Cooperative play games

30 Best Cooperative Games And Activities For Toddlers And Preschoolers

Does your toddler cry and throw a tantrum after every game?

Are you frightened of starting a game with your child because you are worried that it will end in lots and lots of tears?

Do you believe that your toddler is not a good sport or a sore loser? And does that embarrass you?

Then you must understand that the fault is not with your child but with the game that your child is playing

1. They are too young for competition

   Children are not ready for competition until they are at least 8 years old. In the early years children are just beginning to develop their sense of self. They are trying to estimate their own worth and estimate their own ability. This is a time when they should be loved and valued only for who they are and not what they do. In a competitive game children feel that they are being evaluated and measured based on their ability to perform and win and that can severely damage their sense of self and self-esteem. Losing in a game is a threat to their self-esteem and they are too young to handle the stress of winning and losing.

2. They cannot tolerate unfairness

   Around the age of 5 children become focused on fairness. They trust their parents and other authority figures and cannot imagine that an adult will ever be unfair or wrong. Unfortunately – most commonly available games like ludo and snakes and ladders are unfair. They are based on luck and do not involve the child’s skill. Young children cannot understand luck and gambling and when they lose – they think it is extremely unfair. When they are playing the game with a parent – they feel that the parent is being unfair and this shakes them up to their core.

Cooperative games have the following features –

1. Cooperative games are those that focus on the importance of play and fun. In contrast to competitive games they do not compel you to worry about winning or losing.
2. They create opportunities for children to work together and rejoice when they reach a common goal.
3. The best cooperative games give children a chance to appreciate each other instead of beating each other.
4. Toddlers can take break from proving their superiority to build their self-esteem because in the best cooperative games everyone wins – there are no losers.
5. When children play cooperative games – it gives them the chance to discover that sharing, caring and cooperating helps them build friendly relationships and feel good about themselves regardless of their skills.

30 best cooperative games for toddlers and preschoolers

1. Do not play for too long
2. Make sure you are not serious. Be silly and fun.

1. Build a tower together

   Discuss how high the tower should be. What are the best bricks to place at the bottom and why. How making a large base is important for the stability of the tower and so on and so forth.

2. Play a matching game

   For example match the animals with their places in a farm picture. Discuss why the cow and the goat need to be in a grassland and why the ducks need to be in the pond. What they eat – how they move and how that determines where they live.

3. Build a jigsaw puzzle

   Begin by looking carefully at the picture. Then help each other pick out pieces that go with a certain person or a certain object in the picture. Discuss how putting together the corners of the jigsaw – followed by the straight edges can help build the picture more easily. The jigsaw can be left on a table in the house and can be completed over a period of days – teaching persistence and continuity.

4. Make paper boats

   Set a timer and as group work towards making as many paper boats as possible before the timer goes off. The game will require everyone to do a certain folding step in order to move the assembly line along as fast as possible.

5. Play follow the leader

   Start by being the leader yourself. Give 1 instruction like “Touch your toes”. Follow it up by giving 2 instructions – “Touch your toes and clap thrice.” Follow it up with 3 instructions – “Touch your toes – clap thrice – jump twice” Keep adding more instructions. Give instructions faster and faster to follow. Then allow your child to give your child to be the leader. Be silly. Pretend you forgot. Do the wrong things sometimes.

6. Put on a T-shirt while it is in the air

   Take some over sized T-shirts. Throw them up in the air. Try to slip them on before they hit the floor.

7. Blow bubbles

   Take some soap water and a bubble blower. Blow more and more bubbles. Blow bigger and bigger bubbles. Have one person blowing the bubbles and catch as many as you can with your kid.

8. Keep balloons up in the air

   Blow up two or three balloons. Throw them all up in the air. Keep hitting them to keep them afloat. Between the two of you don’t allow the balloons to reach the ground.

9. Play train – train

   Hold on to each other and from a train. Make a chuk chuk sound and go to various destinations in the house to pick up and drop things. You lead first. And then let your child lead.

10. Gardening

    Buy some seeds. Get some potting soil and a pot. Dig up the soil and plant the seeds. Water them. Look at pictures of how the seeds will look like when they become plants. Talk about farming and how farmers grow our food. Also how we should not waste food because it is so difficult to grow.

11. Fill the bucket

    Keep a bucket full of water at one end of the lawn and an empty bucket at the other end of the lawn. Carry mugs of water from the full bucket to fill the empty bucket. For older children soak a sponge in water and have them wring it out into the empty bucket to fill it.

12. Shadow games

    This game can be played on a sunny day when shadows form outside. Or at night with a light. Do silly dances and see what they look like as shadows. Make animal shapes with the fingers and have fun. Try different actions and see how small body parts can be made big and big body parts can be shrunk.

13. Float and sink

    Collect objects from all over the house and gather them in the balcony or the lawn. Take a large bowl of water guess if each object will float or sink. Then put them in the water and see if your guess was right. Then take a pair of tongs used to make rotis and fish out the objects. Repeat the guessing game – this time your child may make more accurate guesses.

14. Complete the picture

    Place a blackboard at one end of the lawn. Each player gets a chalk piece. Each person runs to the blackboard one by one and draws one body part. The game can be extended by adding clothes and hat shoes etc. The sillier the picture – the better it is.

15. Puppet dance

    Make finger puppets by rolling a small piece of paper or a band-aid round your finger and drawing a face and hair on it. Play music and do a silly dance. Have the puppets do individual and group dances.

16. Talk about the nice things you can do with different parts of your body

    Talk about the hands – demonstrate how you can clap, wave and help with the hands. Talk about the mouth. List out the nice things you can say with the mouth. Talk about the feet – how you can run around and help with the feet. Make lists of these nice things on a board.

17. Have conversations to count your blessings

    Talk about what you can share and whom you can share with. Talk about how you can be kind and who needs kindness. Talk about what you can do to be helpful. Allow your child to come up with ideas.

18. Throw the dice to complete the face

    Draw a large face – just a circle is enough. Then make all the parts of the face on different pieces of paper. Give each part a number. Start rolling one player at a time – both dices together. Add up the number that comes from the sum of the two dices and place the part on the circle. 5 for mouth 4 for hair 2 for right eye and so one. Do this until the face is complete.

19. Where do you want to go

    Make a list of places on a blackboard. Have a map available. Sit in the circle and roll the ball. Whoever gets the ball gets to choose a place to go to. You can read out the places for very young children who cannot read. Then help the child to find her/his chosen place on the map and allow her/him to put a sticker or a sticking bindi on the place to mark it.

20. Volunteer as a family

    Whether it is a clean-up drive to clean the neighborhood or an initiative to sell cards door to door to collect money for charity or just volunteering at a common charitable kitchen – volunteer with your child. It shows them how powerful each one of us is when we work together.

21. Bake or cook together

    One of the best things to do together is to cook together because it gives us so many opportunities to cooperate. Give your child simple repetitive tasks that she/he can perfect with practice. Form an assembly line for something like cutlets. Children can be given the task of dipping the cutlet in egg wash or coating the cutlet with breadcrumbs.

22. Arrange a cupboard together

    Involve your child when you are classifying toys or stationery. You can enlist your child’s cooperation in finding scattered blocks or scattered sketch pens. You can also have your child pair up socks or classify photographs.

23. Pay compliments

    If there are three people – play a game where each person has to say something nice about the other people in the game. Have 3 bowls on the table – one for each person and start filling these up with the slips with the compliments written on them. The aim should be to fill each bowl.

24. Get to know each other better

    Have a bowl full of chits with things like – favorite color, favorite movie, Favorite book favorite flower etc. written out. Have each person write out her/his favorites on a piece of paper and keep it with themselves. Then begin the game and have the others guess what they think is the favorite of the other people playing the game. After that each person corrects the other based on what they had written earlier. It helps each person know the other members of the family know each other better.

