Best Co-op Games for PS3: Couch and Split Screen

Two of you share the TV on a split screen and play the whole campaign, each with your own character and skill tree. It is a first-person shooter built around loot, with a long story and plenty of side missions, so one session rarely finishes anything.

Up to four players share one screen as knights who cut through side-scrolling levels, level up and pick which stats to raise. Everyone fights at once and the levels are short, so a full run fits in an evening or two.

The co-op campaign is separate from the single-player one: two robots, each with a portal gun, and test chambers that cannot be solved by one person alone. On PS3 the screen splits so each of you sees your own side of the room.

Two players take the roles of Chris and Sheva for the whole campaign on a split screen, and you can pass items and ammo back and forth. It is third-person and leans more on shooting than on scares.

Up to four players dig, build and fight bosses in the same 2D world on one screen. There is no set goal, so what you do each night depends on what the group decides to make.

Up to four players share a world on a split screen and can play survival or creative mode. The worlds are smaller than on PC, but you can build, mine and survive together without leaving the couch.

Four players share a screen in a 2.5D platformer where you can grab each other and where the levels mix jumping with odd physics. The story levels go from simple platforming to small minigames.

Four players share one screen in a side-scrolling brawler with RPG levels and loot, choosing from six classes that play differently. Fights get crowded, and each class has its own way of helping the group.

Up to four players run through hand-drawn 2D levels together, and a downed player comes back by being slapped out of a bubble. Some stages are built around music, where jumps and punches have to land on the beat.

On PS3, up to four players share one screen, each with their own character, and fight through the same dungeons and collect loot. You do not need an online account to play this way.

Four players on one screen pick Marvel heroes and fight through a story that takes them across many settings. Certain pairings of heroes give the team bonuses, so picking who plays whom matters.

Four players share a screen in a story built around the Civil War, where you pick a side and fight with a team of heroes. Two heroes can combine in fusion attacks.

Two players split the screen and play the first game's campaign, picking from four classes and sharing a desert world full of loot. It is the original version of the formula.

Two players split the screen on the moon, where low gravity and a limited oxygen supply change how you move and fight. You pick from four characters with their own abilities.

Two players explore an open version of New York and take on story missions with more than a hundred Marvel characters to unlock. The puzzles are simple, and the game has no real way to lose.

Two players explore an open Gotham City and play story missions, and it is the first LEGO game with full voice acting. The screen splits and rejoins automatically when you walk apart.

Two players play through the last half of the saga on a split screen, with an open Hogwarts to wander between missions. You switch spells and characters to solve each puzzle.

Two players follow the three films through Middle-earth, which you can walk between missions. Each character has a different ability, so you swap often to get past obstacles.

Two players play through a story built on the two Avengers films, with a split screen that adjusts as you move. Lots of side missions and characters keep it going after the story.

Two players split the screen as a pair of mercenaries who take cover, draw fire and flank enemies together. A system that tracks who is attracting attention makes the partner who is not being shot at more dangerous.

Two players split the screen in a Shanghai that falls apart around them, with choices you make together during the story. The cover-and-flank play is the same as in the first game.

Two players split the screen for Zombies, surviving rounds that get harder each time on a handful of maps. Nothing ends the match except dying, so the question is how far you get.

Two players can split the screen for the war campaign, and the Nazi Zombies mode, which unlocks after you finish the campaign, can also be played together on one TV. It is a World War II shooter.

Up to four players split the screen for Zombies, which here has larger maps and a story that continues across them. TranZit mode uses a bus to travel between areas.

Two players can split the screen for the campaign, which crosses a ruined United States with a weapon wheel full of unusual guns. It is a first-person shooter with a grim, dark tone.

Two players can split the screen vertically to play the campaign, a first-person war against the Helghast.

Up to three players work together as a wizard, a thief and a knight, each with different abilities. The levels are physics puzzles with more than one solution, set in a very colorful fantasy world.

Up to three players work together with the same three heroes, a wizard, a thief and a knight, in physics puzzles with more than one way through. It is the first game, so it is shorter and simpler.

Up to four players share one screen and can pick from new characters like Oddsock, Toggle and Swoop, each with their own way of moving. The levels mix platforming with puzzles built around those abilities.

Up to four players share one screen in a hand-drawn platformer, running, bouncing and bringing each other back when someone falls. You play as Rayman, Globox or the Teensies.

Up to four players share one screen in a pixel-art brawler that follows the comic's levels and bosses. You pick a character, level up and spend money on items between fights.

Up to four players share one screen, one turtle each, in a 3D remake of the 1991 arcade game. You fight through levels and throw enemies toward the screen, as in the original.

Two players share one screen in two arcade games in one package: Final Fight, a street brawler, and Magic Sword, a fantasy side-scroller. Both are short, built around arcade difficulty.

