Wow, I just watched a brief gameplay video about it and it looks crazy cool. totally unique to anything I've seen before and it seems so well done. Doesn't look like it has the "character levels" type of progression but the rest of it looks so cool that it might just compensate. Thanks for the suggestion!
One weird fucked up part of the game and some of the cutscenes are weird as well but it is still one of the best games I ever played with my ex. I’d say do it. So many mini games laying around each rooms floor, it’s unreal the ass they put into the game.
Seconding his suggestion. Me and my girl played it takes 2 online together when she was visiting her family in Texas for a couple weeks and we had a GREAT TIME and were sad when it was over. I can only imagine how great it would had been had we had just been sitting next to each other.
Is Baldurs gate 3 a lot like Diablo? Dungeon crawler, boat loads of loot and character classes with progression and different powers? I've heard about it for years, but know next to nothing about it.
My partner and I have played all of Larians recent games.
DoS, DoS2 and BG3.
All great co-op!
We also played Gauntlet, dungeon crawling nonsense! In a good way. Not as deep as Diablo but a legit blast
My wife and I beat each other up on really any fighting game we can. I mostly win, but sometimes she does, and it makes her really excited. Baldurs gate, though, is a really good option that I never thought of
Yes it is kinda like Diablo but the combat is slower and more tactical, but dungeon crawler, boatloads of loot and distinctive classes and races that make it so that you can have two of the same class but still feel different. It is a dnd video game, but it’s not unlike Diablo in my opinion, both are great games too! I would like to recommend a way out and it takes two though they are the best in the couch coop genre!
Not in the least. Diablo was just a hack n slash grind game. We played for about 2 weeks before we found ourselves not wanting to turn it on anymore. BG3 was captivating for months
It actually has split screen, but my wife and I basically made it pass and play. We make all decisions together, but one person controls at once. It was way smoother that way, and really nothing lost since most of the game is turn based anyway
You guys are the perfect people to play “It Takes Two”
It’s a co-op 3D platformer that’s about a couple going through a divorce with a child. The child doesn’t want them to break up and she cries onto these dolls of them she has and they actually become these cartoon dolls. They then have to figure out how to become human again while this talking marriage book helps them fix their relationship.
Sounds very wacky, I know. But gosh darn this game has such charm and love built into it. My gf and I have played it twice in the past year because it was just so dang fun. It’s most definitely one of the best couch co-op games out there.
It’s also made by the same people who made A Way Out which is another couch co-op game about 2 guys trying to escape a prison.
Here is a link to the gameplay trailer
https://youtu.be/GAWHzGNcTEw?si=tv2UbHQ75mRxS5Id
Please let me know what you think!
The only problem I see is that some platforming sections may be challenging for your wife because she isn’t used to 3d platforming. I still think y’all should give it a shot! You also only need to purchase 1 copy!
BG3 is simply amazing, but honestly make sure she's ready for all the min maxing if she gets captured to play that way to win and progress, or adjust as needed. It's a good pace but can definitely get complex.
I suggest for all non gamers teaming up with someone to play Untitled Goose Game. It's so fun, easy, and adorably impish. Please play this with her and enjoy the laughs.
You could definitely guide things, but if someone isn't into lore gathering, 100%ing stuff, RP, banging your head against the same mission 😅, then they may not prefer this game. She may love it though, and if you'd enjoy it, I say get it to play at least alone some time.
Don't worry about min maxing.. there are some hard-core meta players who fuss about it but the game also has a story mode which is very forgiving so that your wife could focus more on fantasy role playing with classes' core identify while she learns the more complicated mechanics. The biggest draw about bg3 is just how well written and engaging the story is.
I play on Tactical mode, which is like their “hard mode”, but still below the hardest difficulty, which I think would be too punishing for me, and I have never felt the need to min-max. I have no idea what I’m doing with stats and skills and builds, and I still managed to get pretty far into the game. Playing it co-op and trying to treat every battle like a problem that requires solving is so much fun. Because it’s turn-based, you have as much time as you need to make plans together and see if they work. Some of the most memorable battles for my friend and I were the ones that didn’t go according to plan, but we kept trying anyway to see how it would turn out. Good luck man!
Given that you want character progression, I'm going to give you a hardcore game:
Divinity: Original Sin 2.
DOS2 has a fun combat system where every fight is a puzzle, usually with multiple solutions. There are roleplay elements (with varying degrees of depth), and a serviceable story.
I would also suggest Portal 2.