25. Getting ready for a trip

    Pack a suitcase. First take a board and draw pictures of or write names of things you would need on a trip. Then take suitcase and start packing. Teach your child how to fold and arrange.

26. Plan a picnic

    Plan a picnic. It could just be to the park in the complex. Pack the picnic hamper with everything you may need and then go down and do everything you planned in the park.

27. Ask riddles

    Ask questions like – “What is round and gives light.” “What is green like grass but found on trees”. “What is a white food that is not sweet” Be open to answers and also allow your child to make up and ask such questions..

28. Rhyming words

    Start with a word like stitch or bridge or station. Think up lots of rhyming words and make a list. Turn the words into a silly song at the end of the game. Sing the song often and turn it into an anthem until the next time..

29. Story building

    Start a story – say one line out a aloud “In a small there lived a brown puppy”. Ask your child to continue the story with the next line. You add the following line. Let an absurd funny story emerge. Do not correct the story for logical sequence of events or reality. Let it be hilarious.

30. Follow the leader’s instructions

    Play a game in which you call out instructions like “crawl like a cat”, “bark like a dog”, “jump like a monkey”, “roll like a ball”, “spread like a tree”, “be straight like a pole” and so on. Do the actions yourself as well and be as silly as possible. Then allow your child to call out instructions

1. Teaches cooperation

   Cooperation is a learned by watching others cooperate. When a child sees how cooperating with others allows everyone to reach a desired goal – it encourages the child to learn how to cooperate and to cooperate in every walk of life.

2. Helps children fit into the outside world

   Children are born thinking they are the center of the world. An essential part of fitting into the outside world is to understand how our words and actions affect others. When a child plays a competitive game she/he understands that it is important to establish oneself as supreme at all costs. A cooperative game on the other hand teaches children about others – their needs – their wants – what makes them happy and what doesn’t – their feelings and their reactions. All these help the child to settle into the outside world more easily.

3. Children learn that caring builds friendly relationships

4. Cooperative games build vocabulary

5. Cooperative games build problem solving skills

6. Listening skills are built

   When children play cooperative games they are open to listening and considering the other person’s ideas and point of view because there is no loss of face involved

7. Builds self-esteem

   When children contribute, they feel valued, accepted involved needed and this helps build self-esteem.

Children learn from their experiences and behave the way they feel. When they feel wanted and worthwhile in a team effort they contribute and cooperate more. And this leads to them feeling valued and accepted,   which builds their self-esteem, increases their overall happiness and leads to them valuing and accepting others.

Games and activities are a great way to bond with your child. If you are a loving affectionate parent who avoids playing games with your child because you hate the tantrums that happen every time the child loses in the game. Then it is best to play the above 30 cooperative games to build a relationship of love and happiness.

bonding

About The Author

Dr. Debmita Dutta

Dr Debmita Dutta MBBS, MD is a practicing doctor with 20 years of clinical experience and a Parenting and Wellness Consultant in Bangalore. She conducts Prenatal Classes and Parenting Workshops at schools and corporates. Her workshops and consultations are aimed at hand holding parents through their parenting journey. Contact - 9611739400 and [email protected]

42 Fun Cooperative Games for Kids

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Everyone likes to win at games, especially young children who might have not yet learned to take minor losses in stride.

Of course, when it comes to most games, victory and defeat are twin sides of the same coin, which can create thorny situations for teachers and parents.

Fortunately, there’s an increasing number of easy and diverting solutions to this conundrum: cooperative games.

In these games, the players work together as a group to achieve a common goal, rather than playing against each other.

While victory is still not guaranteed, a cooperative game will ensure that each participant can have a great time from beginning to end. As a bonus, it’s never too early to teach children about the importance of teamwork, and games provide a fun backdrop to the lesson.

Some of these games can even double as trust-building activities for adults in the workplace. In addition, participation in these games may even help antisocial or aggressive children become more calm and relaxed in a school setting.

To help you get started, here’s a list of popular cooperative games that are both fun and simple to learn. All of them are suitable for grade-school aged children (some younger than others).

Cooperative Games for PE

1. Smaug’s Jewels

This game (based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit) invites players to steal the “dragon’s” jewels and make it back to their base without being captured.

First, use cones or other stationary markers to create a circle, and place one player at each marker. Place a Nerf football (or any soft object) in the center of the circle.

Choose one player to serve as “Smaug” (the dragon), and assign a number to each remaining player to divide them into teams (1, 2, or 3).

To begin play, call a team’s number. This team will have to work together in an attempt to take “Smaug’s Jewel” and return safely to their base.

If Smaug manages to tag any of the players before they get back to their base, that team’s turn ends.

When a team manages to steal the jewel, it’s time to select a different player to act as Smaug.

2. Iceberg

If you’re looking for cooperative games for PE for students in the lower grades (K-2), this is a suitable option.

First, split students into teams of 4 (or 6, depending on the size of the class and the number of playing surfaces you have on hand).

Give each team a playing surface (old sheets and tablecloths are preferred). Have each team lay out their playing surface on the floor.

When you’re ready to begin play, blow a whistle or clap your hands to alert all players to stand on their team’s playing surface. The area beyond the boundaries of the sheet are off-limits.

Once every player is on the sheet, have them move off and fold the sheet in half, repeating this process until the sheet is too small for the entire team to stand on.

3. Space Race

The objective of this game is to collect enough “fuel sources” (bean bags) and return them to the “tanks” (small hoops or poly spots) without touching the area outside the “spaceships” (hula hoops).

Divide players up into teams of four to six, depending on group size. Scatter a total of five bean bags for each team across the playing surface. Assign each team a “home base” with five fuel tanks apiece.

Players can begin in either the center of the playing surface, or at their team’s home base.

To move across the playing surface, players must formulate a path using the hula hoops (three per team works well), gathering all team members within these safe spaces. A hoop can be moved only when there are no players currently inside it.

Once the fuel sources have been collected, they must be placed on the tanks. Tossing the bean bags is not allowed – the players must physically return to their home base.

4. Caterpillar

Note that players should be comfortable doing a forward roll before attempting this activity.

If you like, divide players into two teams (it’s fine to keep them in a single line instead).

Line up each team, single file, and have each player pass their right hand through their own legs before reaching out their left hands to take the right hand of the person in front of them.

The player in front will still have a free left hand, while the rear player has a free right hand.

Once this is done, have the first player perform a forward roll, without relinquishing the next player’s hand.

Once this player has completed his or her roll, have them sit cross-legged as the line works together to move forward.

Each subsequent player will repeat the forward roll, also sitting cross-legged when finished. The goal is to move through the entire line without breaking the chain.

5. Rope Circle

Divide players into groups of two. Have one partner tie a jump rope loosely around their own wrists (one end on the right wrist, one on the left).

Next, have the second partner tie a second jump rope around their own left wrist, then thread the other end of rope through their partner’s “circle.” Finally, the free end should be tied to the second player’s right wrist.

The players should then attempt to separate from one another without untying the ropes or freeing themselves from their own circles. It’s up to the supervisor to make sure that the ropes aren’t being tied too tightly.

6. Ball Builders

Divide players into groups of two or three. Assign one player on each team to be the holder, and the rest to be the builders.

The objective is to see how many tennis balls the holder can hold on to at one time, without using their pockets or any other article of clothing.

Additionally, the balls cannot be touching anything aside from each other and the holder, and must be held for at least 10 seconds. Players are welcome to switch roles after a few attempts.

7. Crossing the River

This game can be played with groups of two to five participants, depending on age group.

The smaller the group, the more challenging the game becomes.The objective is to move your entire group across the “river,” or playing surface (this can be as wide as you like, but 20-30 feet is standard).

To do this, players should line up beside each other, their feet touching their closest neighbors’.

In order to cross, they must move as a group without breaking this contact. If a player’s feet loses contact with any other player’s, the entire team has to return to the starting line.

8. Shipwrecked

Divide players into teams of eight to 10 students apiece, and assign a large hoop to each team.

