Top 10 Games Like “A Way Out”

10. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

First on our list is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a story-driven atmospheric game in which you play as one of two brothers as they trek through a strange land. The game allows you to play it single-player or through local co-op. The controls provide a pretty unique experience, and the way it handles co-op is definitely unique.

I feel like this game is best described as a walking simulator. For some of you, you may find it boring, but keep in mind that it’s a pretty short game. Even if you don’t really like walking simulators, it’s still got a great story and a really beautiful art style/environmental design. That alone makes it worth playing in my eyes.

9. Kingdom: Two Crowns

Kingdom: Two Crowns is up next. This is a 2D indie strategy game in which you play as a king or queen trying to keep their kingdom alive by recruiting subjects, building up defenses, and training soldiers to fight back against the Greed – a horde of dangerous monsters from another dimension. Unlike the previous Kingdom games, this one features a cooperative mode, letting you play with one other person!

This game has an absolutely BEAUTIFUL pixelated art style, with really stunning background art, and the music is nothing short of fantastic as well. While the tone and style of this game is very different from A Way Out, its cooperative gameplay justifies a spot on this list.

8. Unrailed!

Next is Unrailed!, a game I was hesitant to add to this list due to how different it is in some ways from A Way Out. But even with its differences, it’s still got a lot of the same great things we loved in A Way Out. This is a cooperative game in which you and up to 3 other players will work together to create a rail line to push a cart forward from one end of the map to the other. The cart never stops moving, so it’s a non-stop rush to continue building the rail line!

This is a really good game if you like cooperative games and have a small group of friends you like to game with, not just one other person. It’s mainly similar to A Way Out in the sense that you need to rely on others in order to complete the main objective. It’s a really wild and frantic game that can be very anxiety-inducing, especially as time goes on and the difficulty ramps up.

7. Trine 2

Trine 2 is a game that I don’t see many people discuss online. That’s a shame, as it’s a really solid puzzle platformer set in a beautiful high-fantasy world. Much like A Way Out, the game features numerous puzzles that will stop you in your tracks along your journey. You and your friends will need to work together to overcome them and make it through to complete the game.

I’m a huge fan of the art style here. It reminds me a lot of the Fable series, which is known for having a very vibrant and beautiful fantasy art style. Speaking of Fable, the game features some RPG elements, offering you to play as one of three different characters and giving you the option to upgrade your skills. It’s a really solid game that even comes with a good story.

6. Unravel Two

Unravel Two is a co-op platformer game in which you play as one of two strange yarn creatures on a trek across someone’s backyard. There’s a lot of platforming and puzzle-solving, which is a pretty common combo of genres in co-op games. However, this game manages to standout and feel fresh, offering unique gameplay mechanics that really take advantage of the world and characters you play as.

The environments are also really beautiful and well-made. I really like games that feature the characters exploring our own world, but on a micro-scale, just like in Grounded or Bug Fables. This game is another entry into that type of environment, and it’s done really well. I also really love the whimsical nature of the characters and the world itself. It reminds me a lot of the Little Big Planet games.

5. PHOGS!

PHOGS! is a colorful, cartoonish puzzle 3D platform game in which you and (optionally) one other player control two dogs that are linked together by their bellies (think Cat Dog, but with two dogs). This is a really cute, family-friendly game that you can play with your young child or anyone who loves cartoonish games.

The puzzles are well-made and diverse, and it really encourages you to cooperate with your buddy. Additionally, the levels all look really fantastic, and it has a really good pastel art style. I could go on and on about why I love this game, but why don’t you just try it for yourself? There’s a free demo available on Steam!

4. Portal 2

Portal 2 is an iconic game, probably one of the most popular and widespread games on this list. It’s so popular that even many non-gamers have given it a try, and that’s not without good reason. Portal 2’s cooperative mode provides a story that is completely unique from the single-player campaign. It features the same great puzzle-solving fun, but now with two players at the helm instead of just one!

This is a really cool science-fiction game that I highly recommend if you are a fan of that genre. You’ll play as one of two uniquely designed robots exploring a high-tech research facility. The game uses all sorts of sci-fi gizmos–light bridges, goo with special properties, and of course, the iconic portal gun–to give you a unique puzzle experience.

3. Payday 2

Payday 2 is an action-packed first-person shooter in which you play as a professional criminal. In this game, you will pull off a series of daring, high-stakes heists to make it big in the criminal underworld. Like A Way Out, this is a cooperative game in which you need to coordinate with other players if you want to maximize your chances of success. However, unlike A Way Out, it’s not really a puzzle game; instead it’s purely an first-person shooter.

You may be confused as to why this game is on the list instead of the recently released Payday 3. The reason for this is that–in its current state–Payday 3 just isn’t as good as Payday 2. The leveling up in Payday 3 isn’t great, enemy AI is terrible, and you need to be always online to play. If you’re reading this a few years after this article went live, chances are the game is in a better state (hopefully). But until then, you should just stick with Payday 2.

2. The Escapists 2

The Escapists 2 is a game that shares several similar characteristics to that of A Way Out. Let’s get the obvious out of the way. In this game, you play as a criminal locked away behind bars. The goal of the game is to cooperate with other players to try and escape! So if those are the things that drew you to A Way Out, then this game is a must-buy.

The Escapists 2 does do a lot of things differently, and there are several things in this game that make me enjoy it more than A Way Out. For starters, there are a lot more choices in how you play the game and how you escape the prison. There are multiple different routes to take to break free, as well as multiple different jobs for you to take to keep yourself preoccupied while you are in prison.

1. It Takes Two

And finally, what better way to cap off our list than with the game It Takes Two? It’s not hard to see why this game made it to our top spot because, well, it was literally made by the same developers as A Way Out.

In this game, you play as one of two married adults that have been shrunk down into dolls! Now you must navigate through crazy locations as you solve puzzles with one another to progress and sort out your damaged relationship.

This game shares many similar characteristics to A Way Out. It’s a two-player co-op with a heavy amount of puzzle-solving and more that makes it feel reminiscent of A Way Out. However, this game has a much brighter, more whimsical tone to it that makes it different in a way that’s refreshing. This is probably the closest we’ll ever get to A Way Out 2, so if you haven’t tried it out already, grab a friend and pick it up!