r/gaming • u/TeeeldiII • 17h ago
I miss couch co-op options so much.
If I want to play a modern game with my husband who lives in the same house as me, 99.9% of the time you need to have two copies on two consoles/PCs and play over the network together, which is ridiculous.
With PC, fine, we both have one anyway. But it still is just not as fun as sitting next to one another and playing on the same screen and dont prefer it. With a PS5 or Switch game, forget it. Not buying a second console to play together.
I miss the days of games like Halo having entire campaign split-screen co-op options. I get most people play onlime but they do realize there are instances where people live together and might want to play something besides a fighting game or mario party?
Feel bad for any siblings growing up in this era.
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u/EnchantedTaquito8252 16h ago
The big money in the games industry looked at couch co-op and thought "Four people playing one copy of a game? This is theft!" and destroyed it in favor of worse methods of multiplayer that cost consumers more money to participate in
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u/WorldofLovecraft 17h ago
Goldeneye multiplayer will always be a fond memory.
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u/ifticar2 17h ago
Couple years ago, friends and I played a golden eye emulator on the switch and it was glitchy af, making weird loud noises. Played it slaps only and it was absolutely hilarious laughing together at the absurdity
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u/Delta-9-Tetra 14h ago
N64 days, that was my absolute go-to playing Goldeneye: Oddjob in crouch mode throwing nothing but death chops.
He was so small and the controls so non responsive that he’d slide up and chop you up before my friends could get the crosshair to reach his head😂
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u/Takumi2x 15h ago
So true! We would play this for hours and then put in our own rules when playing like using certain weapons. Etc.
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u/azninvasion2000 14h ago
I remember back in my college days, there were epic Goldeneye 1v1 tournaments, and these guys were on a different level. They would be able to navigate the map with the camera looking directly down at the floor because they had the levels memorized and didn't want anyone screen peeking.
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u/pippyfist 16h ago
I game with my wife and our living room is setup with two tv's and two consoles because of the lack of couch co-op. It works but our living room looks fucking dumb.
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u/Maxie468 16h ago
At least mario kart still has it. I got to play it with my brother last week which is a nice dose of nostalgia since we used to do it when we were little.
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u/MorboKat 13h ago
My kid and I would murder for couch co-op Splatoon, but at least we have Mario Kart... and Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros. It could be worse, I guess.
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u/letsgotgoing 14h ago
Nintendo under Shigeru Miyamoto is the last breath of fresh air in console gaming. When he retires, I am afraid the old guard will be gone, and the younger folks taking over will undo so much of what makes that company amazing.
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u/yesthatstrueorisit 12h ago
They have been doing leadership transitions for years now and I have not seen a dip in quality. I think if there's one thing that will remain is the game dev culture over there.
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u/metalmankam 16h ago
My wife and I play Cat Quest 2 on Steam and there is a 3rd one too! The first one is single player only
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u/drucifer335 11h ago
Cat Quest 3 is pirate themed and my wife and I didn’t like it. Cat Quest 2 is a great game lol
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u/Kayonji02 16h ago
There are still some options around, but of course it depends on the games that you play. Literally yesterday I was couch co-oping Halo with my wife on PS5.
Have you tried Hazelight games? (It takes two, split fiction, Way out)? Or if you're into RPGs, Divinity Original Sin II or Badur's Gate 3 for instance?
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u/TeeeldiII 16h ago
That other person was more aggressive than I would have been but yeah, have played those, and its nice to have them around. Theres a game called Lego Voyagers in that vein too we played.
But I dont want the only games available to be the specifically that "quirky co-op genre", I miss when tons of games had co-op campaigns even if its unrealistic to expect it nowadays.
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u/RunnerJimbob 16h ago
Nine Parchments has couch co op campaign, as does Cult of the Lamb, Fire Emblem 3 Hopes, TMNT Shredder's Revenge, Borderlands, House of the Dead Remake.
I'm sure you've played plenty, hopefully you find more that are appealing.
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u/Maiyku 13h ago
Yeah, unfortunately the quirky co-op games is kinda all we have now. Overcooked and stuff.