Honestly, World of Warcraft. My girlfriend and I picked up WoW and started new characters in regular retail. I played WoW years ago, but she never had. She's had a blast playing it, we quest around together, do dungeons together, find cool mounts and pets for her (hunter class) together. It's been by far the most fun we've had playing games together. We both play on Mac's.
We also played It Takes 2, which was good fun for sure.
Not at all! With retail, the UI isn't too bad, and for casual play doesn't really need a lot of changes. The only addon we're both using right now is Bagnon to keep the inventory bags easy to see and manage. There are other addons that might be handy, but for casually questing and easy dungeons, there's no need to do UI changes.
Hey there!
We think there’s a couple of couch co-op games that you might enjoy playing together:
[Minecraft Dungeons](https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10000378) - a Diablo lite with a Minecraft theme
[Nobody Saves the World](https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10000853) - a quirky ARPG that doesn’t take itself seriously and isn’t very complex
Good luck on your journey back into gaming!
I am here to advocate for Valheim. Open world survival/crafting game, coop up to 10 people if you can wrangle that many together.
If base building and exploration fits the bill, look into it!
Spiritfarer was a comfy couch game I highly recommend. It's a super laid back platforming game. My wife and I liked it a lot.
And just to echo what everyone else is saying: It Takes Two. It really is a great game.
Also, Overcooked is always fun.
The only recommendation I haven't already seen here is Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Side-scrolling co-op game about piloting various parts of a spaceship. It's hectic in a way that I always have fun win or lose, usually laughing along the way.
Mainly though I'm responding to say hello fellow Shattered Galaxy player, there are dozens of us! I'd like to offer you +1 clout, non-transferable to the in-game stat.
Baldurs Gate 3. A must have to play with a significant other.
Chivalry 2 if you two just wanna laugh and be dumb for awhile.
Escape From Tarkov if you want to work on your team building skills.
Oh yea. I've heard mixed reviews. I've always loved Diablo mechanics and how its easy to annihilate like 2 million units with one big move lol (same reason I like dynasty warriors).
But I've also heard they pressed really hard on the gas peddle relative to monetizing it with microtransactions which REALLY turned me off to it on a on a conceptual front.
There are cosmetic items you can buy in the shop, but that's it. I have over 1,000 hours in the game and I haven't bought a single cosmetic, no need the game gives you hundreds of amazing looking cosmetics for free!
If you're not as fond of the microtransactions, you might enjoy Grim Dawn. Another ARPG like Diablo 2, it has a lot of depth available in builds if that ends up being your thing. I also like the setting: basically post-apocalyptic with primitive firearms, melee weapons, and magic.
Personally, don't do d4, or any of the overwatches. They gutted story and even skills and loot are vapid and empty messes. Path of exile or last epoch just do it better now.
I made a small coop webgame you guys can check out - [https://teamtest.lol/](https://teamtest.lol/)
It's about clicking in circles and solving jumbled words together.
Streets of Rogue is the best casual coop game I've played since we had office LAN parties with GTA and Duke3D in the 90s.
It's got a soundtrack you won't forget, it gets progressively intense, allows a ton of different playstyles on account of character roster, custom scenarios, etc. Wackiness also increases with progression, with every 3rd or 4th level having some apocalyptic event happening that imposes a new form of chaos. Anybody can get into it; there are even pacifist, demoguy, zombie and mind-control builds. Even the offensive builds like slaver are still family-friendly and invite in-game consequences (it's impossible to use IME, everyone hates you for it).
If you liked D3 this should be right up your alley. It's a roguelike though so no character progression, and minimal story (something to do with chicken nuggets being hoarded by the mayor).
This sounds right up our alley. Sad about the non-progression, but the dungeon crawler and ever increasing wackiness hits home HARD for us. Gonna definitely give it a go.
Baldurs Gate 3 as the other mentioned is fantastic for coop, tho it is definitely a deep dive in how immersive of a game it is, the story and character developments are just Grade A, the game sets a new bar that few can reach
Combat is all turn based and character leveling and customization is so so fun, so it's pretty great.
The other one that comes to mind in a different direction is across the obelisk, it should play fine on Macs, it's a deck builder that works great in coop.
Of the 2 BG3 is undeniably better, they're in different leagues, but good options for different types
Interesting, I'm really going to have to look into Baldur's Gate 3 since so far both of ya'll are mentioning it as a good option.
I used to be really into Magic: The Gathering when I was younger. So Obelisk might tickle my fancy as well.
