For years, Hazelight Studios has been pushing the envelope for modern co-op games that let players collaborate with partners, friends, and loved ones.
It Takes Two is the studio’s latest outing and shows Hazelight hitting its stride as a developer focused entirely on creating the best co-op experiences.
In this list, we’ll highlight the best games like It Takes Two on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
This includes 2 player games like It Takes Two that encourage teamwork and communication between you and another person.
Now that we’ve set the stage, let’s explore our top picks for games similar to It Takes Two!
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4
Our first It Takes Two recommendation is Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which is a continuation of the co-op-driven PlayStation platformer LittleBigPlanet.
In it, players take control of the series’ titular mascot Sackboy as he sets off on a magical adventure to save his home Craftworld from the villainous Vex.
Like It Takes Two, gameplay combines 3D platforming sections with puzzle-solving and active combat that relies on players working together.
Sackboy’s story can be tackled with up to four players online, locally, or a mix of the two, with certain challenges requiring a set number of players to complete.
A Way Out
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One
Before It Takes Two, Hazelight developed A Way Out, another cooperative-driven action game directed by Josef Fares.
In it, players take on the role of either Leo or Vincent, a pair of buddy criminals with very different personalities that must work together to escape from prison.
While not as family-friendly as its successor, the game does a great job of delivering meaningful gameplay that relies on two players working together.
This includes an abundance of cinematic set-pieces, memorable dialogue, and support for both local and online co-op with only one player having to own a copy of the game.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
Platform: Switch
Next up, we’re suggesting It Takes Two fans pick up the enhanced port of Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury for the Nintendo Switch.
Much like the original Wii U platformer, the game sees Mario and his friends on a mission to rescue cute fairy creatures from Bowser’s clutches after he invades the Sprixie Kingdom.
Gameplay will be familiar to anyone who’s played a Mario game before and includes new features like a Super Bell power-up that turns you into a cat that climbs on walls and scratches enemies.
While playable solo, the game is much more fun with friends, allowing you to utilize different characters’ special abilities and work together to complete hidden challenges.
Unravel Two
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
For more multiplayer fun, consider picking up Unravel Two, another co-op-centric platformer published by EA and developed by Coldwood Interactive.
The story centers on two small creatures made of yarn called Yarnys as they traverse a world teeming with beauty and danger at every turn.
From outrunning scary animals to navigating around sharp objects and surviving harsh weather conditions, the Yarnys must look out for one another to make it to their final destination.
This is represented in-game by a connective thread that binds both characters together while proving useful for running, jumping, and swinging across tricky environments.
KeyWe
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch
A personal favorite, KeyWe is a co-op puzzle management game about a pair of Kiwi birds named Jeff and Debra that work inside a whimsical post office.
Taking control of either bird, players must work together to sort mail, type letters, ship parcels, and more in exchange for a rating at the end of each shift.
Tasks are completed by jumping, flapping, pecking, and butt-slamming your way around levels filled with interactive levers, bells, and buttons.
There are a ton of cute cosmetics to unlock using stamps you earn from meeting your quotas, and various mini-games keep the gameplay feeling fresh and exciting.
PHOGS!
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
If one co-op game starring adorable animals wasn’t enough, then allow us to hit our own quota with this next recommendation.
PHOGS is a couch co-op puzzle platformer about two conjoined dogs that share the same body and passion for food, mischief, and adventure.
The duo makes its way around a colorful kingdom spanning three worlds with platforming and puzzle challenges that require you to bark, bite, and bounce.
There are 20+ levels to explore with hidden collectibles scattered throughout that can be used to buy new hats for you and your partner to wear.
Biped
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Switch
What about a co-op platformer where you play as cute robots? In Biped, two players work together to guide a pair of small robots that can only move one leg at a time.
This results in a host of cleverly designed puzzle-platforming levels that demand careful strategy and coordination to complete.
Ready for an added challenge? Biped offers optional coins for you and your teammate to collect throughout levels and use to unlock new hats for your robot buddies.