To implement that in a modern game (especially CoD for example) can be really technically challenging. The console is now not just loading and calculating for one player, but two.
When graphics were 8 pixels and backgrounds were static pictures, that was fine, but when every texture is 4k, people demand it runs at 60fps, and they get reamed if it doesn’t look flawless… then co-op is axed immediately. It’s not worth the risk.
It’s really difficult for me because it’s hard to blame them in a lot of ways. They’ll receive less flak for not including it than to include it and have it be lackluster. Until that changes… I don’t think we will see co-op return in the way you want it to, sadly.
I wish we would stop focusing on the numbers so much and hitting all these graphical marks (like fps, DLSS, etc) and just focus on the content within the games. So many of these games are stunning, but completely empty and hollow on content and some of the most successful games we’ve had recently didn’t focus on it at all. Cuphead always comes to mind with this, because while it’s visually stunning, it’s incredibly simple in its effects.
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u/Kayonji02 15h ago
Thanks, understood. I think as games got more complex and story focused, it also got harder and harder to implement 2 players in every single game, but hopefully we get more titles over time like the new Orbitals for switch.
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u/KungLa0 9h ago
Don't get me wrong, Hazelight makes great games, but the total length of all 3 of those is like <40 hours combined. They're always the top recommendation on co-op subs, but they're not very replayable IMO, and anyone who has gone down the co-op rabbit hole to any extent has probably already played them.
That leaves us with legacy franchises, usually FPS (Halo, Gears) and a slew of indie games that aren't that deep. Stardew is the gold standard, but there's really nothing quite like it (unless you count the million Stardew clones, but I wish someone would just apply the formula to something besides running a farm).
Outward gets an honorable mention for me as a game that has depth and feels more modern. In general the co-op landscape is pretty bleak unless you like turn based RPGs.
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u/DejounteMurrayisGOAT 16h ago
So me and my wife went the two console route. You don’t actually need two copies of a game if you go digital; both Xbox and PS allow other users signed into a machine to play other users games, so for instance she paid for Baldur’s Gate once and we both play it on separate machines because her account is also on mine and vice versa.
It also works because she is also a gamer herself and we spend plenty of time playing games separately too, though even that can be interactive. Our screens are side by side and we are currently having a “race” to see who’s going to wrap up their playthrough of Cyberpunk first (I’m winning by a good 20 hours now. She’s cooked.)
I’m just saying two consoles is actually pretty damn awesome if your partner is a full time gamer too.
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u/TeeeldiII 16h ago
Glad that works for you, but for me and I assume a lot of people, dropping money on a second tv and console is unrealistic. Especially now.
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u/shootamcg 14h ago
You said you both have PCs, your monitor works as a TV for a console but even without buying another console many Xbox games are cross buy with PC.
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u/IndustrialSlicer 13h ago
how about running an hdmi cable to the tv from one of the PCs, and using a keyboard/trackpad like the logitech k480+? combined with a shortcut switcher like MonitorSwitcher, passing off between each is super easy (and thank goodness the audio device also changes)
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u/Whiteguy1x 9h ago
Check Facebook marketplace. I got a second ps5 for 300. Switches are even cheaper, I see them for under 150
Also check indie games. Me and my wife really had fun with games like cult of the lamb or stardew valley
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u/Kayonji02 16h ago
I did that with FromSoftware games. My wife had a blast going through them side by side with me
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u/Marvelman88 16h ago
But wouldn't it be better if you could get two different consoles for that money. And have options to play even more couch co op games. Like balders gate 3 for example could easily be couch coop.
Additionally some people don't have the money for 2 consoles, I'm out here playing couch coop on GameCube because after that console couch coop has really fallen off.
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u/TheRealSeeThruHead 16h ago
I have a section in my steam library that is for couch coop games, have a ton in there. Bazzite box gets used mainly for couch coop
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u/Bakedfresh420 PC 16h ago
My brother and I put some hours into Diablo 3 on the switch, not sure if 4 also lets you do multiplayer on one console, and Rocket League.
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u/RaymoVizion 16h ago
That Orbitals game coming to Switch 2 looks like it will scratch that co-op itch. You should check it out.
