Best Local Co-op Games for PS5 & PS4

Why it's here: The best couch co-op game on PS5 right now, and it is not close: two players, one permanently split screen, and a fresh mechanic almost every level as it vaults between sci-fi and fantasy. Only one of you needs to buy it, thanks to the Friend's Pass. The recurring complaint in player reviews is the writing, a thin story and occasionally grating dialogue, but nobody is here for the plot. If you have a regular co-op partner, start with this one.

Why it's here: Still the benchmark, and the most-reviewed co-op game on this list. It cannot be played alone: the screen stays split for both of you, and every chapter hands the pair a new toy, magnets, time control, a hoverboard, so the trick never repeats. One copy covers both players via Friend's Pass. Player reviews call it perfect for couples, and just as often flag the skill gap: a practiced player will carry a first-timer through some sections. If Split Fiction is already finished, this is your next evening.

Why it's here: The pick for a pair who want one cinematic night rather than a campaign: a prison-break drama that never leaves split-screen, with both of you on screen even through cutscenes, and one copy covers the second player via the Friend Pass. Player reviews love the shared story and are equally clear you will spend more time in quick-time events than real mechanics, and the ending divides opinion sharply. Go in for the evening together, not the gameplay, and it delivers.

Why it's here: The definitive four-player party pick: a cooking line where the kitchen itself fights back, floors slide apart and orders stack faster than four pairs of hands can chop. This edition bundles both games remastered with the DLC, adds an assist mode for younger cooks, and sits in the PS Plus Extra catalogue. One warning from player reviews: online multiplayer crashes and disconnects are a persistent gripe, so treat it as a local game first. On one couch it is the loudest fun on this list.

Why it's here: The best brawler here and the easiest sell for a full couch: up to four cartoon-faithful turtles on one screen, with enemy crowds scaled to how many of you are playing. It is 1987 nostalgia with modern handling, on PS Plus Extra. The honest caveat from player reviews: it is short, an evening or two, and a known multiplayer save bug still catches groups out. For loud drop-in party sessions, the brevity barely matters.

Why it's here: The couch platformer for a mixed-age room: up to four on one screen, fallen players float back as balloons a teammate punches into play, and the music levels that turn stages into rhythm games remain the high point. Player reviews stay fond of it a decade on; the recurring complaints, Ubisoft account friction and retired online features, barely touch local play. A safe, brilliant pick when the couch spans ages seven to forty, and it is on PS Plus Extra.

Why it's here: The family pick with real teeth: a 3D platformer with drop-in co-op for four and a strand of levels that literally cannot be cleared alone, built on hoisting and throwing teammates across gaps. Rated Everyone and on PS Plus Extra, it is a natural first co-op game for a young player. Player reviews love the charm and consistently flag multiplayer glitches, so expect the odd restart on co-op nights. Play it on the subscription rather than at full price.

Why it's here: The physics comedy: each of you steers a wobbly, jelly-limbed humanoid that can barely grip a ledge, and every climb becomes two-person slapstick. The clumsy controls are the design, and player reviews are clear the game only really works with company; solo play is the most common complaint. Two share the couch, up to eight online, and it is on PS Plus Extra. Load it when you want to laugh at each other, not win cleanly.

Why it's here: The co-op challenge pick, so be honest with yourselves before starting: this hand-drawn 1930s boss rush gets harder with two, bosses gain health and a downed partner must be parried back mid-fight. Player reviews praise the art and soundtrack as consistently as they curse the difficulty. For a pair who want to be tested, it is the best-looking wall on PlayStation. For a casual couch night, pick almost anything else here.

Why it's here: The gentlest co-op RPG on the list: a second cat drops in the moment a friend picks up a pad, no separate save, no setup, and the pirate-cat humour lands with kids and adults alike. The only real complaints in player reviews are that it is short and rarely difficult, which is exactly why it works for a veteran playing alongside a newcomer or a child. A perfect low-stakes weekend game, included with PS Plus Extra.

Why it's here: The cozy anchor of the list: a shared farm where up to four players work one screen and one calendar, and the day only ends when everyone agrees to sleep. Player reviews reach for the same word again and again: comforting. The cautions are mild but real, newcomers get little tutorial and the early hours run slow. For a couch that wants quiet routine and shared progress instead of adrenaline, nothing else comes close.

Why it's here: The kids' pick: all nine Skywalker films in one LEGO galaxy with 300-plus characters, and a second player who can drop in or out mid-mission with zero setup. For a parent and a young child it is the easiest handoff on this list. Player reviews split honestly: huge content and real humour on one side, short repetitive missions and bugs on the other, with long-time fans preferring the older LEGO games' story levels. For its actual job, keeping a mixed-age pair busy for a month, it is exactly right.

Why it's here: The sandbox that needs no introduction, with one genuinely rare trick here: four-player offline split-screen on one console, and players two through four join as guests without their own PSN accounts. That makes it the lowest-friction way on this list to get a whole family into one world. The recurring complaints in player reviews are store and add-on purchase headaches, not the game itself. If your couch spans a six-year-old and an adult, this is the default choice.

Why it's here: Pure chaos, by design: a physics sandbox with no goal but wreckage, where four players hold a button to drop in mid-mayhem and then turn on each other across seven mini-games. Player reviews rate it remarkably high for what it is, with two honest warnings: the joke wears thin over long sessions, and many say buy it on sale. As a rotation game, an hour of anarchy between meatier picks, it is the funniest thing here.

Why it's here: The horror-night pick and the only Mature-rated game on the list: pass one controller among up to eight people, each steering a counselor whose choices decide who survives. Player reviews praise the story, atmosphere and performances, and state the trade plainly: long unskippable cutscenes and thin interaction between the scares. That trade is the point. Run it as a horror film with a scoreboard, lights off, and it is a superb group evening. Expect a game and you will fidget.