Let’s be real for a second. Playing It Takes Two is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have Josef Fares and the team at Hazelight creating this absolute masterpiece of mechanical variety where you’re suddenly flying a plane made of wood or fighting a giant mechanical beetle. On the other hand, it ruins almost every other co-op game for you. You finish it, the credits roll, and you and your partner just kind of stare at the screen thinking, "Well, what now?"
Finding more games like It Takes Two is surprisingly difficult because that game is a freak of nature. It refuses to stick to one genre for more than ten minutes. Most co-op games pick a lane—shooters, platformers, puzzle-solvers—and stay there. To find something that captures that same lightning in a bottle, you have to look for games that prioritize "forced cooperation." I'm talking about games where you can't just be in the same room; you actually have to be the two halves of a single brain.
The Hazelight Pedigree: A Way Out and Brothers
If you want to understand the DNA of It Takes Two, you basically have to go back to the source. Hazelight didn’t just stumble into this. Before Cody and May were shrinking down to battle vacuum cleaners, we had A Way Out.
Honestly, it’s a much grittier experience. You play as Leo and Vincent, two convicts trying to break out of prison. While it lacks the whimsical magic of a talking book named Dr. Hakim (thankfully, some might say), it shares that core philosophy: the screen is almost always split, and your actions are intrinsically tied to the other person. One of you might be distracting a guard while the other sneaks through a doorway. It’s cinematic. It’s tense. The ending? It’ll probably make you want to fight your friend in real life. It’s the darker, more mature older brother of the genre.
Then there is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This one is a bit of a curveball. Originally, it was a single-player game where you controlled two brothers simultaneously using the left and right thumbsticks. However, the recent remake added a proper co-op mode. It’s short—you can beat it in an afternoon—but the emotional weight is massive. It proves that you don't need a hundred different mechanics to tell a story about connection. It's just simple, beautiful, and devastating.
✨ Don't miss: Why Luigi in a Turtle Suit is Actually Super Mario’s Most Underrated Power-Up
Why Portal 2 Still Holds the Crown
If your favorite part of It Takes Two was the "how the hell do we solve this" logic puzzles, then Portal 2 is the only logical next step. It’s an older title, sure, but Valve’s level design hasn’t aged a day. You play as Atlas and P-Body, two robots being mocked by GLaDOS.
The complexity here is higher. In It Takes Two, the puzzles are usually about timing or using a specific power-up. In Portal 2, you’re dealing with spatial geometry that will genuinely make your head hurt. You have to think in four portals instead of two. It requires a level of communication that usually results in someone shouting, "No, put the blue one on the ceiling!"
The humor also lands in a similar way. It’s cynical and sharp. While It Takes Two focuses on the crumbling marriage of two humans, Portal 2 focuses on the utter insignificance of your existence to a sentient AI. Same vibe, different coat of paint.
Moving Into the Chaotic Kitchen and Beyond
Sometimes, the "connection" people want when searching for more games like It Takes Two isn't about the story. It’s about the frantic energy. This is where Overcooked! All You Can Eat comes in.
I’ll be honest: this game is a relationship tester. If you can survive a level where the kitchen is literally splitting in half on the back of two moving trucks while you’re trying to chop onions, you can survive anything. It lacks the platforming adventure elements, but it nails the "co-op as a necessity" feel. You cannot succeed alone. It is physically impossible.
📖 Related: Modern Warfare 3 Zombies: Why The Tomb Wall Buy Is Your Best Friend
If you want something a bit more adventurous but still whimsical, Unravel Two is a gem that often gets overlooked. You play as two "Yarnys"—small creatures made of yarn—who are physically connected by a thread. This literal tether is the primary mechanic. You use each other as anchors to swing across gaps or pull each other up ledges. It’s much more laid back than the frantic kitchen chaos of Overcooked, leaning closer to the platforming roots of Hazelight's work. It’s gorgeous, peaceful, and deeply focused on the idea of support.
The Indie Gems You Probably Missed
There are a few smaller titles that capture that specific "two people, one goal" magic without the multi-million dollar budget.