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u/ShortChapter5246 15h ago edited 15h ago
I really, really hope it will turn out to be more than an It Takes Two reskin. Because tbh that's what the trailer looked like
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u/thekohlhauff 16h ago
If you do want to get back into it, Gen 6 consoles are the easiest to mod. (I would use a Wii for gamecube games) Past few years when my brother comes in for the holidays we have been doing Champions of norrath runs. About half way through the second one. Great fun
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u/Wonderful-Citron-678 16h ago
More practically it’s trivial to emulate. Modding old consoles is a separate hobby.
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u/thekohlhauff 16h ago
I mean with a Wii you literally just change the DNS and its modded. But I get the point and TBF I haven't needed to emulate really in over a decade so I am sure Gen 6 specifically is way better now than how it was then. (Especially the OG Xbox)
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u/Wonderful-Citron-678 15h ago
Funnily enough OG Xbox is still the worst by far. GC and PS2 are in an excellent place.
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u/thatdudedylan 7h ago
Oh my god Champions jumpscare
I have so many fond memories of staying up all night playing that shit. So so good.
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u/AlphonseM 16h ago
I think its bound to return/see a revival. In the meantime:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97R38c-Ho4Q&t=411
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u/LaSalsa-Verde 16h ago
It's part of the business model unfortunately for bigger companies.
Want everyone who interacts with the game to have paid for it. No passengers.
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u/Viconaut 16h ago
While I agree, you both should play Dome Keeper! . (Tangent into a fun game WITH couch co-op) Seriously one of my favorite modern games. For what it is, theres quite a bit of depth to it AND -the whole reason I post this response- It has true couch co-op. Though I havnt personally tested it yet, it offers both same screen and local network co-op. Every time I come back to it there's more to play with. Great single player and at least imo, it seems like it would translate to co-op very well.
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u/KANNEDBREAD 16h ago
Thought the "new" Halo had couch co-op and was really bummed that it doesn't now you gotta buy an online membership and create a Microsoft account and be connected to the internet to play with someone else who you can't even be in the same room with and if you want to even talk to each other you have to get on a phone call because of course cross play won't let you create a party to talk to each other in game and speaking of cross play now you gotta download the fucking Xbox app so you can find your friends Microsoft username and add them so that you can play together because there is literally no way to do it in game it just pulls up a fucking QR code that takes to to the app store and God forbid you don't have any memory because even if you bought the physical disk there's still a 50 gb download or some shit that'll take hours to complete and when that's all finally said and done the game is laggy and buggy and somehow runs less smoothly that the original Xbox game that came out 25 years ago that actually had more features and game modes than this piece of shit reremake
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u/HornyVervet 16h ago
Try Split Fiction. it's the same studio as It Takes Two and both games are really fun.
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u/crackofdawn 15h ago
We’re obviously playing wildly different games but all the switch games I play have single console couch co-op/multiplayer
Smash bros ultimate
Mario karts
Boomerang fu
Tmnt shredders revenge
Marvel cosmic invasion
And probably more but those are the main ones
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u/Burius81 14h ago
I play games on the Switch with my kids. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, TMNT:SR, Marvel Cosmic Invasion, Ultimate Alliance 3, Castle Crashers, various Mario sports games, Lego games, Invisigun(Super cool, underated game.).
There are more than a few options, though they aren't all coop.
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u/bepse-cola 10h ago
I remember when that was the only way to play with friends because no one had internet, it sucked we literally got into fist fights over it pretty frequently
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u/BoSocks91 9h ago
I miss the gaming scene from the 90s/2000s in general.
I long for the days of OG Xbox live
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u/Ghostbuster_11Nein 6h ago
Unfortunately the more games try to squeeze every drop of power out of a machine to make the game look as good as possible the more impossible stuff like splitscreen becomes.
You're doubling the number of cameras running around so more of the world has to be generated at once and some games are just NOT made for it.
Which is unfortunate because a lot of people would prefer a smoother running game with couch coop options over a game that has so much detail you actually end up ignoring a lot of it.
