The 25 Best Story-Driven Co-Op Games

An immersive story can leave players with long-lasting memories or just straight-up be life-changing. When a game constructs a story that pushes the player's emotions to the forefront, it shows why storytelling through an interactive medium can be so much more impactful than a passive medium.

Like with movies and TV shows, the experience can be greatly enhanced by getting to experience them with other people. When watching something, this is easy, but when it comes to a game, both players need to be fully immersed in the story for it to have the greatest impact. Co-op games have come a long way over the years and can pull both players along in such a way that they get an incredible shared experience. Let's take a look at the best co-op story games.

Updated May 4, 2026, by Mark Sammut: As no new game came out that really warrants a mention, we have added a section at the end that highlights a few upcoming co-op games that should be releasing in 2026. While they might prove us wrong, all these games should have pretty good stories.

Quick Picks: Best Co-op Games With Great Stories To Play Right Now

While we will get to the individual games in a second, this section will provide quick recommendations for any readers who just want to know what they should play right now. I have divided the table by genre, and I'll include two games for each category.

25 Far Cry 5

Tear Down a Cult, Together

Far Cry 5 was a return to form for the series after some people felt like the previous game was resting on its laurels. The engaging open world, fun optional content, and compelling villains help Far Cry 5 stand out as one of the best games in the series from both an open-world and storytelling perspective.

Not only was the core gameplay a blast to engage with, but players could also go through the game in co-op. Tackling missions with a friend makes for a great time, and it's easy to see why most people love to play through Far Cry 5 with a buddy, tearing down the game's villainous religious cult as they blast through enemies and bases.

24 Tales of Vesperia

The Best Story In The Definitive Co-Op JRPG Franchise

While quite a few JRPGs support co-op, Tales has made multiplayer a cornerstone of its identity. Nearly all the games support more than one player, which makes sense since the battle systems nearly always involve four active characters at one go. In co-op, every user controls one character during combat, while the main player handles everything outside of battle. This restriction means some players will spend time doing nothing, which can be frustrating; fortunately, every Tales game is very combat-driven.

Now, picking the best game in the series is quite difficult, as plenty of entries are roughly the same quality. Tales of Graces f has the best combat but one of the weaker stories, while Tales of Symphony has one of the best stories but dated combat that can be hard to appreciate for complete newcomers. Consequently, I would recommend starting with either Tales of Arise or Tales of Vesperia, the latter of which is the most well-rounded game in the franchise. The combat is solid, while the characters and story are both fantastic.

23 Evil West

Awesome Co-Op Game For Action And A Cool-As-Hell Setting

Flying Wild Hog's games usually have their fair share of issues, but man, they are so incredibly fun. Evil West sits comfortably among the developer's greatest achievements, as long as you are looking for a hack-and-slash + third-person shooter hybrid that mostly consists of arena battles. Nearly all the levels, and there are many, involve you and your partner walking from one open zone to the next, where you have to clear a wide assortment of enemies who come in waves. Sure, the campaign is repetitive and threatens to overstay its welcome, but the combat is so satisfying that it mostly works.

Now, I will say that Evil West's story isn't that amazing, as it is a fairly typical post-apocalyptic tale; however, where the game shines is in its setting and atmosphere. Falling squarely within the rare Weird West genre, you are cast as hunters who target vampires, which come in quite a range of shapes and sizes. You get to meet characters ripped right out of Japanese Westerns, while also visiting some really cool locales. The core story is mostly just fine, but everything around it is fantastic.

Evil West's co-op is fun, but only the host can advance their save file. Basically, the second player is a guest in the host's journey.

22 The Kane & Lynch Games

Gritty Shooters That Are Almost Good, But They Do Some Clever Things With Co-Op

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  Kane & Lynch: Dead Men

  Third-Person Shooter

  Systems

  

  Released

  November 13, 2007

  ESRB

  m

  Developer(s)

  IO Interactive

  Publisher(s)

  Eidos Interactive

  Engine

  havok, glacier engine

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  Where to play

  Close

  WHERE TO PLAY

  DIGITAL

  • 

  Genre(s)

  Third-Person Shooter

  Platform(s)

  PC, PS3, Xbox 360

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  Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

  Third-Person Shooter

  Systems

  

  

  7/10

  Released

  August 17, 2010

  ESRB

  M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language

  Developer(s)

  IO Interactive, Nixxes

  Publisher(s)

  Eidos Interactive

  Multiplayer

  Local Co-Op, Online Co-Op

  Genre(s)

  Third-Person Shooter

  Platform(s)

  PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One

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Recently, I replayed Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days, completing all 3 hours of its campaign. It isn't exactly good, but there is something here. Similar to its predecessor, Dead Men, this third-person shooter pulls absolutely no punches, telling a grimy and (at times) disturbing crime action drama filled with shocking, pixelated scenes of torture, male nudity, and shootouts. Even the gunplay can be downright gruesome, in an effective way. The first game is, from my memory of playing it with my brother on the PS3, superior in every way, particularly the more ambitious story that really feels like a Michael Mann movie translated into video game form. These games are just a vibe, and there is almost nothing else quite like them.