This hoop will act as their “spaceship.” Blow a whistle to signify the beginning of play, at which time the players will begin racing with their ship toward the finish line.

Note that all team members must be touching the ship at all times during this portion of play.When you call out “Shipwrecked,” the players all must set their ship down and attempt to get within the circle.

The first team to get every player on board earns one point, and the first team to cross the finish line earns two points. The team with the most points is the winner of that particular “voyage.”

9. Knots

To play this game, divide players into teams of six, and have each team form a circle.

Instruct players to hold hands with two others (they can’t hold both hands of the same player), making sure that no one’s hands are joined with their closest neighbors’.

Once this is done, blow a whistle to signal that it’s time for the “knot” to begin unraveling. All hands must remain joined until the team is standing in a circle, or in two intertwined circles.

10. Frenzy

This is a fun way for students to let out pent-up energy on a rainy day.Invite players to scatter across the playing area (the gymnasium is the preferred venue).

Next, toss out as many balls (or balloons) as there are players. The participants will then attempt to keep the balls (known here as “rabid nuggets”) in constant movement.

Instructors should stand at either end of the gym to keep an eye out for “hectics,” or balls that stop moving.

Once you’ve spotted one, yell out “HECTIC!” and point to the offending object. Players are then given a set period of time (say, five seconds) to get the hectic moving again.

Once five hectics have been spotted, the “frenzy” is over. Time each frenzy to see how long the players are able to make one last.

To keep things more interesting, toss another rabid nugget into the fray every 10 seconds or so.

11. Group Juggle

Even students who aren’t skilled at juggling on their own can be successful at this cooperative activity.

To begin, split the class into teams of at least 5 (try to stick with odd-numbered teams). Have all players form a circle, facing one another.

One player should then be given a ball, which he will throw to any team member who isn’t standing directly to his right or left.

The next player repeats this step, and so on and so forth, until the ball returns to the starting player.

Once this happens, have the players attempt to pass the ball in the same sequence as before. Once a rhythm has been established, continue by adding more balls to the circle.

12. Birds of a Feather

In advance, make up a series of index cards printed with the names of various animals (two for each animal you choose).

Be sure that each creature has a distinctive sound that children will likely be familiar with.

To play, have each student draw a card from the pile. Turn them loose in a safe playing field, encouraging them to keep their eyes closed during play.

Have them imitate their designated animal, repeating the sounds until they locate the student who shares the same animal.

Once this happens, the pair is welcome to open their eyes. The game is over when all of the pairs have been matched up.

13. Amoeba Advance

This game requires splitting the class up into two equal teams. Once you’ve done that, invite half the team to form a circle by joining their elbows, and have the rest of the team wedge themselves inside the circle.

When both teams have formed their makeshift amoebas, blow a whistle to signify the start of play. The teams will then attempt to make it to the finish line without breaking up the group.

If the amoeba should dissolve during the attempt, the team must repair itself before it can move forward.

14. Magnificent Marbles

In advance, designate a large circle to serve as the giant marble ring. Place three or four partially deflated beach balls and an equal number of smaller targets (like multicolored poly spots) within the playing circle.

To begin play, have ready a supply of bean bags. Invite participants to stand outside the circle and use the bean bags to nudge the balls as close to the smaller target areas as possible.

Players are not permitted inside the playing circle; if a bean bag gets stuck inside, they may attempt to retrieve it only by throwing another bean bag in to try and knock it out.

15. Dry Marco Polo

This activity is a good one to use as an icebreaker on the first day of gym class. It bears a resemblance to Birds of a Feather, only students are given a larger role in the setup.Divide students into pairs.

Each group must then choose either a compound word or a group of words that work together in some way (i. e., “suit” and “case” or “cheese” and “whiz”).

The relationship between the two words doesn’t really matter, as long as both partners agree on which ones to use. One player should be assigned one word, with their partner taking on the other.

Invite each team to share their chosen words with the rest of the class. Not only does this provide the group with a fun sharing activity, it will help to ensure that each word pairing is unique.

Next, have the students scatter to various areas within a safe playing field. Ask them to close their eyes (or use blindfolds if necessary).

Blow a whistle to signify the start of play, at which time the players should begin calling out their assigned words. Once the partners have found one another, they’re invited to open their eyes (or remove their blindfolds) and watch the rest of the group.

Cooperative Board Games for Kids

16. Mmm!

The object of this game, in which the players are represented by a group of mice, is to “finish” all the food in the pantry before the hungry cat breaks up the party.

There are three six-sided dice, all printed with five different types of food and one X; and a playing surface, featuring the same food images and, of course, the cat.

On a single player’s turn, he or she will roll all three dice. If all three are X’s, the cat moves one step closer to the pantry, and the player’s turn is over.

If the dice turn up any food images, the player must place at least one die on the corresponding food square located on the board.

They may then choose to re-roll the remaining dice in an attempt to “finish” the chosen food. If they are unable to do so on their subsequent roll, the player’s turn ends with the cat moving one step closer.

The player is permitted to go on rolling the dice for as long as he or she is able to place at least one die on the board.

If the cat reaches the pantry while there’s still unfinished food on the board, the game has been lost. If, however, the team manages to finish all the food, then they’ve won.

The reverse side of the playing surface offers a more challenging version of the same principle.

17. Stack Up!

As cooperative board games go, this one is as simple as it gets. During play, players take turns spinning a color-coded dial and stacking blocks of the corresponding color.

The objective is to stack twelve blocks without landing on the “Stack Smasher” when the dial is spun.

The dial also contains challenges to make the game more interesting – for example, players might have to stack while singing “Happy Birthday.”

There are three levels of difficulty, so if the game becomes too dull for young players, they’re welcome to ramp it up.

18. Race to the Treasure

Like Candy Land, Race to the Treasure requires no reading, and the rules are easy enough for toddlers to follow.

Players take turns drawing tiles from a sack, indicating either a section of a path or a picture of the dreaded Ogre who guards the treasure.

The objective is to make a path to the three keys that will unlock the treasure, before forging a path to the final goal: the treasure itself.

Meanwhile, each Ogre tile will move him closer to the prize. If he gets there first, the team loses. If they reach the treasure before the Ogre does, they win.

19. Hoot Owl Hoot!

The concept between Hoot Owl Hoot! is that it’s nighttime, and all the owls are out on the hunt.

The objective is to get them all safely back to the nest before sunrise.To begin, a token representing the sun is placed on its corresponding track, while three owls are placed on a track of their own.

Each player then receives three cards, which will be placed face up in front of them.

The deck includes 50 cards, 36 of which represent colors, and 14 of which represent the sun.

When a player receives a sun card, they must use it to move the sun token forward one space on the board, after which they discard the sun card.

If a player has all color cards on their turn, they must discard one and move one of the owls to the first available open space in the corresponding color.

If one of the owls surpasses another owl on the board, the players all make a hooting sound to cheer it on. If all of the owls have made it back to the nest before the sun completes its track, then the team wins!

To make the game more challenging, add more owls to the board at the start of play (the game includes six owls total).

20. Pandemic

The concept behind this popular game is compelling, if somewhat frightening to children under the age of eight: Your team is tasked with fighting a series of dangerous viruses that are spreading across the world.

Players must travel to different areas of the globe to offer treatment to those infected, and also to build research stations in the attempt to find cures for the various diseases.

Two decks of cards (one benign, one “Epidemic!”) control the courses of the viruses, and participants must work together to coordinate a successful plan.

21. Feed the Woozle

Instead of working against a common enemy, participants in this lighthearted adventure are trying to keep the mythical “Woozle” fed so he won’t go hungry.

Players are invited to feed the Woozle the number of snacks that appears on the die during their turn.

To make play more challenging, they’re also tasked with making sure the snacks remain on the spoon during transfer (he won’t eat them otherwise, and they won’t count towards the total).

Once he’s been fed, the player takes a “yummy card” from the stack to indicate how many treats he’s gotten so far.