Up to four players share one screen, one Simpson each, in the 1991 arcade brawler. It is short and simple, built to be finished in one sitting.

Up to four players share one screen across two arcade brawlers set in a fantasy world, with spells and routes that branch. You pick a classic class like fighter or cleric and fight to the end.

Two players share one screen in a run-and-gun side-scroller with large bosses and fast action. It is a prequel to Hard Corps and it is known for being hard.

Up to four players share one screen in a top-down shooter where your own grenades and bombs can hurt your teammates. You call in support from above and fight alien waves on each planet.

Two players share one screen in a twin-stick zombie shooter with upgradeable weapons. Car alarms and other noises attract more zombies, so the level reacts to what you do.

Two players split the screen to fight giant insects and robots across large levels, each choosing from a set of classes. It has a B-movie tone and a lot of enemies on screen.

Two players split the screen and cut through armies of hundreds of enemies in Three Kingdoms battles, picking from many generals. Most of the play is crowd combat, with some officers as tougher targets.

Two players split the screen in a game that mixes characters from Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. You build teams of three and swap between them during battle.

Two players split the screen in an action RPG with its own story, separate from the films, controlling one of three heroes. You level up skills and collect loot as you fight across Middle-earth.

Two players share the screen in an action RPG with a story campaign, each playing one of four heroes. You level up, collect gear and fight in real time.

Up to three players share one screen in a side-scrolling brawler with loot and levels. It is shorter and simpler than the main Sacred games.

Two players play as Lara and an ancient warrior in an isometric view with tomb puzzles that need both of you. The warrior's spears can be used as platforms, so each of you has a different role.

Two players explore a Mexican-themed world in a side-scrolling brawler where new moves open new areas. One of you plays Juan and the other Tostada.

Two players team up in a short, violent side-scrolling brawler with knives, guns and a chainsaw. The co-op campaign is its own story.

Two players guide two round characters through a world where gravity is flipped on each side of a line, and you can only move on by working together. Each puzzle needs both of you, and you can pass through gaps to switch sides.

Two players share a puppet-theater platformer, with one controlling Kutaro and the other a flying helper. The story is told like a stage play and is aimed at younger players.

Up to four players share one screen in a cave platformer whose levels are generated each run. You die often, and you can also hurt each other.

Four players share one screen, playing as Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious in a 3D platformer. The camera keeps all of you in frame, so you move as a group.

Two players split the screen in Star Wars play sets, with characters you buy as figures and use on a base. The game is a mix of story missions and a toy box for building your own things.

Two players split the screen across three campaigns, each with its own pair of characters. It is a third-person action game with more shooting and chases than horror.

Two players split the screen in an episodic horror game with two pairs of characters. In each pair one fights while the other supports, as when Moira's flashlight blinds an enemy before Claire attacks.

Two players share one screen in an on-rails shooter with a grindhouse tone and strong language, and it supports the Move controller. The campaign takes a couple of hours.

Two players split the screen for the co-op missions, one as Sam Fisher and the other as Isaac Briggs. Stealth is the focus, though you can play loud too.

Two players team up on a split screen to play through the main story mode of a vehicle combat game. Weapons are picked up on the map, and the rounds are chaotic.

Up to four players share the TV with a split screen in a kart-style racer where cars turn into boats and planes depending on the track. They can also play the World Tour mode together, where one player finishing an event is enough for everyone to advance.

Two players team up in two-on-two basketball against the computer, with exaggerated dunks and a fire streak when you score a few in a row. Matches are short and rules are loose.

A whole band can play on one TV with guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals, and the game supports up to seven players. It also has a mode that teaches you real playing skills.

Up to four people dance together in front of the TV, tracked by PlayStation Move controllers and the PlayStation Eye camera. You follow the dancer on screen and get points for matching their moves.

Two players share one screen in a tower defense, placing towers to protect small creatures called tikis from waves of monsters. It is relaxed and quiet, with a cartoon look.

Two players share one screen in a cave shooter where lava, water and gas flow and react to each other. The goal is to free survivors while managing those fluids.

Two players team up in a twin-stick shooter played on the surface of a planet, with the Team Expansion add-on from the PlayStation Store that adds the split screen. The action is fast, with waves of asteroids and enemies.

Two players team up in a comic action RPG with loot and jokes, where the second player joins as a sidekick, Sparkles or Ninja Steve, who helps without saving progress. The humor is part of the appeal.

Two players split the screen in a story campaign based on the film, plus a toy box area where you can roam. It is aimed at younger players.

Two players split the screen across levels from four films, including Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, with a hub for each. The puzzles are simple and nobody can really lose.

Two players share one screen in a LEGO game covering Episodes I to VI, with the two earlier LEGO Star Wars games in one package. You can switch between characters with different abilities, and nobody can really lose.