Best Two-Player Local Co-Op Games On Xbox

Baldur's Gate 3 (Xbox Series X|S)

Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the highest-rated games of all time, so we really don't need to hype this bad boy up any more, you already know you're looking at an all-timer RPG that's gonna sit a good long while on its throne.

We played through the entire incredible campaign solo for our 10/10 review in 2023, and it was only on a second playthrough that we had some pals join us for the ride. Does it make an already incredible experience even better? Well, it depends on your mates, but we reckon so and it all works so flawlessly that playing through this bonafide banger with a partner (or three!) in tow is a guaranteed premium-grade night in.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 2 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? No
  

Diablo IV (Xbox Series X|S)

Diablo IV should, as we put it in our 9/10 review of the game, "keep even the most diehard demon slayers busy for a very long time." Not only is the main campaign here enough to keep seasoned dungeon-crawlers engaged for aeons, but the entire thing is playable in slick drop in/out local and online co-op, so there's no need to feel lonely as you go toe-to-toe with hell's meanest minions.

This is a game with legs too, so for folk with long-term plans in mind for their party of two, there's plenty of reason to jump into this latest Blizzard offering.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 2 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge (Xbox Series X|S)

We called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge a "lovingly crafted and supremely entertaining return to the glory days of early 1990s Turtles action" in our 9/10 review.

This is a game made with a deep and knowing love for the arcade classics and, just like back in ye olden days of smoky rooms full of school pals, here you can rinse every mode on offer in local (and online) co-op. What's more, you can have up to six players on-screen at any one time and the game only gets more fun as the enemy count and difficulty adjusts to the increased headcount. This a fantastic retro side-scroller, made all the better in a two-player setting - or with a full squad of pizza-lovin' pals.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 4 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Party Animals (Xbox Series X|S)

A party game is obviously always a great shout for some local co-operative fun-times, and Party Animals brings excellent Gang Beasts-style antics to Xbox in an experience we called "one of the best party games available on Xbox Game Pass in 2023" in our 8/10 review.

If the idea of cutesy physics-based brawling with plenty of madcap comedy potential floats your boat, then Party Animals is definitely one of the better recent examples of this genre to blast into with a friend or two in tow. Come for the silliness, stay for the light strategy that keeps it so engaging and addictive.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 4 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One)

What's left to say about this enormous collection of sci-fi spectaculars really?

Every campaign in Halo: The Master Chief Collection is available to play in two-player local co-op (and potentially more players online) and there's probably not a better series to gorge on than this one if you and a partner or two or looking for sci-fi shooter shenanigans with a little more heart and class than the usual fare.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 4 players max (but only 2 in Campaign)
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Gears 5 (Xbox One)

Yes, we've gone with Gears 5, but you could really go with whatever your favourite entry is in this franchise (including the recently released Gears of War: Reloaded), as they all support co-op play in both campaign and various multiplayer modes.

If you and a partner are looking for a great big action extravaganza to dig into, then the Gears series really is quite hard to beat. This fifth installment also sees The Coalition serve up their best effort yet, as they dish out a campaign that turns up the heat and engages much more than the somewhat lacklustre Gears 4.

As we said in our 8/10 review, "If you love shooters and you want a good place to jump back into the series, this is perfect place to work the rust out of your lancer."

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 3 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Split Fiction (Xbox Series X|S)

Split Fiction is the latest co-op masterpiece from Hazelight Studios, and we reckon it's a must-play if you've got a friend to enjoy it with. Our 9/10 review described it as "magnificently varied, inventive and ambitious gameplay journey that's bound to stick long in the memory".

Hazelight has plenty of experience with co-op games, of course, and Split Fiction is yet another example of a game designed and built from the ground up for two players in local (or online) co-op. If you'd rather check out something on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate instead, both A Way Out and It Takes Two are amazing Hazelight titles as well.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 2 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? No

Stardew Valley (Xbox One)

Stardew Valley pops up on our 'best of' lists all the time here at Pure Xbox, it's just that sort of special game, and it's here once again repping the co-op massive with simple drop in/out play for 1-4 people.

There's nothing quite like the chilled vibe of this farming/social sim and there's hundreds of hours of fun to be had with the right friends when working together as farm hands. Listen. Whatever you're into, we don't judge. This is as good as virtual country livin' with your mates gets.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 4 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Golf With Your Friends (Xbox One)

Fore! Hahaha. We have no idea what that means, and we're not huge fans of the sport in real life, but hot damn if golf doesn't make a fantastic video game experience for fans of co-operative action.

The Xbox version of Golf With Your Friends allows you to play with up to 12 other players in local co-op by passing a controller around in time-honoured fashion to bash it out on the green. Perfect for those cosy two-player nights on the sofa!

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 12 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes

Minecraft (Xbox One)

Minecraft has transcended normal video game parameters and become a sort of way of life for lots of folk. It's an educational tool as much as it is anything else, and a game that brings people together naturally through its seamless co-op that allows you to adventure, build, create and explore with a bunch of yer mates.

We've played through this game for the story with our kids, as well as for the fun of building and messing about with pals, and it just never gets old. Minecraft has been around for a very long time for lots of reasons, and its free-wheeling co-op play is chief amongst them.

• Two-Player Local Co-Op? Yes
• Local Multiplayer: 4 players max
• Online Multiplayer? Yes
• Xbox Game Pass? Yes