The era of streaming opens up a world of entertainment at viewers’ fingertips, allowing them to peruse vast libraries of content to find the perfect fit. Video games are in on the streaming hysteria as well, with services like Xbox’s Game Pass offering up a very similar formula to that provided by Netflix and its many competitors.
The subscription service provides users with a broad library of stellar titles, all of which are accessible for a low monthly cost. The service is changing the way games are played and is providing players with far more options for their next gaming sesh.
Best split-screen games on Game Pass, ranked
The service seems determined to appeal to the many gamers clamoring for more couch co-op titles, offering up many split-screen options that allow gamers to hunker down with a buddy rather than go it alone. Ranking these titles was a real chore, considering how wonderful they all are, but here are 15 of the best split-screen games on Xbox Game Pass, ranked from least to most likely to bring you back for more.
15. Plate Up
A fast-paced, stress-inducing title that has equal chances of ending in cheers and tears, Plate Up is the perfect collaborative game for the wait staff among us. Anyone who’s worked in the restaurant industry knows just how grueling the job can be, and Plate Up acknowledges that struggle and ups the ante by adding new dishes, demands, and hurdles with each passing day.
It’s all done through a simplistic, playful art style that makes those desperate moments just goofy enough to forget about the stress. It may encourage your waitmares to return, but I can all but guarantee that won’t stop you from coming back for more.
14. Unravel Two
Many games are made for the single-player experience and then altered to allow for multiplayer enjoyment, but games made expressly for two players are a different breed. Their multiplayer gameplay is far more seamless than the competition, and — particularly where collaborative play is concerned — Unravel Two is a step above.
The charming title is a perfect cozy option for low-pressure gaming sessions, as it invites players to traverse a beautiful world as two charming “Yarnys” on a quest rife with challenges, playful puzzles, and wholesome storytelling. The game can even be enjoyed solo, but why would you go it alone when you could bring a friend along for the ride?
13. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
There’s no beating LEGO Star Wars. These unbeatably playable games have been releasing since the early 2000s, and each new entry in the lineup is just as bingeably enjoyable as the last. 2022’s The Skywalker Saga is no different, as it provides gamers with the chance to live their Jedi dreams through a goofy, delightful game that takes players through the entire nine-movie Skywalker saga.
As a bonus, LEGO Star Wars is a kid-friendly title, which makes it a stellar pick for parents looking for some quality time with their little ones. Its gameplay is simple but still utterly engaging, and there’s nothing quite like slashing a droid and watching it tumble into a dozen plastic pieces.
12. Terraria
A million possibilities unfold each time you start a new save in Terraria, which makes it near-criminal that I’ve placed the title this far back on the list. I get it, folks, it deserves better, but with so many other titles competing for top spots, it ended up getting edged out.
Poorly placed or not, Terraria is a stunning game. Nearly everyone who picks it up has a wonderful time playing it, and soon find themselves pouring dozens of hours into the delightfully pixelated world. The 8-bit release allows players to take on any number of approaches to gameplay — from treating it as a cozy building sim to fighting their way through ranks of enemies — and that gives it unmatched replayability. The fun is only enhanced with a friend by your side, so snag up a second copy for your favorite gaming buddy and lose your life to this game of endless possibilities.
11. Ark: Survival Evolved
Users will find endless hours of enjoyment in Ark, one of the only split-screen survival crafting games on this list. The game drops players, unarmed and inexperienced, onto an island filled with dinosaurs. The game’s split-screen capabilities are pretty flexible, allowing players to tackle the island’s harsh environments as a team, so long as they don’t wander too far.
No other game on the market allows users to craft massive castles or underwater fortresses filled to the brim with dinos, and the ability to breed your own allows you to approach the game as a survival saga, gritty combat-based adventure, or dino-breeding sim. Dino army, here we come.
10. 7 Days to Die
It has yet to be entirely polished, but the team behind this open-world survival crafting game has made huge progress over the last few years. 7 Days is a wonderful split-screen option, giving both players the ability to fight, craft, and adapt their world in equal parts.
The apocalypse feels far less daunting with someone by your side, and you’ll be grateful for the backup when the blood moon rises each week. Building is also immensely improved with a second set of hands, allowing your ambitious creations to come to life with far fewer deaths in between.
9. It Takes Two
Another game made specifically to be enjoyed by two people, It Takes Two is a much more charming and family-friendly two-player offering from Hazelight Studios. The game pairs addictively diverse gameplay with streamlined mechanics and a deep and meaningful story, once again delivering a game that is equal parts fun and important.