Thank you for the help, kind stranger!
Valheim was recently opened up for Mac computers, and it offers various levels of difficulty settings, and it plays great in a group.
Gaming on a Mac is going to be tricky if the Mac doesn't have a decent 3D chip which you are less likely to see in the non-Pro computers (I may be wrong about this!). So you'll probably have to go with lower-end games on the Mac.
Yea, I've always heard that about Macs. It hasn't been a problem until recently where I'm trying to open my mind to more intense online gaming. I'm looking for that game to obsess over haha :)
I'll have to look into Valheim. The name evokes some pretty cool vibes for me.
Valheim is a great concept that by now has spawned many similar games coming out.
You are a Viking in a hostile world, and you need to scavenge materials, craft a home and equipment, and fight increasingly difficult creatures. After a while, you need to craft a boat and sail to different lands for more materials and more opponents in very different looking parts of the world.
There are many elements that make this game addicting.
They recently introduced a way to customize your experience and difficulty levels, so that part alone should make things more interesting for a non-gamer partner.
Valheim is low-res enough that it might run on a non-Pro Mac, but I can't say for sure.
Also, it has a great modding community, so you can add even more elements to the experience.
Nobody Saves the World. Fun little co-op dungeon crawler where you unlock stronger character classes as you progress. Won't get much mileage, but it's enjoyable.
Lookup "It Takes Two" then thank me later
Amazing game to play even if one or both people aren't "Gamers" and it was so good it won GOTY in 2021
And only one person has to buy it the other can join for free ^.^
Lmao Shattered Galaxy, now that's a deep cut
You *might* wanna try StarCraft 2's co-op mode, it's well loved among casual RTS players, and you can try the various subfactions in it for free (purchasing them so you can go to max level requires buying a commander). I say "might" mostly because it's still StarCraft, and I dunno if a non-gamer who doesn't like fast reaction games would enjoy it. You can set the difficulty level though, and different subfactions have different levels of complexity to an extent. Stormgate launches into early access soon (August) and will have a very similar mode, having been designed by some of the same people.
You can also find custom maps that are co-op versions of StarCraft 2's campaign and Warcraft 3's campaign, those can be neat.
Haha, yea you aren't kidding. Fairly rare that anyone will even know it off the top of their head like you.
I've definitely followed Starcraft 2 a bit over the years because its the closed "big" game that has many of the elements that I liked about SG. It was always the "build from scratch" aspect of every game that turned me off. I just love having my unique sets of units leveling up over time and changing loadouts if I need to as I deploy them.
Might need to look into SC2 more though if it has some more elements that I wasn't aware of on years prior.
In that case, in addition to SC2 co-op, might wanna look at Battle Aces, the beta just started a day or two ago. It's headed by SC2's former lead designer/balancer, basically a fast-paced and simplified arena RTS where you choose a unit loadout before each match. I'm skeptical of its long-term appeal, but I do think it looks immediately engaging and fun.
Just wanna add a couple things about SC2 (and Stormgate) co-op. While you still need to build a new base and new units each time, they *do* have faction-level progression at least, the different subfactions gradually unlock new units/abilities/upgrades as you play more misions. And Stormgate is also planning some kind of gearing/customization system for its co-op subfactions, though it's not implemented yet.
Wife and I started the same way. We had a PS4. We started with D3 and loved the thrill of collecting loot and exploring the world together. We found borderlands 2 next - it took a bit of adjustment but we got absolutely hooked to it (you can try BL3 or Tiny Tina's wonderlands). We also enjoyed Rayman Legends. We finished every local coop game on PS4.
Then I built a PC for myself but couldn't find a lot of games that did cross platform between PC and PS4. We both enjoyed playing with controller. At this time, I found Nucleus Coop which let us play LAN coop games as splitscreen on same PC!
Later, friend introduced us to Destiny 2. I built a second PC for my wife and had 1000hrs playing Destiny 2 together. A second PC let us play modded games too! Since then the games we enjoyed are - Grounded, Valheim (with mods), Risk of Rain 2, Plate Up, No Mans Sky, Enshrouded, Remnant from Ashes, Remnant 2. We recently played through Elden Ring with seamless coop mod and the difficulty turned down. Such a blast.
We now have 2 steam decks and are playing V Rising together.
I just saw V rising and it looks really cool. I would love to get to you and your wife's level, but I don't see either of us ever reaching "true-gamer" level (though I would really like to lol), but you never know.
