op split-screen gaming is one of the oldest and most social gaming traditions, and the library of great games supporting it has never been stronger. Whether you are on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, or Xbox Series X, here are ten of the best split-screen co-op games worth playing right now.

1. It Takes Two

It Takes Two is the gold standard for two-player local co-op split-screen gaming, and it is not particularly close. The game follows a couple on the verge of divorce who are magically shrunk and must work together to find a way back to normal. Every chapter introduces a completely new gameplay mechanic ,meaning nothing outstays its welcome, and the variety across the full runtime is extraordinary. No two sections play alike, and the game consistently finds new ways to make cooperation feel essential rather than optional. It won Game of the Year for a reason and remains the first recommendation for any two-player split-screen co-op conversation.

2. A Way Out

From the same studio as It Takes Two, A Way Out is a prison break story that demands two players from start to finish. The split-screen is always active on the same screen, meaning you can see what your partner is doing even when you are doing completely different things simultaneously. The story is genuinely engaging and the variety of gameplay sequences, from stealth sections to car chases to emotional character moments, keeps it moving well throughout. It also uses the persistent split-screen format in creative ways that feel unique to this specific game.

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3. Split Fiction

Hazelight's third entry is their most ambitious yet. Split Fiction follows two writers trapped inside their own stories, and the game uses that premise to justify an almost absurd variety of gameplay styles across its runtime. Science fiction levels, fantasy sections, action sequences, and quieter narrative moments all appear in split-screen and all feel completely distinct. It builds on everything Hazelight learned from It Takes Two and A Way Out and is arguably the most visually impressive of the three. If you have already played the others, this is a natural and excellent next step.

4. Overcooked 2

Overcooked 2 is the best game for testing friendships in a controlled environment. You and up to three friends share the screen managing a kitchen together under increasingly chaotic conditions while chopping ingredients, cooking dishes, plating food, and washing up as the kitchen itself actively tries to make your life harder with moving platforms, portals, and flooding. Communication is essential and the gap between a perfectly coordinated run and total collapse is consistently hilarious. It is easy to learn and deeply stressful at higher difficulties in the best possible way.

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5. Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Six complete Halo campaigns in one package, all with split-screen co-op support, make the Master Chief Collection one of the best value couch co-op packages available anywhere. Halo's campaign co-op has always been one of the genre's finest local cooperative experiences, and having access to the full arc from Combat Evolved through Halo 4 in one place is extraordinary. The local multiplayer modes are also excellent for groups who want something more competitive between campaign sessions.

6. Borderlands 3

Borderlands 3 is the best looter shooter available for local split-screen co-op. Up to four players can share the same screen hunting for legendary weapons across alien planets, with the game automatically scaling enemy difficulty based on how many players are active. The loot system means everyone always has something to get excited about, and the campaign is long enough to keep a group busy for dozens of hours. The broad humour and constant gear upgrades keep the energy high from start to finish.

7. Portal 2

Portal 2's local co-op campaign is one of the greatest cooperative split-screen experiences in gaming history. Designed entirely around two players using portals to solve puzzles together, it consistently finds ways to make cooperation feel genuinely clever rather than just mechanically required. The puzzle design escalates beautifully, and the moments where a complex solution clicks for both players simultaneously are among gaming's most satisfying. It is older than everything else on this list but has aged extraordinarily well and is available for a very low price on Steam.

8. Cuphead

Cuphead is beautiful and brutally difficult, and playing it in local split-screen with a friend makes it significantly more enjoyable even when you are both dying repeatedly. The 1930s cartoon art style is immediately distinctive, and the boss encounters are some of the most creative and demanding in gaming. Co-op adds a revive mechanic that gives you a slightly better chance of survival but also means you will spend as much time laughing at each other's failures as actually progressing. That is not a complaint.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge

Shredder's Revenge is the best beat 'em up of the modern era, and local split-screen co-op with up to six players makes it the ultimate couch game for larger groups. Each Turtle plays differently enough to give players a genuine character preference, and the constant stream of enemies keeps the action moving at a pace that never lets momentum drop. It is also visually gorgeous with pixel art that captures the best of the 16-bit TMNT era while looking entirely fresh.

10. Gang Beasts

Gang Beasts is pure local split-screen chaos. You control wobbly, jelly-like characters and try to throw each other off various dangerous stages using physics that feel deliberately unwieldy. It is immediately accessible, consistently unpredictable, and produces genuine laugh out loud moments every single session. It lacks the depth of more serious fighting games but as a local party game for a group who want something silly and competitive, it has very few equals and works brilliantly as a palate cleanser between longer co-op sessions.

Best Split-Screen Games - Summary

Every game on this list is built for the couch and designed to create moments you talk about after the session ends. Start with It Takes Two if you want the best possible two-player narrative experience or jump into Overcooked 2 or Shredder's Revenge if your group is larger and you want something immediately accessible. Whatever you choose the split-screen experience is alive and well in 2026.

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