The closest games like It Takes Two are Split Fiction (2025) and A Way Out (2018), both made by Hazelight Studios, the team behind It Takes Two. Split Fiction is the nearest match: a co-op-only adventure that changes its mechanics every few minutes and lets one buyer bring a friend along for free. Outside Hazelight, Portal 2, Unravel Two and Cuphead are the strongest two-player picks.
This list covers 12 co-op games, with platforms and co-op modes checked as of October 2026.
What makes It Takes Two special
It Takes Two (2021) follows Cody and May, a couple heading for divorce who are turned into dolls by a magic spell. It won Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021, and Hazelight said in April 2026 that it had sold 30 million copies. Four design choices make it hard to replace:
- Co-op only. There is no single-player mode, and most puzzles need both players doing different jobs at once.
- Constant variety. Each chapter gives the two characters new abilities designed to work together, so ideas rarely repeat.
- Split-screen by design. The screen stays split even online, so each player can see what the other is doing.
- One copy is enough. The free Friend’s Pass lets a second player join without buying the game.
How to choose a co-op game like It Takes Two
- Same couch or different houses. Cuphead, Rayman Legends, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Unravel Two and the Brothers Remake are local co-op games. We Were Here Forever is online only. The rest support both.
- One copy or two. All three Hazelight games include a free Friend’s Pass, and on PC, Steam’s Remote Play Together covers many local co-op games.
- Family-friendly or mature. The ESRB rates It Takes Two and Split Fiction T for Teen. A Way Out is rated M for Mature, for blood, intense violence, nudity, sexual content and strong language. Unravel Two and Overcooked 2 are rated E for Everyone, and Sackboy and Rayman Legends are bright, cartoon-style platformers that suit younger players.
- Puzzles or reflexes. Portal 2 and We Were Here test communication and logic. Cuphead tests reflexes and patience, and it is much harder than It Takes Two.
The closest matches
1. Split Fiction
Split Fiction is the closest thing It Takes Two has to a sequel. It stars Mio and Zoe, a science fiction writer and a fantasy writer trapped inside their own stories by a machine built by Rader Publishing, a company that wants to steal their ideas. Like It Takes Two, it keeps introducing new abilities and set pieces as it swings between sci-fi and fantasy levels. It is co-op only, played on a split screen, and its Friend’s Pass works across platforms. Hazelight said in April 2026 that it had sold seven million copies, just over a year after launch.
Developer: Hazelight Studios (published by EA). Released: 2025. Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo Switch 2. Co-op: local split-screen and online, Friend’s Pass with cross-play, GameShare on Switch 2.
2. A Way Out
Hazelight’s first game is the more serious option. Leo and Vincent are two inmates who break out of prison and go on the run, and the whole story plays out on a split screen. It has the same co-op-only design as It Takes Two, but its tone is closer to a crime film than a family comedy, so it suits adult pairs better than kids.
Developer: Hazelight Studios (published by EA). Released: 2018. Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC (plays on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility). Co-op: local split-screen and online, Friend’s Pass on console and the EA app (Steam uses Remote Play Together instead), no cross-play.
3. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake
Josef Fares, who later founded Hazelight, directed the original Brothers in 2013, and its ideas run straight through It Takes Two. Two brothers cross a fairy-tale world to find a cure for their sick father, solving puzzles that only work when both act together. The original was designed for one player, but the 2024 Remake adds local co-op, with each player controlling one brother. It is short and emotional, an easy one-evening pick for a couple.
Developer: Avantgarden (published by 505 Games). Released: 2024. Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC. Co-op: local only, Remote Play Together on Steam.
Co-op puzzle games
4. Portal 2
Portal 2’s co-op campaign is a separate story from its single-player mode, with its own test chambers and two robot characters. Each player carries a portal gun, so four portals can be open at once, and the puzzles only work when both players plan their moves together. Like It Takes Two, it turns talking to your partner into the core mechanic, and its dry humor still holds up.
Developer: Valve. Released: 2011. Platforms: PC (Windows and SteamOS/Linux), PS3, Xbox 360 (plays on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S), Nintendo Switch in Portal: Companion Collection (2022). Co-op: local split-screen and online.
5. Unravel Two
Unravel Two is the closest in mood to It Takes Two’s quieter moments. Two small yarn creatures are tied together by a single thread, and players swing, climb and pull each other through puzzle-platforming levels. The tether makes the teamwork physical: one player anchors while the other swings. Co-op is drop-in, drop-out, and one person can control both characters alone.
Developer: Coldwood Interactive (published by EA). Released: 2018. Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch (2019). Co-op: local only; online play requires PS4 Share Play or Steam Remote Play Together.