Like It Takes Two, the game has a lighthearted tone that’s further complemented by low-stakes gameplay that encourages communication.
Operation: Tango
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
Another co-op-based game like It Takes Two that forces players to communicate to achieve their goals is Operation: Tango.
In it, one player takes on the role of a secret agent and the other a tech-savvy hacker, combining their strengths to bring down an evil megacorp.
The spy player heads out into the field to try and infiltrate locked-down facilities with help from their hacker companion every step of the way.
The game employs a similar content model as It Takes Two, requiring only one player to own a copy for both people to play online.
Gears 5
Platforms: Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One
While only a portion of It Takes Two focuses on combat, the game manages to do a fine job of conveying the excitement and thrill of third-person shooters like Gears 5.
In fact, both games feature an abundance of cool and memorable set pieces that put players at the center of the action with life-or-death stakes.
Even if Gears 5 isn’t as casual-friendly as It Takes Two, you can always knock down the difficulty and experience one of the best co-op shooter campaigns of all time.
Beyond that, the game features a host of multiplayer-driven side activities like Horde, Escape, and many more PvP modes.
Trine Series
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Another personal favorite, the Trine series of puzzle platformers is chockful of fun co-op experiences to the point we couldn’t narrow it down to just one.
However, like with any franchise, it’s usually best to start with the original and work your way toward the most recent Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince.
In each game, players take on the role of three magical heroes: Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief, with the ability to swap characters at any time.
Like It Takes Two, each character has a unique set of skills that allow them to solve puzzles, battle enemies, and traverse the environment with help from teammates.
Guacamelee! Series
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Anyone who liked It Takes Two will probably get some enjoyment from the co-op-focused action-platformer series Guacamelee!
Both the original and its sequel feature nonlinear Metroidvania exploration that lets you explore earlier areas once you’ve unlocked specific abilities.
Players take on the role of legendary wrestlers Juan and Tostada as they fight to protect the lands of the living and dead from an evil skeleton named Calaca.
The franchise does an excellent job of leveraging traditional Mexican culture and folklore while keeping players engaged with dazzling visuals and gameplay.
We Were Here Series
Platforms: Windows, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Mac
We Were Here is another co-op game series with similar puzzle mechanics and visuals as It Takes Two.
In it, you and a partner play as traveling explorers who end up stranded in different parts of the same location and must work together to escape.
Using walkie-talkies to communicate, you’ll have to guide each other through cooperative puzzles and challenges.
There are a total of four games in the series, with We Were Here Forever being the most recent.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Platforms: Windows, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Mac, Linux
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a fantastic couch co-op game about teamwork that offers a unique blend of shoot ‘em up combat and management sim gameplay.
Supporting up to four-player local co-op, it sees your ragtag team of astronauts piloting a ship across the deep reaches of outer space.
The spaceship is comprised of various stations dedicated to tasks like piloting, firing cannons, triggering shields, and more, that can only be manned by one player at a time.
This forces you to divide the work with your partner and decide who’s assigned to which station at any given time.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Platform: Switch
Going back even further in Joseph Fares’ catalog, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a story-driven puzzle-platformer that explores similar gameplay concepts as It Takes Two.
The story centers on two brothers as they venture out into a fantastical world to find a remedy for their sick father’s illness before his situation worsens.
What ensues is an epic adventure filled with magic and discovery but also pain, anger, and love in the face of adversity.
While the game was originally designed to have one player controlling both brothers, the Nintendo Switch version adds native co-op support for two players.
Portal 2
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux
Last but not least, anyone who enjoyed It Takes Two should go back and play Portal 2, which happens to feature one of the best co-op campaigns of all time.
In it, players are cast as robots Atlas and P-Body as they navigate a series of test chambers at the behest of the series’ main villain GLaDOS.
Similar to how players must combine Cody and May’s unique tools in It Takes Two, Portal 2 tasks you and a partner with operating opposite ends of a portal gun.
Constant communication is needed to get past the many hazards, turrets, and other obstacles littered throughout each level.
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