When it comes to playing together, there is nothing better than these five peaceful indie couch co-op games to keep you and a few friends entertained.
When it comes to indie local/couch co-op play, there are a bunch of different games for you to choose from. However the majority of those seem to revolve around violence. There’s so many games about either beating each other up or joining a team to beat others up. Sometimes, I just want to spend some time hanging out with my friends instead of trying to knock someone off of a map!
Local couch co-op games often have a bunch of different environments, puzzles, worlds, and places that are not taken on alone, but instead, are challenged with your friends. I really enjoy spending time with my partner in the evenings, playing video games where we both work towards a common goal. Being able to do so just brings people so much closer together. I love finding new couch co-ops to play, and can’t wait to share this list of peaceful indie couch co-ops with you.
Let’s Cook Together is an indie couch co-op that relies on people talking to each other and working together to fulfill orders! It’s like a calmer version of Overcooked, but with even more focus on teamwork. The kitchen, you see, is divided into two halves. Often, one half has some ingredients while the other has different ingredients. There might be a blender you need on the other side and a stove only on your side. This means you will be passing things back and forth as you take on aspects of an order. Passing items might seem simple, however, if your partner is holding an item when they are passed an item, it will explode in their face and you will have to start again. In Let’s Cook Together, you also play as giant vegetables who are on a TV show, so it’s an interesting game all around.
Moonglow Bay
Moonglow Bay is a charming indie slice of life game where you are looking to bring an old fishing town back to its former glory. This game can be played in single player form, but you can also add another player to enjoy the experience with you, playing as your adult child! Both of you can then fish together, explore the world, cook, and try to bring this town back to its former glory. Moonglow Bay is a peaceful game where you can spend your evenings traveling around on your boat or talking to the other people of the town to learn about different fish. And it’s an even better adventure if you have your friend with you to guide you along the way.
Tools Up!
Tools Up! is a peaceful indie couch co-op where you are looking to redecorate various houses before a timer runs out! Decorating these homes is not something that can be done alone, but up to three other players can help you get things in order. There is a blueprint inside each level that tells you where plants need to be put, what color flooring needs to be put in, or where walls would need to be erected. Tools Up! is a bit more intense and chaotic then the previous games in this list, but it’s a really fun and challenging one to get through together. There are a lot of different mechanics that the game slowly introduces as well, keeping you on your toes.
Overcooked 2
As I had previously mentioned Overcooked, I couldn’t help but include Overcooked 2 in this list of peaceful indie couch co-ops (Editors note: we have a couple of fans of the game here on the site). There isn’t any fighting in Overcooked 2, but sometimes it can become a bit intense in the kitchen! This is a cooking game where you and your friends share one big kitchen, looking to work together to create dishes and bring them up to the customer before the timer on the tickets runs out. There are lots of different environments for each level, from cooking on icebergs to kitchens where the items physically move around, providing more challenge for you as you try to fulfill orders and learn new recipes. Overcooked 2 is always a fun time, no matter who you are playing with!
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a peaceful farming simulator where you and your friends can all work on one farm together. You will need to start the game as a single player and build a new house for each person who you want to join, but once the homes are built, it’s often really helpful to have someone else chip in with the farm chores! Everyone can split up and do their own things, coming together in the evenings to reset the days and hang out together at festivals, all while growing their farm and working together to improve the town itself. Stardew Valley can be a very long game, but it’s more fun to have someone along for the changing of seasons.
Have some beloved indie couch co-op games to add? Please let us know, as we’re always on the lookout for more peaceful games to play together!
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Moving out is sorely missing in this list
This is such a good one to add! Will keep it in mind for a future update.