Online multiplayer gaming has become the dominant way to get together with your friends on Playstation 4 these days. If you're like us, you still like a good old-fashioned local game to play with friends and family from time to time. Most of the big name franchise games like Call of Duty and Uncharted have moved into the exclusively online territory, but luckily the Playstation 4 still has more than a few great hidden gems up its sleeve. We're talking about games that take us back to the origins of multiplayer gaming, when people could hang out on one couch and race to the finish (or blow each other up). But what if you're not up to competition? You might just want to spend a little time sharing a great experience with your friends, working together to accomplish a goal.
If you're looking for games you can share with your friends and family in your own home, look no further than the 15 Best Playstation 4 Couch Co-Op Games You Need To Be Playing.
15. Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 may have been a pretty controversial game when it hit the PS3 back in 2009, but after a few years and a recent Playstation 4 re-release, we think it actually makes for a an ideal couch co-op experience. The entire game was designed around the idea of playing Resident Evil with a friend. This may sound blasphemous to long time Resident Evil fans, but on its own--this game has everything you'd want in a great arcade co-op zombie (*Uroboros) slaying experience.
The campaign is solid as a single player venture, but once you play with your ideal partner, you'll never want to Chris Redfield boulder punch without them ever again. The intense number of surprisingly smart enemies makes team tactics and strategic healing absolutely crucial to making it through each new area of the game. Once you've celebrated beating the game with a bro-fist pump, you will still have endless hours worth of the Mercenaries arcade mode to play through. It may be a recent remaster, but Resident Evil 5 still makes for one of the best local multiplayer experiences the Playstation 4 has to offer.
14. Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition
Are you a Turtles in Time fan longing for the better years of your SNES thug beating past? If this sounds like you, we've got just the recommendation with Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition. Guacamelee is based on Mexican folk lore and plays like a "Metroid-vania" style beat-em-up you used to play back in the day. It's one of those rare video games with a distinct brand of humor you won't find anywhere else. It's got a fun and vibrant atmosphere and delivers an undeniably charming couch co-op experience.
The game features a wide variety of locations including caves, boats, and even pirate ships. You and your co-op partner are able to come, go, and explore the entire world of Guacamelee together one Choozoo statue at a time. There are a number of throwback titles on this list, but none are as charming as Drinkbox Studio's Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition.
13. Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition
The classic top down shooter genre of the 90s has recently risen like a phoenix and quickly become one of the more co-op friendly genres. The twin stick shooter Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition supports two players locally and is guaranteed to be the best zombie hunting arcade experience you'll have all month The game pits you and a friend against the zombie horde a year after the the initial viral outbreak. Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition includes a number of fun weapons including a Blade Canon, a flamethrower, and the all powerful Shocker.
After you and your best friend have dominated the main campaign, you can put in some extra bloody zombie overtime to conquer the online leaderboards. Killing the undead may be endless dirty work, but the fun is never in short supply when you've got a buddy covering your back. Becoming the world's number one zombie conquering nation may seem like an impossible task, but you'll have countless hours of fun friend or partner couch co-op bonding time before you finally put the controller down for a break.
12. Towerfall Ascension
Looking for the fastest way to forge tough love or end your friendship? Towerfall Ascension is just the Playstation 4 game for you! The game pits you and your friends against against each other as archers with a thirst for gladiatorial victory. There's not much of a story to work with, but you are in for one of the greatest competitive arcade console experiences of our time. You better make sure you're prepared to get new controllers because after a few games of Towerfall Ascension, you're going to come up a few buttons short.
There is a single player mode, but Towerfall Ascension was built from the ground up as a Super Smash Bros. style multiplayer game. It's fast, it's chaotic, and it will have everyone shouting at the TV as you all fight for sharpshooter Legolas bragging rights. It's the type of local multiplayer game that will make or break your friendships and we couldn't more highly recommend it!