The next player then repeats the process, until all the snacks are gone. If the Woozle has gotten 12, then the team wins; if not, the beast remains hungry until the next round of play.

22. Ghost Fightin’ Treasure Hunters

This game is similar to Race to the Treasure!, but the setup is slightly different.

Participants join forces in an attempt to recover treasure from a haunted house before the place becomes overrun by ghouls.

Along the way, they have to evade these same ghouls through a combination of wit, teamwork, and skill.

23. Flashpoint Fire Rescue

In Flashpoint Fire Rescue, players are trying to save a city from the threat of a spreading fire. The team is outfitted with basic equipment, and tasked with rescuing a number of civilians from the burning buildings.

As the fire spreads, pathways to the victims may become blocked, making the task that much more difficult.

There are two skill levels for Flashpoint Fire Rescue: basic and advanced. When playing with very young children, you might want to tone down the intensity of the threat, even though it’s make-believe to begin with.

For example, if you fail to save the building, you can explain that a rival team managed to save the people inside instead.

24. Harvest Time

This one is geared toward very young children—even preschoolers can get in on the fun.

The playing surface is a basic board, depicting a farmhouse surrounded by acres of crops, along with various homegrown vegetables The object is to gather the entire harvest before winter sets in and destroys the crops.

Families who live in rural areas may appreciate this one the most, as it teaches valuable life skills that are bound to come in handy later.

25. Granny’s House

Another game aimed at the preschool set, this one inviting the tykes to set out on an adventure to Granny’s House while encountering a number of troublesome obstacles along the way.

The board is reminiscent of old favorites like Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders, with its depictions of varicolored symbols that make up the path to the titular destination.

Play is picture-based, so reading comprehension isn’t a necessary prerequisite.

26. Stone Soup

This cheerily designed game is similar to Memory in nature, as players have to locate matching cards in order to add a variety of ingredients to the soup pot.

Unlike the traditional rules of Memory, however, the players aren’t trying to amass the greatest number of pairs, but to keep the soup cooking for as long as the fire keeps burning.

If the designated number of ingredients hasn’t been added by the time the fire goes out under the kettle, the game is over and the family goes hungry.

27. Mermaid Island

In this fantastical, nautical outing, players try to get the mermaids back to their home base before the evil Sea Witch can swoop in to destroy them.

Oftentimes, a single move might endanger the others, so participants must remain aware if they want to get the whole group (fleet?) home safely.

Obviously, this is an appealing option for the girls in the group, but there’s no reason why boys shouldn’t enjoy it too.

28. The Secret Door

Sleuths-in-training will want to play this game again and again, as participants attempt to locate a number of valuable objects within a deserted mansion.

To do this, they’ll take turns flipping cards from a deck to look for two that match – but if they turn over twelve clock cards before they locate all the treasures, the game is over.

Should they find all of the hidden objects, they’re then invited to figure out which three cards were hidden from the deck at the start of play.

29. Lion In My Way

In addition to providing youngsters with a cooperative activity, Lion In My Way often inspires creative storytelling as well.

The object is to get from one end of the board to the other, all while encountering the likes of hungry lions, barren deserts, and a number of other increasingly peculiar obstacles.

A set of tool cards aids players in their efforts to defeat these roadblocks.

30. Outfoxed!

This foxy outing serves as a good forerunner to Clue, or any other detective-themed game.

The story goes that a mysterious thief has made off with Mrs. Plumpert’s pie.

Players must follow clues to determine which of the sly foxes is the culprit before he can make it safely to the other side of the board.

To play, participants may choose whether to either search for clues or reveal possible suspects on their respective turns.

Should the player be unsuccessful in turning up their desired action when they roll the dice, the fox moves ahead three spaces on the board.

If they succeed in winning the opportunity to take action, they’ll either use the suspect cards to gather new information, or move their own playing piece across the board to search for clues.

As play progresses, the players will be able to narrow down the list of suspects, based on the information they’ve gathered.

If the fox token makes it all the way to the end of the board and the players haven’t named a suspect, the game is over and the detectives lose.

Likewise if the players accuse a suspect who turns out to be innocent. However, if the correct culprit is named, the detectives win.

For more information on the rules of Outfoxed! and other board games like it, check out the Board Game Geek website.

Cooperative Games for the Classroom

31. Balloon Bop

Remember playing a game of catch and trying to see how many passes you could make without allowing the ball to hit the ground?

This game has a similar objective, but it utilizes a balloon (or multiple balloons) and a larger group of people.

To begin the teacher should invite children to form a loose circle by holding hands.

Continue by dropping a balloon (not helium-filled) into the middle of the circle, and ask students to count how many times they can “bop” it back into the air without breaking the circle.

To do this, the students may use any part of their body except for their feet (knees are acceptable).

The game is over when the balloon touches the floor or a student’s foot, or if any student lets go of their neighbor’s hand.

This game is better suited to children at the upper grade-school level (say, third grade and up). To make it more challenging, add a second or third balloon.

32. Zoom

This is a fun, interactive classroom game that takes the concepts of loss and victory right out of the equation.

Instead, students are seated in a circle, and each one is handed a simple photograph. The images don’t really matter, but try to keep them as basic as possible.

To play, invite one of the students to begin telling a story, based on the image that he or she is holding.

After one minute, say “freeze” and move on to the next student, who will then continue the story based on his or her own photograph, and so on.

The greatest challenges will lie with the first student, who’ll need to create a solid introduction; and the last one, who’s responsible for the conclusion.

33. Humpty Dumpty

Older grade school students are the best participants for this activity, which should only be attempted in an uncarpeted area.

To begin, divide students into groups of four or five. Supply each team with a raw egg, and task them with creating a situation in which the egg will not break when dropped from a certain height (say, six feet).

Teams are then free to make use of whatever objects in the classroom might be helpful in achieving their goal. After a set time period, ask the teams to demonstrate their work.

Earlier versions of this game supplied each team with a box of plastic straws, with which they would then build a cushioning device.

However, as single-use plastics fall further out of favor, it’s better to encourage students to work with the items they have on hand.

34. Balancing the Hula Hoop

The object of this game sounds straightforward: Teams of four or five work together to lower a hula hoop from about nose-height to the floor, using only the very tips of their fingers.

As your students will come to learn, however, it’s much more difficult than it looks.

35. Hula Hoop Hustle

If you still have those hula hoops and the students are bored with the balancing game, consolidate them into larger groups of about 10.

Have each team form a circle by holding hands, with a single hula hoop in between two of them. Challenge them to move the hula hoop in a complete revolution without breaking the circle.

They may do this by maneuvering the hoop over their heads, under their feet, or by whatever means they can come up with, as long as they don’t let go of one another’s hands.

36. Eye Contact

Eye Contact provides an excellent way to foster nonverbal communication skills.To play, choose 10 students for the first round (the others can watch in the meantime).

Choose a single student to act as “Player One,” and designate a “Go” signal (such as winking or making an “O” shape with your mouth).

Player One should then attempt to make eye contact with another participant.

When they’ve succeeded, they should give the “go” signal, at which time the second player takes Player One’s place in the circle to repeat the same process with another participant.

No verbal communication or hand signals are allowed during play. If a player breaks this rule, he or she is disqualified, and their place is taken by one of the observers.

Once everyone in the round has made eye contact and give up their place in the circle, switch teams until all the observers have had a chance to play as well.

Cooperative Card Games

37. Spaceteam

In this game (recommended for older children, ages 10 and up), players are tasked with repairing a damaged spacecraft while dodging asteroids and wormholes along the way.

To ramp up the challenge, they also must reveal six “System-Go” cards inside the time limit, or all of their work has been for nothing.

38. Hanabi

Hanabi can be played with as few as two participants, but it gets more interesting when more players are added (up to five).

The unique concept invites participants to orchestrate a fireworks show, utilizing a series of numbered cards. If the display is finished before the pile of cards runs out, the team wins.

