10. Overcooked 2
Few games in recent memory are more delightful to play with friends Overcooked, and the sequel is even better. You and up to three friends control small chibi characters as they run back and forth cooking increasingly tricky recipes in increasingly wacky kitchens. You all work on the same screen, so it’s ideal for local multiplayer and getting in each other’s way is bound to cause some rifts in the room!
9. Worms W.M.D
Worms is quintessential local multiplayer. Taking turn-based control of little worms with big weapons tasked with blowing each other to smithereens, W.M.D gives a fresh lick of paint to the traditional Worms gameplay we all know and love. There’s a good reason that this series has stuck around since 1995 - the core gameplay is simple and fun. There are so many weapons and gadgets that throwing your friends’ worms around the map never gets tiring.
8. Team Sonic Racing
Team Sonic Racing is a kart racing game featuring the characters of Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog series, and it’s a ball to play with your mates. It supports up to four players in local split-screen multiplayer, and things get chaotic fast. The gameplay feels speedy like you’d expect a Sonic game to feel, and the level/zone designs and usable items all make reference to things you might remember from the main series games.
7. Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
The Handsome Collection has both Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-sequel and all of their expansions, with souped-up 4K graphics to boot. The best part? It’s all split-screen compatible, meaning you and your friends can develop and level your own characters from right on the sofa. This series is well known for comedy, looting, and insane over the top FPS fun - and this remastered collection is going to please fans and newcomers alike.
6. Minecraft
Minecraft’s limitless creativity was made for collaboration, and up to 4 player split-screen means that you and your friends can collaborate together in person. If you’re not familiar with the game (where have you been) Minecraft is a building game with a survival mode based around resource collecting and crafting. Beneath the blocky simplistic graphics, this game offers delicate and engaging gameplay centred around the reward of creativity and hard work.
5. Shovel Knight
A legendary Indie born from a successful Kickstarter campaign, Shovel Knight is a love letter to the 8-bit platformers of old. Up to two friends can play together on local multiplayer, each controlling a knight as they work together to survive the platforming mayhem. The retro gameplay and visuals harken back to a day where finishing a level meant playing over and over again on a Saturday morning until you finally cracked it - and that’s all part of the charm.
4. Little Big Planet 3
Simply one of the most pleasant platforming series out there, LittleBigPlanet is a masterwork of game design. Adventure Mode offers plenty of satisfying gameplay, but the 4 player local multiplayer and creation modes are where this game really comes alive. You’ll get in each other’s way just as much as you’ll help each other out, and the chaos of the busy screen makes this help/hindrance balance oh so fun to play with.
3. Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
For those joystick junkies who were let down by the slightly lukewarm Street Fighter 2: The Final Challengers, this is the perfect remedy. Comprising of 12 classic releases from the flawed masterpiece that was the first Street Fighter to 1999’s Street Fighter 3: Third Strike, this is an absolutely essential purchase and is sure to even bring a smile to M. Bison’s face.
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
You know what to expect from a Call of Duty game - remarkably tight and responsive controls, beautiful graphics and visual design, and of course, zombies. Up to four people can play local multiplayer Zombies together, working together to defeat round after round of the undead in a variety of creative maps/arenas. If you fancy it, you can even venture into online multiplayer alongside a friend in 2 player split-screen.
1. A Way Out
A way out is built from the ground up with multiplayer in mind, and thankfully without setting aside traditional split-screen co-op. Together you take on the roles of Leo and Vincent, two prisoners who have decided to break free. Each character has their own idea of how this should happen, but it’s up to you to choose how to escape together and cooperate to execute the plan. For truly immersive local multiplayer story experience, it’s among the best of the best.