Best Of · 6 min read
Retro Games to Play With a Friend
Grab the spare controller. These co-op and versus games are better with company.
In this guide · 4 sections
Single-player retro games are wonderful, but something special happens when you hand the second controller to a friend. The golden age was full of games built for two, and these are the ones that still create great memories — and occasional arguments.
The best cooperative games
Contra is the definitive two-player run-and-gun: doubling the firepower and the chaos in equal measure. Streets of Rage 2 is the finest co-op beat-'em-up of the 16-bit era, with movesets deep enough that you each develop a favorite character. Battletoads offers co-op so demanding it can either bond you or break you — and watch out, because you can knock each other around. Gunstar Heroes throws so much on screen that two players feels essential.
Friendly competition
For head-to-head play, nothing beats Super Mario Kart, the game that invented the "I'm never playing with you again" genre. Street Fighter II Turbo is the home version of the game that defined competitive gaming. Tetris, in Tengen's same-screen two-player versus form for the NES, is a friendship test disguised as a puzzle game.
Underrated picks for two
Look beyond the obvious and you will find gems. Bubble Bobble is pure cooperative joy. Micro Machines turns a kitchen table into a racetrack and supports surprising numbers of players. ToeJam & Earl is a relaxed, funny co-op adventure that rewards exploring together rather than racing ahead.
Why couch play still wins
There is something online play has never quite replaced about sitting next to someone, sharing a screen, and reacting in real time to the same moment. Retro games were designed for exactly that. Grab a friend and a second controller, pick any of the linked games on this list, and you will rediscover why local multiplayer is still the best multiplayer there is.
