The 25 Best Co-Op Games on Xbox

Old-school Halo fans who played the hell out of all the campaigns with their friends know just how exciting is to control a "Spartan" of their own to bring the fight to the "Covenant," the "Flood," and the "Promethean" alien races. If you haven't experienced the incredible highs of Halo co-op campaigns, do yourself a favor and cop Halo: The Master Chief Collection so you can. Halo: CE Anniversary and Halo 2: Anniversary features a two-player co-op option, while Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Reach, and Halo 4 all provide a four-player co-op option. Halo: Reach's four-player survival mode "Firefight" is also a major part of this compilation's feature-rich co-op package.

Here's another Xbox first-party franchise that shooter fans will get a kick out of if they haven't played it already. The first-ever Gears of War game got a hell of an upgrade in the visuals and sound department to make the Xbox One version (which is backward compatible with Xbox Series X|S, of course!) the definite way to play it. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition lets you tackle its epic campaign locally or online with one other player - with one player taking the role of Marcus Fenix and the other commanding Dom Santiago, you and your trusted ally will engage in brutal firefights with the invading "Locust" horde. If you end up enjoying this pick on our list of the best co-op games on Xbox, it might be worth seeking out Gears of War 2 and 3 backward compatible Xbox 360 versions, plus Gears of War 4 and Gears 5.

A pirate's life is full of lively endeavors to undertake, such as manning a massive ship, sailing the high seas in search of undiscovered islands, hunting for all sorts of valuable treasure, and completing a host of quests for all the assorted NPC's you and your swashbuckling crew come across. Sea of Thieves is one of the best co-op games for gamers of all ages, so you and three of your youngest buddies can join in on the fun here.

Cuphead is not for the weak at heart - this side-scrolling shooter holds the title of being one of the toughest games you'll ever play. Don't let this game's welcoming Golden Age animation aesthetic fool you into thinking it's a cakewalk, folks! Make sure you call upon someone who's just as nice at video games as you are so you can attempt to beat every boss and platforming stage during an intense couch co-op session. Stay vigilant and see if you & your local buddy can knock out the main campaign and Delicious Last Course DLC for this tough yet highly entertaining run 'n' gun shooter!

The carefree building, hunting, harvesting, and exploring portions of Minecraft are incredibly engrossing when you're doing it all by yourself. It's even more rewarding when you get to indulge in all of those worthwhile activities when you get to do them with three other local players and seven other players in an online setting. Minecraft is one of the most popular games of all time and also one of the most replayable titles out there, so there's a whole lot to enjoy here with gamers of all age groups who choose to accompany you to the game's brick-laden world.

Rayman Origins walked so Rayman Legends could run! This gorgeously animated 2D platformer brings Ubisoft's limbless wonder and the rest of his rambunctions buds back for another round of fast-paced hop and bopping action. You and three other friends can join forces to test your combined mettle across a collection of fun levels, especially the music-themed stages that play along to your actions as the song at hand plays out.

If you haven't played Grand Theft Auto V's online multiplayer component at this point, what are you doing? GO OUT AND GET IT ASAP! Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One players are able to partake in grand heists, robberies, races, and other types of seasonal events with up to seven players getting all illegal online right alongside you. Most of Grand Theft Auto Online's missions enable up to four players while eight players can explore the open world at will. Up to 32 players can enjoy all the wild hijinks at once and even enjoy some GTA V "Roleplay" on a single server.

The first Unravel platformer welcomed gamers to a photorealistic world that begged to be explored by a precious little character made completely of yarn. Unravel Two lets another local player join you as this sequel lets you peruse an expansive island and tackle tough platforming challenges. Your red version of Yarny and your local friend's blue version of Yarny will get to leap and climb across a bevy of beautiful locales in this one.

The top-down isometric action RPG series that fans of the sub-genre know far and wide is obviously Diablo. With the fourth official entry in the franchise now in our midst, you can join another solo player or bring three friends with you online to smash all sorts of mythical beasts in hopes of bringing the demonic menace Lilith down once and for all. The character classes available to players include a Barbarian, Druid, Necromancer, Rogue, and Sorcerer, so you and your local/online allies have a good set of player options to embrace for some fun looting and dungeon crawling.

Xbox 360 players most definitely recognize this classic Xbox Live Arcade beat 'em up. Now it looks that much better than its original counterpart with a crispy remaster simply called Castle Crashers Remastered. Four-player local and online co-op is included here to let you and your three fellow knights smash everyone and everything in sight to take down a dark wizard, retrieve a stolen magical crystal, and save a kidnapped band of four princesses.

Sega Genesis veterans will enjoy every bit of this long-awaited sequel to one of the best 90s beat 'em ups of all time. Streets of Rage 4 marks the return of city defenders Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding as they link up with newcomers Cherry Hunter and Floyd Iraia to save "Wood Oak City" from the control of the Y Twins, the children of the infamous Mr. X. Four-player local co-op and two-player online co-op come into play as you and your friends attempt to complete the main campaign and take a few stabs at conquering the Mr. X Nightmare survival mode expansion.

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, April O'Neil, Master Splinter, and Casey Jones all rise up to beat the breaks off of Master Shredder and his army of "Foot Clan" ninjas and massive animal baddies transformed by the "Mutagen" ooze in this retro-stylized beat 'em up. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge feels like a long-lost 90s arcade game and we're glad it was made that way. This co-op brawler features local/online for up to six players, plus its Dimension Shellshock DLC offers a fun survival mode expansion to take for a spin.

