A great co-op game leaves you with a memorable shared experience, something you can reminisce with a friend about months or even years later. They can forge friendships, maybe test the limits of others, or even just bring people closer together. We love co-op games at IGN, which is why we wanted to take some time to put together this list of the top 10 cooperative games of all time.

Before we start though, a few caveats as we define what “co-op” means for this list. First, we wanted to focus on games that were truly built around that cooperative experience. This is a list of the top 10 cooperative games, not the 10 best games that happen to be playable cooperatively, which is why you’ll see a lot of games, or separate modes, that can only be played with two players. There are going to be a few that can be played solo, but these experiences are really defined by their cooperative versions. To make room for those games, we had to make some tough cuts, including Halo and Borderlands.

Also, to keep this from stepping on the toes of other genres, we’re omitting MMOs, MOBAs, and any games that are solely focused around competitive cooperative play. Rainbow Six Siege and the Battlefield games are amazing cooperative experiences for those on the same team, no doubt, but for this list, we want to highlight the games that bring people together to work towards a common goal that’s not simply “beat the other team.”.

With that said, here are the 10 best cooperative games of all time.

10. Splinter Cell Conviction

Even as a complementary mode to Splinter Cell: Conviction's main story, the co-op campaign absolutely shines as a thrilling and fun way to team up with a friend to eliminate tons of bad guys from the shadows. Set as a prologue to Sam Fisher’s story, you take on the roles of a US and Russian agent working together to stop a deadly black market sale, and can use the “Mark and Execute” mechanic in tandem to pull off some amazing, cinematic takedowns.

Communication is key when crouching through the dark, ratcheting up the tension as you split up to take different paths or protect your friend as they put themselves in a vulnerable situation, cleanly and quietly picking off interlopers as they try to attack your exposed partner. This surprisingly meaty campaign caps off with one of the most surprising and exhilarating endings to a co-op story ever, which may end up putting a slight strain on your friendship.

The one bummer is that servers were turned off in 2019, making it exceptionally hard to play in 2021. Just another reason why it's high time to bring both Splinter Cell and this incredible co-op mode back for all to play.

9. Overcooked 2

Overcooked became the foundation for a job-based co-op genre that has spawned many similarly frantic experiences, but there's a level of polish and iconic charm that keep us coming back to Overcooked specifically.

With the addition of the throwing mechanic in Overcooked 2, level design transformed from teetering on the edge of somewhat manageable to total, gleeful kitchen chaos. Story campaigns have chefs running back and forth between moving food trucks, pirate ships on the ocean, tossing food over active volcanoes and other varied locales that you wouldn’t normally plan to cook a plate of spaghetti at.

Nailing perfect coordination and understanding the fine-tuning of each kitchen's quirks is the key to going for perfect ratings, and it's truly a feat that only the most iron-willed chefs working in tandem can pull off.

8. Streets of Rage 4

Street of Rage 4 is anything but a nostalgia play, despite coming out over 15 years after the last entry in the series. This is one of the best beat-em-ups of all time, straight up, and it shines even brighter in co-op mode, and not just because you’ll have a much better chance to survive it’s challenging difficulty. More than anything else, what makes Streets of Rage such a great co-op game is its balance of approachability and depth.

It’s super easy to jump right in, adjust the difficulty and assists to your preference, and have a blast even with someone who doesn’t know all of the ins-and-outs of the franchise. But gather together a group of veterans who know how to really dig into Streets of Rage 4’s mechanical depth, and it’s even more fun to challenge yourself to get as far as you can, especially with the Mr. X Nightmare Survival mode DLC released after launch.

Whichever side of the fence you’re on, grab a metal pipe off the ground, an apple for health out of a trash can, and jump into one of the most fun co-op games around.

7. Divinity Original Sin 2

Much like its clear inspiration, Dungeons and Dragons, Divinity Original Sin 2 is a tremendously fun cooperative experience, but it does require finding the right partner or group to play with. After all, it’s an incredibly dense RPG with tons of dialogue, character customization options, and turn-based combat, but if you do find that right person or people willing to engage with its depth and commit to a full campaign much like you would with a D&D group, Divinity Original Sin 2 is an unforgettable co-op experience.