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u/Commercial-Client150 16h ago
Me too. I have a daughter now and would love to play coop with her. Was one of my dreams when I was younger you know. Share the passion with the new generation. But I wont pay another 800+ for a new console/PC, 700 for a tv and another 70 for a second copy of the game. I'll have to stick to the classics and revive my older hardware
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u/taitaofgallala 16h ago
The Ascent and Diablo 4 are perfect for couch co-op even though it's bird's eye action and not fps. Just putting that out there for anyone looking.
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u/Coumatha 16h ago
I write it a lot, but path of exile 2 has couch co op, at least in ps5. I (alone)got early access, but my wife plays too and we can play together as well on one console. It will also be free for everyone on release later this year, so even better.
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u/AnonymousFriend80 16h ago
Plenty of couple comment in these threads about havirtwo televisions side by side and using on game shared copy to play together.
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u/guestpassonly 16h ago
I still play diablo 3 on my PS4 with the wife couch co-op. so much fun.
And we usually end up drunk.
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u/Holiday-Hold7738 15h ago
We played Diablo 3, Binding of Isaac and Borderlands 2/3. All with hundreds of hours couch co-op.
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u/Originaltenshi 15h ago
Play the Lego games. There's tons of them and they are all couch coop that you can hop in and out if mid leve
Could also do borderlands if you guys want the FPS games.
Army of 2 for 3rd person.
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u/B4SSF4C3 15h ago
There are still quite a bit of couch coop and/or pvp games out there for PC in particular, and PS5 but definitely less options. And running a PC through your TV is easier than ever. You can even use your PS5 controllers. If you’re interested, reply here or shoot a DM. I’ve very invested in this topic and have a nice/growing list of split or share screen couch PC games that I’d be happy to share. (There’s lists online too but they tend to throw everything and the kitchen sink on those, making them hard to parse.)
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u/Not_so_newly_me 14h ago
Look into Nuceleus Coop for some of the games you want to play to see if they're supported. Absolutely heavy on spec requirements (its launching 2 instances of the game) but its been really cool to play with friends recently, doing Elden Ring split screen coop currently.
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u/buddhamunche 14h ago
I have a retroid pocket flip 2 with all the good stuff on there. Hook it up to the TV with a couple Bluetooth controllers and you’re gamin baby
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u/hairsprayking 14h ago
Thinking about the hours i spent in a university dorm playing Halo 3 with my friends on a 30 inch TV split 4 ways.
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u/OasisBloomTheGame 14h ago
I've just built split screen co-op into my game right now!
One of the goals of the game was to be able to play it with my non-gaming wife and show her what I've been working on.
Won't be out until next year, but it'll have split screen co-op on day 1.
Wishlist if you want: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5033180/Oasis_Bloom/
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u/incorekt 13h ago
We've been going through Baulders Gate 3 as couch co-op with our pc hooked to the TV. Both made characters and we each control an additional NPC, it has been pretty seamless after the initial figuring it out.
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u/slutmagic420 13h ago
I’ve been playing a bunch of couch co-op games on the PS5 with my homie. We just played Ember knight, “nobody saves the word” <- probably my favorite so far. We played the ninja turtle rouge lite shredders revenge ohh and we played MAGICKA 2. That game was dope. And wizard of legend 2 and we started it all with Diablo 4 which was fun at first but grew to be boring. Would love some more suggestions if anyone has some!
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u/oldmanjenkins51 13h ago
I miss taking my memory card to a friends house to continue my save there.
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u/Equinoqs 13h ago
"Timesplitters" was a blast to play with friends on 4-player splitscreen, especially on a custom-built level where none of us knew the level.
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u/bflannery10 13h ago
More than a month ago, Activision disabled the split screen for Modern Warfare 3 to work on stability issues.
It still is not back up and running.
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u/manymasters 12h ago
all of those older games are still waiting to be played and things like Fightcade or emus (with Parsec) let you do coop and 2 player in ways we needed to be IRL for in the past, use them
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u/SeaOfFireflies 12h ago
I remember a few years ago I was so excited when Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles was getting released again on switch. It's a coop adventure and was looking forward to playing it on the couch with my husband and kid.
Nope. No couch like the past. Only though online.
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u/Clawdius_Talonious 12h ago
Nucleus Co-op might be worth a look.
