Remember the good old times, when you would meet up with some friends after school, sit in front of the computer or console, take two controllers and just have some fun? This was a golden era of couch co-op games.

And it had many variants - first-person shooter games with split-screen multiplayer, third-person shooter games with up to four players on one screen, co-op campaign games, RPGs, sports games, racing — everything was just better when playing with friends!

Play Split Screen Games With Friends

So, to honor this incredible tradition, we have prepared a small guide for you about the most challenging single- and multiplayer games for you to play with your friends while sitting next to each other!

There are many ways to experience couch co-op. If you are into some fast paced action game, there is the Halo series (with Halo The Master Chief Collection or Halo Infinite). For some car/football fun — there is Rocket League. You can also get something slower like Lego games or Divinity: Original Sin. Split screen mode —  co op mode as we should say — really has a lot to offer!

So, let’s see what are some of the top split-screen games with incredible online multiplayer, cooperative game, and many other amazing features! The gaming industry — we’re coming for you!

Remember, this is a subjective list, and there is no one winner when it comes to the best game that features a split screen. Online gaming is a vast ocean, so try to find something you enjoy!

Gang Beasts

If there is one thing you need to know about Gang Beasts is that you don’t just talk about it. You scream at your friend and cover their eyes with your hand because you do not want to be thrown out!

Pick your team and fight through the unwelcoming, but incredibly tasty world of Beef City, where beef roams free, and there is no desert (OH NO!). Form a Gang with your friends or just join a lobby and do whatever you can to take out those jelly floppy sons of a gummy bear!

Just remember once and for all — what happens in Beef City, stays in Beef City. So keep quiet, punk, and take care of those gummy bear-looking creatures!

Diablo 3

The one, the only — the Diablo 3! With a new game from Blizzard on the horizon (and yes, WE DO HAVE PHONES — just not for Diablo purposes), here comes the incredible continuation of the Diablo saga. 

You can play it with your friends, you can play it with your enemies (especially those that dozen and so years ago took your precious item in Diablo 2 and never paid you back!). Diablo 3 is a timeless classic with millions of downloads worldwide. For perspective — Diablo 2 was created before the original Xbox was released!

With Reaper of Souls add-on, you can check out new playable classes and create the ultimate warrior in some PvP action on the Arena. 

If you’ve never heard about the Diablo franchise (seems unlikely) or just wanted to know more about the game — it’s the most classical hack’n’slash game there is. You pick your class, take control of your character and slay monsters until something cool drops out of them — then, you upgrade your equipment and do it all over again until you kill the Devil itself. Easy peasy!

Borderlands (Franchise)

We really couldn’t make up our mind about what part of Borderlands we should put here, so we’ve decided to put them all! It is, after all, a video game that just changes the looks of everything but keeps the rocking-on aspect.

So, whether your pick Borderlands The Handsome Collection with Borderlands 1, 2 and Pre-Sequel or Borderlands 3 — you’ll get one of the best Xbox One games that feature split screen. 

Never before and after that, local multiplayer on the same screen has been as fun as in the Borderlands series. It’s a great game with many playable characters, and the third installment really put things in perspective.

It’s a classical looter-shooter that you can share with up to three friends (there are four characters to pick from in total, so that’s the reason). What else? Well, comic-like graphics, great game design, and shared screen experience that changed how you perceive sharing screens for the industry!

Grab some crazy guns then, use even crazier skills and defeat some insane bosses! You can’t go wrong with Borderlands!

Fifa (Series)

Have you ever thought about having to fight your best friend on and on, and telling them how you just don’t have the communication skills to let him know how lucky he was during that last game?

Well, Fifa is probably for you then! It’s the best game to argue about and one of the most popular (if not the most) games in gaming history. Why is that? Well, it’s just so addictive! There is this weird phenomenon of “just one more game” that turns into a 40-game tournament, and all of a sudden, you are all covered in pizza and sodas. Finally, it’s 3 A.M., but you just need to settle that last game because, well, reasons.

Joking aside — it’s a great title. There is probably no sports gaming that has even similarly good gameplay. It’s just so much fun to try to score a goal against those lucky bastards. Any new edition brings something new to the franchise, and Fifa Ultimate Team has been a staple in many gamers’ libraries over the years.

So, keep your walls pad-proof from throwing, order some pizza and enjoy this crazy good experience in Fifa. Just remember — friendship is more important than some game! Well, not if it’s THE game, but you know what we mean!

Gears of War (Series)

Probably one of the best co-op experiences you can have in a video game. Whether you are playing online for some great multiplayer experience or just want to do some campaign mode — Gears of War have been one of the best experiences in any game mode you can imagine.

Gear up with Marcus Fenix and his crew of ridiculously packed soldiers to eliminate the threat from down under — and we don’t mean Australia!

This time — the aliens attacked us from the center of the Earth. We need to fight them off with an enormous rifle with a chainsaw attached to it! We recommend all games of the series with a little emphasis on Gears of War 4.

Great story and single-player mode, just one of the best multiplayer couch co-op you can imagine. Definitely worth checking out — you will come for some action and stay for the story. You can play it online for some Horde mode, or offline with a friend next to you. Warning — it’s not a family-friendly experience. 

A Way Out

Ok, let’s get it over with. A Way Out is that game that everyone tells you that you just need to try. And, for your own sake, you should just do it. Also — it is an excellent game, probably one of the best games for two players in gaming history!

A Way Out is all about the story. You can take control of one of the two inmates, who try to escape a prison. They are suspicious of each other at first, but quickly get friendly and help each other to find, well, a way out of the prison and not-so-great connections they’ve made in the past with a certain gangster.

It’s a game where you need to work as a team. There are many quick-time events, shooting, and logic puzzles that you need to solve with two heads, not just one. A Way Out also has excellent voice acting and a really engaging story. So — you can add us to the list of people who recommended this one. And we are proud of it! 

Ark: Survival Evolved

Speaking of the games everyone recommends to you — here we are. Ark: Survival Evolved is one of those games that you don’t really think about game modes, or simple things like showering and eating when you play it. How could you? When you can literally ride a dinosaur in the game. Literally! 

This is a real gem that cannot be underestimated. Ark: Survival Evolved lets you enjoy the Jurassic Park experience without having to build one yourself! It’s all about survival here, so try to find resources, tame the mighty dinosaurs and ride them into battle. Grab a friend and go for dinosaurs filled adventure! Is there anything better than fighting hand to hand with your friend who is also a dinosaur enthusiast? 

Rayman Legends

The classic, the only, the French — Rayman is back with friends! If you’ve ever played any of the Rayman games, you probably know what to expect. If not — rude! And also — it’s a platform game about this character with floating limbs that can spring out hands to reach places and kill enemies. There is also some giant frogs tribe. No one really knows what’s it about (I mean - French people, right?). 

This time, with Rayman Legends, you can enjoy a really fun, 2D stylized co-op game, that is all about enjoyment. Whether we’re talking about passing level after level or just having fun in the music-synchronized parts where you, for example, need to slide down to “Eye of the tiger” sounding song - it’s all really well done, colorful, and magic. It’s a great game to play with a friend, partner, and even a kid, because there is no “dying” here; you just become a bubble.