6. We Were Here Forever
The We Were Here series pushes It Takes Two’s communication side to the extreme. The two players are separated, see different clues and can only talk through an in-game walkie-talkie, so every puzzle depends on describing what is on your screen to someone who cannot see it. We Were Here Forever (2022) was the first entry with cross-play, which makes it the easiest start for friends on different systems. The original We Were Here is free on Steam, and a new entry, We Were Here Tomorrow, launched on October 20, 2026, for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Developer: Total Mayhem Games. Released: 2022 on PC, 2023 on consoles. Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. Co-op: online only, with cross-play; both players need a microphone.
7. Biped
Biped gives each player a small two-legged robot and maps each leg to its own analog stick, so simply walking takes concentration. Players balance platforms, carry objects and time their steps together, which produces the same clumsy physical comedy as It Takes Two’s best moments, at a much smaller scale. A sequel, Biped 2, launched in November 2025 and expands co-op to four players.
Developer: NExT Studios. Released: 2020. Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5 (2024), Xbox One, Nintendo Switch. Co-op: local split-screen and online for two players; cross-platform play is listed on Steam and Xbox.
Co-op platformers
8. Cuphead
Cuphead is a run-and-gun game built almost entirely around boss fights, drawn in the style of 1930s cartoons. In co-op, the second player controls Mugman, and either player can revive a fallen partner by parrying their ghost before it floats away. It is far harder than It Takes Two, but it delivers the same satisfaction of two players learning a fight’s patterns together.
Developer: Studio MDHR. Released: 2017. Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Mac (2018), Nintendo Switch (2019), PS4 (2020). Co-op: local only, Remote Play Together on Steam.
9. Rayman Legends
Rayman Legends is one of the most inventive 2D platformers of its era. Its music levels, where jumps and punches land on the beat, have the same playful energy as It Takes Two’s big set pieces. Up to four players share the screen, and the game is forgiving enough for mixed-skill pairs. A remake, Rayman Legends Retold, is due December 3, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and PC, and Ubisoft says the original is staying on sale.
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier. Released: 2013. Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch (Definitive Edition, 2017), plus the original PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PS Vita versions. Co-op: local only, up to four players (five on Wii U).
10. Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Sackboy is the most family-friendly pick here and one of the closest in spirit to It Takes Two’s toy-box worlds. This bright 3D platformer from the LittleBigPlanet series includes co-op levels that need two or more players, plus levels built around licensed pop songs. Online play arrived in a December 2020 update, which also added cross-play between PS4 and PS5.
Developer: Sumo Digital (published by Sony). Released: 2020. Platforms: PS4, PS5, PC (2022). Co-op: local and online, up to four players, PS4 and PS5 cross-play.
Chaotic party picks
11. Overcooked 2
Overcooked 2 swaps adventure for kitchen chaos. Players chop, cook, plate and wash up against the clock in kitchens that move, split apart and catch fire, which demands the same constant back-and-forth as It Takes Two in short rounds. The best way to play it now is Overcooked! All You Can Eat, which bundles remastered versions of the first two games with more than 200 levels and adds cross-platform play. The standalone Overcooked 2 only supports cross-play between PC stores such as Steam and Epic.
Developer: Ghost Town Games and Team17. Released: 2018 (All You Can Eat: 2020 to 2021). Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, plus a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition (2025) with GameShare; All You Can Eat adds PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Co-op: local and online, up to four players.
12. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime puts players inside a round neon spaceship with stations for weapons, shields and engines, and only as many crew as there are players to run them. Running between stations at the right moment is the whole game, a sharp test of the teamwork It Takes Two rewards. It works with two to four players, or solo with an AI space pet.
Developer: Asteroid Base. Released: 2015. Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, PS4 (2016), Nintendo Switch (2017). Co-op: local only, up to four players, Remote Play Together on Steam.
For relaxed games without the co-op focus, see these games like Animal Crossing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest game to It Takes Two?
Split Fiction. It comes from the same studio, uses the same co-op-only, split-screen structure, keeps changing its mechanics, and includes a Friend’s Pass with cross-play. A Way Out is second, with the same design and a darker story.
Can you play games like It Takes Two with only one copy?
Yes. It Takes Two, Split Fiction and A Way Out all offer a free Friend’s Pass, so only one player has to own the game. On PC, Steam’s Remote Play Together covers many local co-op games, including Cuphead, Unravel Two and Rayman Legends.
Does It Takes Two have cross-play?
Yes, as of October 2026. EA’s announcement for the Nintendo Switch 2 version, released October 15, lists cross-play across Switch 2, PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Before that, online co-op required both players on the same platform family. Split Fiction also has cross-play; A Way Out does not.
What are the best two-player co-op games for couples?
Split Fiction and It Takes Two, since both are built around two characters working through a story together. Unravel Two and the Brothers Remake are calmer and shorter, and Overcooked 2 suits couples who enjoy a bit of shouting.
Is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons a co-op game?
Not originally. The 2013 game is single-player, with one person controlling both brothers. The 2019 Switch version added a local two-player mode, and the 2024 Remake supports local co-op on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Neither has online co-op, although the Remake works with Steam’s Remote Play Together.
