While playing games with your partner and co-operating in a chill environment can be fun, sometimes you want to put downAnimal Crossingand start killing other players without a drop of mercy.
Whether you and the love of your life are in the same team is irrelevant.If the game is fun and doesn’t ruin your relationship, and it pits you against other people, then it’s eligible for this list.
10 Best Drop-in/Drop-Out Co-op Games
Leaving in the middle of the session doesn’t feel so awkward now.
I can personally attest to all of these entries, as my girlfriend and I have played all these games together and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and they’ve made up plenty of great gaming nights.
And despite my tendency to be unbiased towards my partner when playing a game with the potential to ruin a relationship, we’re still going strong. As long as your relationship is stable, feel free to go ham.
8Mario Party 6
Like Day and Night
Mario Party 6
Despite its reputation for destroying friendships,Mario Partyis one of those series where you’re allowed to go all out with or against your friends,and Mario Party 6 is the bestin the series.
The team games will occasionally let you fight some other bozos with your partner, but for the most part you’re both going to be actively attempting to screw over every other player at the same time.
I find I am often partly the source of toxicity, yet that poisonous air clears up after the game when the rage settles and everyone realizes they actually did have fun, even if that one friend who can time Chance Time is still an ass.
If you want something to play that usually removes all bias from everyone so that all players are equally willing to be mean to everyone else, even if you’re dating, then you should absolutely go for a Mario Party game.
7Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
Combination for Pairs
Puyo Puyo Tetris 2
Maybe it’s entirely personal bias putting this one on the list, but I absolutely love playing Tetris with my partner, primarily because I like teaching people techniques in a game I’m good at.
That, andPuyo Puyo Tetris 2further balances things out between the experienced and inexperienced, because I absolutely suck at Puyo Puyo, making things a bit fair for anyone who knows how gravity works.
8 Best Co-Op Sandbox Games
Building something pretty next to your friend’s dirt hut has never been easier than with these games.
Even if either you or your beloved don’t jump at the opportunity to play Tetris or Puyo Puyo, Iguarantee you it’ll be fun, especially with the added dynamic of controlling two games at once, and a bunch of cute characters.
It can be relaxing, andthe speedy matches make taking a blunder far less upsetting, and you can both get into a team together to play against bots or online, if that suits your fancy more than throwing garbage at each other.
6Jackbox Party Packs
Something For Everyone
The Jackbox Party Pack 7
Yes,Jackbox Gamesare best played in a group setting, but they’reso chill and laid-backthat you and your partner can comfortably join any lobby with any number of people and have a great time.
If you find you’re often in groups where you and your partner often feel pretty disconnected in any game the group goes for, and Jackbox Party Pack 7 especially makes that feeling dissolve away, on top of being competitive more often than not.
I love watching my stupid drawing beef with my partner’s in Champ’d Up, Talking Points has us both either watching and admiring each other’s performances, or helping each other out, and Devils and the Details exists.
Every game in this pack makes it fun to compete or cooperate with each other, and I think Blather Round is especially fun since you’ve likely got a better read on what charade your partner is attempting to communicate.
Conflict of Interest
As you may have inferred, I have zero issues with backstabbing my girlfriend in video games, and nowhere is that more prevalent thanAmong Us, where she’s usually one of the first to go when I’m an Impostor.
This is for two reasons. For one, she’s probably the best at knowing when I’m lying, and two,I can play innocent and say “Well, I wouldneverkill my girlfriend!”, which continues working every single time.
That’s not for everyone, sure, yet there’s a big chance that you’ve already played Among Us and enjoyed killing your friends, so just extend that logic to the most important person in your life, and you’ve got a great gaming session.
Be bold, be swift, and deny everything, then ensure to tell your love that it was for the bit. I genuinely love so many of the times I’ve played this game with my partner, it’s made the dynamic even better.
4Tower Unite
Everything In One
Tower Unite
I may have talked about Tower Unite more than I should for a relatively niche PC-only indie game born out of a GMod map, butTower Unite is an awesome social meetupand minigame haven, so I don’t care.
My girlfriend and I hop on Tower Unite at least monthly, if not more often, to play some ball race or minigolf, maybe go bowling or head to the arcade, and generally just to have a great time.
Every game world in Tower Unite is competitive, and it’s one of the most chill experiences ever despite that. As long as you aren’t playing SDNL, you’ll have a great experience that feels really polished for a game within a game.
With the money you get from hitting several holes in one,you can purchase decorations, then decorate a condo together, and just chill out in between sessions of competition, which is what makes this great.
3Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Not An Item
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Despite having the same number of stupid random events that make you lose out on everything you worked for,Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis far less likely to ruin relationships than Mario Party, somehow.
I think it’s because Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is easily approachable, is far more skill-based, and is easier to focus on since you aren’t constantly bouncing between minigames, and I’ve loved racing with my partner.
Whether it’s splitscreen local co-op, local wireless, online, on a team or in battle mode,it’s always extremely easy to pick up and makes us bond over both getting screwed over by every other playerin the lobby.
Somehow, despite typically being pit against each other, it’s the perfect game to snuggle up next to your love and play for hours, and I’m never exceedingly mad about anything for more than a few minutes.
2Forza Horizon 5
Cruise Control
Forza Horizon 5
One of the most chill racing games to ever exist,Forza Horizon 5does have you competing against other racers in races, but being in a caravan in the overworld is achill and awesome experience.
For me, some of the best co-op experiences are open-world games that were built to explore with others, and connecting online with my partner just to drive around and have fun is a great time.
9 Best Co-op Games For Couples
Couples that love each other, play with each other.
Even then,I can always challenge her to a race anywhere on the map and get from one end of the map to the other, plus the caravan stays solid the entire time, taking you together through races and events.
A mix of calm gameplay where you may both hang out and have fun with the competition that might make you upset is the best, especially when you can choose which side you want to participate in at any time.
1Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Variety Pack
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics
Historically,some of the most fun you can have with people that are close to you is playing board games together, soClubhouse Games is a natural fitfor this list, making for a few hundred fun sessions.
I’ll hop on billiards, darts, discount UNO, discount Yahtzee, and discount Connect 4 a thousand more times before I die, since this game makes it incredibly easy to boot any of those up at a moment’s notice.
Not every game in the package is a banger, but they’re all classics and everyone will have something they’ll enjoy. Especially if you’re like me, and boot up Chess just to win, for no particular reason.
Even if board games sound boring, Tanks is still awesome even if it’s not the peak gameplay seen in Wii Play, and Golf is a top-down version I enjoy far more than the equivalent game in Wii Sports.
