Highlights

• Despite the rise of online multiplayer gaming, there are still great split-screen games like Castle Crashers available for old-school co-op fun.
• Overcooked 2 takes teamwork and chaos to new levels with its refined gameplay, online mode, and unique cooking challenges.
• A Way Out breaks the mold with its split-screen design, offering a unique multiplayer experience where you must work together to progress.

As much as the internet has benefited people, it has also taken away some joys, like playing multiplayer games on the couch with a friend or family members. The PC is especially guilty of this since it popularized online multiplayer gaming to the extent that split-screen has almost been phased out to extinction.

Luckily, there are still games out there that have remained defiantly old-school and offer split-screen gameplay. After all, even though playing with complete strangers over the internet has its perks, there’s nothing quite like gaming with friends in the flesh. Not all split-screen multiplayer games available today are great, but there are plenty of gems out there.

Castle Crashers

This zany hack-and-slash from The Behemoth seemed to come out of the left field when it was released in 2008 on Xbox 360, before making its way on PC in 2012. The game quickly became a cult classic and a go-to for PC gamers looking to delve into some fun arcade-style co-op, either online or locally.

Despite its retro feel and Cartoon Network vibe, though, Castle Crashers is deceptively deep, sprinkling in RPG elements and progression. You and up to three others can embark on this colorful journey at once — hacking your way through unique foes, collecting goodies, and slaying some absurd bosses.

Rayman Legends

If you're seeking a great co-op platformer in the vein of Super Mario Bros, you don't exactly have a ton of options on PC. However, this charming Ubisoft sidescroller gets pretty close in terms of gameplay, and even surpasses the plumber's outing aesthetically.

Playing just a few stages of Rayman Legends will reaffirm why Rayman has remained a classic gaming mascot after all these years. A whopping 120 stages and a slew of distinct challenges round out this robust platformer.

Innovative mechanics, rich visuals, and solid level design make Legends a delight.

Overcooked 2

Team17's Overcooked helped pioneer a now-popular party game subgenre that revolves around teamwork, communication, and the juggling of multiple tasks. This deeper, refined sequel adds even more meat and fixings to the succulent experience.

Overcooked 2 draws from the appealing foundation of the first game while tossing in new ingredients to spice things up. Along with more detailed recipes, the game also features more fluid, hazardous stages, and a super engaging online mode.

Teaming up to cook countless meals for impatient customers has never been so fun (or chaotic)!

A Way Out

It's not often that a game is specifically designed around teamwork and split-screen gameplay, especially on PC. Yet, Hazelight Studios defies conventions with A Way Out, resulting in one of the most notable multiplayer games. You and a friend assume the role of two convicts trying to break out of prison and elude the authorities.

While the experiences are often isolated, you'll need to work together to progress. This is sometimes done by improvising and choosing your own methods, which include actions like distracting guards. The experience is further colored with some delightful mini-games that range from Pong to Connect Four.

Outward

Set in the gorgeous fantasy world of Aurai, Outward blends survival-centered gameplay mechanics with the thrill of exploration. Along the way, there are enough creatures in your path who very much want you dead to mandate weapon upgrades, spell enchantments, and — most relevantly — ample room for a friend to help save your skin.

Games like Outward often sport online multiplayer opt-in functionality. It's comparably rare to see a developer who's just as determined to offer local features. There's something special about splitting the screen to pitch a tent to defend against the dangers of the night.

Left 4 Dead 2

Even more than the original hit, Left 4 Dead 2 stands out as both a quintessential zombie game and a highly entertaining co-op romp. You get to kill the infected in multiple different locations and environments with a variety of different weapons, including a frying pan.

Of course, the online missions are as thrilling and action-packed as ever, but what of split-screen multiplayer? Though it's not available by default, installing a custom menu will allow you and a friend to lock and load locally, and slay the ravenous zombie hordes under the same roof.

MX Versus ATV Legends

Bicycles? Check. ATVs? Check. Massive environments? Check. Co-op capabilities on PC? Yes, of course. MX versus ATV Legends isn't the best-looking game on our list, and the base game's replay value is a bit weak (though fine for a couple of weeks).

With all those caveats, you might wonder why the game's even here - the answer is that MX versus ATV offers a kind of fun few other split-screen PC games can. We recommend the game's real-world maps first and foremost, as they're the most solidly built, and hence, the most fun.

Serious Sam 3: BFE

The Serious Sam games are famous for being over-the-top: they often throw hordes of enemies at you, typically at the same time. Serious Sam 3: BFE is no different. It’s just as violent, frenetic, and fun as the other games in the franchise.

The game is enjoyable enough in single-player mode, but play it with a friend on split-screen, and it becomes a lot more fun. The arena shooter is one of the few shooters still available today that allows split-screen, and it certainly benefits from that.

The mayhem is way too good when the hordes are even bigger, and it’s up to you and your friend to get rid of them.

Road Redemption

Most people consider Road Redemption a spiritual successor to Road Rash, a classic game that blended motorcycle racing with the bashing of opponents. It has just as much mayhem, retaining the spirit of the original, and it’s a lot more entertaining with a friend than going solo.

