Games can be a great way to connect and have fun with friends and family. But there is something special about playing a game while being in the same room with the people you are playing with. This is a list of some of my favorite games that are both family friendly and playable by multiple people on the same screen. The games on this list are also Co-op games, meaning that players will be playing on the same team towards a common goal, great for working on communication and cooperation. For games that are part of a series, I discuss the more recent game in the franchise.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS
Release Date: September 9, 2015
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a 2D 1-4 player game where players are members of a spaceship crew. There are different stations that players can control: the engine/steering, 4 different weapon stations, a rechargeable superpower station, a shield, and a map. The goal of the game is to navigate unknown areas of space with enemies and obstacles while trying to rescue animal creatures. You need a minimum of 5 rescues to advance to the next level with a total of 10 per area. This game is a ton of fun and requires players to communicate while frantically running across the ship to use a weapon facing the direction you need or scrambling to make sure the shield is facing danger while flying away. While defending the ship, players can learn to communicate and make community decisions to enhance the ship.
Untitled Goose Game
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Release Date: September 20, 2019
Untitled Goose Game is a 1-2 player game where players control geese in a small village in the United Kingdom. The geese perform a number of mischievous antics to the villagers and their property in order to complete a checklist. The game plays like a puzzle game where you have to test interactions between people and objects to achieve whatever the goal is in a relaxed and slow-paced environment. It’s a short but hilarious little game that my wife and I played together and thoroughly enjoyed.
It Takes Two
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X&S, Xbox Cloud, Microsoft Windows
Release Date: March 25, 2021
It Takes Two is a 2 player 3D platformer where you play as a mother and father accidentally turned into small living toys by their daughter. This game requires 2 players and plays split screen. It Takes Two is one of my favorite games ever because it’s a great 3D platformer with entertaining writing, but it also includes one of the largest varieties of gameplay I’ve ever played. There are so many different game modes throughout including: 3rd person shooting, 2D fighter, top-down dungeon crawler, puzzles, and many more. The game takes around 10 hours to complete and was an amazing experience to play with my wife. CONTENT WARNING - this game does deal with the topic of divorce and there is one disturbing scene so this may not be super appropriate for littles.
Killer Queen Black
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Amazon Luna
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Killer Queen Black is the console adaptation of an arcade game called Killer Queen. KQB is a 2D 4 vs 4 multiplayer game where each team consists of a queen character and 3 worker bees. This game can be played both online and locally. This game does a great job distributing roles so that each player can be doing something helpful to the team even if they aren’t great at an aspect of the game. It does this because there are 3 methods to win a match: Economic, Military, and Snail. Economic victories are won by worker bees gathering and returning 10 berries to their home base. Military victories are won by the queen or worker bees turned soldiers hitting the opposing queen 3 times. And Snail victories are won when a worker bee rides the snail in the middle of each map all the way to their own side of the map. This game has a lot of strategy and teamwork built in and is such a fun time that my wife, who is not a gamer, asks to play it every once in a while.
Overcooked 1 or 2
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X&S, Xbox Cloud, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Amazon Luna
Release Date: August 7, 2018
Overcooked 2 is a 3D top-down perspective 1-4 player game where players play as chefs in a kitchen. This game tests players' stress responses, communication, and teamwork as they try to cook meals and get orders out in time, sort of like a real kitchen. What makes this challenging is there is a strict time limit for each level and the levels get whackier and more chaotic as you progress through the game. For example, in one level the floor is made of ice so players are sliding all over the floor and have less control. I like this game because its controls are incredibly simple, requiring players to use only 2 buttons and the control stick. I also like it because it provides room to improve with how the team does receiving a score for their production. This is a great party game to play with friends and family.
Moving Out
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Amazon Luna, macOS
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Moving Out is a 3D top-down perspective 1-4 player game very similar to Overcooked 2. The main difference is that rather than playing as chefs, players control movers who have to go into people's houses and move all their stuff into trucks. What makes this game fun is that objects come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can’t always fit through doors easily. Some objects also require more than one person to carry. This game tests creativity and communication as players scramble to get all the items out of the house and into the loading truck in as fast a time as they can, while minimizing damage to the house (yes, you can break windows to get things out!). It’s a chaotic mess but a lot of fun to play with people.
Any Lego Game
I have not played many Lego games but the ones I have played are all a great time, especially played with someone else. All Lego games are also very family friendly and typically at least 2-player. I can’t recommend any specific game but there are Lego games on almost any console you may have and for a variety of source material (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Indiana Jones, etc). If you and your family want to play a fun game and have a passion for Legos, these should be go-to-games.
Spelunky 2
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X&S, Xbox Cloud, Microsoft Windows
Release Date: September 15, 2020
Spelunky 2 is a 2D 1-4 player game where players control explorers that explore, or spelunk, down into caves below the surface in search of treasures, very much like Indiana Jones. This game is a rogue-like, meaning every time you restart the game, the levels are different. This game is about getting as far as you can without dying while gathering as much treasure and uncovering any secrets you can. Players are provided with whips and a certain number of ropes and bombs from the start of every excursion but after that, everything you get is stuff you obtain throughout the levels. However, it’s a very challenging game; I haven’t actually completed the game myself as I just never got skilled enough to do so, but it’s a lot of fun going through the levels. There are some aspects that might be a little inappropriate for littles. For example, there is a little blood after you die and some certain ways of dying are a little grosser than others. And like Indiana Jones, there are some unsavory things you might discover throughout your adventures. But this game is still a ton of fun and one of the lengthier games on this list.
Human Fall Flat
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X&S, Microsoft Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux
Release Date: July 22, 2016
Human Fall Flat is a 1-4 player 3D puzzle platformer. Players are dropped into these levels and have to interact with the environment and objects in order to progress. The thing that makes this game even more challenging and hilarious is that the physics system is whacky. Players feel like ragdolls a lot of the time, and the objects will do crazy things in the physics systems. One example of a crazy fun puzzle solution is where you need to fire someone from a catapult to get across a gap so they can lower the bridge from the other side. But inevitably, due to the physics system, you’re going to mess up once or twice before you succeed which will result in some hilarious moments for the group who’s playing. This game is a bit silly but a ton of fun and totally worth checking out.
Cuphead
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, macOS
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Cuphead is a 1-2 player 2D action game. This game involves both run’n’gun levels and boss fights. Cuphead is an incredibly challenging game. Players will fail levels many times before completing them but the progress bar at the end of the level prevented me from getting too frustrated. Another great thing is that this game has no bloat. It doesn’t waste your time with having to make the entire journey back to the boss the way that a lot of games do, you can just get right back into the action. Cuphead is hand drawn in a gorgeous 1920s inspired cartoon artstyle. It can be a little scary with some boss designs because it’s very over the top the way that those old cartoons often were. So littles might not like watching or playing but this game is a ton of fun and a great test of a pair’s resilience and patience.
TMNT Shredder's Revenge
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Cloud, Microsoft Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
Release Date: June 16, 2022
I gave TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge a mini review in my best games of 2022 list already but I’ll give a little description here too. TMNT is a 1-6 player 2D brawler in the style of arcade machine brawlers. Players can control each of the 4 turtles, Splinter, Casey Jones, and April O’Neil. Each character has their own specific strengths and weaknesses and are each fun to play in their own right. The game only takes about 2-3 hours to beat but provides a lot of replayability with the amount of collectibles and characters you can play as. It’s a throwback to a simpler time in games, but it’s done so well that it’s a great game to play with friends and family.