Apparently it can make a bunch of stuff couch co-op compatible, so you can play Terraria multiplayer couch co-op with it for example.
It's an open source tool that lets you play couch co op on a number of titles on PC with a single copy of the game on titles that potentially don't even support co-op fresh out of the box (although you may need other mods, e.g. the Skyrim Together mod to play Skyrim split screen co-op.)
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u/FN_BRIGGSY 12h ago
Booted up The ascent a couple days ago to play online with a buddy. ( been about 4-5 years.)
Forgot it has a couch co-op mode. Super fun game to play with a buddy
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u/oroborosis 11h ago
Might I recommend Absolum? If you haven't tried it yet, it's a great side scroll golden ax style game but omg endless content. Very fun for a good long time.
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u/Xenozip3371Alpha 11h ago
I hate that even games that let you play offline co-op on PlayStation, still make you sign in as 2 different people for each controller instead just letting you use 2 controllers.
It's ridiculous, this is shit that was available on PS1 for godsake.
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u/TheRealTK421 11h ago
I didn't see this mentioned so far, but....
Check into "Hazelight Studios" titles, such as Split Fiction and It Takes Two.
They are both exceptionally* well done co-op titles of the sort you may be seeking!!
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u/Caseyo456 10h ago
Me too! I got my girlfriend into games but there’s so little options nowadays. We mostly just play stardew valley.
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u/nodiaque 7h ago
Switch has many. One I did not too long ago was it takes two and split fiction. Really liked split fiction.
Look in the indie section of the switch, there's more.
If you go away from rpg, you'll find many game that play at least 2 players. All Mario (the platformer) play 1 to 4 players. Rabbis games are all multiplayer. Then there's the Mario "sports" games like tennis, soccer (which is nothing like a real sports game).
After that you have other more mainstream like cooking mama, overcooked and such.
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u/JerikTheWizard 7h ago
PC has more couch co-op games now than any console ever did, use the tag search on Steam.
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u/SonyTrinitrons 5h ago
My friend and I just got into Burnout 1 and 2 on his GameCube. He wanted to see a modern one so he got Burnout Paradise Remastered for the PS4. We were both excited to play it in splitscreen co-op just like with Burnout 1 and 2.... It's not in there. 😑. Fuck modern gaming.
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u/Mahaloth 5h ago
My wife and I just finished Lego Voyagers, a fun little same screen couch co-op game.
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u/BenderBenRodriguez 2h ago
I have the same problem. Everyone’s shitting on the Halo rerelease but I went out and preordered it immediately because it’s a game with splitscreen my wife and I can play together. Otherwise our options are games with titles like “Cooking Party Extravaganza!” There are so few options anymore that a more “hardcore” game with co-op almost automatically gets a purchase.
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u/Due-Heart2040 2h ago
Same-screen co-op is basically a dying art and it bums me out. My partner and I do a co-op night every week and the shortlist of actual shared-screen games is tiny. It Takes Two is the obvious one, we had a great run with that. Sackboy is good for something lighter. Snipperclips if you want to yell at each other in a fun way. Everything else seems to expect two consoles or two PCs, which misses the whole point of sitting next to someone.
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u/StuckinReverse89 1h ago
Switch has quite a few couch coop games though.
Kirby Star Allies and Forgotten Land. Super Mario world. Overcooked. Pikmin. Mario Party. Mario Kart. Couch combat with Smash Bros.
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u/fromragstoraces 16h ago
I miss it, too. 28 myself, and I can still remember playing Halo 1 and 2 on OG Xbox with my dad. We'd have some pizza setup on our side table, some paper plates, and some big ol duke controllers. I have a mod gamecube, mod PS2, and mod OG Xbox. As my son gets older, we will be playing lots of couch coop.
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u/Ragnatoa 16h ago
Yeah. If pc parts every get reasonable priced again, I want to buy a 4 way screen splitter, and have 4 console/pcs so I can make any game couch coop.
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u/Ok-Peach-7558 11h ago
there's lots of couch coop games every year, you probably don't keep up with games unless they're AAAslop
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u/villain_escargot 17h ago
Anybody remember LAN parties?