Every fight is its own cooperative puzzle where you must coordinate with your party, plan moves ahead, and make careful use of your own character's unique skills in order to overcome some truly tough battles. And just like a good D&D game, it’s all about exploring the story as a group, discovering how your choices impact the world, and working together to achieve your goals.

6. Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter: World brilliantly retains its intricacy, difficulty, and sense of wonder through multiplayer. A great single-player experience is catapulted into the amazing category with fellow hunters in co-op. Whether on the hunt against a fantastic beast, or back at the hub just getting silly, sharing the exhilarating process of prepping for a difficult battle and barely making it by the skin of your teeth is one you have to experience with your pals, and not just your Palicos.

Admittedly, playing through the main story with friends can be a bit of a tedious task at times, but the story missions are just a ludicrously small fraction of the hundreds of hours of adventure Monster Hunter: World has to offer, especially when much of the “post-game” content is at its best when played in teams, like the intimidating Behemoth with recognizable MMO mechanics from the Final Fantasy 14 crossover, or the sincerely difficult arch-tempered Elder Dragons, and the most challenging of all, Fatalis.

Defeating these fiercest of foes with your bestest of buds will strengthen those bonds even more - or make you want to disown someone for not drinking their Armorskin. Either way, it’s a great time.

5. Left 4 Dead 2

The Left 4 Dead games drop players into what is essentially a video game version of the zombie movies 28 Days Later or Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake. That is, it’s you and some friends versus thousands of hungry and very fast zombies. And teamwork is essential if you want to survive the legions of the undead in this magic experience that developers have been trying to recapture ever since its debut.

Each campaign’s objectives will be much more achievable if all players work together, consistently communicate, and take on specific roles within the group. One of Left 4 Dead’s most genius inclusions is the A.I. director, which monitors your team’s progress and tones down — or ramps up — the difficulty based on how well you’re doing. If you’re doing too well, the A.I. Director can make success practically a nightmare, and having real human buddies at your side may just give you the edge you need to make it through.

Oh, and why Left 4 Dead 2 over the original? It’s got better Special Infected (the Jockey is a personal favorite), a better campaign, and Valve even ported over everything from L4D1 into the sequel...so you don’t even need the first game to experience all its fun.

4. Sea of Thieves

To those who have had dreams of donning a pirate's hat and setting sail on the salty waves in search of treasure and wonder, Sea of Thieves is the game for you. From following lore-filled Tall Tales that lead to valuable treasure or manning the 4-pirate vessel, The Galleon, to battle enemy ships on the water; a coordinated band of friends makes everything a lot more manageable, and fun, in this swashbuckling world.

Having your crew at your side when setting foot on islands of nautical baddies and delving into caves with powerful pirate captains is always optimal to assure a bountiful voyage. Hilarity can ensue at any moment with a collection of pirate items on hand like a banjo and hurdy-gurdy for sea shanty sing-alongs or a tankard for some booze-based camaraderie.

And for those who always hoped for a Pirates of the Caribbean video game, the Disney-collaborated Pirate’s Life storyline now available in Sea of Thieves makes these virtual high seas all the more alluring to explore. Savvy?

3. It Takes Two

If creativity was electricity, It Takes Two power an entire town. Hazelight Studios’ brilliant co-op-only adventure released just this year and yet it is so good that it clearly deserves a spot in the upper echelon of the all time great co-op games.

The key to It Takes Two’s success as a cooperative experience is that it always maintains its core as a co-op platformer, but with every new area, it changes up the rules, and how its two characters, Cody and May, must interact with each other. The result is a game that always feels fresh, and always encourages its co-op partners to figure out new ways of working together.

Just when it feels like the game has done everything it can with one mechanic, it moves on to a new one that’s just as fun as the last. And most importantly, everything is built around the idea of cooperating with your partner, as it literally cannot be played alone.

2. Rock Band 4

Guitar Hero may have started the plastic instrument trend, but when Rock Band came out, it turned it into a co-op phenomena, and while we could really put any of the Rock Band games here, we’re going with Rock Band 4 simply because it’s the most available one to play in 2021 and features years of iteration under its belt.

Rock Band is quite simply the ultimate four-player co-op experience for two key reasons: it’s a damn good rhythm and karaoke game first and foremost, regardless of what instrument you’re playing, with an expansive catalogue stretching across genres and eras. But secondly, there’s a unique social aspect to Rock Band that just isn’t present in any other game.