Are the Kane & Lynch titles really among the best story-driven co-op games ever? Maybe, maybe not; however, these stories should be experienced with somebody alongside you, if at all. IO Interactive did some genuinely interesting stuff with co-op, including a particularly surprising moment in the first game that I refuse to spoil here. However, I will spoil it below for those who will never play it:

In Dead Men, when played on split-screen, Lynch and Kane don't always see the same thing. There is one particular moment that is really great, as Lynch loses grasp of reality and starts hallucinating that civilians are policemen, causing his player to fire abruptly to kill them. On his half of the screen, Kane just sees civilians.

21 Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

A Great Story, A Decent Co-Op Game, And A Mediocre Remake

Honestly, I'm torn on whether to include Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake or not. The 2013 original game is a masterpiece that tells one of the best stories in gaming history, and I would recommend it to pretty much anybody. Despite revolving around two brothers and featuring sections that involve controlling both, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is single-player, and it works perfectly like that. Yes, on paper, this game seems perfect for two-player co-op; however, Starbreeze's decision to let one player control both brothers amplifies the story's impact. Co-op was not necessary.

So, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake added co-op. Along with just being a widely unnecessary remake in general, this 2024 release launched with an absurd number of bugs, and it is hardly perfect nowadays. Simply put, this version is FAR worse than the original, and I would always advise playing the latter over the former.

That said, the story is the same in both versions, which means it is also brilliant in the remake. The co-op is also implemented well enough, so it doesn't take too much away from the experience for those who have never played the original.

20 As Dusk Falls

Collaborative Storytelling at Its Best

A great thing about indie gaming is that certain titles decide to experiment with their narratives and try new, more interactive methods for providing player choice. Such is the case with As Dusk Falls, which somehow turns a narrative adventure into a co-op experience where players vote on the path that the game's stories take.

As Dusk Falls features some harrowing decision-making that can be pretty hard to deal with at times. This is a win for the game, which manages to invest players in a story surrounding a conflict between two families, each with their own dark histories, that takes place across two books. Making decisions and voting on how the story proceeds in co-op makes for a simple yet more engaging way to enjoy this story-driven experience, as each choice plays a significant role in the events that follow.

19 Spiritfarer

Sail into the Afterlife, Hand in Hand

Few developers have the courage to tackle something as somber as death in a video game setting, but that is exactly what the indie devs at Thunder Lotus Games have achieved with Spiritfarer, a management simulation and action game that delves deep into what it means to die by forcing players to come face to face with this inevitable reality.

While Spiritfarer can be enjoyed alone, it can also be played in co-op mode, allowing up to two players to board the same ship and carry out the duties of the Spiritfarer in tandem. The game offers both online and couch co-op, allowing two players to play on the same device. Not only that, but the couch co-op experience is well thought out; Player 2 can do basically everything Player 1 can except talk to people, and the game presentation accounts for multiple participants adequately.

18 Saints Row: The Third

Over-the-Top Co-op Chaos

The third Saints Row game upped the ante when it came to the ridiculousness most people have come to expect from this series. It ramped up the comedy to the max, letting players control Playa as they engage in a wealth of over-the-top missions in a world brimming with style.

Players who may be having second thoughts about playing this game will be sold from the moment they find out that it supports co-op play. Wreaking havoc in Steelport is a ton of fun with friends, and it's a shame that the Saints Row remake completely missed the mark when it came to what players were expecting from this beloved open-world series.

17 Never Alone

A Girl and Her Fox

One of the only games set in Alaska, Never Alone focuses explicitly on the Iñupiat people. This isn't a gimmick, but rather the story's heartbeat, and the game goes out of its way to teach and celebrate this culture. The developers worked with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council and elders to be as accurate as possible, creating a story that is authentic and rather than just inspired by folklore. Even the dialogue is presented in the Iñupiaq language, with subtitles.

All of the above is great, but Never Alone's true selling point is its co-op, which is built entirely around the relationship between a girl named Nuna and her fox. Both characters have completely different skill sets that complement each other and reinforce their dependence on each other, and players need to communicate consistently and reliably if they want to progress through the many puzzles that are part of the campaign.

16 Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Relive the Legendary Saga with a Friend

Players who wanted to get into the Halo series but were unable to for the longest time will love the fact that this Xbox franchise decided to release a remastered collection of the first three games in the series, letting new players experience Master Chief's journey from the very beginning. This is already a treat as is, but what makes this even better is that these campaigns can be enjoyed in co-op too.

While The Master Chief Collection was rightfully criticized for its initial online matchmaking issues, most of these problems have been ironed out. What's left now is a solid FPS experience that spans multiple games and lets players play through these legendary titles with a friend to enjoy the greatness of Halo at its peak.