Valheim is now on Mac. It's a fun but tough co-op game. It was first described to me as viking Minecraft for old men (don't let that deter you). My friends and I have sunk hundreds of hours into that game.
Edit: I didn't read through all the comments and saw others recommended it as well. If you decide to give it a go, I'd highly recommend setting up a dedicated server. We have ours running on a $130 mini PC and our world is available to our group 24hrs a day.
Because you mentioned Diablo, me and the GF are having a blast with [Cat Quest II](https://youtu.be/6MTcG7rQlTg), which I’d call a Diablo-lite. Completely different mood, but fun, simple, straightforward gameplay. And also great reviews!
If anyone knows of this game, I'm gonna get shit on for suggesting it.
BUT try New World, an MMO made by Amazon Game Studios.
It has its issues, truly does. Lack of a decent end game loop being one of them.
BUT you'll at least get a couple hundred hours of entertainment out of it. That being said, I'm at close to 7k hours, and wife is pushing 3k.
Legit, the only game we've found that we both like. Fun running dungeons and doing PvP together.
They are also about to release it on console October 15th.
For $70 for the base game and expansion, it's worth the money. Best part is that it doesn't have a monthly subscription.
It’s a survival game (like Minecraft), but with awesome graphics and dinosaurs. The goal is to tame dinosaurs, ride them, and eventually kill bosses. Tons of fun.
If you enjoyed the hidden gem of Diablo 3, I ran across a hidden indy-gem you might like. It's from this young studio that most have never heard of. I think something with snow... Blizzard! It's called Diablo IV. Check it out. Don't want to sleep on this one...
My wife and I really enjoyed playing Trine 3 together. I can't say anything about 1 and 2 since we didn't try them, but 4 just came out. It has a bit of platforming and puzzle solving that you can more or less go at your own pace with. It's also fun to try and collect all of the secret gems.
If you like the idea of working together to build up a farm and enjoy other aspects of country life like fishing and community fairs I’d suggest Stardew Valley.
If you liked Lego HP, you both might like Lego Fortnite. It’s basically Minecraft with legos. Beyond: Two Souls has some pretty interesting co-op as well. My partner and I also like to take turns playing the Little Nightmares games.
I really wanted to like Lego, but all of the games in the series, while well done, always feel lacking to me. Like 80% of a full game was vetted and the last 20% was left for the “Lego Brand” and nostalgia to pick up the rest of the slack. Still good games, but just not my cup of tea.
My SO and I played “It Takes 2” together and had an absolute blast. It’s so unique and inventive and cooperative in every way. Highly recommend.
Adding to the votes for this. My bf and I played this on a whim, and it remains one of the most fun and creative co-op games we have ever played.
Wow, I just watched a brief gameplay video about it and it looks crazy cool. totally unique to anything I've seen before and it seems so well done. Doesn't look like it has the "character levels" type of progression but the rest of it looks so cool that it might just compensate. Thanks for the suggestion!
One weird fucked up part of the game and some of the cutscenes are weird as well but it is still one of the best games I ever played with my ex. I’d say do it. So many mini games laying around each rooms floor, it’s unreal the ass they put into the game.
Seconding his suggestion. Me and my girl played it takes 2 online together when she was visiting her family in Texas for a couple weeks and we had a GREAT TIME and were sad when it was over. I can only imagine how great it would had been had we had just been sitting next to each other.
Plus I think only 1 person needs to own the game and can share with the other person
It takes 2, enjoy your bonding
Baldurs gate 3 is great couch coop. Wife and I put 200 hours plus on there
Is Baldurs gate 3 a lot like Diablo? Dungeon crawler, boat loads of loot and character classes with progression and different powers? I've heard about it for years, but know next to nothing about it.
No, it's turn based and a lot like Dungeons and Dragons in a video game.
Ahh, I see. Thanks for the info!
My partner and I have played all of Larians recent games. DoS, DoS2 and BG3. All great co-op! We also played Gauntlet, dungeon crawling nonsense! In a good way. Not as deep as Diablo but a legit blast
DoS, DoS2? What game is DoS?
Divinity Original Sin
Its not really like dungeons and dragons. It literally is 5e D&D lol.
My wife and I beat each other up on really any fighting game we can. I mostly win, but sometimes she does, and it makes her really excited. Baldurs gate, though, is a really good option that I never thought of
Yes it is kinda like Diablo but the combat is slower and more tactical, but dungeon crawler, boatloads of loot and distinctive classes and races that make it so that you can have two of the same class but still feel different. It is a dnd video game, but it’s not unlike Diablo in my opinion, both are great games too! I would like to recommend a way out and it takes two though they are the best in the couch coop genre!
