The short version: Most "co-op" games advertised for Xbox now need an internet connection even when you're sat on the same sofa, so if you want genuine offline couch play you need to check for split-screen or local multiplayer specifically, not just "co-op" in the store description. Below is a working list, sorted by how many controllers you need and what it'll cost you, plus the one uncomfortable truth about this genre that most round-up articles skip over.
Why "co-op" on the Xbox Store doesn't mean what you think
I run a business that lives inside software all week, so when I went looking for something to play with my family on a Sunday afternoon, I expected the word "co-op" to mean two controllers, one screen, done. It doesn't. On the Xbox Store, "co-op" is used for online co-op, local co-op, and sometimes asynchronous co-op where you're not even in the same session. You have to click into the individual game page and look for "Local co-op" or "Split screen" listed under features. If it only says "Online co-op," that's your answer: no internet, no play.
This matters because publishers have quietly dropped split-screen from a lot of big franchise sequels over the last decade. Halo Infinite shipped without split-screen co-op at launch, something older Halo players still bring up because Halo 3 practically built its reputation on four-player couch co-op. The uncomfortable truth here is that split-screen is expensive to build well, it eats development time that studios would rather spend on single-player spectacle or online live-service features, so it keeps getting cut even from games whose entire legacy was built on it.
Games that still deliver real offline couch co-op
Here's a working list I'd hand someone setting up a game night, grouped by how many people you need and roughly what you'll pay.
Two players, split screen, no internet needed
- It Takes Two (around £35, often cheaper in sales) - built specifically for two players, one of the best couch co-op games made in the last five years, full story mode, no online requirement.
- A Way Out (around £25) - from the same studio as It Takes Two, prison break story, split screen throughout, two controllers required even if you're the only one playing because the second player needs a pad.
- Lego games (Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Lego Marvel, Lego Harry Potter, typically £25 to £40) - drop-in drop-out split screen, good for mixed-age groups because the difficulty is forgiving.
- Overcooked! All You Can Eat (around £35) - chaotic kitchen co-op, up to four players locally, no internet needed, short rounds which makes it good for a quick 20-minute session rather than a whole evening.
- Halo 3 and Halo: Reach via backward compatibility (free if you have Xbox Game Pass, or picked up cheap on the old Halo: The Master Chief Collection disc) - the gold standard for split-screen shooter co-op, and worth noting this is older hardware's games running fine on newer consoles, which tells you something about how good backward compatibility has become.
Three to four players, local co-op
- Gang Beasts (around £17) - physics-based wrestling, up to four players, works entirely offline, it's chaos but the good kind.
- Moving Out and its sequel Moving Out 2 (around £20 each) - furniture removal co-op, four players, local only or online, no internet connection required for local play.
- Rayman Legends (around £15 in most sales) - four player local co-op platforming, holds up well, cheap enough that it's a good starting point if you're not sure the household is into co-op gaming yet.
Worked example: setting up a family game night for under £50
Say you've got two Xbox controllers already in the house, a console, and Game Pass Ultimate (currently around £14.99 a month in the UK). You want an evening that works for a ten year old, a teenager, and two adults, and you want it to still work if the broadband goes down, which in a lot of British homes happens more often than anyone would like to admit. Here's the order I'd go in:
- Step one: buy a third controller (around £45 to £55 for an official Xbox pad) if you don't already have one, since most of these games need one pad per player and four-player co-op with two controllers just means a lot of standing around waiting for a turn.
- Step two: download Overcooked! All You Can Eat first because rounds are short, so if it's not landing with the group you haven't lost the evening.
- Step three: if that goes well, move to Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga for a longer session, it's got enough content to fill several more evenings.
- Step four: keep It Takes Two in reserve for a two-player night once the kids are in bed, because it's a better experience with two committed players than with four people half-watching.
Total outlay beyond the console: one extra controller plus two or three game purchases, realistically £80 to £120 depending on sales, and every one of those games works with the internet switched off, which is the actual brief here.
What to check before you buy, every single time
I'd rather give you a checklist than a longer list of titles, because new games come and go but the questions stay the same.
- Does the store page say "Local co-op" or "Split screen" explicitly, not just "Co-op"?
- Does it need a Game Pass subscription, or is it a one-off purchase? Game Pass Ultimate games can be pulled from the service, so if you fall in love with one, consider buying it outright.
- Does the game require a day-one patch or sign-in even for offline play? A worrying number of modern titles ping a server to authenticate you even when you're playing entirely local co-op, so "offline" isn't always truly offline. Test it with the router unplugged before you commit an evening to it.
- How many controllers does it need versus how many it supports? Some games list four-player co-op but play far better with two.
The bit nobody tells you about older Xbox One games
If you've got an older Xbox One sitting in a cupboard, or you're running an Xbox Series S, don't dismiss the Xbox 360 and original Xbox back catalogue. Backward compatibility on Xbox means a lot of brilliant couch co-op games from 2005 to 2015 run fine now, often with better frame rates than they had originally. Games like Diablo III, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, and the original Borderlands trilogy all support split-screen and are frequently going for a few pounds in digital sales or picked up second-hand on disc for less than a fiver. This is the single best value route into offline couch co-op and it gets ignored because nobody's paying to market a ten-year-old game.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
I keep every related walkthrough in the Free Games to Play Offline and Online: Every Guide in One Place (2026).
For a scarier night in, try these co-op horror picks.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need Xbox Live Gold for offline co-op?
No. Xbox Live Gold (or its replacement, Game Pass Core) is only needed for online multiplayer. Split-screen or local co-op on the same console and screen doesn't require any subscription, though some games will still prompt you to sign in, which you can usually dismiss.
What's the best Xbox game for two players with only one TV?
It Takes Two is the strongest pick for exactly that setup, it was designed from the ground up for two players on one screen and doesn't ask for a third or fourth player to make sense.
Can Xbox and PlayStation players do local co-op together?
No, local split-screen co-op only works between players on the same console and the same copy of the game. Cross-platform play exists for online multiplayer in some titles, but it doesn't apply to offline couch co-op.
Why don't more new Xbox games have split-screen?
Building split-screen support well is expensive and time-consuming, and with most studios prioritising online live-service models and single-player spectacle, split-screen is often the first feature cut from the budget, even in franchises that used to be known for it.
