Mobile gaming used to be an activity where you took time away from life’s daily stress to recuperate and relax. Now, it’s become an even larger and more involving activity — not one to share alone. With many mobile games taking after popular MOBAs and intense multiplayer PvP games, you can link up to the internet and play with anyone and everyone — bearing you’re logging into the same apps.
The best part is that so many co-op games are available on the mobile platform, and joining online multiplayer doesn’t require owning anything better than a respectable budget phone. You can experience anything from casual co-op titles like Minecraft to more competitive games with Call of Duty Mobile. But, since our objective is to find R&R with more casual-friendly co-op titles involving players working together to achieve a common goal, we’ve rounded up the best games devoted to team efforts.
What is a co-op game?
Co-op games primarily revolve around players working together to achieve a win condition. In many games, this takes the form of defeating enemies or solving puzzles. Other times, friendly players exist in a big open world and hang out together. As long as comradery is the central theme, you’ll have a co-op experience.
Some gaming experiences mesh the idea of cooperative and competitive gameplay, such as team death matches in Call of Duty or cold-hearted capitalism in Monopoly, which is why this genre is versatile. It can appear almost anywhere.
1 Death Squared
SMG Studio’s Death Squared is a humorous and enjoyable puzzle game centered around coordination, cooperation, and giant explosions. Play solo or team up with another player to tackle the game’s 80 or so block puzzles.
The game’s controls are smooth and precise, perfect for a visually busy puzzle title with lots of moving parts where a single slip can mean catastrophic failure. Even better, physical Bluetooth controllers are supported. If your partner isn’t a fan of touchscreen gameplay, there’s a separate control option that’s more tactile.
2 Dungeon Hunter 5
A strong contender for the best God of War games on Android, Dungeon Hunter 5 is a top-down fantasy RPG that brings players a variety of gameplay modes to test their mettle and bring home treasure. Access a high-production campaign mode with tiered difficulty settings and leaderboards to compare yourself with other players. Co-op gameplay feels reminiscent of Neverwinter, with multiple players tasked with achieving a task together, whether you’re exploring a dungeon or defeating a certain number of enemies.
You don’t gain access to the co-op features until you reach level ten. This gives you an incentive to enjoy the fluid and varied combat of single-player challenges, encouraging you to duck and weave around enemies to seize the advantage.
3 Monopoly Classic
The famous capitalist board gaming experience has made it to your mobile device with all the rules and gimmicks you remember. Monopoly Classic simulates the game of Monopoly similarly to every other digital recreation of the game, with a lively animated board full of color, life, and the smell of opportunity. The video chat feature makes this version special. It displays the images of your game’s online players. You get the Premier capitalist battle for dominance from the comfort of your phone without losing out on the hilarious reactions of your friends and family.
You also have access to online multiplayer with Monopoly fans all over the world and offline single-player against an AI. Monopoly Classic adapts the feel and elegant mechanics of the original game to a touch interface, with a great social element that keeps the board game feeling alive.
4 Soul Knight
Soul Knight is a slick fantasy bullet hell shooter based around strategy, split-second decision-making, and min-maxing your build for even greater destructive power. Play as a knight, rogue, wizard, or thief in a top-down view while trying to kill everything that moves. Tons of weapons and upgrades are scattered throughout the game’s randomly generated levels, from laser beams to giant sharks.
NPC support can be recruited to even the odds. There’s nothing like some ruthless AI assistance to get your way. Team up with up to three local players to cause some real damage.
5 Sky: Children of the Light
Sky: Children of the Light took its time coming to Android, but the wait was worth it. It’s a third-person exploration game with a similar style to the developer’s previous work, such as Journey and Flower. This means exploration is the key to success. Thanks to the game’s co-op multiplayer aspects, you can explore the title’s seven levels with a buddy or two.
This is a free-to-play release. In-app purchases are included but aren’t necessary to enjoy the game. This can be a demanding release, but you can play on a low-end device due to the performance improvements released in 2020.
6 Rocket League Sideswipe
Rocket League is a go-to competitive car-based soccer game on PC and consoles. It also offers team-based modes where you cooperate with friends to take down other teams. The developer Psyonix launched a mobile interpretation of the game called Rocket League Sideswipe, and it’s fantastic. It offers Twitch controls similar to the console game, but you play on a 2D plane in a bite-sized experience.
Rocket League Sideswipe tips and tricks: The best techniques to get you started
Fuel your wins and boost your gameplay
Controllers are supported, and the touch controls are good. The game isn’t monetized, so now is the best time to jump in. While this is often bandied about as a competitive game, you can cooperate with friends to take down opposing teams. There’s plenty of co-op fun to be had.
7 DUAL!
DUAL is an interesting cross-device implementation of a classic space shooter. Two opponents face off head-to-head through two Android devices, or they can cooperate in a separate mode to take down the game’s foes. The field of play extends across both devices, so you must be within arm’s length for the full experience.
The local co-op mode, where both players shoot invading aliens, is sealed behind an in-app purchase for $3, which unlocks the entire game.
8 Battle of Polytopia
The Battle of Polytopia is one of the better 4X turn-based strategy games on the Play Store. Its low-poly graphics provide the game with a unique look. You’re dropped onto a map shrowded by mystery. You must venture into the unknown to reap the rewards and build your kingdom. Currency mined from the surrounding area can be funneled into greater structures, upgrades on the tech tree, and stronger soldier munitions to battle rival kingdoms with eyes on your stuff.