11. Trine 2
Trine 2 brings a surprisingly rare story-driven fantasy spin on the 2D platforming genre. The game has a stunning setting, whimsical soundtrack, and impressive couch co-op option that supports up to three players. It's got the rich world building and story driven draw for hardcore gamers and the simplicity of the side scrolling platformer for more casual players. Every character has their own specialty which gives everyone plugged in an important team role to play.
The game can get tricky from time to time which makes for a number of team problem solving scenerios. It may not look or play like a Legend of Zelda game, but Trine 2 presents the same type of tough mind boggling puzzles that are best served to be played with a couple of close friends by your side. If you have a passion for fantasy or story driven gaming and want something extra special you can share with your friends or family on the couch, look no further Trine 2.
10. Rock Band 4
Let's face it. At some point or another we all wanted to hit the open road and play music with our friends and Rock Band 4 is the best way on the Playstation 4 to fulfill that dream. Singer, guitarist, bass player, and drummer round out this game's four player options. Rock Band 4's playlist includes bands from across the generations including Imagine Dragons, U2, Rush, The Killers, Paramore, and a seemingly limitless number of downloadable songs for you and your friends to jam out to. Nothing quite brings pals together like sharing in that virtual spotlight during the final stretch of your favorite song.
Not only is this one of the best co-op games available, but it also makes for a great party game for people of just about any age or experience with video games. Whether it's playing hard at an all night jam session with friends or getting the family together for a couple of hours of fun, Rock Band 4 has just about every local multiplayer need covered.
9. Diablo 3
Diablo 3 is one of this generation's definitive co-op games for the hardcore gaming crowd. It's got the RPG elements, boss fights, and character classes more seasoned gamers are looking for without sacrificing the fun social experience you have when cramming all of your best friends together on a couch. The game has varied terrain and enemies in each world which keeps things especially interesting. What's even better is the constantly evolving arsenal of weapons and armor available for each class.
Blizzard's finest dungeon crawler is the ideal game for you and your buddies who want to spend the weekend marathoning a video game. The main quest is short and sweet enough, but it also remains highly replayable in case you want a game to play for months on end. Diablo 3 is the adventure that never stops giving and will have you and your friends up all night drinking copious amounts caffeine until you finally get "that" item your character needs to take on Izual.
8. Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends is another hidden gem that not even the most experienced gamers realize is couch co-op friendly. If your best friend or partner is really into the old school platformers like Super Mario Bros. look no further than the most recent Rayman game. This Rayman outing gives you the option to choose between the titular character and one of his three friends Globbox, the teensies, and Murphy to defeat the dark teensies. It's the sort of game you'd find during the Super Nintendo era dressed up with current gen aesthetics and game design.
Don't let its cartoony exterior fool you--Rayman Legends is one of the most difficult games you've played since Super Meat Boy or Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze. The game's difficulty is undeniably brutal, but for a pair of gamers looking for a challenge, it's the perfect weekend adventure.
7. LittleBig Planet 3
LittleBigPlanet 3 is another endless well of content for you and your friends, thanks to its robust online level sharing system. The main game is the perfect length for a long weekend gaming session, and thanks to PSN, there are levels available for download that covers just about every game genre under the sun. LittleBigPlanet 3 is the perfect way to show off your creative genius with your friends thanks to the robust level design system. You can spend hours building a level and then have your best buddies or significant over to test it out before you launch it into the online stratosphere.
One of the biggest benefits to LittleBigPlanet 3 is its clever, cutesy aesthetic which appeals to just about every friend group you can think of. It's one of the best family friendly games in the market and one of a handful of exclusive games that only Playstation gamers can experience.
6. Bro-Force
Ever want to play as your favorite crazy-ripped action movie star? Bro-Force is one of the most delightful hidden gems on the PS4 and a must play for action movie fans. Bro-Force stars a series of action hero knock offs including Rambro, Macbrover, Bro Hard, Ellen Ripbro, and Mr. Anderbro among others as they fight to take back the world from terrorists. It's a side scrolling shooter in the same spirit as the early Contra games that over indulges in the already hyper masculine sensibilities of the genre.