Play is fairly fast-paced—a single game can be played in about half an hour – and is suitable for ages eight and up.

The playing kit also includes a “rainbow” set of cards to make things more challenging, once your team has mastered the basic game.

39. Shamus

This is a two-player cooperative card game, and one of the few to utilize a standard deck of playing cards.

A cross between Uno and Rummy, the rules are not difficult to follow, but they are somewhat lengthy to explain – a complete breakdown can be found here.

Essentially, both players (one following the rules of Rummy, the other playing a solo game of Uno) must achieve the goals of their respective games before the “Circle of Shamus” (a ring consisting of 10 cards) has been depleted.

It’s addictive, and a good choice for families with smaller households.

40. 5-Minute Marvel

For superhero fans, this game is a must-try. Each player assumes the role of a different superhero as a five-minute timer is set.

During play, the cards keep turning up new threats in the form of increasingly powerful bad guys. The objective is to work together to defeat all the villains before the time is up.

41. Cahoots

This cooperative card game is like a fancier take on Go Fish, except the players are working together (“in cahoots”).

In order to win the round, the team has to match all of their cards by either color or number before the time clock runs out. Play is fast-paced and easy to follow, even for younger participants.

42. 15 Seconds

This game requires to have a timer on hand and just think of as many interesting questions as you can.

Divide the group into two groups, and have the leader ask them a question.

After he asks the timer starts so the teams have 15 seconds to try and get the question right.

This is a great game to help build cooperation between kids.

There you have it, 42 fun cooperative games for kids. Make sure you check out our competition games as well as our kids team names.

best free co-op games

Playing co-op is a great way to spend time together, a good way to test friendships and the perfect trainer to improve your teamwork skills. For those who are looking for something to play in a company, we have prepared a large selection of the best cooperative games.

Shooters

Outriders

In this co-op shooter game, players will conquer a distant planet using their superpowers and fighting looters and apostates. The game is notable for a large selection of weapons and equipment, extensive upgrade options and dynamic gameplay that requires concentration and ingenuity.

Buy

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is not the best game in the Wolfenstein series. But it's a great 2-player shooter with furious shootouts, branching levels, and weird but funny characters. In the role of the Blaskowitz sisters, you have to explore Nazi-occupied Paris in order to find and save the father of the heroines - the famous BJ Blaskowitz.

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Second Extinction

In Second Extinction, gamers will save the Earth from the dinosaurs that have captured it, armed with different-sized guns and hero abilities. This cooperative shooter contains several character classes, a large selection of missions and whirlwind gameplay, and the actions of absolutely all players will affect the balance of power on the global map.

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Strange Brigade

A fast-paced shooter game about the awakening of the ancient Egyptian witch queen Seteka. Only the "Strange Brigade" - four brave adventurers ready to fight any danger for the sake of hard cash - can stop the sinister ruler and her minions.

Playing alone in Strange Brigade is too boring, but in co-op the project is revealed in full force. At various levels, bloodthirsty monsters, deadly traps and, of course, cleverly hidden treasures will be waiting for you, and an extensive arsenal of weapons and devastating spells unique to each character will help you deal with the creatures of evil.

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Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Zombie shooter in which players will be transported to the streets of post-war Europe to fight the army of the walking dead. At the disposal of gamers - a large selection of weapons, pumped perks, beautiful graphics and non-stop action. Zombie Army 4 may seem boring for a solo passage, but in co-op it is great fun for a group of friends!

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Gears of War series

Not all of the Gears of War series are presented on the PC - the first, fourth and fifth parts (the rest were released on the consoles of the Xbox family), but they are enough for vivid emotions. Gears of War takes a gloomy atmosphere, the charisma of the main characters and furious battles with undisguised, even ostentatious, cruelty.

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Broforce

Broforce is an indie game with pixel art, but it leaves many AAA titles far behind when it comes to emotions and fun. The developers have made the dream of many gamers come true by bringing together in one action the heroes of almost all the popular action movies of the 80s and 90s. In the co-op, Broforce generates a lot of funny situations every minute, so after passing you will certainly be left with positive impressions.

Buy

Killing Floor

A co-op shooter series with horror elements that challenges players to team up to fight mutants that have emerged from a failed super-soldier experiment. The main features of Killing Floor are an extensive arsenal of firearms and melee weapons, dozens of types of monsters, a well-developed character leveling system, and huge non-linear locations. All this together makes the project a worthy replacement for the outdated Left 4 Dead.

Killing FloorKilling Floor 2

Ghost Recon Wildlands

A shooter from Ubisoft, specially designed for cooperative play. Of course, you can play Ghost Recon Wildlands alone, but then you will not get even a small fraction of the impressions that this project gives when performing tasks together.

It's all about the gameplay: the game belongs to the genre of tactical shooters and, obviously, AI-controlled characters cannot be compared with real people who, with proper coordination of actions, will turn the passage of missions into a beautifully staged Hollywood action movie.

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HELLDIVERS

A hardcore - and therefore even more interesting - shooter from the creators of the Magicka series, in which players have to travel to different planets and complete various tasks.

Friendly fire became a feature of the project - here you need to carefully watch where you shoot, because your partner may be in the line of fire.

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Call of Duty Series

Starting with World at War, every part of the Call of Duty series contains, in addition to the single-player campaign and competitive multiplayer, a co-op mode. In some editions of the franchise, players will have to fight zombies, in others they will fight aliens, but each time these missions delight with excellent staging and addictive gameplay.

Buy

Destiny 2

Both parts of Destiny are designed for cooperative play, but only the second part is available on PC.

Destiny 2 is a cooperative battle against alien invaders, accompanied by a story full of mysteries and a carefully crafted futuristic setting. The game takes not only exciting gameplay, but also beautiful graphics that demonstrate amazing landscapes.

Play

World War Z: Aftermath

The ideological successor to the Left 4 Dead series, based on the movie of the same name starring Brad Pitt. True, from the movie blockbuster (which, by the way, is based on the book of the same name), there is only a setting and a set of locations, otherwise World War Z is a typical cooperative shooter, a little less interesting and unpredictable than L4D.

However, he has something to interest you: hordes (no, HORDES) of zombies, a choice between character classes, a snowy Moscow as one of several active locations, and an interesting PvPvZ mode in which teams of players fight each other, fighting back along the way from the crowds of the pressing dead.

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Borderlands Series

Borderlands games are regulars in any top cooperative game. It's all because of the non-stop action, RPG system and tons of guns, thanks to which the shootouts never get bored. All this is flavored with a good plot with hilarious jokes and memorable characters.

Each part of the Borderlands line contains a huge amount of content and allows you to linger in yourself for several tens or even hundreds of hours. Moreover, there is a game for each configuration: weak PCs can easily “pull” the first part, a sequel and a pre-sequel will suit medium computers, but owners of powerful systems can enjoy Borderlands 3.

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Fortnite

Fortnite is not only a mega-popular Battle Royale, but also a PvE mode with zombies and building, which is often forgotten against the backdrop of the success of its free-to-play neighbor.

In Battle the Storm, as Fortnite's PvE mode is called, you'll have to team up with your friends to fight the walking dead attacking your fort. At your disposal - several classes of characters, extensive tools for building and an impressive arsenal of weapons. But is this enough to successfully repel the invasion of a horde of monsters?

Play

The Division 2

The story of a successful bioterrorist attack continues in The Division 2. The action has moved to Washington DC, winter has changed to summer, but the gameplay remains the same - it's all about exploring locations and fighting looters and enemy mercenaries.

Of course, The Division 2 also has PvP, but the PvE component in the game is more emphasized. You will have to cooperate with other players when completing missions, go through joint raids, and in the Dark Zone, the support of a friend will not be superfluous.

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Deep Rock Galactic

A procedurally generated co-op shooter about space gnomes who fight alien monsters in treasure-filled caves. .. wait, what? Yes, such an unusual description hides a good game that will give you an unforgettable experience with its setting and gameplay.