Maps are auto-generated, allowing for endless replayability. Most of the title can be played for free. The only downside is that co-op content is locked behind an in-app purchase. Given that it unlocks the entire game, it’s worth it.
9 Terraria
Like Minecraft, Terraria hardly needs an introduction. Terraria has a bit of a bad rap on Android due to years of neglect from the dev. The game was updated to v1.3 in 2019 and has seen more support over the last few years. The 1.3 update brought new features, such as reworked touchscreen controls, 800 new items, an expert mode, and new biomes.
LAN co-op is supported, which makes this an extremely deep game to dive into if you’re looking for enjoyable co-op play in a 2D sandbox.
10 Bloons TD 6
The Bloons Tower Defense franchise has had a lot of success, and the developer Ninja Kiwi hasn’t lost its touch. Bloons TD 6 is as great as the previous titles in the series. You pay upfront, and many in-app purchases are included, but the title’s co-op gameplay makes it worth it.
You don’t have to sink a ton of money into this game to play casually with a partner. If you’re looking for enjoyable co-op tower defense gameplay, Bloons TD 6 is the best choice.
11 Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Do you remember the tense bomb-diffusing scenes from almost every action movie made? Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is that scene but made into a video game. While the title initially supported Daydream virtual reality devices, it’s been updated to support touchscreens. Everyone can jump into the fun.
Much like the game Spaceteam, one player teams up with at least one other so that the bomb-defusing instruction can be relayed through speech to the person tasked with defusing the bomb. This is a local co-op party game that supports two or more players. It’s a lot of fun.
12 League of Legends: Wild Rift
If you’re into MOBAs, you know this competitive genre offers a boatload of co-op play. You team up with friends and family to take on other teams. League of Legends: Wild Rift supports 5v5 battles, so you can team up with five friends. Thanks to Riot’s experience with the genre, it seems clear LoL is at the top of the list when it comes to player base size and evenly-paired matches.
It’s popular for a reason. If you’re looking for a MOBA to jump into with your friends, give League of Legends: Wild Rift a shot.
13 EVE Echoes
EVE Echoes is one of the more popular MMOs on the Play Store. You can jump in with a few friends to cooperate toward your goals. This isn’t a 1:1 copy of the original PC version of EVE. That’s a good thing since you can use a touchscreen interface to play. If you’re looking to jump into an immersive MMO on mobile that offers a similar co-op experience to the PC, EVE Echoes is one of the few choices available that delivers.
14 Hero Siege: Pocket Edition
Hero Siege is a popular hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that started on Steam. It has a lot in common with titles like Wayward Souls, including its 2D sprite graphics and roguelike permadeath setup, though the action is more frantic. Hero Siege includes controller support for those who prefer tactile controls when slaying monsters.
The game can be beaten in single-player and online multiplayer co-op (up to four people). There’s a randomized mode for those who want to continue playing after they finish the primary campaign.
15 Minecraft
Minecraft is a popular voxel-based survival game that features tons of building mechanics. Play with a partner locally over a LAN connection or jump into an online server by connecting through an IP address. For the most part, this is a sandbox affair. You can do as you please, whether you want to jump into Survival mode or dive into a Creative session.
It’s also a live service game, meaning it still receives updates with new content. This game offers thousands of hours of fun, and you can have this fun with a co-op partner any time you wish. What’s not to like?
16 Spaceteam
Spaceteam attempts to recreate the frantic space battles of your favorite TV sci-fi shows or, at least, the frantic shouting that takes place on the bridge. One player presses nonsensical dials and switches as ordered by their partner or a group of friends.
This is a great little co-op party game similar in style to Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, but Spaceteam dates back to 2013 on Android and embraces the theme enough to feel like its own separate entity. In contrast, the virtual reality game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes was updated for touchscreen support in 2019.
17 Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat is a quirky physics-based puzzler that was ported to Android in 2020. The game features imprecise controls, and that’s by design. Each puzzle in the game has multiple solutions. It’s up to the players to explore the bounds of this title.
There’s a solo mode for those who prefer to play alone and a co-op multiplayer mode where you can team up with up to three friends. The title is rather short, though there’s a lot of fun to be had when you play with your friends online.
18 Crashlands
Crashlands is a delightful survival game from Butterscotch Shenanigans that was updated in 2018 to support co-op play. The game plays a bit like the Don’t Starve series but offers its own sense of humor, not to mention a slick sci-fi theme.
The co-op added to the game offers something different from most titles since you can’t join a session as your own character. Instead, you enter a friend’s local game with a second controller and take charge of Juicebox, a helper robot. This way, you can pal around with your buddy while offering a helping hand when necessary.
19 BombSquad
BombSquad is a freeform take on the multiplayer Bomberman formula, focusing on the multiplayer part. You play the game on a central phone or tablet, ideally outputting the screen to a TV. Then, up to eight players can connect to the device with Bluetooth controllers or the free add-on controller app.
The title mainly focuses on PvP gameplay, though there’s a separate co-op mode if you prefer to team up to take on a bunch of bots.
20 Portal Knights
Picture a game like Minecraft, but it comes with a story mode. Now, take a look at the pics for Portal Knights. This game takes the tried and true voxel-based survival gameplay of Minecraft and adds an RPG-themed story that provides players with an added purpose. As expected of a port for a console game, controller support is included out of the box, and it works exceptionally well.
You can still build all manner of structures if that’s your jam. You can also take on a few boss fights or venture into an enemy-filled dungeon. The choice is up to you, which is why this game is well-reviewed. Best of all, much like Minecraft, you can play Portal Knights cooperatively with a few friends.