It's a rare occurrence when you peep an epic turn-based RPG that embraces a two-player co-op mode. Thankfully, Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition offers that option to a two-person team comprised of valiant "Source Hunters" who set out to rid the realm of "Rivellon" of evil magics. This definitive edition of the game features tons of new content, new game modes, full voiceovers, split-screen multiplayer, and thousands of highly requested improvements. Keep in mind that the progress of the host player is the only one that counts when you hop into this game!

One of the best survival games out there is most definitely Don't Starve, which is all about testing players' survival instincts within the harmful wilderness that houses all sorts of mythical beasts. The standalone expansion called Don't Starve Together: Console Edition gives you some extra support in the form of a single local co-op player. What's even better is the fact that you and five other online players can strive together to brave the dangers of the dangerous world you all inhabit.

A Way Out is proof positive of Hazelight Studios' penchant for crafting quality co-op titles - it throws local/online two players into the shoes of Leo and Vincent, two convicted prisoners who must work together to break out and stay ahead of the authorities. There’s way more to this game than running from the cops, however - you’ll get caught up in a bunch of surprising minigames and cooperate in interesting & surprising ways whenever the situation calls for them.

Hazelight Studios is back! And for this next pick on our list, it's catered more to couples in fruitful relationships. And to be quite honest, it's also the perfect game for lovers who are going through a bit of a rough patch and want to repair it. And that's because the plot being presented here follows a married couple on the eve of divorce that ends up being turned into dolls and making their way through a variety of environments & changing playstyles in order to return to their human selves. Local/online two-player co-op is the name of the game here for It Takes Two!

Anyone that's ready to pour hundreds of hours into a first-person shooter that caters to the taste of looters will adore everything included in the Borderlands Legendary Collection. This compilation's three-game offering comes with Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. All three games allow up to four local/online "Vault Hunters" to acquire a collection of traditional & unconventional firearms while confronting all sorts of human & animal foes in varied locales.

After you and your trustworthy crew of Vault Hunters become addicted to the Borderlands series as a whole, we're pretty sure all of you guys and gals will want to head into the latest franchise sequel. Borderlands 3 will scratch that looter shooter itch of yours by offering new character types to upgrade, a whole bunch of new guns to acquire, and a vast collection of cult followers & creatures to shoot down with up to two players for local co-op and four players for online co-op. Getting into Borderlands 3 now is definitely worth a shot thanks to all of its extra "Director’s Cut" content.

Destiny 2 stands out for being the perfect combination of first-person shooter mechanics and MMORPG elements. You and your five fellow online co-op players will get plenty of playtime simply out of upgrading all of your chosen "Guardians" and embarking on grand missions that involve battling with extraterrestrial foes on various neighboring planets. Teaming up with fellow Guardians for super tough raids will certainly keep you and your crew coming back for more. Destiny 2 main campaign and its huge offering of expansions/updates will throw first-timers into a vortex full of awesome content to enjoy.

The Warhammer 40,000 universe has so many characters, factions (both good and evil), and world-changing events that have been adapted into some great strategy, action/adventure, and FPS games. Speaking of FPS experiences, be sure to take a chance on this savage game set within the tabletop game's expansive realm that allows for up to four online players to squad up. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide features four classes of crusaders ("Veteran," "Zealot," "Ogryn," and "Psyker") as they dive into the dark and dingy locale of the hive city of "Tertium" to wipe out hordes of unrelenting enemies.

Monster Hunter: World presents four online players with some of the largest monsters ever created for a video game and requires those same players to rise to the occasion to defeat them all. The Iceborne Master Edition features the main campaign and expansion that whisks players away to a cold expanse where even more legendary beasts confront you. The addictive loop of heading out on a quest, searching for a beast to conquer, and using that defeated monster's body to create stronger gear never gets tiresome.

It’s procedurally generated. It’s a first-person shooter. And it offers an online four-player co-op. Deep Rock Galactic is a game you shouldn’t miss out on thanks to those three amazing features that should be featured on the back of its physical box. You and three other dwarven space miners will go on some fun excavations to get embroiled in some treasure hunting and shoot down some alien threats. Deep Rock Galactic requires efficient teamwork, so make sure you and your fellow elves are up to par.

If the premise of roguelike games appeals to you and three other gamers you know, then we highly recommend you all dedicate your precious gaming hours to Spelunky 2. Up to four local/online co-op players will join forces to delve into a host of varied biomes to search for all types of valuable treasures and discover the lost members of your missing family members. The randomized stage layouts always present new challenges every time you and your three fellow explorers go spelunking.

Thanks to the outstanding work of developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, fans of Harvest Moon have the perfect spiritual successor to that famous farming life simulator. Stardew Valley lets you live out the relatively calm life of a humble farmer who's responsible for renovating their grandfather's plot of land and home. As you breathe new life into your farming expanse, you'll get to take on side quests, go fishing, and even mingle with the denizens of "Pelican Town". You might even get married to one of them! This soothing farming experience lets up to four local/online players join in on all the carefree fun.

The Overcooked series is tailor-made for a party atmosphere that’s perfect for any and all gamers, regardless of age. Both games and all of their additional content are included in this definitive package for everyone to enjoy. Up to four local/online players can enjoy incredibly hectic cooperative cooking across a nice variety of stages that will have you & your friends running rampant as miniature chefs. Prepare yourself for the type of game that lets you cook up delicious delicacies while floating atop huge blocks of ice. Younger and older gamers will laugh uncontrollably as they mess up orders amid rampant mayhem.