For this article, we put together a list of the 10 best video games for couples available to play in 2024.
Cuddling up to your significant other to play split screen, or even putting on headsets and playing together from your own rigs, can be a fun and rewarding way to spend time doing something that you both enjoy.
Experiencing a new story at the same time or working in tandem to overcome in-game challenges has the potential to bring you closer while making new memories.
While this is a list of great games to play or experience as a couple, not all of them require multiple players. Some of the games may be enjoyed by taking turns or with one partner watching and pitching in their two cents along the way.
The games on this list run the gamut from cute and mellow farm sims to multiplayer online horror games, so even though every couple is different, there should be something here for everyone.
Okay, let’s jump right in.
10. Unravel 2
Unravel 2 is a platform puzzle game by developer Coldwood Interactive. It was released in 2018 and has a score of 80 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 79% of critics recommending it.
You and your partner play as small, adorable creatures made of yarn called ‘Yarnys’. Although the game can be played solo, the levels still require the use of two Yarnys to complete them and were clearly made with two players in mind.
You swing, repel, and bounce off strings of yarn cast out from your character, allowing you to solve puzzles and pass obstacles. You and your partner will need to coordinate as wrong timing could mean dropping your fellow Yarny into the eager mouth of a (to you) giant chicken.
The levels are detailed and beautiful, taking you across lakes and through forests and cityscapes. Aside from the main campaign, there are also challenge levels that provide new challenges and as well as letting you unlock different customization options, such as different colors for your Yarnys.
Unravel 2 is a satisfying and inventive puzzle platformer that is at its best when played together with your partner. Just do your best not to drop them and make them chicken food!
Play on: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
9. Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game series developed by Nintendo. It was released in 2018 and has a score of 90 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 99% of critics recommending the game.
New Horizons is a great addition to the Animal Crossing franchise, adding in crafting and other modern features without changing what made these games popular to begin with.
You play as the new inhabitant of a mostly deserted island. Where you fish, gather resources, and craft your island toward your personal vision.
This is a great game for casual players and thrives on its relaxed, non-punishing gameplay and charming cartoony aesthetics. Additionally, this game is at its best when taking your time and playing the way you want to play.
For the most part, this means working toward your personal goals rather than grinding toward the endgame or trying to master gameplay mechanics to pass difficult levels.
Although Animal Crossing: New Horizons gets off to a bit of a slow start, and there are some grindy elements of the crafting system, at its heart is a peaceful and idyllic game perfect for couples looking to chill out during some downtime.
It’s a great example of why games don’t have to rely on overly challenging progression or high-pressure challenges to be both fun and rewarding.
Play On: Nintendo Switch
8. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetric online multiplayer survival horror video game by developer Behaviour Interactive. It was released in 2016 and has a very positive user review rating on Steam.
This is the only explicitly online competitive game and the only horror game on this list. Not every couple who’s looking for games to play together wants cute graphics or low-pressure gameplay. This is a great game, and if you like horror and tense competition, it might be just what you’re looking for.
You play as either the lone Killer or one of four Survivors trying to escape with their lives. As the Survivors, your goal is to repair the generators scattered throughout the map to open exit gates. The Killer, on the other hand, is trying to find and eliminate all the survivors before they can succeed in escaping.
As a survivor, you have a third-person perspective, and your gameplay is all about stealth and teamwork. Using your number advantage and the help of your allies to carry the day and escape.
When you play as the Killer, you have a first-person perspective, which limits your field of view, and you have to make decisions about how and where you can best disrupt the survivors’ efforts.
This game has a simple concept but a lot of depth and can provide the sort of jump scares, grim setting, and tense and time-driven teamwork that some couples are sure to love. You and your significant other can share in the fun of success or defeat together as you both do your best to make it out alive.
Play On: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
7. Portal 2
Portal 2 is a puzzle and platform game by developer Valve. It was released in 2011 and has a score of 95 out of 100 on MetaCritic and a 9.1 user score.
In the sequel to the original and now classic Portal game, you find yourself making your way through the futuristic Aperture Science laboratory with the use of your mind and space-bending handheld portal device.
This is the oldest game on our list, and won’t take you and your partner that long to play through, but it’s well-written and funny, with great voice acting and simple mechanics that create complex and rewarding puzzles.
This game features a multiplayer co-op campaign mode called The Cooperative Testing Initiative. This is where you and your partner will be spending your time together in-game.
You play as two robots, each armed with their own handheld portal device. You’ll need not only the extra set of portals but also your partner’s problem-solving abilities to find your way through the increasingly challenging test chambers.
Portal 2 is a great game for couples who love puzzle solving and a great game in general. It’s full of creative levels that will require creativity to overcome.
This has the potential to make the hours playing together melt away and create the sort of high-five moments of mutual success that make playing games together so rewarding.
Play On: PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
6. Tetris Effect: Connected
Tetris Effect: Connected is an arcade-style puzzle video game by development studios Monstars and Resonair. It was released in 2018 and has a score of 89 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 95% of critics recommending the game.
You are likely familiar with the basic Tetris gameplay of stacking and rotating blocks of different shapes as they fall from the top to the bottom of your screen.
Tetris Effect keeps the same core gameplay but combines sound design and unique level visuals to bring the game’s frenetic yet meditative gameplay into the modern era.
The game features the ability to hold and swap out blocks for more strategic gameplay. There is also a new “Zone” mechanic that, when triggered, allows you to slow time, clearing as many lines of blocks as possible for bonus points while the effect lasts. This adds another simple but enjoyable layer to the gameplay for those seeking high scores.
