Acquiring Xbox Game Pass does not solely entail solo play-time. Fun experiences are just lying in store for duos with access to the console's greatest gaming service. A decent amount of titles available on Xbox Game Pass (and EA Play) allow for the pleasure of local co-op. And as any gamer worth their salt knows, playing a game with a buddy using good old-fashioned couch co-op is one of the best joys to be had.
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Whether the action occurs on a single screen or double the participation necessitates split-screen, these games ensure entertainment between friends. From sci-fi shooters to goofy physics-based playgrounds, Xbox owners can't go wrong with these fun, local co-op titles.
- Approximate Game Length: 10 Hours
- Genre: Third-Person Shooter
- Developer: The Coalition
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 44 GB (August 2021)
The Gears series is truly at its best when played with a friend. The serviceable campaign is made utterly phenomenal if played using local co-op, and thanks to Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, players can try out the first entry in this now iconic franchise with updated graphics and gameplay improvements. Playing as Marcus Fenix and Dom, two players can Lancer their way to a gritty victory against the Locust. The game features fantastic cover-based shooting mechanics, outrageous action setpieces, and chaotic vehicle sequences that were meant to be played by two. If you’re looking for a thrilling couch co-op experience to while away an evening (or several consecutively), you’re certainly not going wrong here.
- Approximate Game Length: 11 Hours
- Genre: Casual Sports
- Developer: Blacklight Interactive, Team17
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 3 GB (August 2021)
Team17’s take on digital golf is less PGA and more casual putt-putt, but therein lies its intrinsic charm. Golf With Your Friends is a party game at its heart, featuring easy-to-learn controls and mechanics. That said, the skill ceiling is impressively high — the courses themselves are fantastically designed and can grow remarkably difficult, with hazards ranging from conventional sand traps to gravity-warping black holes as you putt-putt your way through an orbital space station. Sure, it’s technically a competitive experience, but the game quickly devolves into more of a “how are we going to get through this” mentality while navigating the increasingly complex courses. Note that the local multiplayer implements a “hotseat” style of play, necessitating only a single controller to enjoy.
- Approximate Game Length: 13 Hours
- Genre: Action RPG
- Developer: Neon Giant
- X|S Enhanced: Yes
- File Size: 16 GB (August 2021)
The Ascent mashes up the straightforward RPG progression elements and loot-snagging shenanigans of a Diablo clone with the frenetic, action-packed stylings of a twin stick shooter to great effect, and then wraps it all up in the neon-washed sheen of its cyberpunk setting. While it’s an entirely competent single-player outing, playing it alongside a few buddies is where it’s at its best. Cooperatively hosing down its vibrant, gritty, high-tech locales with a hail of bullets is truly delightful. Players working together can build their characters using various augmentations and skill points to better support each other during intense shoot-outs in the cityscapes of Veles.
- Approximate Game Length: 8 Hours
- Genre: Puzzle Platformer
- Developer: No Breaks Games, Codeglue
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 2 GB (August 2021)
Goofy physics in a puzzle-platforming game should be an absolute must. Human Fall Flat pulls this off to perfection, and it allows up to four players to join in on the hilarity. Navigating through these abstract, yet familiar, dreamscapes is a riot, especially given that clambering up on ledges is connected to the controls for looking up and down.
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These camera angles make the floppiness of player characters even more chuckle-inducing. Cooperative play is enhanced with having to stand on buttons, move boxes, swing from ropes, and adjust catapults in order to get partners from one side of a level to another. Human Fall Flat definitely does not fall flat when it comes to providing some good old-fashioned couch co-op fun.
- Approximate Game Length: N/A
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Developer: 343 Industries
- X|S Enhanced: Yes
- File Size: 151 GB (August 2021)
If you're looking for a bombastic first-person shooter experience to enjoy alongside a friend, it's impossible to go wrong with the saga of John-117. Comprising the entirety of four mainline Halo titles as well as spin-offs Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach, the MCC offers you some true mileage with its total of six iconic campaigns as well as the associated multiplayer offerings. And, of course, there's the true cherry on top: every single one of the titles in this collection is perfectly co-op capable. So if you're looking for a lengthy co-op experience to build a weekend couch-friendly ritual around with one of your friends, the Master Chief Collection is essentially the equivalent of smashing a Grunt with a Gravity Hammer — it's overkill in the most satisfying way possible.
