Playing games online is all well and good, but nothing can compare to local multiplayer. Sitting next to your friend while you beat or are beaten on various games is hilarious, and offers incredible trash talking opportunities. Sadly, pure local multiplayer games are something of a rare breed these days. In this list, we're going to take a look at 10 of the best local multiplayer games available on the PS4 today, and explain just why they are worth your time. Whether you like shooters, arcade silliness, platformers, or sports games, you'll find something to keep you and your pals entertained here.
10 Gang Beasts
If you want a game that's suitable for all ages and rife with absolute silliness, then Gang Beasts is it. Take control of a pastel colored little human and start smacking seven shades of you-know-what out of everyone else on screen. The violence is slapstick, akin to watching drunk toddlers battle it out over the last Big Wheel in the shop. Except in this version, you can also chuck people under subway trains while dressed as a huge, terrifying chicken.
9 Ultimate Chicken Horse
A game focused around level editing with a cutesy style that harkens back to 90s platformers, Ultimate Chicken Horse is addictive. It will hook you in with promises of just one more round before you keep playing for multiple hours. The game's art style belies its unforgiving, brutal nature, so be warned. The ultimate aim of the game is to design a course alongside other players. If you can manage to make it to the end, and have the other players be knocked out, you'll get a bunch of points. If you all make it, no one gets any. A simple concept, masterfully executed.
8 Nidhogg 2
Everyone's favorite fencing simulator, Nidhogg 2 is tough as nails and absolutely bonkers. If you thought the original's graphics were a bit too simple, you'll appreciate the more detailed look of the sequel. It also has more types of weapons, a tournament mode, and way more levels. The aim of the game is to be eaten by a giant serpent, just in case you don't know how Nidhogg works, all while dueling an opponent back and forth across the map. Very silly and very fun.
7 Rocket League
It may not be as popular as it was a few years ago, but Rocket League is still an absolute blast to play, both online and off. If you've been living under a rock, deep in the sarcophagus of Chernobyl, then here's the gist: it's soccer with rocket powered cars and a staggering amount of verticality. You can jump, flip, barrel roll, and more, all in the pursuit of goals. It doesn't matter if you don't like soccer, you'll love this game if you have even a hint of soul.
6 Rayman Legends
If you want an exceptionally solid old-school platformer that doesn't feel the need to tack any new features on, then Rayman Legends is for you. Everyone's favorite legless, armless, French...thing, sprints and jumps and punches his way across the level, and if you've got a friend or two with you, they can join in. The level design is second to none, as is the music and art style. Nothing more than a throwback to the 90s, it's a game that feels extremely pure, and well worth a look.
5 Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes
A local multiplayer game with a difference, only one of you is actually going to be "playing" this game at any one time. In front of you, on screen, will be a bomb, and it's time to channel every single bomb defusal scene from the movies. The other player has a manual in front of them that allows them to decipher each of the bomb's modules. Only by working together will you be able to avoid certain and messy death. A really cool concept that works especially well in Playstation VR.
4 Broforce
Do you love 80s action movies? Then you'll love Broforce. Opening with a bald eagle's screech, the game only gets crazier from there. You'll step into the boots of a bunch of incredible action stars, including the Terminator, John Rambo, Ellen Ripley, MacGyver, Snake Plissken, and Ash from the Evil Dead franchise. Every level is almost totally destructible, and the missions have you taking out hordes of bad guys in gory fashion.
3 Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
A game that surely needs no introduction, Borderlands is a pitch-perfect multiplayer game, even as a four player split-screen game. Shoot bad guys, pick up random guns, and get to work on a wide range of madcap missions. If you're a PS Plus member, this game was part of last month's free games selection. If you picked it up then, then congrats, you've already got one of the best local multiplayer experiences you could ask for!
2 Overcooked 2
Not a game that you want to be playing if you have issues with your blood pressure, and we're not being entirely facetious. This game is stressful. Essentially, you control a motley group of chefs just trying to run a variety of restaurants. The dishes you'll need to cook up will change frequently, with each one requiring every player to carry out different steps. Oh, and the levels often move around you, requiring shifting responsibilities. Stressful, silly, and very, very fun.
1 Towerfall Ascension
Easy to learn, but hard to master is one of the key tenets of good couch co-op, and Towerfall Ascension fulfills that brief masterfully. The co-op campaign is short and sweet, around seven hours, but there's also a competitive side to the game. There's a myriad number of skills that players will have to learn, such as jumping, aiming arrows accurately, and learning to read your opponents' moves. With each player starting with just three arrows, it's anyone's game. Truly a fantastic little game that's great for players of any skill level, you should definitely check this one out.