Four classes of characters, a large selection of weapons, a completely destructible environment, hordes of monsters attacking from all sides - after a few matches you will no longer worry about all the strangeness of what is happening, but the crazy pace of battles will take you over your head.

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Remnant: From the Ashes

A three-player co-op shooter in which players explore post-apocalyptic territories, not only Earth, but also alternative worlds where hordes of monsters and formidable bosses await them. Remnant: From the Ashes is a hardcore action RPG that leaves no room for error and no time for respite. That is why it is attractive to gamers who appreciate the challenge in games.

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Darksiders Genesis

An isometric action game, a prequel to the Darksiders series, for the first time introducing Strife, the fourth Horseman, who fights evil for the good of the universe. War joins him, and together the heroes must stop Lucifer, making their way through the army of his minions. Darksiders Genesis will delight you with exciting shootouts, interesting puzzles and an original leveling system, and the game's plot will shed new details on the franchise's universe.

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Back 4 Blood

The creators of Left 4 Dead are doing what they do best - playing zombies. In Back 4 Blood, four heroes are waiting for the players, united in opposition to the living dead and mutants. The story campaign can be completed in co-op, and online multiplayer will provide an opportunity to get used to the role of a monster and challenge the survivors.

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Aliens: Fireteam

Aliens: Fireteam is an online shooter set in the Alien universe where Marines face a threat never seen before. A squad of players will have to fight xenomorphs in the scenery of a spaceship, and the developers have not stinted on content: gamers will have access to five classes of characters with unique abilities, as well as a wide arsenal of weapons. In turn, more than 20 types of creatures will oppose them, including 11 types of Aliens.

Buy

Action

A Way Out

A game that is fully aimed at co-op with a friend: you can’t play it alone, you can’t play it with a random player (not from the Origin friends list), and there’s no need - this project gives the most vivid emotions only when you play with a well-known person, and preferably on the same computer, in split-screen. We will not describe the advantages of A Way Out for a long time - we have already said everything in our review. If you have someone to play with, be sure to pay attention to this wonderful game.

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Dark Souls Series

FromSoftware's hardcore action RPGs are unforgiving. Defeating powerful bosses alone can be very difficult. Therefore, the ability to call on the help of a phantom - the ghost of another player who will fight for you, turns out to be very useful. For this, gamers appreciate the Dark Souls series.

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Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

A game set in the fantasy universe of Warhammer (which is not 40,000) invites players to team up and recapture the city of Übersreik from the ratmen - mostly in close combat. Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide captures with dynamic and rich gameplay, impresses with the beauty of locations and pleases with high complexity. In general, a great option for evening team battles.

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Warhammer: Vermintide 2

The sequel returns players to the fantasy universe of Warhammer, where they have to fight against the forces of Chaos using weapons and characters' abilities. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is a huge number of levels, hordes of monsters, five heroes with many talents and professions, a large arsenal of weapons and endless battles in very beautiful scenery.

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Ghost of Tsushima: Legends

One of the best action-adventure games of 2020 has received a separate online co-op mode, in which gamers will take on the roles of legendary warriors and fight the invaders in medieval (with a touch of fantasy) Japan. They are waiting for unique tasks, class abilities, customizable equipment and a combat system honed like a samurai sword.

Buy now (PS4/PS5)

Dying Light Dilogy

Zombie action game with parkour, hand-to-hand combat and four-player co-op. By teaming up, gamers can explore the world together, complete quests, fight zombies. In addition, the project has an asymmetric multiplayer - at any moment another player can break the idyll by breaking into the session in the form of a particularly powerful and dangerous monster.

Dying Light Dying Light 2

Warframe

A very unusual and very popular game will take you on a journey across different planets of the solar system, where you will fight enemies who have decided to capture the inhabited worlds.

Warframe is a farming and grinding game where you'll complete quests and raids, slash, shoot and blast enemies in non-stop battles to craft cool battle suits and powerful weapons. The game is available for free, so you won't pay a dime to participate in this grind festival.

Play

State of Decay 2

Players have been waiting for co-op in the State of Decay sequel, and Undead Labs has not disappointed them.

In this open-world zombie shooter, you'll explore lands filled with the walking dead, find survivors, and gather them in your community, which can be developed and strengthened with the help of resources obtained in your travels. Playing together will make survival more efficient, allow you to successfully defend against enemies and find more materials.

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Sea of ​​Thieves

The developers of this MMO action game about pirates approached the implementation of cooperative gameplay with all responsibility: here you NEED partners, otherwise you won’t even be able to leave the port on your ship. Each player performs a specific role: one turns the helm, the other raises the sails, the third sits on the mast, looking out for land on the horizon, the fourth is on duty near the guns, and in order not to get bored, bawls pirate songs.

Although Sea of ​​Thieves had problems with a small amount of content at the start, now the project is able to captivate players for many weeks. There are story quests, and sea battles, and treasures guarded by skeletons, and even PvP. There would be a team, but there will always be adventures.

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Gotham Knights

DC comics co-op action game will offer to save Gotham as Batman's brave teammates: Nightwing, Robin, Red Hood and Batgirl will face assorted criminals and villains led by the mysterious Court of Owls. The game promises a large open world, feature-rich combat, character upgrades, and an exciting detective story.

Game Page

RPG

Genshin Impact

The acclaimed open-world RPG with gacha elements features a massive storyline and many characters for players to collect. The game can be played alone, but it is much more interesting here to team up with a partner and go to conquer dungeons full of monsters and adventures.

Play

Monster Hunter: World

An action role-playing game dedicated to hunting various monsters inhabiting an outlandish fantasy world. The game is entirely dedicated to the grind: you fight giant monsters, create equipment from the resources obtained, and then go to hunt even more dangerous creatures. And so on until every monster present in this world adds to the list of your trophies.

You can play Monster Hunter: World alone, but it is still recommended to play in co-op. Partners will help you cope with the most powerful monsters, a combination of character builds will make hunting more effective, and battles spectacular.

Buy

Diablo

The second and third parts of Diablo after so many years still occupy places in all the top cooperative games. The reasons for success are high replay value, well-balanced balance, exciting gameplay. Any fan of good action-RPGs periodically feels like downloading one of the games in the Diablo series, calling friends and heading to Sanctuary to deal with presumptuous demons.

Buy

Path of Exile

A dark action RPG for those who have gone through all parts of Diablo far and wide. The game is available for free on Steam and invites gamers to go to a harsh world inhabited by dangerous monsters. Path of Exile attracts, in addition to the presence of a cooperative mode, with a large selection of character classes, a detailed development system and an honest store that does not give players advantages for buying microtransactions.

Play

Divinity: Original Sin Dilogy

Both entries in the Divinity: Original Sin series take pride of place in our ranking of the best co-op games on PC. And absolutely deservedly so, because each co-op here turns into an exciting adventure where players can argue among themselves, intrigue each other, explore the world together or apart and, of course, fight against numerous enemies. You simply won’t find a better project for having fun with friends.

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Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance

Dungeons & Dragons co-op action RPG will have players choose their heroes (including the famous Drizzt D'Worden) and go to Icewind Dale, where dangerous monsters, legendary bosses and amazing Adventures. The four characters must challenge the advancing armies of darkness and save the world, and unique abilities and powerful equipment will help you achieve your goal.

Buy

Portal Knights

The developers of Portal Knights mixed the mechanics of exploring the world with building and crafting - it turned out not at all Minecraft, but an original co-op project with travel to different islands and boss battles. In between battles, you can build your own house, and if the gameplay seems too easy, you can always try your hand at battles with especially strong enemies.

However, it's worth noting that you'll probably get bored in a solo game, so it's best to go on an adventure with friends.

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Roguelike

Children of Morta

Stylish pixel hack'n'slash RPG dedicated to the Bergsson family who save the world from evil. Dynamic and diverse action is combined with a variety of character abilities and a strong plot that reveals the difficult relationships within the family.