- Approximate Game Length: 5 Hours
- Genre: Horror Adventure
- Developer: Supermassive Games
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 27 GB (August 2021)
Supermassive Games brings the spooks of Until Dawn to a co-op experience, allowing two players, either online or locally, to navigate through an apparently haunted ship stranded in the middle of the ocean. With jump scares aplenty, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan utilizes quick-time events, dialogue options, and exploration to craft a horrific tale that allows for multiple playthroughs. While the fates of characters can be seemingly determined by an ill-timed button press, Man of Medan is nonetheless an enjoyably frightful experience, and with cooperative horror titles being such a rarity, it is a definite must-play for friends.
- Approximate Game Length: 8 Hours
- Genre: Cooking Simulation
- Developer: Team 17, Ghost Town Games
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 8 GB (August 2021)
Overcooked 2 is comprised of three primary ingredients: cooking, chaos, and co-op. Taking the roles of heroic chefs in the faraway fantasy setting of the Onion Kingdom, up to four players will chop, bake, and sautée their way through a myriad of creatively ludicrous kitchen settings in a desperate bid to ward off the antagonistic Unbread. Fulfilling orders can be a demanding cavalcade of coordination as the various environments foist thematic obstacles in front of the chivalrous chefs, but the chaos is intrinsic to the title's charm.
- Approximate Game Length: N/A
- Genre: Survival Sandbox
- Developer: Mojang
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 365 MB (August 2021)
The perennial joys of Minecraft never cease delivering on the fun factor — and that factor increases exponentially when enjoyed with friends. Most, if not practically all, Minecraft players are perfectly well aware of its multiplayer capabilities, but its local co-op functionality is often undersung on the platforms that offer it.
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And that's a shame because whether you're testing the limits of your imagination in Creative Mode or braving the Creeper-laden night in Survival Mode, there's something quite special about taking in Minecraft's classical charms with someone that's sitting right next to you. If you've got a Game Pass subscription and a willing partner, you can dive right in to see just what we're talking about.
- Approximate Game Length: 6 Hours
- Genre: Action-Adventure
- Developer: Hazelight Studios
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 17 GB (August 2021)
A Way Out offers practically everything you could want in a co-op title with the explosive aplomb of a delightfully cheesy action flick. The narrative may be over-the-top and a bit silly at times, but really, that's almost precisely what it needs to be. Plopped into the prison-issued shoes of unlikely duo Vincent and Leo, players will cooperatively scheme, scurry, and occasionally scrap their way out of the confines of jail and into the world beyond to embark on a revenge quest that's studded with no shortage of charmingly competitive mini-games to break up the buddy-cop vibe.
- Approximate Game Length: 3 Hours
- Genre: Casual Simulation
- Developer: We're Five Games
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 4 GB (August 2021)
The only reliable thing about this delivery service is the amount of entertainment to be had in the process of playing it. Up to four players can take on the role of employees of the Totally Reliable Delivery Service. Thanks to the power of awkward controls and bombastic motions, the game becomes an exercise in containing laughter. Delivery assignments require an assortment of vehicles, such as hot air balloons and go karts, but no matter what mode of transportation is used, hilarious co-op antics are ensured.
- Approximate Game Length: 6 Hours
- Genre: Casual Goat Simulation
- Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 3 GB (August 2021)
What's better than chaotic goat madness? Chaotic goat madness with a friend in tow. Goat Simulator allows local couch co-op hilarity as players wreak havoc on a town and city as unhinged goats. Physics madness ensues as players garner arbitrary points for destroying property, leaping into the air, bleating, and other normal goat activities. The lack of structure in Goat Simulator is actually one of the game's strengths. Two players can easily lose an entire day exploring the environment, uncovering secrets, and unlocking new types of goats.
- Approximate Game Length: 6 Hours
- Genre: Platform Adventure
- Developer: Coldwood Interactive
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 3 GB (August 2021)
The quiet cooperation of Unravel Two makes for a plethora of enjoyable moments between friends. Two yarn creatures must traverse a gargantuan world using nothing but the yarn of their bodies and the cleverness of the players behind them to survive. The light puzzle-solving of Unravel Two can make even the toughest of challenges easily conquered. The game design lends itself well to an enjoyable co-op experience that never feels frantic or rushed. Found on EA Play, Unravel Two should not be skipped by those looking for a comfortable time with friends.
- Approximate Game Length: 7 Hours
- Genre: Dungeon Crawler
- Developer: Mojang Studios, Double Eleven
- X|S Enhanced: No
- File Size: 4 GB (August 2021)
If the laidback nature of Minecraft is too easygoing, then Minecraft Dungeons is the perfect co-op title for those cruising through Xbox Game Pass for something to play. This action-packed game is derived from the universe of Minecraft, but its gameplay clearly takes inspiration from classic dungeon crawlers. Up to four friends can play local co-op, slashing their way through various areas searching for the best loot to make the next run easier.
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