Each Bro comes with their own weapon and play style with each delivering their own fun punchline. There's are so many explosions you'll be lost as to which Michael Bay style film this game exists in. Bro-Force is one game you and your bros will undoubtably be fisting bumping about for months to come.
5. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2
The original Plants vs Zombies was a fun little IOS game, but the franchise didn't really become the flawless masterpiece we wanted until it was turning into the zany cartoony first person shooter Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2. If the title didn't tell you enough, this game is a class based first person shooter that pokes fun at the tropes of online multiplayer games like Call of Duty. It's more geared toward tower defense or classic Team Fortress 2 fans, but it still delivers that rush tried and true FPS fans will want to play.
With only a handful of split screen shooters left, we're fortunate Garden Warfare 2 delivers a really compelling experience you and your friends will all enjoy. Like the very best couch co-op games on this list, Garden Warfare 2 delivers a frantic experience that requires intense coordination in order to pull off a triumphant victory. The class based gameplay gives each person their own role which makes every player feel even more essential to their team. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is crazy, it's challenging, and it offers fun options for just about every player under the sun.
4. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
Borderlands 2 was one of the very best co-op games of the last generation and the compilation, The Handsome Collection, is no slouch in offering even more. The remastered collection includes Borderlands 2 along with all of the DLC and the oft forgotten Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. What's really special about this particular remaster is is the added ability to play local four player Goldeneye style split screen. It's a rare treat when a first person shooter includes four player split screen anymore. Fortunately for us, Borderlands is one of the best.
Even if you've already traversed Pandora , you haven't found the real treasure until you have played this story out with your best friends. Handsome Jack is still as sharp and punishable as you remember and the game's flawless weapon designs have not changed. If you are one of the gamers that missed out on the vault hunting adventures, you're in for one of the best first person shooter experiences of the last five years.
3. The Lego Games (Any of them)
The Lego Games have long been the gold standard for fun family couch co-op games. The gameplay is simple, the teamwork aspect is crucial, and the properties being brought to life are always among the most beloved. The Lego brand has become so synonymous with family fun, we'd be hard pressed to find a better game for your best friends to enjoy. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, Batman, and most recently Portal; the Lego Games have just about any fandom you could want to play with covered. Unlike a number of co-op games with the tacked on multiplayer feature, all of the Lego games feel designed to be played with a partner from start to finish.
What makes these games especially fun is their insanely charming retelling of our favorite movies. They always bring a clever self aware touch to keep things fun and fresh. Whether you're scouring the rooftops of Gotham, running away from a pack of velociraptors, or facing off against Voldemort, the Lego Games have your fun co-op adventures covered.
2. Resogun
Resogun launched exclusively as an online co-op game that was eventually patched to play locally by popular demand. The game features some of the most frantic gameplay we've ever seen which makes for a crazy intense local gaming experience. You and a partner choose one of three ships before fighting off a legion of alien invaders. Need an extra life? Better start shouting at you partner before they use their last bomb and it's game over.
Resogun's side scrolling flight shooter meets the hectic Geometry Wars pacing makes it easily accessible to just about anyone with enough concentration. Resogun is one of the hardest games on the list which makes it the ideal pick for seasoned gamers and arcade fans who want a real challenge. If your friendship can survive the brutal trials and onslaught of alien ships attacking planet earth, you just might become friends for life.
1. Rocket League
Despite its humble beginnings as a Playstation Plus freebie, Rocket League has become the hottest thing in the e-sport gaming. It may not seem like much on the surface, but Rocket League is one of the most fiercely competitive games currently available for download. If you're not familiar, Rocket League is essentially Mario Kart meets soccer with a touch of Excitebike. It's an ultra fast paced game that demands your full attention if you're going to take home the win. You and your friends can either team up together to play online or you can compete in a high stakes local game for bragging rights.
Rocket League is one of the greatest console multiplayer games of this generation, which is only cemented by its fun, competitive, and endlessly re-playable couch co-op experience. Climbing the leaderboards and dominating the competition online is always a blast, but it's a lot less fulfilling if you do it with a friend at your side.
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