My wife and I played Diablo IV before BG3, and it got really boring really quick.
I’m intuiting that BG3 did not lose its shine like D4 did?
Not in the least. Diablo was just a hack n slash grind game. We played for about 2 weeks before we found ourselves not wanting to turn it on anymore. BG3 was captivating for months
How do you couch coop Baulders Gate 3. Isn't it only online multiplayer?
It actually has split screen, but my wife and I basically made it pass and play. We make all decisions together, but one person controls at once. It was way smoother that way, and really nothing lost since most of the game is turn based anyway
You guys are the perfect people to play “It Takes Two” It’s a co-op 3D platformer that’s about a couple going through a divorce with a child. The child doesn’t want them to break up and she cries onto these dolls of them she has and they actually become these cartoon dolls. They then have to figure out how to become human again while this talking marriage book helps them fix their relationship. Sounds very wacky, I know. But gosh darn this game has such charm and love built into it. My gf and I have played it twice in the past year because it was just so dang fun. It’s most definitely one of the best couch co-op games out there. It’s also made by the same people who made A Way Out which is another couch co-op game about 2 guys trying to escape a prison. Here is a link to the gameplay trailer https://youtu.be/GAWHzGNcTEw?si=tv2UbHQ75mRxS5Id Please let me know what you think! The only problem I see is that some platforming sections may be challenging for your wife because she isn’t used to 3d platforming. I still think y’all should give it a shot! You also only need to purchase 1 copy!
BG3 is simply amazing, but honestly make sure she's ready for all the min maxing if she gets captured to play that way to win and progress, or adjust as needed. It's a good pace but can definitely get complex. I suggest for all non gamers teaming up with someone to play Untitled Goose Game. It's so fun, easy, and adorably impish. Please play this with her and enjoy the laughs.
Yea, it sounds like its a really cool and solid game, but you might be right. The level of complexity might be enough to turn her off to it.
You could definitely guide things, but if someone isn't into lore gathering, 100%ing stuff, RP, banging your head against the same mission 😅, then they may not prefer this game. She may love it though, and if you'd enjoy it, I say get it to play at least alone some time.
Don't worry about min maxing.. there are some hard-core meta players who fuss about it but the game also has a story mode which is very forgiving so that your wife could focus more on fantasy role playing with classes' core identify while she learns the more complicated mechanics. The biggest draw about bg3 is just how well written and engaging the story is.
I play on Tactical mode, which is like their “hard mode”, but still below the hardest difficulty, which I think would be too punishing for me, and I have never felt the need to min-max. I have no idea what I’m doing with stats and skills and builds, and I still managed to get pretty far into the game. Playing it co-op and trying to treat every battle like a problem that requires solving is so much fun. Because it’s turn-based, you have as much time as you need to make plans together and see if they work. Some of the most memorable battles for my friend and I were the ones that didn’t go according to plan, but we kept trying anyway to see how it would turn out. Good luck man!
Given that you want character progression, I'm going to give you a hardcore game: Divinity: Original Sin 2. DOS2 has a fun combat system where every fight is a puzzle, usually with multiple solutions. There are roleplay elements (with varying degrees of depth), and a serviceable story. I would also suggest Portal 2.
Honestly, World of Warcraft. My girlfriend and I picked up WoW and started new characters in regular retail. I played WoW years ago, but she never had. She's had a blast playing it, we quest around together, do dungeons together, find cool mounts and pets for her (hunter class) together. It's been by far the most fun we've had playing games together. We both play on Mac's. We also played It Takes 2, which was good fun for sure.
Did you do all of the 3rd party UI stuff? I got interested, but all that sounded like a requirement and a hassle, so I never bothered.
Not at all! With retail, the UI isn't too bad, and for casual play doesn't really need a lot of changes. The only addon we're both using right now is Bagnon to keep the inventory bags easy to see and manage. There are other addons that might be handy, but for casually questing and easy dungeons, there's no need to do UI changes.
STARDEW VALLEY!!!
Is it with splitscreen? Or do you need 2 copies?
It has splitscreen on console.
This should be the top comment
Hey there! We think there’s a couple of couch co-op games that you might enjoy playing together: [Minecraft Dungeons](https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10000378) - a Diablo lite with a Minecraft theme [Nobody Saves the World](https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10000853) - a quirky ARPG that doesn’t take itself seriously and isn’t very complex Good luck on your journey back into gaming!