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Risk of Rain 2

A co-op roguelike that has a very good sales record: in just a month since the release in early access, the project sold a million copies.

The reason for such a resounding success is in the extremely dynamic and constantly changing gameplay, which makes running together on an unfriendly planet fun and memorable. And thanks to random generation and a large number of character builds, each new adventure becomes different from the previous ones - which, perhaps, can be considered the main factor in the attractiveness of any session game.

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Lost Castle

An action RPG with a side view that takes you only an hour to complete. Another question is how you try to come to this, because Lost Castle obeys the rules of the roguelike and will throw you back to the very beginning in case of failure.

With a friend, you will set off to clean up creepy locations, look for interesting weapons and upgrade your abilities. The game is not devoid of humor, and thanks to the cute and undemanding graphics, it will easily run on weak PCs.

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For the King

A strategic roguelike designed to be played in a company of three. As in a strategy, you will travel across a global map divided into hexagons, but if it comes to a fight, then the game takes the form of a tactical RPG, where the turn order and the abilities used are important. The game borrows the replay value of the genre and offers procedurally generated maps, quests and events, with each "run" unlocking new classes, weapons, items and NPCs.

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Platformer

It Takes Two

One of the best co-op games, an action adventure that can't be played alone: ​​you will definitely need a partner to take on the role of the second character. It Takes Two is about a married couple on the verge of divorce, Corey and May, who are turned into dolls. Now they have to overcome many obstacles in order to find a way to become human again, and in the course of the adventure, the heroes will reconsider their relationships and, perhaps, revive forgotten feelings.

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Sackboy: A Big Adventure

A fun co-op platformer exclusive to PlayStation consoles that challenges you to save a cute knitted world from the villain Vex who is intent on taking it over. The game offers to go through a series of missions, complete many tests, enjoy beautiful graphics and good humor.

Buy now (PS4/PS5)

Cuphead

A long-term platformer released in 2017 with a stunningly beautiful visual style inspired by 1930s and 40s cartoons. Players will take control of funny characters and fight with two dozen bosses.

Cuphead features incredibly complex gameplay, so friendly support here comes in handy.

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Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

Trine 4 is a very beautiful platform game with a plot that tells a fairy tale story. As the warrior Pontius, the thief Zoya and the wizard Amadeus, players will have to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles in a company of up to four people. The complexity of the game grows in proportion to the number of participants, and in order to pass the tests, it is necessary to look for non-standard solutions and workarounds.

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Ultimate Chicken Horse

Funny animals that have fun racing and trying to set traps right in front of their opponents - this is what awaits you in the team-based platformer Ultimate Chicken Horse. The game looks like a cartoon, but what is happening in it cannot be called childish - on the way to the finish line, animals can run into circular saws, traps, automatic crossbows and a lot of other obstacles. But don't worry, there won't be a Happy Tree Friends spectacle.

Buy now

Beat'em up

Streets of Rage 4

Sequel to the cult classic, beat'em'up takes on the organized crime of Wood Oak City. Players will have to reincarnate as characters familiar from the classic releases of the Streets of Rage series and fight against numerous opponents, including bosses, in order to reach the main villains, the Ygrek twins, in the final. This is a dynamic action game full of fights and secrets, which is revealed only at maximum difficulty and only after a couple of playthroughs.

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Battletoads

A relaunch of the iconic beat'em'up for a new generation of gamers - with a cartoonish style, redesigned characters and new game mechanics. Battletoads is not limited to one genre: it is a collection of mini-games in which fights take up at most half of the content. However, this does not make the game worse.

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Castle Crashers

In this colorful 2D arcade game, you and your friends put on knight armor and go on heroic deeds... You can also fight aliens, a huge corn boss, hungry sandworms and other bizarre opponents. In Castle Crashers, you will often find yourself in absurd and insane situations, and this fun is best shared with a friend - there is nothing to do here alone.

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Full Metal Furies

And if you've played Castle Crashers before, you'll experience similar emotions from Full Metal Furies, the classic pixelated action game from the makers of Rogue Legacy. Thrash and waste here step aside, giving way to well-developed gameplay - the levels are not as simple as they seem, and various mechanics (rolls, jumps, activated abilities of heroes) will make you think carefully about battles. And this is a great reason to write to a friend and offer to have fun together, because the characters here complement each other and help in difficult skirmishes.

Buy

Horror

Phasmophobia

In Phasmophobia, four players will go to a house with paranormal phenomena, where they will challenge the ghosts living there. In this horror game, all mission participants must work together and constantly communicate with each other - otherwise they simply cannot survive in the company of aggressive otherworldly creatures. For a deeper immersion in the atmosphere of the game, you can use a VR helmet, but be warned - the degree of fear in this case will reach exorbitant heights!

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The Dark Pictures Anthology

In this horror game from the creators of Until Dawn, each player takes control of one of the characters who find themselves on a ship full of mysteries and monsters. The gameplay of Man of Medan is focused on exploring locations and completing QTEs, and in the process of following the storyline, you can lose absolutely all the main characters. This project was the first in the line of The Dark Pictures, each game from which offers to participate in scary adventures together.

Little Hope is the second part of the anthology, and it is dedicated to a completely new story: now the heroes are stuck in a town full of secrets and monsters, and they need to survive in this nightmare. The game contains several cooperative modes, both online and on the same screen for up to five people.

The Dark Pictures Anthology currently includes another game, House of Ashes, which can also be played with a friend. This one tells the story of a group of soldiers who are trapped in an ancient temple. According to the tradition of the genre, dangers await them in the temple much worse than outside.

The developers plan to continue making similar horror films with unique stories, and we don't mind.

Man of MedanLittle HopeHouse of Ashes

Pacify

A short but overly atmospheric horror game that sends you and your friends to a spooky house with a ghost of a girl. In general, you play as people who expose the paranormal, but this time something will go wrong.

The gameplay involves carefully exploring the rooms and looking for key items and clues to help calm the ghost. We do not recommend splitting up - perhaps around the corner you will meet not a friend, but the same girl, and thanks to realistic graphics, this meeting will be imprinted in your memory.

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GTFO

GTFO is a shooter, but a strong horror component in it will make you use your weapons as little as possible and flinch at every rustle. In the role of well-armed soldiers, you will go to an underground research complex that is teeming with mutants - and an encounter with at least one of them will be fatal.

Therefore, in order to perform the operation, you will have to show the wonders of teamwork and move on tiptoe, and God forbid you accidentally pull the trigger and attract a horde of mutants.

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Forewarned

The Egyptian pyramids have become not only a wonder of the world, but also a hackneyed theme for horror films that make curious explorers get lost in the intricate corridors and bring them to the revived mummies. Forewarned is one such horror game - it's a cooperative game about explorers who want to get rich and find ancient artifacts and treasures in seemingly abandoned ruins. It is not difficult to guess what they will find instead of treasured jewels.

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Survival simulators

Valheim

Valheim is a very popular survival simulator set in a fantasy world inspired by Norse mythology. The gameplay is familiar to the genre: collecting resources, building and crafting, fighting monsters. But all its components are combined so competently that once you enter the game, you will not be able to tear yourself away from it. Valheim can be played in co-op, and this opens up new tactical possibilities for gamers.

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Grounded

The Grounded characters are children who have inexplicably shrunk to the size of bugs. Now they need to survive in the world of insects, and also find a way to become big again. The game contains the usual elements of the survival simulator genre: searching for water and food, collecting resources, crafting weapons and equipment, building shelters, fighting enemies. And all this - in a cooperative network.

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Don't Starve Together

In this stand-alone expansion for Don't Starve Survival Simulator, you have to survive, as the game's name suggests, with a friend. At your disposal is a large selection of characters, a lot of resources and items created from them. Against you is a world full of secrets and dangers, ready to tear and devour uninvited guests. Want to see who is stronger?