Road Redemption also has a number of additions that keep it from getting stale, like a Campaign mode which plays like a roguelike: your health bar doesn’t replenish, and death requires starting over. The game also offers a Classic Quick Play feature that lets you simply earn trophies to progress.

It Takes Two

It Takes Two is one of those rare treats where multiplayer is the entire point rather than an ignorable option. You play with someone else as two halves of a couple who've found themselves constantly arguing. But when they're suddenly turned into dolls, they have to work together to get past obstacles and break the magic spell.

Whether you're playing with a spouse, friend, or family member, It Takes Two teaches you something about reconciling differences with the people you care about. Besides that, the gameplay and challenges it presents, combined with the fun and colorful visual design, make for a memorable experience, as well as a great way to bond.

Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2 is a blast to play. You get to see the perspective of both the heroes and the villains, and each character has their own skills, encouraging you to try them all out. But the game's multiplayer feature is just as much fun, as it offers several different types of challenges that you and a friend can compete in.

One of you plays a character from the heroes' side, while the other plays someone from the villains' side. The modes consist of platform racing, a shooting game, and a free-roaming exploration challenge. It's not just nostalgia at play here; Sonic Adventure 2 is a fulfilling experience with friends.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

Virtually every LEGO game offers split-screen multiplayer. However, LEGO Batman 2 stands out because it’s such a fantastic game. First, it’s made for the family so that younger players can enjoy it just as much as older ones, if not more so. It also has plenty of humor, which contrasts with the seriousness of Batman in other media.

LEGO Batman 2 lets you and a friend control Batman and Robin, along with other superhero friends from DC comics. The gameplay is easy and anyone can learn the controls in a few minutes, making it accessible for kids or your non-gamer loved ones.

Gears Of War 4

Gears of War 4 is a great third-person shooter, and one of the better games in the franchise. Taking place 25 years after the Locusts were finally wiped out, the COG have become the new villains. You take on the role of James “JD” Fenix, who's on a quest to save the world after a new enemy called the Swarm appears.

The game offers split-screen play for the campaign, although the multiplayer part is only online on PC. So, it’s a good thing that the campaign in Gears of War 4 is one of the most enjoyable, especially if you've been following the storyline of the previous games.

Sonic & All-Stars: Racing Transformed

From the makers of Split/Second and Blur, Sonic & All-Stars: Racing Transformed is one of the best kart racers available on PC. It has non-stop acceleration, fun weapons, iconic video game characters like Sonic and Knuckles, and unique tracks that even include the sky.

What makes it all the more fun is the multiplayer aspect. You can play with up to three other friends in a four-screen multiplayer, which often leads to hours of fun. If there’s an answer to Nintendo’s iconic Mario Kart, it’s definitely Sonic & All-Stars: Racing Transformed.

Huntdown

Huntdown is a classic stage-based, side-scrolling action game with enough modern sensibilities to feel like something straight out of this decade. You and your friends will need to think strategically to stay alive, especially against those bigger and tougher foes you're bound to come across before long.

The futuristic backdrops, like flying cars soaring through midair, pair beautifully with the bustling urban-punk foreground. The playable characters all look great, too, with that vintage 1990s edginess that fans of series such as Streets of Rage will surely admire.

Streets Of Rage 4

Speaking of which, here's Streets of Rage 4, the surprise sequel to a series of sublime beat-em-ups that both began and ended in the 1990s. Former cops have taken up a vigilante lifestyle in a city that evidently requires their services on the regular.

Streets of Rage 4 is the love letter a franchise on hiatus for 25 years desperately deserved, and it's just as fun on split-screen PC as any of the Genesis trilogy. The visuals are hand-drawn, and the soundtrack has that pump, that oomph, that bass-drenched pizzazz that worked so well back then and still hits just as well today.

Divinity: Original Sin 2

This is one of the most beloved RPGs to come out in recent years. It has a spectacular story that tugs at players’ heartstrings, with meaningful choices making it more investing than most stories in video games. It also allows you to experiment however you want, which gives a level of freedom not seen in other games.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 is also an excellent multiplayer game. You can go online or opt to go on an adventure with a friend on split-screen. Though it also allows a four-player co-op, an additional PC and a second copy of the game will be required.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo: The Master Chief Collection follows in the footsteps of Left 4 Dead 2. Local split-screen isn't available by default (though online multiplayer split-screen is!), but with a bit of internet detective work, you'll find what you need to do the trick.

It's a shame 343 Industries hasn't given the MCC an official outlet for it, given that it already exists on consoles, but them's the breaks. Regardless, it's well worth the minor hassle.

Kicking back while clipping Covenant troops galore is quite a satisfying experience. Grab a cold one with some friends, mow down some foes, and relive a timeless series together.

Portal 2

Portal 2 is an exceptional puzzle game, and one of the best games by Valve. It pits you against a homicidal AI, and the puzzles themselves are pretty varied. It also has plenty of humor and sarcasm, making the characters iconic.

As fun as Portal 2 is to play solo, though, it’s a lot more fun when playing in split-screen co-op, where you and a friend can take on the role of two different robots.

The puzzles demand working together, whether it’s figuring out part of the puzzle or getting the timing right. It’s a different kind of multiplayer, but that’s why it lasts long in the memories of those who play it.