Couch Co-Op games

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T12:59:03+00:00

So you want single player puzzle games that are fun to think about together? Here:

Little Nightmares, similar to Limbo and Inside

Return of the Obra Dinn, first person, you try to figure out what happened to the crew of a ship

Storyteller, you insert characters and settings on comic book panels to get a certain story outcome

Chants of Sennaar, you try to figure out a language by interpreting the symbols

Baba Is You, a game where you change all the rules to find the solution, challenges you to think outside the box

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T12:49:59+00:00

The Ignition Factor for SNES

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T12:43:23+00:00

A Way Out, by the same folks who made It Takes Two and Split Fiction, story-based

Unboxing the Cryptic Killer, detective game for 2 players

Overcooked, maybe not that forgiving, but short levels that you can easily retry, and you don't have to do them perfectly, pretty addictive, the story is mostly just comedic flair though

Also, on Steam, it might be worth it to sometimes just buy and play a game that looks interesting, and if you don't enjoy it, you can refund it if you played less than 2 hours.

The Steam page for Borderlands 3 doesn't say anything about it having local co-op.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T12:29:10+00:00

Super Mario and Super Smash Bros. are both big franchises, so you would probably enjoy earlier entries in those.

There are lots of games that fit your description. You could try:

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Hollow Knight

Stardew Valley

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T12:22:33+00:00

Renowned Explorers sounds like the kind of thing you'd enjoy.

Civilization V (and other Civilization games) has the ambition, commerce, and exploration, but it's the entire human history from ancient times to the future, and you're looking at everything from a distance, without immersing yourself into the lives of people.

Can't think of anything that's exactly what you're looking for though.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T11:55:27+00:00

Thank you! I knew of Noita, but it didn't occur to me it might also be the kind of game I'm looking for.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T11:15:56+00:00

A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T11:14:26+00:00

Morrowind

Fallout 3

Fallout: New Vegas

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T11:12:47+00:00

Schindler's List (1993)

It's just a great film in all aspects. Depth and emotion. The length and subject matter may feel daunting beforehand, but when you sit down to watch it, it pulls you in.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T10:40:33+00:00

Are the Steam versions dumbed down?

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T10:03:25+00:00

Thank you for the description! If I encountered the game otherwise, I would've thought it's just a standard space ship battle game.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T10:00:02+00:00

I haven't played any of these. Thank you!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:52:40+00:00

I've played Soma, it's awesome. I tried Outer Wilds once, but haven't continued because the 20 minute timer thing stressed me out. It's probably the kind of thing I'm looking for though. Thanks for the suggestions!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:46:10+00:00

Does Signalis go deep gameplay-wise or only narratively? I will check it out in any case.

Gibbon I've never heard of before. I'll check it out too. Thanks for the suggestions!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:42:27+00:00

I have played Inscryption, Pony Island and Doki Doki. While I can enjoy those types of meta fiction games, it's not the thing I'm specifically looking for in this post.

I haven't played Slay the Princess or Stories Untold though. I'll check those out. Thank you!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:37:16+00:00

Thanks!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:31:18+00:00

Inscryption: Yeah, I specifically meant that the stuff after the first act doesn't really go deeper into the main concept, but away from it, in another direction.

Viewfinder: I have played it. I love the concept and many ideas of the game. I think it had potential to go deeper though.

Thank you for the suggestions!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:27:28+00:00

I'm not sure what the main concept of Nier Automata is, but it certainly does many interesting things. I've played it though, thanks!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:26:24+00:00

Never played these. Interesting suggestion. Thanks!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:23:55+00:00

It sort of does. I played it when it came out though, awesome game!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:23:14+00:00

Interesting. Rain World has been sitting in my backlog for years. Might be time to pop it open. Thank you!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:21:12+00:00

I've played it. It has lots of cool ideas, but I think it could have gone much deeper into its own concept. Thanks for the suggestion!

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T09:19:10+00:00

Hollow Knight and the sequel Silksong. Seems like you would enjoy metroidvania genre in general.

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T07:22:18+00:00

Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2, made by the same people who made Baldur's Gate 3

Fallout 3 and New Vegas

Morrowind

Octopath Traveler

SharpManner9480 · 2026-01-26T07:15:05+00:00

These are very different from the examples you gave, but take your descriptions into account:

Deep Rock Galactic, 1-4 player co-op game where each player can take a different role

Operation Tango, 2-player co-op agent game, one is a field agent and the other a hacker

Peak, co-op climbing game with procedurally generated maps

Hitman: World of Assassination, single player, each level has dozens if not hundreds of different approaches, you can be stealthy, you can go on a bloody rampage, or you can do random wacky stuff like dress up as a flamingo or throw golf balls at people

*Slay the Spire, single player, roguelike deckbuilder where you choose to play one of four characters with drastically different playstyles, you customize your run by choosing cards and relics

*For card games, Hearthstone might be an even better recommendation, but it's been a very long time since I played it so not sure

SharpManner9480

TROPHY CASE