You can play Rock Band to achieve high scores and gold star every song on expert, but its most joyful version is one where you’re not worrying about any of that. Instead, the most important part is goofing off with your friends and pretending to be rock stars together, an experience Rock Band delivers in (ace of) spades. For those that continue to virtually rock, we salute you.

1. Portal 2

Portal 2 is one of the greatest puzzle games of all time, but what’s even more impressive about it is that, in addition to having that stellar single-player campaign, on top of that is, in our opinion, the best co-op experience of all time. It’s perfectly paced, brilliantly split up into multiple areas, each focusing on a different puzzle mechanic, and strikes just the right mix between tests of skill and tests of the mind.

The puzzles themselves are more complex than ever before, especially since you now have four portals to work with as opposed to the two in single-player mode, but they somehow never become frustrating because it’s always fun to experiment, piece together the puzzle bit by bit, and collaborate with your buddy whether through voice chat or the clever pinging system. Even 10 years later, there’s still nothing quite like playing Portal 2 with a friend.

And that’s our list! Like so many others, this was a very tough list to cull to just 10, with games like Resident Evil 5, Destiny 2, and the aforementioned Borderlands and Halo games just missing this list for one reason or another. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Anthony Mackie will star in PlayStation’s upcoming, live-action adaptation of Twisted Metal playing the amnesiac John Doe.

As reported by Deadline, Mackie will lead in the latest video game adaptation from PlayStation Productions. With a lead star on board, PlayStation is now planning to shop the series to potential buyers.

The Twisted Metal TV series is being described as a “high-octane action-comedy” written by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Deadline reports the series will follow a “motor-mouthed outsider” who could earn a better life for himself but only after delivering a mysterious package through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

In the video games, John Doe is an amnesiac who can’t remember anything about himself but is covered in tattoos that may hold the clue to his past.

Mackie is best known for playing Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He starred in the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and will star in the next Captain America movie following the events of the series.

This is also a sign that PlayStation Productions — a division set up to take successful PlayStation video games and adapt them for film and television — is ramping up its efforts to translate notable games to screen.

Other projects currently in the works include an Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland, The Last of Us TV show for HBO, and a Ghost of Tsushima movie.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Anthony Mackie will star in PlayStation’s upcoming, live-action adaptation of Twisted Metal playing the amnesiac John Doe.

As reported by Deadline, Mackie will lead in the latest video game adaptation from PlayStation Productions. With a lead star on board, PlayStation is now planning to shop the series to potential buyers.

The Twisted Metal TV series is being described as a “high-octane action-comedy” written by Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Deadline reports the series will follow a “motor-mouthed outsider” who could earn a better life for himself but only after delivering a mysterious package through a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

In the video games, John Doe is an amnesiac who can’t remember anything about himself but is covered in tattoos that may hold the clue to his past.

Mackie is best known for playing Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He starred in the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and will star in the next Captain America movie following the events of the series.

This is also a sign that PlayStation Productions — a division set up to take successful PlayStation video games and adapt them for film and television — is ramping up its efforts to translate notable games to screen.

Other projects currently in the works include an Uncharted movie starring Tom Holland, The Last of Us TV show for HBO, and a Ghost of Tsushima movie.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Warner Bros. has officially announced the title of its upcoming Harry Potter quiz show. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses will be a four-part series, presented by Dame Helen Mirren.

The quiz show, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, will award the winner the title of House Cup champion. To win, contestants will need to prove themselves the most knowledgeable about the Wizarding World across hundreds of trivia questions.

"Special guest surprises" are promised, hinting at actors from the film series, but the show will be fronted by Helen Mirren, one of Britain's most famous actresses, and a surprising omission from the star-studded British cast of the Harry Potter movies. “I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration,” said Mirren in a press release. “The films inspired such enchantment and wonder for so many of us, and it will be such a treat to reignite that magic for the countless fans who continue to revel in this spellbinding world.”

The four-part show is due to be filmed later this month, and will premiere later this year on both Cartoon Network's ACME Night and TBS. It will then be made available on HBO Max.

