What are the best local multiplayer games on PS5? Video games have always had multiplayer, and playing them together with pals is some of the most fun you can have. There are so many great examples on PS5, and we need your help to find the best local multiplayer on the platform.
As mentioned, local multiplayer is as old as games themselves, and the ability to play together in the same room remains a staple despite the arrival of online play. On PS5, there are hundreds of games featuring local multiplayer options, and thus the variety of experiences is off the charts.
Fans of various sports are well catered for, with games like FIFA 22, Madden NFL 22, NBA 2K22, and other annual franchises offering local multiplayer. Similarly, if you enjoy a bit of racing, you can go split-screen with titles such as DIRT 5, Hot Wheels Unleashed, and WRC 10.
However, there's more to local multiplayer than sports and cars. It Takes Two, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Borderlands 3, and many more games offer excellent experiences for more than one player, and of course there are fighting games like Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate for when things get serious.
PS5 is a great place for fans of local multiplayer games, then, but which ones are the best? Well, that's where you come in. Below is our list of the best local multiplayer games on PS5, and it's entirely determined by our community. This list is ranked and rated solely by you lot, based entirely on your user scores for each game.
If you disagree with the order, or think a deserving game is missing, it's down to you to change things. Below is a search bar where you can type in any PS5 game with support for more than one player, and then award those games a rating from 1 to 10. Alternatively, you can click the star on any game's page to do the same and make yourself heard. These ratings are fed into this list, so have your say and watch it change over time!
Any game will need at least 20 ratings before it appears on this page. If there's a game you feel is missing from this list, it's possible the title just hasn't been rated enough times, so make sure you cast your votes.
Alright, let's have at it. Here's our list of the best local multiplayer games on PS5, as determined by you.
30. Haven (PS5)
A touching sci-fi love story, Haven is about a young couple who flee to an alien planet together. Portrayed through a vibrant art style and elevated by a stunning electronic soundtrack, this is a memorable adventure, and a sharp reminder that we need more tales of surprisingly mature romance in video games. Between its generally relaxing, floaty exploration and rhythm-based battle system, Haven does have a few slightly rough edges — but don't let that turn you away from the power of love.
29. DIRT 5 (PS5)
DIRT 5 comes from a Codemasters team made up of many Evolution Studios alumni, giving this off-road racer a slight MotorStorm flavour. The festival vibes are alive and well here, with colourful presentation and a great soundtrack providing the background for a varied and fun racing calendar. Unlike its DiRT Rally cousins, this game is unabashedly arcadey, putting the emphasis on sliding sideways through the mud, across the ice, and into clouds of dust. An unintrusive storyline featuring characters voiced by Nolan North and Troy Baker carries you through the single player, while a level editor and some neat multiplayer modes are waiting for you too. A slick, well presented racing game with real energy.
28. Hot Wheels Unleashed (PS5)
If you've ever owned a toy car or two, Hot Wheels Unleashed will hold some appeal. Coming from Milestone, the studio known for its motorbike racing titles like MotoGP and RIDE, this game sees the Italian team go in a brand new direction. This is a colourful arcade racer, pitting those die-cast vehicles against each other on that famous bright orange track across various settings. The handling is excellent and provides some surprisingly competitive and gratifying racing, while the courses are treacherous, winding things that see you driving on the ceiling and through the air. The game is impressively robust too, with a big campaign, split-screen and online multiplayer, a full track editor, and hundreds of cars to collect. If you're a fan of Hot Wheels, or just arcade racing games generally, this is worth checking out.
27. Borderlands 3 (PS5)
Gearbox's popular looter shooter is back in typical style with Borderlands 3, and it looks and plays better than ever on PS5. While it doesn't innovate on older entries all that much, the third game in the franchise is probably the best. Improved gameplay makes the act of firing weapons a joy, there's a tonne of variety in quests and guns, and that signature love-or-hate humour is very much in place. It shines brightest on Sony's current-gen machine, too, thanks to boosted visuals and up to 120 frames-per-second on the right display. There are few better co-op shooters out there — this is an absolute blast with friends, whether playing locally or online.
