The PS5 hasn't had the smoothest launch, especially with its limited roster of games initially for players to sink their teeth into, but there have still been some amazing games to play. With backwards compatibility alone players have been able to experience some of their favorite titles with a serious graphical boost.
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There are plenty of great co-op games players can run on their PS5s and play with friends locally, or through the internet. Enthralling storylines have never been the domain of these kinds of titles, but it doesn't mean that good writing has never been successfully incorporated into a co-op game.
8 Borderlands 3
This looter-shooter with RPG elements needs no introduction. Following the immense success that the first two Borderlands titles were, the franchise found itself struggling to match its greatness with games like Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and a Telltale adventure game. Thankfully, the arrival of Borderlands 3 brought back everything players loved about the classic titles from the PS3/X360 generation.
With the option to play split-screen co-op and a brand new story that introduces new Vault Hunters to the franchise but retains the old sense of humor and self-awareness, Borderlands 3 is the perfect game to play with a friend. Finally, it's one of the few cross-platform games that received a PS5 makeover, meaning that it makes use of all of the console's new functions, from the DualSense adaptive triggers to incredibly fast loading times.
7 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope has promptly been classified as an "interactive drama", which is an accurate description of what players should expect when going into these games. Masterfully directed and with the Hollywood actor Will Poulter assuming one of the main roles, It truly feels like a movie, but one where the players have agency over the characters' movements and actions. At its best, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope plays like a spiritual successor to survival horror classics like Silent Hill or Alone In The Dark.
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The two-player co-op mode is the intended way to experience the game's story that follows four students and their professor as they explore the spooky, abandoned town of Little Hope, where they ended up because of an unfortunate bus accident. Interestingly, the developers have also included a "Movie Night" couch co-op mode, where up to five players can enjoy the game at once, controlling all of the on-screen characters. On average, this game takes about 4-5 hours to beat, meaning that players can get through it in one sitting.
6 Diablo III
Those preferring a more action-focused approach will surely appreciate the ability to play Diablo III in crisp 4K and 60 frames-per-second on their brand new PS5. The third entry to Blizzard's legendary action-RPG franchise is also the first one to introduce couch co-op on consoles, allowing players to explore Sanctuary together, from the comfort of their own living room.
The lore of Diablo is extremely rich and full of interesting intricacies. Diablo III is set 20 years after the events of Diablo II, and the players are tasked with defeating the Lord of Destruction once again, this time to prevent an apocalyptic prophecy discovered in ancient texts from coming true. The plot is full of all the major dark fantasy tropes, so fans of the genre will feel right at home playing through this game, even if they have never experienced the older titles from the series.
5 Godfall
As one of the very few PS5 titles available at launch, Godfall does not reinvent the wheel with its gear-focused, slasher-type gameplay. However, with a heavy focus on online co-op play, it doesn't really have to be innovative for players to enjoy everything it has to offer. The game is set in a high fantasy world, and the players are tasked with saving the realms of Earth, Water, and Air from an imminent apocalypse.
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While the main campaign borrows heavily from high fantasy classics, the story holds up quite well, especially when played with friends. As a PS5 title, it makes use of the DualSense's haptic feedback mechanisms, increasing the immersion and turning the rather generic slash-loot-repeat gameplay loop into something truly unique.
4 Resident Evil 6
Back when it first came out in 2012, Resident Evil 6 was met with a flood of quite unfavorable reviews, with players and game critics claiming that the series has steered too far away from its survival horror roots and took up a more action-centric approach. As time went by, however, many players have come around to appreciate the title for what it was: a fast-paced zombie shooter with horror elements, best enjoyed in couch co-op mode.
With the refreshed look and improved framerate on the PS5, grabbing a friend and playing through four Resident Evil 6 campaigns is definitely worth doing, especially for Resident Evil fans who are yearning for a return to the third-person format. The campaigns follow four characters (Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy, Jake Muller, and Ada Wong), who all play a part in the overarching plot revolving around a global bio-terrorist attack.
All of these separate stories converge at one point or another, revealing how the plot of one storyline affects all of the others, making the narrative all the more exciting, even to players who aren't familiar with the franchise's complex lore.
3 It Takes Two
Developed by Hazelight Studios, game developers whose primary focus are co-op experiences, It Takes Two is a deeply emotional story of a little girl coping with her parents' divorce by playing with hand-made rag dolls that resemble her mom and dad. The girl's tears falling on the dolls traps her parents' souls inside the toys, and they become the two player characters.
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Players will have to travel through magical realms that are a reflection of the parents' positive memories of one another. By solving environmental puzzles and completing platforming challenges, they attempt to mend their broken relationship and get back into their own bodies. From the gameplay perspective, it's a fun, challenging platformer that relies heavily on cooperation between players. However, it is its creative, unique narrative that makes this game a truly essential title to play on the PS5.
2 Outriders
Produced by People Can Fly, a studio that, like no other, loves to play around with and redesign the gameplay mechanics in popular genres, Outriders is meant to be a fresh take on looter-shooters that have proved to be incredibly popular in recent years. Whether it achieves that goal or not is up to the players to decide, but it doesn't change the fact that Outriders is a high-quality game that's a blast to play.
The game is focused on co-op play, and while it can be enjoyed solo, exploring Enoch with a three-person squad is definitely the superior option. The story revolves around the colonization of a new planet that goes horribly wrong and plunges the last remaining humans into a 30-year-long civil war. The engaging narrative is definitely a breath of fresh air for looter-shooter fans who have had to endure the lackluster plotlines of games like Destiny or The Division for far too long.
1 A Way Out
Developed by Hazelight Studios, the creators of It Takes Two, A Way Out is a movie-like co-op experience centered around two fugitives who are out to get revenge on the same drug lord. The title's unique approach towards storytelling through cooperative gameplay has not gone without recognition, and the title was awarded the British Academy Games Award for Multiplayer.
If not for A Way Out, Hazelight Studios would not have gone on to develop It Takes Two that took their creative ideas for co-op play to a whole new level. Players who love gritty crime thrillers will be doing themselves a favor by picking up this title.
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