Earlier this year there were reports of a Harry Potter series being planned for HBO Max. It's unclear if that show is, in fact, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, or if there are/were plans for a scripted drama set in the Wizarding World. At the time Warner denied that any Harry Potter show was in development, but the company has noted its interest in expanding the franchise beyond the film series and its Fantastic Beasts spin-off.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

Warner Bros. has officially announced the title of its upcoming Harry Potter quiz show. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses will be a four-part series, presented by Dame Helen Mirren.

The quiz show, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone, will award the winner the title of House Cup champion. To win, contestants will need to prove themselves the most knowledgeable about the Wizarding World across hundreds of trivia questions.

"Special guest surprises" are promised, hinting at actors from the film series, but the show will be fronted by Helen Mirren, one of Britain's most famous actresses, and a surprising omission from the star-studded British cast of the Harry Potter movies. “I knew someday I’d get a Harry Potter role, and I’m so pleased to take part in the 20-year film celebration,” said Mirren in a press release. “The films inspired such enchantment and wonder for so many of us, and it will be such a treat to reignite that magic for the countless fans who continue to revel in this spellbinding world.”

The four-part show is due to be filmed later this month, and will premiere later this year on both Cartoon Network's ACME Night and TBS. It will then be made available on HBO Max.

Earlier this year there were reports of a Harry Potter series being planned for HBO Max. It's unclear if that show is, in fact, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament of Houses, or if there are/were plans for a scripted drama set in the Wizarding World. At the time Warner denied that any Harry Potter show was in development, but the company has noted its interest in expanding the franchise beyond the film series and its Fantastic Beasts spin-off.

Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer.

The official trailer for TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event has been released together with highlights of the event's all-star talent line-up.

The trailer features a host of famous faces urging fans to mark their calendars for the three-hour show, which is coming up on September 25, to ensure that no one misses out on the exciting day the streaming giant has planned for its first-ever global fan event. Check out the trailer for blink-and-you'll-miss-them snippets from Red Notice, The Witcher, and more:

TUDUM refers to the signature sound that plays ahead of Netflix's original series and films but on this occasion, it signals a whole lot more. Fans attending the virtual event will be amongst the first to hear the latest breaking news and see first looks, new trailers and exclusive clips during interactive panels and conversations with the creators and stars from Netflix.

The virtual stage will spotlight some of Netflix's most popular returning shows such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton, The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) and Cobra Kai, as well as blockbuster films like Red Notice, Don't Look Up, Extraction, The Harder They Fall, and The Old Guard, amongst others.

The show will feature a number of Netflix luminaries, including the likes of Jason Bateman, Zazie Beetz, Halle Berry, Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, John Cho, Lilly Collins, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Adam Sandler, Zack Snyder, Charlize Theron, and so many more.

The virtual livestream will begin on September 25 at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 4pm GMT / 1am JST and KST across Netflix's YouTube channels, in addition to Twitter and Twitch. There will also be special pre-shows spotlighting Korean and Indian series and films along with exciting anime content that will kick-off at 5am PST / 8am EST / 12pm GMT / 9pm JST and KST.

Want to fill up your watchlist before then? Check out everything new to Netflix this month and see our rundown of the biggest shows coming to streaming during this half of the year.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

The official trailer for TUDUM: A Netflix Global Fan Event has been released together with highlights of the event's all-star talent line-up.

The trailer features a host of famous faces urging fans to mark their calendars for the three-hour show, which is coming up on September 25, to ensure that no one misses out on the exciting day the streaming giant has planned for its first-ever global fan event. Check out the trailer for blink-and-you'll-miss-them snippets from Red Notice, The Witcher, and more:

TUDUM refers to the signature sound that plays ahead of Netflix's original series and films but on this occasion, it signals a whole lot more. Fans attending the virtual event will be amongst the first to hear the latest breaking news and see first looks, new trailers and exclusive clips during interactive panels and conversations with the creators and stars from Netflix.

The virtual stage will spotlight some of Netflix's most popular returning shows such as Stranger Things, Bridgerton, The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) and Cobra Kai, as well as blockbuster films like Red Notice, Don't Look Up, Extraction, The Harder They Fall, and The Old Guard, amongst others.

The show will feature a number of Netflix luminaries, including the likes of Jason Bateman, Zazie Beetz, Halle Berry, Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, John Cho, Lilly Collins, Idris Elba, Kevin Hart, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Adam Sandler, Zack Snyder, Charlize Theron, and so many more.