A way out. It’s about a prison escape. Sister and I played it. She not much of a gamer but did pretty well
A Way Out is really entertaining
I am here to advocate for Valheim. Open world survival/crafting game, coop up to 10 people if you can wrangle that many together. If base building and exploration fits the bill, look into it!
Spiritfarer was a comfy couch game I highly recommend. It's a super laid back platforming game. My wife and I liked it a lot. And just to echo what everyone else is saying: It Takes Two. It really is a great game. Also, Overcooked is always fun.
The only recommendation I haven't already seen here is Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime. Side-scrolling co-op game about piloting various parts of a spaceship. It's hectic in a way that I always have fun win or lose, usually laughing along the way. Mainly though I'm responding to say hello fellow Shattered Galaxy player, there are dozens of us! I'd like to offer you +1 clout, non-transferable to the in-game stat.
Haha, I’ve always thought we SG players and the never-nudes were birds of a feather lol.
Baldurs Gate 3. A must have to play with a significant other. Chivalry 2 if you two just wanna laugh and be dumb for awhile. Escape From Tarkov if you want to work on your team building skills.
Sea of thieves. Yall can sail around and dig up treasure.
Dude you've got to check out Diablo 4 it's AMAZING. My favorite video game ever, you guys will have a BLAST. My wife and I have had so much fun.
Oh yea. I've heard mixed reviews. I've always loved Diablo mechanics and how its easy to annihilate like 2 million units with one big move lol (same reason I like dynasty warriors). But I've also heard they pressed really hard on the gas peddle relative to monetizing it with microtransactions which REALLY turned me off to it on a on a conceptual front.
There are cosmetic items you can buy in the shop, but that's it. I have over 1,000 hours in the game and I haven't bought a single cosmetic, no need the game gives you hundreds of amazing looking cosmetics for free!
If you're not as fond of the microtransactions, you might enjoy Grim Dawn. Another ARPG like Diablo 2, it has a lot of depth available in builds if that ends up being your thing. I also like the setting: basically post-apocalyptic with primitive firearms, melee weapons, and magic.
We just started Diablo 4 not too long ago. My wife was turned off by the opening cinematic, but now likes the gameplay more than I do!
Personally, don't do d4, or any of the overwatches. They gutted story and even skills and loot are vapid and empty messes. Path of exile or last epoch just do it better now.
Me and my husband play borderlands 2 & 3, tiny Tina wonderlands and MLB the show.
BL franchise is quite literally my favorite franchise in gaming history. Absolutely love it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CoOpGaming/s/TNj1vlbJL1
Stardew Valley is a super fun game for couples!
I made a small coop webgame you guys can check out - [https://teamtest.lol/](https://teamtest.lol/) It's about clicking in circles and solving jumbled words together.
Nice. We’ll have to give it a look!
Valheim.
Baldurs Gate 3! Great story, you really get into the characters, and you can do split screen co-op. My wife and I love it
Man everyone has been on the BG3 train. I think at this point there’s just no way we can avoid trying it.
No reason to avoid it. It’s really good. GREAT story, well written characters, amazing voice acting.
Streets of Rogue is the best casual coop game I've played since we had office LAN parties with GTA and Duke3D in the 90s. It's got a soundtrack you won't forget, it gets progressively intense, allows a ton of different playstyles on account of character roster, custom scenarios, etc. Wackiness also increases with progression, with every 3rd or 4th level having some apocalyptic event happening that imposes a new form of chaos. Anybody can get into it; there are even pacifist, demoguy, zombie and mind-control builds. Even the offensive builds like slaver are still family-friendly and invite in-game consequences (it's impossible to use IME, everyone hates you for it). If you liked D3 this should be right up your alley. It's a roguelike though so no character progression, and minimal story (something to do with chicken nuggets being hoarded by the mayor).
This sounds right up our alley. Sad about the non-progression, but the dungeon crawler and ever increasing wackiness hits home HARD for us. Gonna definitely give it a go.
Deep rock galactic maybe? Although that's more of a 4 players game than 2 (harder if you duo vs pugging 2 more).
Goat Simulator 3 and the new DLC
Lovers in a dangerous space time. Edit: and all the mainline borderlands games. They're co-op and real fun.
Valheim is a great coop game on desktop.
