5 Best Video Games Like It Takes Two

Popular co-op game developers Hazelight Studios saw widespread success with the critically acclaimed 2021 game "It Takes Two." This two-player experience revolves around estranged couple Cody and May, whose young daughter Rose accidentally traps them inside some handmade dolls. The pair work together to overcome various obstacles around their house and find a way to undo the spell, rediscovering their love for one another along the way. The title stands as a major triumph for Hazelight, with intuitive co-op gameplay and an emotional story to boot — there are plenty of small details that are easy to miss in "It Takes Two" which elevate the game above its peers.

Of course, "It Takes Two" is not the only co-op game that's perfect to play with a friend, a significant other, or a family member. Whether it's other titles developed by Hazelight or addictive co-op experiences from other publishers, there's no shortage of similar games to choose from. All the games on this list will have players yelling at each other in good fun as they try to coordinate their way through challenging but fun levels and reach the end of the story. These are the five best games like "It Takes Two," with each offering a stellar co-op experience.

Valve's "Portal 2," the 2011 sequel to 2007's "Portal," included the addition of a multiplayer component. The game's single-player campaign has the protagonist, Chell, navigate an abandoned research facility using a portal gun. This allows her to open small, interconnected openings to traverse various obstacles, playing with the laws of physics. The two-player cooperative campaign has the gamers control two robots working together to recover data disks throughout the research facility.

While the single-player experience in "Portal 2" is great, it's the co-op mode that really elevates this game, and there's a strong replayability factor, as there are different ways to approach the challenges. The gameplay is so inventive in its problem-solving that scientists say "Portal 2" benefits brain function. 15 years after its release, "Portal 2" still stands as one of the greatest games that Valve has ever made, with its brilliant co-op experience at the heart of that.

Hazelight founder and co-op game king Josef Fares got the studio going with the 2018 title "A Way Out." Set in 1972, the game follows incarcerated crooks Vincent Moretti and Leo Caruso who work together to escape from prison. As the two fugitives evade the authorities on the outside, they search for a valuable diamond that Leo stole before his arrest. The two men share details about their past before an uncomfortable truth is revealed, testing their fledgling partnership.

Easily the most grounded entry on this list, "A Way Out" mixes emotional storytelling with intuitive co-op gameplay, a Fares trademark. Unlike Hazelight's subsequent projects, roles aren't explicitly fixed to proceed, with players able to generally interchange who does what during each playthrough. The game also isn't a platformer like many of the other titles in this article, but its co-op gameplay is no less complementary and coordinated. If you're after a co-op game with a more gritty subject matter, look no further than "A Way Out."

Another game boasting strong single-player and co-op multiplayer platforming modes, "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" is the latest installment in the "LittleBigPlanet" franchise. The mainline series focuses on side-scroll platforming, but "Sackboy" makes the leap to 3D for its gameplay. The game's story has Sackboy gather dreamer orbs to stop the villainous Vex from conquering Craftworld and reshaping it in his fiendish image. The game also features levels specifically designed for multiple players to complete, working together to advance through its platforming challenges.

It's the co-op levels that earns "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" a spot on this list, with these multiplayer stages thrillingly designed. The 2020 game captures all the charm of the franchise, ambitiously bringing it to the realm of 3D without compromising its identity. The co-op platforming arguably works better in 3D than it had in prior side-scrolling installments, heightening the immersion and coordination. Over half a decade since its release, "Sackboy: A Big Adventure" still sorely needs a sequel to take the franchise's expansion into 3D to the next level.

Another co-op escape game, 2024's "Chained Together" has players joined at the waist and trapped in Hell. The only way to escape is by climbing to the top of the obstacle-filled environment. If one player fails to properly clear a jump or avoid an incoming object, they pull everyone chained to them back down when they tumble. The game also boasts a hard mode, with lava steadily rising, forcing players to climb quickly and receiving a game over if they fall into the magma.

"Chained Together" allows for up to four players to work together simultaneously. This adds to the sheer chaos involved — this is a game that's guaranteed to start arguments as players collide and fall. The necessary level of tight coordination significantly adds to the challenge but also the reward whenever players finally succeed. The ultimate co-op platformer, "Chained Together" requires teamwork and timing, bringing friends together or threatening to tear them apart.

Hazelight's follow-up to "It Takes Two," 2025's "Split Fiction" doubles down on the co-op platforming gameplay. The plot sees a group of fiction writers invited by the company Rader Publishing to interface with an experimental machine letting them immerse themselves in the worlds they've created in their minds. Science fiction writer Mio Hudson and high fantasy writer Zoe Foster find their vastly different worlds merging due to an error and the pair work together to escape from their shared subconscious reality, doubling their efforts after learning Rader Publishing is actually trying to steal their ideas.

"Split Fiction" stands as a more than worthy successor to "It Takes Two." True to its premise, the game seamlessly combines and alternates between science fiction and fantasy trappings, keeping players on their toes. "Split Fiction" also boasts a talented voice cast who really instill the story with a palpable sense of stakes — Kaja Chan and Elsie Bennett are brilliant as Mio and Zoe, and Ben Turner does a fantastic job of making J.D. Rader infinitely unlikeable. Extending Hazelight's co-op winning streak, "Split Fiction" provides gamers with a truly imaginative adventure.