Tetris Effect features a variety of modes, including co-op and vs game modes. While this is great for couples that want to test their skill against each other, we think where Tetris Effect excels as a couples game is in its engrossing soundtrack and atmosphere where you and your significant other can take turns dropping blocks or just kicking back, relaxing and enjoying the vibe.
Play On: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Oculus Quest, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
5. Don’t Starve Together
Don’t Starve Together is a standalone multiplayer expansion for the survival game Don’t Starve, developed by Klei Entertainment. It was released in 2016 and has an overwhelmingly positive user review score on Steam.
Trying not to starve together is exactly the sort of premise that brings couples together. This game has all the survival hallmarks but in a fast-paced, well-balanced package with Tim Burton meets Edward Gory pen and ink style graphics.
Unlike some other games on this list, Don’t Starve Together is not a low-stakes good time where you play at your own pace with no real concerns in mind other than your next self-created goal.
On the contrary, hunger, the changing of the seasons, wild animals, and a lack of resources drive you to nearly constantly seek out new areas and resources in an attempt to make it more or less sane and intact to the next morning.
Don’t Starve Together is a great game for couples who are survival game fans and enjoy a challenge or just want to embark on a dangerous and darkly whimsical journey where two are more likely to survive than one, and the knowledge and resources you possess might be the only thing that keeps your partner alive.
This game isn’t as casual or relaxing as some entries on this list, which is exactly why it’s here.
Play On: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Linux
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a racing game developed by Nintendo. It was released in 2017 and has a score of 92 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 99% of critics recommending the game.
This game is another installment in the long-running and beloved Mario Kart series. The graphics are bright and polished, bringing fan-favorite characters onto colorful and creatively designed tracks.
There are 48 courses in the base game, with more available in DLCs, which means you’ll be able to switch them up enough to keep things interesting.
Additionally, the game features 43 characters and upgradable karts with thousands of different component combinations. The game’s items also feel more balanced than they have in some of the franchise’s other installments.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the snappiest and best-feeling racing games Nintendo has made, and it only gets better when sharing it with a loved one.
One of the great things about playing this game with your partner is that it offers a variety of game modes and relatively short rounds. This means that while you still have the option to play it together for extended periods, you can also just pick it up for a short gaming session if you want.
This is a good-looking game, and it’s enjoyable to kick back and watch a race or two while your partner plays.
Play On: Nintendo Switch
3. Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a role-playing and farm simulation game by developer Eric Barone. It was released in 2016 and has a score of 89 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 99% of critics recommending the game.
The game starts with you inheriting your grandfather’s farm. The game is full of simple yet satisfying tasks such as planting, watering, and harvesting your farm crops. That is only the tip of the iceberg in Stardew Valley, as it is a world rich in people to talk to, things to do, and places to explore.
Different farms available in the game encourage different gameplay elements such as farming, fishing, foraging, mining, and combat.
The NPCs in the game can be romanced or befriended with a favor system that is built around gift-giving. Once the game’s main story has wrapped up, this continues to make the world feel lively and interesting.
Stardew Valley features charming pixel art graphics and a soundtrack produced by the game creator, Eric Barone. This is a game that’s great to play together on one save or to take part in the same world multiplayer on two machines so that you can each play the game in the way that is most appealing to you while running a house or farm together.
Play On: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
2. It Takes Two
It Takes Two is an action-adventure platform game by developer Hazelight Studios. It was released in 2021 and has a score of 88 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 93% of critics recommending the game.
This is an award-winning co-op game made for two. You and your partner take on the roles of Cody and May, a couple forced to work through the friction in their relationship to overcome a variety of fantastical challenges.
The game does a great job of mixing up level and character mechanics and making you and your significant other work together to progress through its varied and colorful levels.
During each level, you’ll use and perfect new character abilities, fulfilling separate roles in order to progress. The game is challenging enough to require some thought and effort from you and your partner but doesn’t require either of you to be hardcore gamers to be successful.
This encourages a sort of playfulness that allows you moments of sabotaging your partner or dropping them off a ledge without derailing your playthrough or losing level progress.
It Takes Two is a charming co-op game for couples, and although we skipped through parts of the story in favor of getting right into the game. The art, level design, and banter between Cody and May are all part of a fun and engrossing game that is easy to recommend.
Play On: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4
1. Overcooked! 2
Overcooked 2 is a cooperative arcade-style cooking simulation game by developers Team17 and Ghost Town Games. It was released in 2018 and has a score of 82 out of 100 on OpenCritic, with 87% of critics recommending the game.
This game can be played single-player but is best with two controllers in couch co-op mode. You and your significant other play as cooks, trying to keep a kitchen afloat as an endless stream of orders come in.
You’ll need to chop, fry, mix, and bake your way through each stage with a changing series of recipes and environmental challenges.
Compared to the original Overcooked (also a great game for couples), Overcooked 2 adds in a larger campaign, many more recipes, and the ability to throw food, which is a game changer in a game where efficiency is paramount.
Overcooked 2 can go from relaxing to frantic depending on the level and whether or not you are trying to meet the high score requirements to max out each stage. This means that developing a plan and working together is key.
This is the sort of high-tension gameplay that leads to laughter and the high of shared wins when you finally get the fourth star on a level that you’ve been stuck on.
With adorable graphics, playful music, and great gameplay and level design, Overcooked 2 is one of the best couch co-op games for couples out today. It is a blast to play with a significant other who is up to the challenge or maybe just likes the idea of a cat in an apron – this lands Overcooked 2 the number one spot on our list.
Play On: PC, Mac, PS 4 and PS 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
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