Players will need to work together to make their way through the shrunken world in all of their knitted glory, leaning on one another to get through nearly every obstacle. There aren’t many games like this on the market, making It Takes Two a particular steal on Game Pass.
8. Overcooked 2
A friendship-destroyer if we’ve ever seen one, Overcooked 2 can be played split-screen by up to four people. The rare ability to support split-screen for so many players makes this tense cooking game a perfect fit for get-togethers, as does its relatively low learning curve.
The game puts players in a range of increasingly weird and complex cooperative levels as they work to cook and bake their way through each of the game’s delightfully demanding levels. You might get hit by a car or dragged off screen by a gaggle of unwelcome visitors, but you’ll sure as hell have fun doing it in both Overcooked and its sequel.
7. The Gears of War franchise
Any title in the Gears of War series will provide plenty of split-screen enjoyment, but Gears 5 is the most recent addition to the franchise and offers up a more modern and visually captivating foray into the Locust-infested Gears world. Gears 4 and 5 offer up a different team from the first three titles, but each of the games in the Gears franchise offer stellar split-screen action that will keep gamers entertained for hours.
If you’re a fan of shooters and overpowered weapons, you’ll find loads to love among the heavily muscled men (and women) of COG. And with a full five games to make it through, there’s no shortage of muscle to go around.
6. Star Wars: Battlefront
It’s by no means the best Star Wars game out there, but Battlefront shines as an Xbox Game Pass split-screen title. The game allows players to plunge into the Stormtrooper-infested world we’ve come to love through more than a dozen Star Wars releases, pitting them against everything from Shock Troopers to AT-STs for tense, gripping survival rounds.
There are several single-player options as well — some of which allow players to enjoy a stint as a mega-powerful Jedi or well-equipped bounty hunter — but the multiplayer mode remains Battlefront‘s most appealing option.
5. Fable III
One of the most unique split-screen options on this list, Fable is a classic series. Both Fable II and Fable III support split-screen co-op, but the multiplayer options in Fable II are rather limited. Fable III offers up a much more fluid and enjoyable co-op experience, loosening restrictions on what the added player can do, and elevating them from the role of “Henchman” into “Hero” status just like the hosting player.
A rare fantasy RPG with split-screen capabilities, Fable will plunge players into a captivating story rife with royal drama, war, and a constantly wavering battle between good and evil.
4. A Way Out
One of the very few games made specifically to be played by two people, A Way Out is a rare gem among co-op games. While many of the games on this list are enjoyable for a pair, A Way Out is unique in its approach to two-player storytelling.
This game shines as a couch co-op title, allowing players to share in the tension as they work to guide two convicts out of prison and combine their talents to avoid recapture. A mix of challenging puzzles and gripping action sequences keep gameplay nice and interesting, and the game’s structure eliminates those janky two-player controls we’ve come to expect from split-screen titles.
3. Stardew Valley
This relaxing, uplifting game is the perfect wind-down for up to four players. While extra additions can only tune in from a distance, two players can enjoy the title split-screen, setting up shop for what can easily become hours of addictive gameplay.
A simple, lighthearted game focused on farming crops and raising animals, you’ll find far more to enjoy about this title than its simple artistic appeal might suggest. You can cozy up to your fellow villagers, travel to exciting new locations, and continually unlock new corners of the world as you dedicate precious time to your blossoming farm and ever-growing community. Buckle up ⏤ this game will steal your life.
2. Halo
There’s no beating the Halo franchise when it comes to first-person split-screen experiences. The entire main Halo franchise boasts split-screen capabilities, providing players with hours upon hours of Spartan action. This series spans years and galaxies, allowing players to embark on interplanetary missions on an epic scale, testing their Spartan prowess against hordes of alien enemies.
The split-screen options in these games have only gotten better over the years, allowing users to tackle missions together and combine their talents to win the day.
1. Minecraft
It may not be the most complex game on this list, but there’s no denying the universal appeal of Minecraft. The mega-popular game is ceaselessly viral for a reason, and its simplicity is at the core of its unyielding acclaim. It offers up countless options in its charming, pixelated world, allowing gamers to approach the game a different way with each play though.
Its multiplayer options are also seamless, and the world is too big not to enjoy it with a friend. Whether you’re voyaging into the depths on the hunt for precious gems, dodging Creepers, or living the simple life on a carefully crafted farm, you’ll pour dozens of hours into Minecraft, and still come back for more.