8 Best Co-Op Games For Short Sessions

Since the days of the arcade, video games have been designed to bring people together. Whether it’s with fighting games that pit friends against friends, or puzzle games where players team up to complete tasks together, co-operative gameplay has been around forever. That being said, it can be difficult to find the right game for a quick but fun session of gaming.

These six games available on current-gen consoles are the best choices for gamers who want to kill a quick hour online or in-person with their friends. From high-intensity games that require precision from both teammates to breezy fun, these games will offer hours of fun, even if it’s just in short bursts of time.

6 Overcooked: All You Can Eat

It’s A Kid-Friendly Version Of The Bear

The first Overcooked game released in 2016, and has since been followed up by a sequel in 2018. Since then, the two have been bundled together as Overcooked: All You Can Eat, allowing gamers to get a taste of both cooking simulators in one package. While sessions of Overcooked may be short, they’ll test the limits of co-operation between players.

Players control chefs in a virtual kitchen, preparing meals together in a small space while coordinating with each other. It can lead to some Mario Party-esque drama, but given that the game is split up into individual levels, it’s an easy game to pick up for a little bit and then leave for another play session, though it may sever a few friendships or relationships in the process.

5 Untitled Goose Game

There’s Nothing Like Doing Bad Things Together

Co-op gameplay wasn’t available in Untitled Goose Game when it was initially released in 2019, but has since been added as an additional game mode via updates. In the standard game, players control a goose wreaking havoc around a neighborhood completing an ever-growing list of objectives, making it the perfect choice for a more laid-back multiplayer experience.

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In co-op mode, geese work together to accomplish various goals, more often than not involving the terrorizing of everyday people. Whereas Overcooked is a more stressful gaming experience, Untitled Goose Game is sure to bring laughter to a pair of gamers looking for an easy adventure to sink an hour or two into at a time.

4 Nobody Saves The World

Nobody Is For Everybody

Nobody Saves the World is a dungeon-crawling action RPG, where players control “Nobody,” a blank character model who transforms and makes use of various unlockable abilities. Each of the game’s levels are procedurally generated, as players continue to advance through completing quests and unlocking higher-level dungeons.

The game also supports both local and online multiplayer, which can make it a lot of fun for either hardcore RPG fans or casual gamers. If anything, it’s just fun to see how many forms “Nobody” can take, whether it be a horse, a dragon, or a ghost, each with different functions to navigate dungeons and battle enemies.

3 It Takes Two

Help Repair A Virtual Marriage

As the title suggests, It Takes Two is designed specifically for cooperative play. Whether it’s online or through local multiplayer, the game makes use of split screen mechanics as players control a married couple who are being controlled by their upset daughter. In every level, players must work together to take advantage of each other’s respective abilities.

What makes It Takes Two a great choice for a limited time co-op game is the “Friend’s Pass,” which, when bought by an owner of the game, means they can share the gameplay online with a friend who doesn’t own the game. If neither player owns the full game, both can also try out the first level via online co-op to see if they’d like to buy it and continue the rest.

2 Snipperclips

Fighting Isn’t Gonna Cut It In This Game

Snipperclips: Cut It Out, Together!was a launch title for the Nintendo Switch available exclusively on the online store. In the game, two players control Snip and Clip, who can rotate their bodies and cut sections of each other to make various shapes, which they use to accomplish various tasks, solve puzzles, and fit into different parts of each level.

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Since its release, an expansion called Snipperclips Plus was released as both a retail game and DLC for the original game, featuring even more levels. It’s a solidly simple puzzle game that’s perfect for killing an hour with a friend in local multiplayer. It’s even a good choice for younger players, as it’s easy and kid-friendly enough for gamers of all ages.

1 Portal 2

Cooperation For The Purposes Of Science

In a similar vein to Snipperclips, Portal 2 expanded on the first Portal game by adding in an additional multiplayer campaign separate from its single player narrative. In that campaign, two players control Atlas and P-Body, portal gun-wielding robots built by GLaDOS to progress through various test chambers, and later, unlock a vault full of human test subjects.

Portal 2 supports co-op in both local and online multiplayer, and is available of a wide variety of consoles, including the current generation. The campaign is only roughly six hours in length, give or take some extra time for players who get stuck on various levels. However, its consistency of saving in between each stage means duos can progress at their own pace.

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