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The best co-op games on Xbox Series S/X
Microsoft has made consumers around the globe happy with its budget and premium console launches in 2020 – but what are the best games to play with your mates on these great new systems?
Whether you're looking at Play Everywhere, Xbox Game Pass or the launch of the Xbox Series S, it's impossible to deny that Microsoft is very much on the side of the consumer this console generation. The company is going out of its way to remove barriers for players that simply want to play games – console, PC and mobile gamers can now be united under the Xbox umbrella, and they can all play the same games without pause thanks to Xbox Game Pass.
With all this new freedom, players are embracing the opportunity to game together like never before. Whether it's via simple, small-scale indie titles or massive 100+ player battle royales, co-operative gaming has never been more simple. Plus, if you want to pick up titles you owned on the Xbox One, you're encouraged: older games are available for gamers to play on the newest hardware thanks to Microsoft's impressive backwards compatibility option. As such, any decent games you had on your previous console setup can be downloaded and played on Xbox Series S/X – and they'll probably be quicker and probably look nicer, too.
But if you're after the games that make the most of the Xbox Series S/X hardware, here's what you need to know.
Sea of Thieves
Sea Of Thieves developer Rare has always maintained that co-operative gameplay is integral to its high-seas pirate simulator. Though you can play the game solo, the studio promises you a much better time if you can amass a crew and go a-plundering with some fellow scoundrels.
Galleons can be piloted by crews of up to four, and often you'll find that your unscripted, unplanned adventures will be your best ones. So even though you may set out to 'liberate' some treasure from a skeleton fort, you may instead find yourself lobbing explosives at a Kraken or firing cannons at a rival crew as you sail back, desperately bailing out water as your ship sinks and takes all your hard-earned booty with it. Yarr, it's a hard life for a salty sea dog. The game is available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers and has been optimised for Xbox Series S/X.
Gears 5
First released on Xbox One in 2019, Gears 5 has recently been optimised for Xbox Series X/S – and it's a real looker on the latest tech, too. If you want to team up with a friend and fight your way through hoards of Locust in 4K resolution (with improved textures and framerates), all in split-screen, this game was made for you. From the very start of the campaign, right through to the end, you can have a mate at your side – just like a real COG soldier.
Gears 5 is available on Xbox Game Pass and comes with a fairly gripping main story with some excellent set-pieces (especially the one inspired by Hamilton) and a pretty intense multiplayer portion, too. Microsoft is still supporting the title and likely will be for years to come.
Halo: Master Chief Collection
Halo: The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of the first five games in the Halo series (that's Halo: Combat Evolved through to Halo 4, with ODST included, too). Though it was originally released in November 2014 for the Xbox One, an enhanced version of the game has since been released for the Xbox Series X/S in November 2020.
This is a big one: you can play through all of the main games with two players, teaming up to take on the forces of the hostile Covenant race of aliens and the virus-like Flood as you punch through the story. Halo is admired by many players as a stone-cold classic series that everyone must play – and with it being available on the Master Chief Collection, you have no excuse not to.
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Overcooked is infamous for its fast-paced, challenging gameplay. Plopped into the middle of a kitchen, you and a buddy need to overcome fires, non-stop orders and each other as you scramble to cook dishes and prepare meals in a plethora of madcap locations. Whether your kitchen in on a sinking ship, in the middle of a road or descending into a volcano, you need to focus and prep your foot – otherwise your regulars aren't going to be happy.
Overcooked: All You Can Eat is the next-gen version of Overcooked and Overcooked 2, which have been wrapped up nicely into one neat little package and served up with better graphics, reduced loading times and a decadent number of new features. The infamously tricky kitchen action game comes pre-baked with both games and all relevant DLC, with some new chefs and levels, to boot.
Destiny 2
Bungie's sci-fi space shooter has been designed specifically for co-op content. The whole game revolves around fireteams of between three and six Guardians (read: space soliders) that are on an endless quest to suppress the forces of Darkness and save the human race – which is backed into a terrifying corner.
Whether you want to jump in just to experience the finely-crafted narrative beats (mostly found in Adventures, Strikes, Nightfalls, and six-person Raids), participate in some PvP (via the Crucible) or just soak in everything the solar system has to offer, Destiny 2 is phenomenal co-op experience. Every Season, Bungie seems to be getting better at metering out the content to ensure there's enough to last you all week, all month, or all day – depending on how often you play. Come for the best-in-class gunplay, stay for the addictive loot cycle. Better yet, the newest expansion (Beyond Light) and all the other Destiny 2 add-ons are available on Game Pass – so you don't need to worry about missing out on the story so far.
