The Best Co-Op Games to Play on PS5, Ranked

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William Kennedy is a full-time freelance content writer and journalist based in Eugene, OR. With over a decade of experience, William covers live m... Read more

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

What makes a game more than a game? When you can play it with friends, of course. That’s just the kind of fun offered by the best co-op games to play on PS5. In this ranking, we cover 15 of the very best co op games to play on PlayStation 5, a console offering what many believe to be the best social integration of any console so far.

From action/adventure to space exploration, and from challenging puzzles to obstacles that can only be surmounted through collaboration, these games can be played online or with a friend on a couch, in groups ranging from between two to four players, sometimes more. So, crack a soda, grab a bag of chips, and text a friend (or three), the 15 best co-op games to play on PS5 are coming up next.

15. Back 4 Blood

• Price: $59.99
• Mature content
• 4-player co-op
• PvP available

Playing alongside or against other players, Back 4 Blood pits you against the “Ridden,” zombie-like enemies infected by a parasite. This first-person shooter with mature content allows teams up to four, or instead, you can brave the game all by yourself. The “Cleaners” — or survivors who are immune to the parasite — are all also highly customizable; choose your own weapons, abilities, or other kinds of specialities, and play in an alliance with your friends. Or instead, fight against them in PvP action.

Although players prefer Back 4 Blood 3 over this later edition, many more comment on the great replay potential, balanced card system, and that the game is both fun to play with friends, or just with strangers online.

14. Operation: Tango

• Price: $19.99
• Online co-op only
• Mic required
• Friend pass available

With mature content, Operation: Tango is next up in our ranking of the best co-op games to play on PS5. You can play the game alone or in a team with friends (the friends pass is a nice feature), while accomplishing risky missions in high-tech scenarios set in a not-so-distant future. In the game, you and your friends can be either “Agents” or “Hackers,” in storylines featuring themes of espionage, with imaginative gadgetry, and lots of teamwork required to win. We also like that cross–platform play is available.

Fans of Operation: Tango call it a very good co-op game, requiring strong communication skill to successfully complete — one couple even played it on date night. It’s a little short, some also say, especially for what you pay, but most call it fun enough and challenging, with good replay value.

13. Diablo III

• Price: $59.99
• Camera mode a little strange
• Dungeons change
• Mature content

While the world eagerly awaits the release of Diablo IV, now pushed to sometime in 2024 at the earliest, we’re here to remind you that Diablo III remains among the best co-op games to play, especially if you’re a fan of the fantasy genre. Rendered in 4K and visualized at 60 frames-per-second, Diablo III is an RPG that features couch co-op mode on consoles. There’s also lots of new gear to try out, and an amazing story mode to explore.

Nicely, there’s a wide variety of demons to battle with in the game, mixed with enough challenging goals to keep things interesting. There’s also a good selection of powerful weapons and life saving armor to earn. Some prefer Diablo II over this latest update, but overall, this game can be picked up easily to play for just a few minutes, or for several hours. The number of quests and builds to try keeps gameplay well-balanced throughout.

12. Deep Rock Galactic

• Price: $29.99
• Mature content
• Fair and skill-based difficulty
• No voice chat in-game communication

Offering co-op mode for up to four players, and with four classes to choose from, Deep Rock Galactic is the next choice in our ranking. In the game, you can play a gunner, scout, driller, or engineer, while your team of “space dwarves” pursue their objective, fighting the alien swarms they encounter. A procedurally generated cave network provides an ever-changing environment, with weapons and gadgets to collect, and rarely are any two playthroughs of Deep Rock Galactic alike.

Overall, each class is well balanced, according to feedback. The atmosphere is also great, and that’s particularly true of the music, pushing you on as you mine for minerals and battle insectoids. There are loads of weapon upgrades, and no micro-transactions to worry about. Deep Rock Galactic is a top-tier game, with an online community that’s top-tier as well.

11. Sackboy: A Big Adventure

• Price: $59.99
• PS Plus Required for Online Play
• Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Lyrics
• Users interact

In one of the most imaginative and downright charming co-op games to play on PS5, Sackboy: A Big Adventure takes place not in some war torn landscape or fantasy dungeon, but in Craftworld, instead. In this 3D multiplayer platforming adventure, there are snowy landscapes, jungles to explore, and even an underwater setting to play through, as Sackboy and the Knitted Knights are tasked with saving Sackboy’s friends; they’ve been kidnapped by Vex, who put them to work building his Topsy Turver.

