10 Best Co-Op Platformers

The platforming genre is timeless and has existed since the earliest days of gaming. Platformers can test your reflexes and allow you to explore whimsical fantasy worlds. Others have remarkable stories to tell or test your brain power with puzzles.

Regardless of what you’re after, we can all agree that nothing beats gaming with friends. If you’re after some fantastic platformers to tackle as a duo or a group, here are some of the best on the market.

10 Unravel 2

An Adorable Adventure

We’re kicking our list off with one of the most beautiful platformers around with a unique gameplay mechanic that makes co-op feel rewarding.

Unravel 2 puts you and a friend in control of a pair of ‘Yarnys.’ These lovable creatures are made of string, and you can use this remarkable quirk to lasso key objects and climb over obstacles.

You can also pull your buddies up cliffs in co-op, and many multiplayer puzzles have intuitive solutions. On that note, Unravel 2 is pretty relaxing and suitable for playing with a casual partner.

The only downside to Unravel 2 is that the co-op is strictly local. You cannot play with a friend unless you’re both in the same room, which is baffling for a game from 2018. Still, if you don’t mind the restriction, Unravel Two is a superb co-op puzzle platformer.

9 Human Fall Flat

Is He Supposed To Walk Like That?

If you’re open to a game with goofy physics where part of the fun is watching your character flop around while trying to complete simple tasks, you may enjoy Human Fall Flat.

There are dozens of low-effort titles where the allure is naff controls and rag dolling. Human Fall Flat is an excellent example of the concept done right. Every level is full of simple physics-based puzzles that are often tremendously difficult because your character can barely walk straight.

Conquering these tasks is fun and hilarious with a friend, and you can enjoy the title with up to 8 players online.

If you’re old school and fancy some couch co-op, Human Fall Flat even has a two-player split-screen. There are multiple solutions to every stage, and mountains of DLC keep the game fresh for countless sessions.

8 Bokura

A Heartfelt Tale

I mentioned in the intro that co-op games can spin great stories, and Bokura is a shining example of that.

Bokura is a gorgeous 2D platformer with mandatory co-op where you play as a pair of boys who have run away from home and relive childhood memories. Honestly, the story is far more nuanced and complex than that, but I’d be doing a disservice to spoil it.

Gameplay-wise, Bokura is full of superb puzzles tailored for two players. It’s not a mechanically demanding game, and most mysteries can be solved with a little trial and error.

While I don’t want to spoil anything, Bokura looks like an innocent 2D game, but it sometimes gets pretty dark! Keep that in mind if you’re after a lighthearted co-op experience.

7 Trine

A Great Choice For Trios

Systems

Released

July 3, 2009

Engine

physx, storm3d

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

6 Hours

Expand

Plenty of platformers have co-op, but it’s rare to find an entire series that makes group play a part of its identity.

Trine is a high-fantasy 2.5D platformer stuffed with physics-based puzzles and several fleshed-out characters to play as. The art style is absolutely stunning, and you will stumble across dozens of breathtaking scenes on your journey.

Co-op gameplay is a massive part of Trine, and while you can cycle through characters if you play alone, it’s much better as a group. Most puzzles are pretty intuitive, and character abilities only become more nuanced in later entries.

I’ve recommended the original Trine as it’s a great starting point, but every game in the series is worth playing with friends.

6 Rayman Legends

A Hero Returns To His Roots

Rayman Origins marked a triumphant return to the 2D realm for Rayman, and the sequel adds a brilliant co-op component to the mix.

Rayman Legends is a fast-paced 2D platformer with light co-op puzzle-solving, wonderfully diverse worlds, and a great collectathon if you want to rescue everything. The controls are buttery smooth, and every level feels tailor-made to suit Rayman’s acrobatic moveset.

The highlight of Rayman Legends has got to be the boss stages. Each one has a banging soundtrack and adds a rhythm-game component that’s so well-polished that you can’t wait to reach the next one.

It’s a shame we haven’t seen another standalone Rayman game since, but this is a phenomenal game to end the series on.

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5 Portal 2

Maybe Even Better Than Cake

Portal is an incredible first-person shooter, puzzler, platformer hybrid from the genius team at Valve. The first game is unforgettable, but it’s a solo endeavor. Fortunately, that changed with the sequel.

Portal 2 offers the same freeform puzzle-solving as the original, just with a companion. The portal gun provides many ways to solve puzzles, and the game’s scope is far grander than the original.

The campaign should keep you and a friend occupied for many hours, but there’s even custom content and level editor when you’re done.

The level creator is surprisingly intuitive, and literally over 100,000 maps are available on the Steam Workshop.

4 Spelunky 2

DEREK!!!!

Spelunky 2 is a punishing Roguelike platformer with a steep difficulty curve and plenty of room for individual skill expression.

The game is brutally tricky alone and only slightly less so in co-op, thanks to friendly fire. If the challenge doesn’t scare you off, Spelunky 2 is a procedurally generated masterpiece with tight platforming controls where no two runs are the same.

As new players, your goal is simply to reach the bottom of each floor and defeat the boss at the end of the game. But as you experiment and learn Spelunky 2‘s intricacies, you’ll discover multiple routes through the title and powerful items that completely alter how you approach each floor.

Spelunky 2 feels like a labor of love by its creator, Derek Yu, and it’s easy to lose hundreds of hours to the punishing title.

3 Broforce

A Bro Simulator

The older Contra games are tremendous run-and-gun platformers by Konami, but many of the newer titles sadly miss their mark or deviate from the beloved formula.

Fear not, because Broforce exists! Broforce wears its inspiration on its sleeve, offering intense 2D platforming and run-and-gun gameplay. The title pays homage to Contra and action movies from the 80s and 90s.

Most of the characters are based on legendary action heroes, like Rambro or Brobocop. It’s all delightfully silly, and the title never takes itself too seriously or shies away from violence.

As you may expect, Broforce can be pretty tough, but there are flexible difficulty options, and you can play with up to four players simultaneously.

I debated adding the more recent Contra: Operation Galuga to the list, but I honestly think Broforce has it beat.

2 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Don’t Let The Cute Characters Fool You

Systems

Released

February 21, 2014

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

ESRB

E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Metascore

86

Expand

The Donkey Kong games are platforming royalty, and Tropical Freeze on the Wii U and Nintendo Switch is no exception.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a high-quality 2D platformer set against a backdrop of lush jungles, creepy caves, and even under the ocean. If you’ve played the originals, the gameplay hasn’t changed much and still offers demanding platforming, particularly in the later stages.

Like the originals on the SNES, Tropical Freeze has a deceptively high-skill floor and is far more challenging than the cutesy characters suggest. That said, you can revive fallen comrades in co-op, and it feels so rewarding to clear difficult levels with a friend.

I’d argue that Tropical Freeze may not be suitable if you’re after a relaxing experience, but it’s fantastic if you relish a challenge.

1 Cuphead

Boss Rush With Friends

If you’re still hungry for challenging co-op games after Spelunky 2 or Tropical Freeze, you’ll find a lot to love in Cuphead.

Cuphead is a sadistic 2D platformer with an iconic art style reminiscent of Rubber Hose animation from the 1920s and 30s. The regular stages are excellent, but if you ask me, the feather in Cuphead‘s cap is the boss roster.

There are so many boss fights that they land Cuphead squarely in boss-rush territory. Each adversary is unique, with an imaginative moveset and multiple phases that all demand a different approach. Best of all, you can tackle the entire game with a friend to dial up chaos up to eleven.

Beware, multiple players do not make Cuphead easier, and bosses have an extended health pool to match your boosted firepower.

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