The virtual livestream will begin on September 25 at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 4pm GMT / 1am JST and KST across Netflix's YouTube channels, in addition to Twitter and Twitch. There will also be special pre-shows spotlighting Korean and Indian series and films along with exciting anime content that will kick-off at 5am PST / 8am EST / 12pm GMT / 9pm JST and KST.

Want to fill up your watchlist before then? Check out everything new to Netflix this month and see our rundown of the biggest shows coming to streaming during this half of the year.

Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.

Sony has revealed a new Midnight Black edition of the PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, and it will be released in October.

The latest PlayStation Blog post noted that the new color option will match the same color scheme as the Midnight Black DualSense controller Sony released in June. The controller will begin rolling out globally at participating retailers next month. While the blog post did not specify pricing or release date, Sony's official website already has the headset up for preorder for $99.99 (the same as the white model) with a release date slated for October 22.

IGN reviewed the Pulse 3D Wireless headset, which received a 9/10 on our rating scale. We noted the headset goes beyond making PS5 games sound great; it makes the games feel more alive.

The announcement of a new color variant for the Pulse 3D headset comes the same day as the second major PS5 update rolls out, introducing a slew of new features to Sony's ninth-generation console, including a new equalizer control feature for the Pulse 3D headset and the option to expand the internal storage in your console.

With a Midnight Black controller, and a Midnight Black headset, many will now be wondering – when will we get a Midnight Black console to match?

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Sony has revealed a new Midnight Black edition of the PS5 Pulse 3D Wireless Headset, and it will be released in October.

The latest PlayStation Blog post noted that the new color option will match the same color scheme as the Midnight Black DualSense controller Sony released in June. The controller will begin rolling out globally at participating retailers next month. While the blog post did not specify pricing or release date, Sony's official website already has the headset up for preorder for $99.99 (the same as the white model) with a release date slated for October 22.

IGN reviewed the Pulse 3D Wireless headset, which received a 9/10 on our rating scale. We noted the headset goes beyond making PS5 games sound great; it makes the games feel more alive.

The announcement of a new color variant for the Pulse 3D headset comes the same day as the second major PS5 update rolls out, introducing a slew of new features to Sony's ninth-generation console, including a new equalizer control feature for the Pulse 3D headset and the option to expand the internal storage in your console.

With a Midnight Black controller, and a Midnight Black headset, many will now be wondering – when will we get a Midnight Black console to match?

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.

Star Wars: Hunters, the free-to-play mobile game coming to Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, has released a new cinematic trailer that shows off a number of the game's playable characters, including a very unlikely duo.

Star Wars: Hunters has remained further off-radar than even the Dagobah system since its initial announcement as part of the February 2021 Nintendo Direct. With very few details shared at the Nintendo event aside from a short teaser trailer and the game's logo, fans' first real look at the title came during the release of its recent cinematic trailer, which can be seen below and shows off a number of characters in the game.

While the trailer predominantly depicts a close-fought encounter between the Sith warrior Rieve and her Mandalorian counterpart Aran Tal, it was the inclusion of another of the title's characters that really caught our eye. Stood one on top of another and dressed in a full-length trench coat, the real stars of the Star Wars: Hunters trailer are a pair of ungainly balanced Jawas known together as uTooni. Although the duo gets little screen time, the Outer Rim tag-team can be seen clumsily readying a grenade before the scene cuts away. With little else shown of the pair, fans will have to wait to see how the Tattooine scavengers adapt to arena combat.

Among other playable characters shown off in the trailer, fans received a more detailed look at Grozz, a Wookie warrior with a penchant for disarming droids; J-3D1, a suitably named droid programmed to believe that he has an affinity with the force; Sling Shot, an ugnaught controlling the husked out shell of a destroyer droid, and more.

In other Star Wars: Hunters news, a limited amount of gameplay footage was also shown off during last night's (September 14) Apple event as part of a showcase to display the capabilities of the tech company's new iPad Mini. While brief, footage from the game gave fans a glimpse at what they could expect from the title's combat and in-game HUD.

Star Wars: Hunters is set to release for mobile devices and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022. To keep up with a range of the latest news from Star Wars: Hunters, make sure to keep checking back to our dedicated page for the game.

Correction: This article originally stated that uTooni were holding a switched-off lightsaber but, on closer inspection, it appears to be a grenade.

Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.