Fans of the game comment on the cool characters and amazing graphics, with collectable items and power-ups to keep things fun and interesting. The music is also worth mentioning, but just don’t try to complete some of the levels all at once or you might end up frustrated. The simple controls, though, keep things fun for all ages.

10. Borderlands 3

• Price: $59.99
• Inventive gun styles (fire-belching volcano rifles, anyone?)
• Frequent Violence or Gore
• Sexual themes

It looks like we’re going to have to wait until at least 2026 for Borderlands 4. Luckily, we have the third edition in the game franchise to keep us busy. With mature content, players in this shooter-looter game are Vault Hunters, exploring for treasure in the Badlands. Any of the Borderlands editions can be played solo or in tandem, and there are loads of customizations, and skills to develop with each character. The objective: To prevent the Calypso twins and the bandit clans from taking control of the galaxy.

Experienced players say be sure to unlock mayhem mode, and that the combat mechanics in this version of the game are greatly improved over Borderlands 2. It’s an action-packed RPG with lots of weapons to choose from. Gameplay is smooth, and it’s overall design is geared a bit more toward co-op play rather than solo play — which we don’t mind in the least.

9. KeyWe

• Price: $24.99
• Some level bugs reported
• Great choice for date night
• Fun to hunt collectibles with challenging minigames

Returning to the cute side of cop-op games for PS5, KeyWe is next up in our ranking. In the game players can choose to be Jeff or Debra, two adorable kiwi birds tasked with delivering the mail. And that’s more difficult than it sounds, as Jeff and Debra find themselves in a post office full of challenges and obstacles courses. It may not sound that hard to do all that, but you try doing it without any hands, and with just your wings and a beak. It takes teamwork! Luckily, this well-reviewed game offers customizations to help the poor birds perform their duties amidst all those hazards.

Fans of the game call it very fun and an original concept with a lot of variety within the game modes. It is co-op, but players max out only at two, so that’s somewhat limited. Otherwise, though, the sorting overtime shift will hook you. It’s also a great game to play with your kids, and a good challenge if you like time-limited puzzles that can only be solved through cooperation.

8. Resident Evil 6

Image: Capcom

• Price: $19.99
• Mature content
• “A piece of art”
• One of the best action-shooters

With the multiplayer Resident Evil: Village delayed until 2022, there’s still time to try out what’s widely considered to be among the best co-op editions in the franchise, Resident Evil 6. With highly mature content — just like any other installment in these classic zombie storylines — players follow one of four closely related and frequently intertwined plotlines in far-flung corners of the planet, including North America, China, and Eastern Europe.

With both co-op and solo play available, there are loads of new threats in the game to contend with, such as a more virulent C-virus. Luckily, skill points can be used to upgrade your character for faster reload times and a redesigned control system. There’s also a number of new stages and extra content. As always when it comes to Resident Evil, the story is good and gameplay is fun. Overall, it’s a well optimized game with complex mechanics, diverse character move sets, and interactions. It comes highly recommended by users.

7. Overcooked: All You Can Eat

• Price: $39.99
• Console of PC
• Fantastic party/family game
• More free content promised

Maybe for you, working in a busy kitchen sounds like a nightmare. For others, though, that just might be their idea of a good time. That’s what the next game in our list has to offer. In Overcooked: All You Can Eat, the latest in the Overcooked series, players collaborate on an epic meal in the land of cooking — problem is, the kitchens and recipes keep changing. Better hurry before the timer goes off! Great for all ages, this game is fun and comical, but even though the concept seems lighthearted, the game really does get stressful at points, based on feedback — worst case scenario is all the chefs are dead and the kitchens catch fire!

If you’ve played any previous versions, Overcooked, All You Can Eat offers seven new kitchens, and there is a surprising amount of strategy required to beat the game. If you have Overcooked 1 and 2, then All You Can Eat might be more of the same, but if you’re just getting into the franchise, or for new and improved crossplay, All You Can Eat is the best choice for you.

6. Heavenly Bodies

• Price: $19.99
• Something unique
• Very simple and beautiful game
• Toggle/grab option a lifesaver

Ever wonder what the experience of weightlessness might actually be like? That’s the objective of the next co-op game we reviewed, Heavenly Bodies. In this game of physics and engineering, cosmonauts perform highly-skilled tasks like space telescope and solar array maintenance on an outer space research station, with enough challenges and rewards to keep things interesting. The biggest of all being, of course, that it’s work done in a simulated, ever-changing, and realistically rendered environment of weightlessness, putting a premium on teamwork to get the task done.