26. MLB The Show 21 (PS5)
MLB The Show 21 feels like a half-step into the PS5 generation, because its industry leading presentation has stagnated somewhat. Make no mistake, though, this has some of the best gameplay in the genre and one of the deepest Franchise modes available, with only NBA 2K22 really rivalling it. Despite this, Diamond Dynasty is the true star: this generous card collecting mode is absolutely jam-packed with content, and unlike other options in the genre, you don’t need to spend a cent to make the most of it.
25. Mortal Kombat 1 (PS5)
Mortal Kombat 1 revamps the storyline of this enduring fighting game series, with all the characters you know and love reimagined in a new timeline. This makes for a brilliant (and violent) romp, turning unlikely pairs into firm allies in a high quality story mode. Once you're done with that, the game has plenty more to do: experiment with the new Kameo system; play the board game-like Invasion mode; and get a bit more lore on all the fighters in the arcade-like Tower mode. While the core fighting hasn't evolved all that much, this is still arguably the best Mortal Kombat yet, and will certainly be supported for a long time.
24. WRC 10 (PS5)
There are a few strong options on PS5 for rally fans, but if you're looking for the genuine article, WRC 10 is where it's at. This is the latest officially licensed rally racer, featuring the courses, cars, and drivers you recognise from the real motorsport. Importantly, though, the game itself is rollicking good fun. It really captures the danger and thrill of screaming through narrow tracks, always a hair's breadth from disaster. An in-depth career mode will keep you going for a long time, and it's supplemented with single rallies, online play, and historical events. Excellent support of DualSense's features is the cherry on top of a very tasty, messy cake.
23. The Ascent (PS5)
The Ascent is a compelling mix — take punchy twin stick shooter combat, throw in some loot and RPG elements, and place it in a shockingly detailed cyberpunk setting, and you've got a pretty great recipe. The good news is that it's just as tasty as it sounds, especially when played in local or online co-op with some pals. The action and mission design can be a little repetitive at times, but the core loop can keep you engaged for hours.
22. FIFA 23 (PS5)
The last FIFA game to actually have FIFA in the title, FIFA 23 sees the branding go out on a relative high, with some welcome gameplay adjustments further refining the annual formula. And look, we've learned to never expect sweeping changes to EA Sports' yearly football sim, but at this point, the overall package is hard to fault, and FIFA 23 is arguably the most finely tuned instalment in recent times.
21. The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes (PS5)
It feels like Supermassive Games has been trying to hit the heights of PS4 classic Until Dawn for years now, and never quite reaching it. However, the third entry in its Dark Pictures Anthology, titled House of Ashes, definitely comes closest. Much like previous efforts, you'll control a number of characters, dictating their actions and dialogue choices. This time around, there's a horde of ancient monsters buried underneath the sandy desert of Iraq. Get some friends over and you'll have a whale of a time.
Comments 22
Sackboy is fantastic. It got me into the LBP franchise but literally 4 days after I started, the LBP 1, 2 and 3 servers were DDOSED. My god, the things people do to feel alive. At least the Vita version is okay.
Been thinking about getting Sackboy on PS4 since we have 2 controllers and not sure when I'll get a PS5, or a 2nd PS5 controller.
Is R&C: Drift Apart still 1 player only? I'd prefer it to be, but A4O had couch co-op and they seem to be pushing the female Lombax so I thought maybe.
Utterly redundant shortlist of a tiny handful of games that fit the criteria; just there for selling these games on Amazon and getting a percentage. Doesn't even mention Borderlands 3, presumerably because its too cheap.
This can go on the feedback article. Is anything happening with that?
I would agree with sackboy but now I wouldn't because the game locked me out of completing it on ps5. The second level on the fourth world just simply would not unlock and I couldn't continue. I've been on Reddit and lots of people are saying about it but I don't see it reported in the media.
