Pass the Controller: The 35 Best PS5 Couch & Local Multiplayer Games
Why This List Exists: There is an unmatched magic to old-school couch gaming—sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend, trading taunts, sharing late-night snacks, and watching the chaos unfold on a single television screen. While modern gaming has shifted heavily toward online matchmaking and headsets, the thrill of genuine local split-screen and shared-screen play is very much alive on PlayStation 5.
Whether you want deep turn-based tabletop campaigns, high-stakes fighting games, chaotic physics comedies, or pulse-pounding cooperative survival, here is a ranked guide to the 35 best local multiplayer experiences available on PS5 (including native PS5 titles and backward-compatible classics), ranked from highest to lowest by critical consensus.
🏆 Tier 1: Masterpieces (90+ Rating)
Critically acclaimed titles delivering unparalleled local multiplayer design, deep mechanics, and flawless execution.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Metascore: 96
Why Play: A sprawling, deep D&D tabletop experience on your couch where you and your friend can explore independently or tackle tactical turn-based combat together.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition
Metascore: 92
Why Play: From the makers of Baldur’s Gate 3, featuring deep turn-based elemental combat and total freedom to interact with the world.
Street Fighter 6
Metascore: 92
Why Play: One of the most polished, accessible, yet competitively deep fighters of the generation, with modern and classic control options.
Spelunky 2
Metascore: 91
Why Play: Brutally challenging, hilarious physics chaos where accidentally whipping your teammate into a spike trap is half the fun.
Tekken 8
Metascore: 90
Why Play: Cinematic, punchy, high-octane 3D combat featuring an aggressive heat system and an expansive roster.
Rayman Legends
Metascore: 90
Why Play: Gorgeous visual design, pitch-perfect controls, and rhythm-based musical levels that are an absolute blast with a friend.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2
Metascore: 90
Why Play: Classic split-screen score challenges, Horse, and Tag with 60/120fps performance on PS5.
⭐ Tier 2: The Modern Couch Classics (85–89 Rating)
Essential couch-play standards spanning cooperative puzzles, chaotic sandbox survival, and arcade beat ’em ups.
It Takes Two
Metascore: 89
Why Play: The gold standard of modern couch co-op. Every single level introduces fresh mechanics, genres, and mini-games that require seamless teamwork.
Stardew Valley
Metascore: 89
Why Play: Build a farm, fish, explore monster-filled caves, and split up daily chores at your own relaxed pace.
Minecraft
Metascore: 89
Why Play: Ultimate freedom to build, survive, and explore infinite procedural worlds side-by-side.
Gran Turismo 7
Metascore: 87
Why Play: High-fidelity racing physics, stunning tracks, and competitive head-to-head racing with full DualSense trigger feedback.
Streets of Rage 4
Metascore: 87
Why Play: Fast-paced, hard-hitting retro brawling with fluid combo mechanics and a killer soundtrack.
Guilty Gear -Strive-
Metascore: 87
Why Play: Visually stunning anime art style with heavy rock music and explosive, wall-breaking combo mechanics.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Metascore: 87
Why Play: Nostalgic arcade action that accommodates up to 6 players simultaneously on one screen.
Cuphead
Metascore: 86
Why Play: Incredible 1930s hand-drawn animation paired with intense, unforgiving bullet-hell boss encounters.
Diablo IV
Metascore: 86
Why Play: Smooth couch co-op integration with shared-screen tracking, letting two players crawl dungeons and grind loot together seamlessly.
Rocket League
Metascore: 86
Why Play: Free-to-play, highly addictive acrobatic car soccer that supports split-screen in both casual local games and online matches.
Cult of the Lamb
Metascore: 86
Why Play: The Unholy Alliance update added full local co-op, allowing the Goat and the Lamb to run crusades and manage the cult together.
Vampire Survivors
Metascore: 86
Why Play: Hypnotic, chaotic horde-survival where you and friends stack wildly overpowered weapons against millions of enemies.
Guacamelee! 2
Metascore: 85
Why Play: Vibrant luchador-themed platformer packed with Mexican folklore, dimension swapping, and hilarious chicken-combat mechanics.
🔥 Tier 3: Great Cooperative Fun & Mayhem (80–84 Rating)
High-octane party brawlers, bullet-hell synergies, and frantic squad coordination.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Metascore: 84
Why Play: Combines both Overcooked! 1 & 2 with 4K/60fps visuals. The ultimate test of teamwork, shouting, and time management.
Mortal Kombat 1
Metascore: 83
Why Play: Gory, over-the-top fighting with the new Kameo tag-assist fighter system and cinematic fatalities.
Broforce
Metascore: 83
Why Play: Parodies 80s and 90s action movie heroes in fully destructible pixel-art environments where everything explodes.
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Metascore: 82
Why Play: Spans all 9 mainline Star Wars films with third-person shooting, lightsaber combos, and lighthearted humor.
Enter the Gungeon
Metascore: 82
Why Play: Dodge-roll through procedural dungeon rooms filled with gun-themed enemies and hundreds of bizarre firearm synergies.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Metascore: 82
Why Play: You and your friends must physically run around inside a neon spaceship to operate shields, turrets, engines, and maps in real time.
Borderlands 3
Metascore: 81
Why Play: Supports up to 4-player vertical or horizontal split-screen on PS5, delivering billions of wacky guns and massive boss fights.
Untitled Goose Game
Metascore: 81
Why Play: Play as two mischievous geese honking, stealing items, and causing hilarious chaos in an unsuspecting English village.
Helldivers: Dive Harder Edition
Metascore: 81
Why Play: Unlike the third-person sequel, the original Helldivers features full 4-player shared-screen local co-op with brutal friendly fire and tactical stratagem calling.
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Metascore: 80
Why Play: A charming, creative 3D platformer with dedicated co-op puzzle levels and licensed pop-music dance tracks.
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince
Metascore: 80
Why Play: Combines physics-based puzzle solving and combat where players switch between or combine the Wizard, Thief, and Knight.
🛋️ Tier 4: Narrative & Wacky Physics (77–79 Rating)
Cinematic cooperative stories, ragdoll physics comedies, and delightful shared couch puzzles.
Moving Out 2
Metascore: 79
Why Play: Grab furniture, smash through windows, and throw sofas across swimming pools against the clock.
A Way Out
Metascore: 78
Why Play: A cinematic prison-escape thriller made entirely for two players who must coordinate stealth, chases, and quick-time events.
Unravel Two
Metascore: 77
Why Play: Two yarn creatures physically tied together swing, climb, and solve environmental puzzles across scenic Scandinavian landscapes.
Human: Fall Flat
Metascore: 77
Why Play: Clumsy, ragdoll physics platforming with open-ended puzzle solutions and endless accidental sabotage.
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