An extremely fun game to play — even in remote mode, we learned — Heavenly Bodies is like a good book you can’t put down because you just can’t wait to see what happens next.
It is a maximum of just two players, which is a downside for some, and others comment that if you’re easily frustrated, this might not be the game for you. Otherwise, though, Heavenly Bodies comes highly recommended — 10/10, from most players.

5. Aliens: Fireteam Elite

• Price: $39.99
• Gameplay could be longer
• Realistic graphics
• Easter eggs throughout

For fans of the Aliens movie franchise, the next game we reviewed, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, takes place in the very same universe. In a cooperative third-person survival shooter with mature content, the xenomorph is evolving. It’s roughly two decades after the classic Aliens Trilogy, there are five classes to choose from and customize — including gunner and demolisher, but also technician, doc, and recon — with more than 30 weapons options and tons of mods and attachments available for each.

Team strategy is required to win, and a challenge card system keeps the game fresh on each playthrough. Fans of the game call it an interesting introduction to a possible MMORPG set in the Aliens universe, with the best mechanics for any in-universe Aliens game so far. Even though it’s technically third-person, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of the action. But it isn’t the best choice for playing alone, based on feedback.

4. Chicory: A Colorful Tale

• Price: $19.99
• Good message about creativity
• Zelda-like concept
• Who doesn’t love a talking dog?

The next co-op game to play on PS5 trades wartorn scenarios on alien landscapes for something creative and — quite often — downright cute. In Chicory: A Colorful Tale, you’ll play in teams, solving puzzles, unlocking new abilities, and best of all, painting, wherever you’d like — how fun is that? In a world of more than 100 animal characters, with side quests and the opportunity to paint together with friends in local co-op mode, there is a total of 10 hours of gameplay offered in Chicory, and that’s at a minimum. The audio design from Em Halberstadt and original soundtrack by Lena Raine are also both particularly notable.

Overall, fans call it a wholesome, chill, and adorable game, mixing puzzle solving and painting to great effect. No particular artistic skill is necessary to enjoy Chicory, and the innovative concept including themes of mental health has been lauded for helping some with both anxiety and depression, amounting to a kind of art therapy. The game is charming, beautiful, and heartfelt, based on feedback.

3. It Takes Two

• Price: $39.99
• Some dark themes
• Interactive, immersive gameplay
• Breathtaking graphics

Rated “T” for teen, It Takes Two is the next well-reviewed co-op game in our ranking. With themes of cooperation, players help Cody and May work through their differences while interacting with a diverse cast of characters, such as “The Book of Love.” It’s an adventure with unique and interesting challenges and character abilities to unlock. Part of what earned It Takes Two a spot near the top of our list is Friend’s Pass, offering free online co-op play, as well as split-screen play possible straight from your couch.

Experienced gamers call it incredible; the best game many of them have ever played, and that’s saying a lot in some instances. It’s also a good choice for parents to play with their children, and the transitions between modes are seamless, we learned. You’ll have fun roaming and exploring, with challenging puzzles and enough content to keep things interesting throughout.

2. Outriders

• Price: $59.99
• Extra content pack available
• 50+ hours of gameplay
• Four classes, each with three branches

Returning to adult themes, Outriders is an online-only third-person shooter with elements of RPG. Things new in this updated version of the game includes fresh no-timer expeditions, better connectivity and matchmaking, and a number of new expedition maps, among other improvements. This is described as the most aggressive shooter-style game in the genre, so it’s not for the faint of heart.

Overall, it blends the best elements of games like Gears of War, Anthem, and Destiny, among others, with fantastic world tiers, and the ability to unlock different world abilities. There are four play styles to choose from, with good graphics and gear flow, dark humor, and an engaging storyline. It can also be played in up to 4-player co-op, or solo, depending on what you prefer.

1. A Way Out

• Price: $29.99
• Mature content
• Unexpected ending
• Great mini-games within the game

The last and best co-op game to play on PS5 we reviewed is the prison-heist adventure, No Way Out. Choose to play either Leo or Vincent — the former, a hardened criminal, the latter, fresh into prison. To successfully break out from jail and overcome the obstacles requires problem solving skills, as well as the ability to fight, run, jump, and hide. Overall, there’s a great storyline to keep you engaged and enough Easter eggs to discover throughout.

Overall, the game is like watching a thrilling action/crime movie with adult content, with twists and turns for a solid split-screen co-op experience. And remote play means that friends without the game can still join in and play with you. Some finish the game in just about six hours — describing it as a movie-like experience.