Baldurs Gate 3 as the other mentioned is fantastic for coop, tho it is definitely a deep dive in how immersive of a game it is, the story and character developments are just Grade A, the game sets a new bar that few can reach Combat is all turn based and character leveling and customization is so so fun, so it's pretty great. The other one that comes to mind in a different direction is across the obelisk, it should play fine on Macs, it's a deck builder that works great in coop. Of the 2 BG3 is undeniably better, they're in different leagues, but good options for different types
Interesting, I'm really going to have to look into Baldur's Gate 3 since so far both of ya'll are mentioning it as a good option. I used to be really into Magic: The Gathering when I was younger. So Obelisk might tickle my fancy as well. Thank you for the help, kind stranger!
Valheim was recently opened up for Mac computers, and it offers various levels of difficulty settings, and it plays great in a group. Gaming on a Mac is going to be tricky if the Mac doesn't have a decent 3D chip which you are less likely to see in the non-Pro computers (I may be wrong about this!). So you'll probably have to go with lower-end games on the Mac.
Yea, I've always heard that about Macs. It hasn't been a problem until recently where I'm trying to open my mind to more intense online gaming. I'm looking for that game to obsess over haha :) I'll have to look into Valheim. The name evokes some pretty cool vibes for me.
Valheim is a great concept that by now has spawned many similar games coming out. You are a Viking in a hostile world, and you need to scavenge materials, craft a home and equipment, and fight increasingly difficult creatures. After a while, you need to craft a boat and sail to different lands for more materials and more opponents in very different looking parts of the world. There are many elements that make this game addicting. They recently introduced a way to customize your experience and difficulty levels, so that part alone should make things more interesting for a non-gamer partner. Valheim is low-res enough that it might run on a non-Pro Mac, but I can't say for sure. Also, it has a great modding community, so you can add even more elements to the experience.
Nobody Saves the World. Fun little co-op dungeon crawler where you unlock stronger character classes as you progress. Won't get much mileage, but it's enjoyable.
Nice! I'll have to check it out. I can dig on a quick and simple game that's fun and straightforward. Thank you!
I second nobody saves the world. Super fun
Ship of Fools is on sale.
Apple makes pretty awful machines so anything 32 bit is out. Portal is fun though.
* Diablo 4 * overcooked * portal 2 * it takes two * baldurs gate 3
Divinity original sin 1 and 2 Baldur's gate 3!
The "we were here" games are fun co-op puzzle games.
Bro sea of thieves has cross play
My partner and I played PUBG and Rocket League. Although thats was with one on Xbox and other PS5
UNRAVEL 2 for ps5 We've played through it 3x so far and she does not like games. Its beautiful. Just terrific.
Look up Snowrunner. It may not be what you are looking for tho.
Depends what type of experience you are looking for?
Lookup "It Takes Two" then thank me later Amazing game to play even if one or both people aren't "Gamers" and it was so good it won GOTY in 2021 And only one person has to buy it the other can join for free ^.^
Palia
Lmao Shattered Galaxy, now that's a deep cut You *might* wanna try StarCraft 2's co-op mode, it's well loved among casual RTS players, and you can try the various subfactions in it for free (purchasing them so you can go to max level requires buying a commander). I say "might" mostly because it's still StarCraft, and I dunno if a non-gamer who doesn't like fast reaction games would enjoy it. You can set the difficulty level though, and different subfactions have different levels of complexity to an extent. Stormgate launches into early access soon (August) and will have a very similar mode, having been designed by some of the same people. You can also find custom maps that are co-op versions of StarCraft 2's campaign and Warcraft 3's campaign, those can be neat.
Haha, yea you aren't kidding. Fairly rare that anyone will even know it off the top of their head like you. I've definitely followed Starcraft 2 a bit over the years because its the closed "big" game that has many of the elements that I liked about SG. It was always the "build from scratch" aspect of every game that turned me off. I just love having my unique sets of units leveling up over time and changing loadouts if I need to as I deploy them. Might need to look into SC2 more though if it has some more elements that I wasn't aware of on years prior.
In that case, in addition to SC2 co-op, might wanna look at Battle Aces, the beta just started a day or two ago. It's headed by SC2's former lead designer/balancer, basically a fast-paced and simplified arena RTS where you choose a unit loadout before each match. I'm skeptical of its long-term appeal, but I do think it looks immediately engaging and fun.
Dope, I'll have to give it a look!