@rjejr I had a chance to play Sackboy on PS4 once and while it lacks some cool little details and the haptic feedback of the PS5 version, it's still great
I still don't get how people enjoy Overcooked. I was more tense playing that split-screen than when I played at Smash tourneys (not boasting, totally didn't win btw) 😓
Does anyone know if you’re able to play Overcooked (the PS5 version, that is) with a PS4-controller? I hardly ever play local multiplayer and don’t really feel like buying another DualSense for a single game lol
@fingalf the dualshock does work on PS5 with most PS4 games. It doesn't work with PS5 exclusive games, however I don't know if Overcooked getting a PS5 update means it won't work on that game anymore. Do a Google search and see if someone's asked that about Overcooked on reddit or something.
@Voltan Yeah I can't imagine the PS4 and PS5 versions being all that different for a game like that on my 1080p tv.
I'm planning on buying a 4k tv in the next couple of weeks, ahead of a PS5 in June, but I'm nervous b/c all I can think about is how bad my PS4 and Switch games might look after all these years on the 1080p. My Wii (not U) was almost unwatchable on a 1080p screen after 5 or 6 years on my old 36" CRT. Zelda Twilight Princess in particular was harsh. I'm just hoping the fact that my 1080p tv is 12 years old means whatever pitfalls there may be about outputting 1080p to a 4k tv is made up for by the decade newer tech. I'm sure PS5 will look better on the 4k than the 1080p, and the few movies I stream. Recently upgraded from 100 to 300 just to make sure. (I know I only need 25 but we always have several devices going at once, we're a tech heavy household.)
Sorry 'bout the rant. 😁
Tried Overcooked with my girlfriend for the first time and as many times as reviewers shout from the rooftops how good it is, there needs to be more. I've never been blown away by co-op aspects of couch co-op games but I was amazed by how naturally it made us communicate and coordinate with each other. So so good
@Hyperluminal Overcooked All You Can Eat is the PS5 version - it contains levels from Overcooked 1 and 2 and a few new ones, as well as improved visuals, haptic feedback, online multiplayer for all levels (originally only available in O2) and so on. Interestingly enough, this version is coming to PS4 later this month.
@fingalf you can't use the DS4 for any native PS5 games but you could get the original PS4 game or wait for the PS4 version of All You Can Eat, which is coming soon, as I mentioned.
@Brydontk sounds like you're better at this game than most people. It's been known to cause a lot of screaming at each other in many households
I can't find it on "best ps4 local coop games", so I'll say this: don't forget river city girls on ps4, the local coop is really fun
As much as I love SM 3D World and think it's a better 1 player game than Sackboy, the latter has the better co-op mode imo.
@Voltan Bahaha really? Maybe we haven't gone far enough yet but it helps that she's not much of a gamer, she prefers watching when I play, so my expectations were tapered a bit. Made for chill experiences.
Shredder's revenge needs to get rated very highly on this list. Id personally put it at the top. So much fun to blast through with a few friends or the kids. Proper couch co-op fun with robust online.
Not gonna lie… this list makes me a little sad. 20 best couch multiplayer half of it is sports and racing and the other half is a lot of kind of meh games.
And still no Shredders revenge. Daft list that needs revising badly.
Agreed with number 1 wholeheartedly. The wife and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wouldn’t say PS5 is a particularly solid couch co-op system thus far. Bought the console January 2021 and I have played a co-op game exactly 0% of my time with the system. I wish the co-op library was stronger. My family plays co-op all the time with the Switch.
To the author. Thank you for writing about "offline, local multiplayer" bc it's important and played more often than people realize. The suggestion I would like to make is it would be more interesting if this was "exclusive to Playstation (with the exception of PC), co-op, versus or both". And keep the sport sims out of it too. It's a challenge but or starters and consideration I can think of some to talk about: Alienation, Dead Nation, Dragon's Crown, Fat Princess, Helldivers, I Am The Hero, Viking Squad, GigaBash...
I am also a video game lover. Have you tried Terraria yet? Recently it is quite popular and is interested by a lot of young people.
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