- Bread & Fred: This is a deceptively cute, incredibly frustrating game about two penguins tied together by a rope climbing a mountain. It’s all about physics and momentum. If one person falls, you both fall. It requires a level of synchronization that is frankly exhausting but incredibly rewarding when you finally clear a jump.
- Blanc: This is a stunning, hand-drawn adventure about a wolf cub and a fawn. There’s no text and no combat. It’s purely about two unlikely friends navigating a snowy wilderness. It’s much simpler than It Takes Two, but it captures that "we need each other to get home" sentiment perfectly.
- Snipperclips: If you’re playing on a Nintendo Switch, this is mandatory. You play as two pieces of paper who have to cut each other into specific shapes to solve puzzles. It’s tactile, weird, and involves a lot of "stand still so I can snip your head off."
Breadth vs. Depth: The Misconception of Co-op
A lot of people think that any game with "co-op" in the description will satisfy the itch left by It Takes Two. This is a mistake. Most co-op games are "parallel play." Think of Minecraft or Diablo. You’re in the same world, you’re hitting the same monsters, but you aren’t necessarily interlocked.
It Takes Two succeeded because it forced asymmetry. Cody could do one thing, May could do another. You were two halves of a whole. When looking for your next game, look for the word Asymmetric.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a perfect example of this, even though it’s not a platformer. One person looks at a bomb on a screen; the other person has a physical (or PDF) manual and can’t see the bomb. You have to talk each other through the defusal. It’s the purest form of communication-based gaming.
The Narrative Weight of The Past Within
If you’re okay with something a bit creepier, The Past Within by Rusty Lake is a fascinating experiment. It’s a co-op point-and-click puzzle game where one person is in the "Past" and the other is in the "Future." You aren't even looking at the same world, but the things you do in the past change the environment in the future. You have to describe what you see in vivid detail because your partner is looking at a completely different perspective of the same puzzle. It’s eerie, stylish, and deeply clever.
Addressing the "Hazelight Gap"
The reality is that no one is making games exactly like Josef Fares. He has a very specific, almost cinematic approach to game design that blends high-budget production values with experimental mechanics. While we wait for Hazelight's next project, the best strategy is to rotate through the different "vibes" that It Takes Two offered.
If you liked the platforming, go for Unravel Two or Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Sackboy doesn't have the "forced" co-op in every level, but the dedicated co-op stages are brilliant and require genuine teamwork.
If you liked the variety and the "toybox" feel, Astro’s Playroom (if you’re on PS5) captures that sense of wonder, though it’s sadly single-player. For that same sense of "anything can happen," Rayman Legends offers some of the best co-op platforming ever made, especially the music-themed levels.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Game Night
Don't just jump into the first game you see on sale. To find the right fit for your specific co-op dynamic, follow this path:
- Identify the "Hook": Did you like It Takes Two for the story, the puzzles, or the platforming?
- Check for "Asymmetry": Ensure the game gives players different roles. If both players do the exact same thing, you'll likely get bored faster.
- Check the "Toughness" Scale: If you struggled with the boss fights in It Takes Two, avoid Cuphead. It’s a great co-op game, but it’s brutally difficult and will lead to more frustration than bonding.
- Try "A Way Out" First: If you haven't played the developer's previous work, start there. It’s the closest you will ever get to that specific feeling.
- Look at "Lego" Games as a Buffer: If you just want something low-stakes where you can run around together, the Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is surprisingly deep and great for decompressing after a more intense gaming session.
The industry is slowly catching up to the demand for high-quality, narrative-driven co-op. For a long time, developers thought co-op was just a "mode" you tacked onto a single-player game. It Takes Two proved that co-op can be the entire foundation. Until the next big title drops, these alternatives are your best bet for keeping that spirit of cooperation alive on your couch. Reach for A Way Out for the drama, Portal 2 for the brain-teasers, or Unravel Two for the heart. Each one holds a piece of the puzzle that made Cody and May's adventure so special.