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Green Hell

Green Hell is an Amazonian jungle survival simulator where players, in teams of up to four, try to survive as long as possible in a battle against inhospitable nature, bloodthirsty predators, hunger, cold and disease. The gameplay of the project is close to the real conditions of survival, and gamers will have to work closely as a team in order not to die in the "green hell".

Buy

The Forest

Probably the best survival sim I can recommend for co-op. The best because the very mechanics of hunger and thirst fade into the background before an interesting plot - having survived after a plane crash, you find yourself on a desert island. An unknown person kidnaps your son, and his search will lead you to a huge network of caves where terrible natives and worse creatures hide.

Buy Sons of the Forest

Raft

What could be scarier than being alone in the middle of an endless ocean with only shark fins visible on the horizon? Raft has an original idea - try to survive on a flimsy raft, having only a hook in your hands, with which you can attract various debris.

Although the game is not as violent as we describe, so pretty quickly you will build a houseboat (the design possibilities are impressive) and build a radio station that will take you on an adventure.

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Puzzle, simulation

Biped

A fun physics puzzle game where the main characters are robots who must go through a series of levels to complete their mission. The game is notable for its addictive controls and interesting challenges that it throws at gamers. And, of course, cute robots that you absolutely don’t want to part with.

Buy

PHOGS!

In most cooperative games, you work together, but independently of each other. But not in PHOGS!: here you have to control two dogs that are connected by a long and flexible belly. Each of the parts of this "dog" pulls in its own direction, and without coordination of actions, there is little you can do. A very fun, bright and funny game that is perfect for gamers of all ages.

Buy

Dilogy Overcooked!

A range of cooking arcade games that you should definitely check out if you want to get into a fight with your friends. Why? Yes, because the soup is boiling, the onions are not chopped, the dishes are not washed, the customers are unhappy, and the partner not only does not have time to do anything, but also gets in the way.

Overcooked invites you to cook in the most incredible environments, such as in the mouth of a volcano or on board a pirate ship, with a time limit and a crazy amount of action. An excellent test of your planning skills, reaction speed and nerve strength.

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Moving Out

A cooperative moving game where funny creatures play the role of the main characters - the employees of the trucking service. I must say, the employees are not the most accurate: each of their work is accompanied by broken windows, broken tables, broken doors and other destruction. This is a very fun co-op arcade game on the same computer or console that is sure to entertain you and your friends.

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Operation: Tango

Operation: Tango is a two-player game (no single player option) where one player takes on the role of a spy and the other takes on the role of a hacker. Together, the heroes must carry out dangerous missions, covering each other, solving puzzles together and coping with challenges.

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Portal 2

Without exaggeration, the ingenious puzzle game from Valve could have placed higher on our list, but due to its age it has given way to newcomers. The main feature of the Portal 2 cooperative is a very convenient, intuitive gesture system, thanks to which communication in the game does not require voice communication, and even residents of different countries can find a common language among themselves. Interesting puzzles and corporate humor remained in place, so the project will help you brighten up boredom and have fun.

Buy

SnowRunner

The best cargo delivery simulator, "Death Stranding about trucks", great offroad game. SnowRunner is recommended to be run in a company: partners will help pull out a car stuck in the mud, take on part of the load, and a joint trip through the uncharted territories of Michigan, Taimyr and Alaska will become much more fun compared to single races.

Buy

Strategy

Civilization 9 Series0007

The sixth installment of the Civilization strategy series is the last in the series at the moment, but there is also co-op in previous installments. Here, the joint passage is implemented within the framework of diplomacy: players can declare friendship, unite in an alliance and develop their civilizations together.

Civilization VI is perfect for playing both over the Internet and on one computer - for the second case, there is a hot-sit mode in which participants make their moves in turn.

Buy

Old World

And this game is like a mixture of Civilization and Crusader Kings 3 - this is also a historical strategy that offers to lead a dynasty through the ages, but with gameplay that has an incredible amount of detail that affects the situation on the map. Political intrigues with wars are intertwined with more than a thousand unique events that are inspired by history and mythology.

Several online modes are available for playing with friends: behind one screen (hotseat), asynchronous or via the cloud.

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Northgard

Even if Norse mythology doesn't appeal to you, Northgard is sure to delight. It's a real-time strategy game that puts you in charge of a Viking clan that has arrived in uncharted lands in search of a new home - get ready to fight against a lack of resources, hostile relatives and monsters from legends. In online mode, you can team up with a friend and confront a couple of other gamers.

Buy

Frozenheim

If you're into a more gritty strategy game, Frozenheim is a great choice. The game brings you back to the Vikings, but offers to focus on developing the settlement and saving it from all sorts of troubles, from crop failures to raids by enemy clans. In network mode, you can arrange raids on the settlements of others, or create a strong alliance with your comrades.

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WARNO

Military strategy, spectacular World War III combat simulation with a huge number of unique units, a dynamic front line, strategic terrain features and many other features.

Large-scale 10 vs 10 battles have become the main online mode - just imagine how armies of 20 (!) people collide at the same time on the battlefield. However, if you and your friend prefer less noisy troubles, then 2v2 and 4v4 modes are prepared for you. But what if the configuration of your computer does not cope with modern projects, but you still want to play co-op? Don't rush to break your piggy bank for an upgrade - we have a selection of co-op games for weak PCs.

• Serious Sam - all editions of the famous shooter series contain a co-op mode in which players can work together to repel the alien invasion led by the evil Mental.
• Left for Dead is a Valve dilogy in which players team up to survive in the world of the zombie apocalypse.
• Lost Planet 2 is a futuristic shooter where gamers have to fight giant bugs on a distant planet.
• Dead Island is a series of zombie action games with parkour, close combat and a system of zonal dismemberment of the walking dead.
• Resident Evil - the fifth and sixth licensed parts of the franchise, as well as the Resident Evil Revelations duology, contain a co-op mode in which players will have to clean up the consequences of Umbrella's sinister experiments.
• The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is an action-RPG set in the Lord of the Rings universe with three-player co-op.
• Magicka is a series of adventure games dedicated to four hapless wizards who, by the will of fate, will have to fight a demon who intends to destroy the whole world. It is interesting for its original combat system, in which players independently create magic spells by combining various elements.
• Torchlight is a Diablo-style cooperative action-RPG with vast locations, addictive gameplay, and pets that save players from having to constantly return to town to sell loot.
• Sacred 2 is a large-scale RPG with interesting classes, interesting plot and funny humor.
• Titan Quest is a cooperative action-RPG based on the mythology of Ancient Greece, Egypt and the East, and inviting players to fight powerful Titans as they reach the top of Mount Olympus. The game has recently been given a new lease of life with the Anniversary Edition.
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - RTS in the popular Command & Conquer universe with the possibility of a cooperative campaign.
• LEGO - All LEGO releases include co-op play. The choice of projects is huge: gamers can go to the worlds of Marvel and DC comics, take part in the adventures of the Fellowship of the Ring and the Hobbit, study at Hogwarts, visit a galaxy far, far away and so on.
• Contra, Metal Slug and other classic games - there are free emulators of various past generations of consoles that can run old games, including co-op. They provide an opportunity to immerse yourself in the worlds familiar from childhood and relive the exciting adventures of your favorite characters.

Co-op games are the best co-op games on PC, PlayStation, XBox, Android and iPhone up to 4). Such projects can be of various genres: arcades, action-adventure games, shooters, puzzles, quests, and many others. Most of the co-op games do not have beautiful graphics, but there may be pleasant exceptions. For example, a series of games Portal, Unravel, Trine and many others.

PC co-op is more common, but this feature is not alien to console and even mobile projects. Below you can find the best co-op games for PC, PlayStation, XBox, Android and iPhone.

Portal 2

Released 04/18/2011

Logic | Adventure | Action

PC

Co-op, Multiplayer, Single Player

💰 One-time purchase

QUAKE

Released 03.

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