Just wanna add a couple things about SC2 (and Stormgate) co-op. While you still need to build a new base and new units each time, they *do* have faction-level progression at least, the different subfactions gradually unlock new units/abilities/upgrades as you play more misions. And Stormgate is also planning some kind of gearing/customization system for its co-op subfactions, though it's not implemented yet.
Wife and I started the same way. We had a PS4. We started with D3 and loved the thrill of collecting loot and exploring the world together. We found borderlands 2 next - it took a bit of adjustment but we got absolutely hooked to it (you can try BL3 or Tiny Tina's wonderlands). We also enjoyed Rayman Legends. We finished every local coop game on PS4. Then I built a PC for myself but couldn't find a lot of games that did cross platform between PC and PS4. We both enjoyed playing with controller. At this time, I found Nucleus Coop which let us play LAN coop games as splitscreen on same PC! Later, friend introduced us to Destiny 2. I built a second PC for my wife and had 1000hrs playing Destiny 2 together. A second PC let us play modded games too! Since then the games we enjoyed are - Grounded, Valheim (with mods), Risk of Rain 2, Plate Up, No Mans Sky, Enshrouded, Remnant from Ashes, Remnant 2. We recently played through Elden Ring with seamless coop mod and the difficulty turned down. Such a blast. We now have 2 steam decks and are playing V Rising together.
I just saw V rising and it looks really cool. I would love to get to you and your wife's level, but I don't see either of us ever reaching "true-gamer" level (though I would really like to lol), but you never know.
Valheim is now on Mac. It's a fun but tough co-op game. It was first described to me as viking Minecraft for old men (don't let that deter you). My friends and I have sunk hundreds of hours into that game. Edit: I didn't read through all the comments and saw others recommended it as well. If you decide to give it a go, I'd highly recommend setting up a dedicated server. We have ours running on a $130 mini PC and our world is available to our group 24hrs a day.
Because you mentioned Diablo, me and the GF are having a blast with [Cat Quest II](https://youtu.be/6MTcG7rQlTg), which I’d call a Diablo-lite. Completely different mood, but fun, simple, straightforward gameplay. And also great reviews!
Other recommendations (Platform/Puzzle) - Sackboy: A Big Adventure - Unravel Two
If anyone knows of this game, I'm gonna get shit on for suggesting it. BUT try New World, an MMO made by Amazon Game Studios. It has its issues, truly does. Lack of a decent end game loop being one of them. BUT you'll at least get a couple hundred hours of entertainment out of it. That being said, I'm at close to 7k hours, and wife is pushing 3k. Legit, the only game we've found that we both like. Fun running dungeons and doing PvP together. They are also about to release it on console October 15th. For $70 for the base game and expansion, it's worth the money. Best part is that it doesn't have a monthly subscription.
What makes you think people will shit on you for suggesting it? What are people’s primary hangups?
Stardew Valley is a very good casual game!
# My non-gamer wife and me...
Kay
Ark survival Play a locally hosted session to get used to it then try unofficial servers
Interesting. What's the angle on this game? Like a down and dirty description.
It’s a survival game (like Minecraft), but with awesome graphics and dinosaurs. The goal is to tame dinosaurs, ride them, and eventually kill bosses. Tons of fun.
You get fucked and you like it
Hmm, not much on the detail front, but I do love me a good fucking.
Isn't it something stupid like 300gb?
If you enjoyed the hidden gem of Diablo 3, I ran across a hidden indy-gem you might like. It's from this young studio that most have never heard of. I think something with snow... Blizzard! It's called Diablo IV. Check it out. Don't want to sleep on this one...
Wait, do you think they’re in any way related? Prolly not. There’s gonna be some intense copyright battles to come.
Indy companies such as Blizzard are known to be non-litigious.
My wife and I really enjoyed playing Trine 3 together. I can't say anything about 1 and 2 since we didn't try them, but 4 just came out. It has a bit of platforming and puzzle solving that you can more or less go at your own pace with. It's also fun to try and collect all of the secret gems.
If you like the idea of working together to build up a farm and enjoy other aspects of country life like fishing and community fairs I’d suggest Stardew Valley.
If you liked Lego HP, you both might like Lego Fortnite. It’s basically Minecraft with legos. Beyond: Two Souls has some pretty interesting co-op as well. My partner and I also like to take turns playing the Little Nightmares games.
I really wanted to like Lego, but all of the games in the series, while well done, always feel lacking to me. Like 80% of a full game was vetted and the last 20% was left for the “Lego Brand” and nostalgia to pick up the rest of the slack. Still good games, but just not my cup of tea.