It Takes Two and Split Fiction are the first games to try after A Way Out. Both build the adventure around two players working together. Choose It Takes Two for a story about a couple and a playful miniature world, or Split Fiction for science-fiction and fantasy set pieces.
If the prison escape mattered more than the cinematic campaign, We Were Here makes communication the obstacle: you and your partner see different clues and have to explain them to each other. It is an online puzzle escape, so expect less action and a smaller story.
Story and changing co-op roles
Action and fantasy spectacle
Online communication puzzles
All three support two-player co-op. The setting and the way you cooperate differ.
Pick for the way you will play together
| Game | Co-op on Steam | Choose it for | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| It Takes Two | Shared/split screen or online | A full story campaign with changing partner roles | Whimsical platforming rather than crime drama |
| Split Fiction | Shared/split screen or online | Action, genre changes and coordinated set pieces | Fantasy and science fiction rather than a grounded escape |
| We Were Here | Online | Describing clues and solving an escape together | Separate screens; much less cinematic action |
For online play, check the linked Steam page for each game's current account, invitation and hardware requirements before arranging the session.
A Way Out's closest matches that support co-op
Match strength key:80+65+50+<5090 of the 100 closest matches to A Way Out support co-op.
It Takes TwoShares Online Co-Op · Split Screen · Local Co-Op , adds Local Multiplayer95% · 270k positive reviews$39.9967%Strong match
Stuck TogetherShares Online Co-Op · Local Co-Op · Action-Adventure , adds Difficult89% · 211 positive reviews$11.9964%Good match
Split FictionShares Online Co-Op · Split Screen · Local Co-Op , adds Female Protagonist97% · 127k positive reviews$49.9965%Strong match
We Were Here ForeverShares Online Co-op · Action-Adventure · Co-op , adds Puzzle91% · 15k positive reviews−10%$16.1967%Strong match
The Escape: TogetherShares Co-op · Emotional · Online Co-op , adds Exploration80% · 2k positive reviews$3.9968%Strong match
Unravel TwoShares Online Co-Op · Split Screen · Local Co-Op , adds Cute78% · 9k positive reviews$19.9961%Good match
Backrooms: Escape TogetherShares Online Co-op · Action-Adventure · Co-op , adds Psychological Horror90% · 14k positive reviews−31%$6.8965%Strong match
CUFFBUSTShares Online Co-op · Action-Adventure · Co-op , adds Funny53% · 557 positive reviews$9.9965%Strong match
Median match strength inside this slice is 60%, against 60% across all 100 matches. The strongest overall matches all support co-op, so the filter costs nothing here.
It Takes Two: start here for a complete co-op journey
It Takes Two
Recommendation
- Best for
- Two players who want the campaign to depend on both of them.
- Why it fits
- Partner abilities and changing environments give each player a job. The relationship story supplies a reason to keep going between the puzzles and platforming.
- Skip if
- You want realistic characters, firearms or a crime thriller.
This is the closest recommendation for A Way Out's shared campaign structure. The mood is very different, so choose it for the partnership rather than the setting. If you have already played it, the sections below cover what to reach for next.
Split Fiction: choose it for set-piece variety
Split Fiction
Recommendation
- Best for
- A pair that enjoys learning new co-op mechanics throughout a campaign.
- Why it fits
- The adventure moves between science-fiction and fantasy worlds, making the next shared challenge part of the attraction.
- Skip if
- You want grounded prison-break tension or a game you can play alone.
Pick this over a conventional shooter campaign if your favorite A Way Out moments were the ones where each player had a different task.
We Were Here: choose it for the escape
We Were Here
Recommendation
- Best for
- Two online players who like describing what they see and piecing clues together.
- Why it fits
- Separating the players turns conversation into the main puzzle-solving tool. You need your partner's information to make progress.
- Skip if
- You need couch co-op, a long cinematic campaign or frequent action scenes.
It is the narrower pick: an escape through cooperation, with less of A Way Out's drama and spectacle. It belongs on this list because the other person is essential to the problem.
If you have played both of the obvious ones
It Takes Two and Split Fiction are the two everyone names, and once they are gone the question changes. It stops being "what is the next big co-op adventure" and becomes "what kind of cooperating do we actually enjoy". These five answer different versions of that.
Separated screens: We Were Here Together
We Were Here Together
Recommendation
- Best for
- Two players who like explaining clues under pressure.
- Why it fits
- You are often separated, seeing different information, and solving the same puzzle through voice. It makes communication the game instead of a side handy skill.
- Skip if
- One of you hates being stuck because the other person described a symbol badly.
The fuller campaign in the series. Start with the free We Were Here if you want to find out whether describing things to each other is fun for your pair before committing.
Clean puzzle teamwork: Portal 2
Portal 2
Recommendation
- Best for
- The cleanest co-op puzzle campaign.
- Why it fits
- Its co-op rooms are built so one player setting up the solution is not enough. Timing, positioning, and trust all matter.
- Skip if
- You want a long emotional campaign with constant genre changes.
The oldest pick here and still the reference point for two-player puzzle design. Cheap, short, and almost always already in one of your libraries.
Gentle local co-op: Unravel Two
Unravel Two
Recommendation
- Best for
- Gentle local co-op platforming.
- Why it fits
- The tethered characters keep both players physically connected, so helping, pulling, swinging, and recovering from mistakes are built into the rhythm.
- Skip if
- You want lots of dialogue, big set pieces, or complex puzzle communication.
The right answer when one of the two players is less confident with a controller. The tether does a lot of the forgiving for you.
Chaos and fast resets: Overcooked
Overcooked
Recommendation
- Best for
- Pairs who want communication pressure, role switching, mistakes, and quick restarts.
- Why it fits
- It turns cooperation into a visible workflow: chop, cook, deliver, clean up the mess, then argue about who ignored the onions.
- Skip if
- You want story, exploration, character arcs, or a calm puzzle pace.
Pick this for an evening rather than a campaign. It is the only game here you can stop after twenty minutes without losing a thread.
Couch role-juggling: Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Recommendation
- Best for
- Chaotic couch coordination.
- Why it fits
- You share one ship and keep moving between weapons, shields, engines, and map duties. It is less story-driven, but the role juggling is excellent.
- Skip if
- You specifically want a character campaign rather than arcade pressure.
Something smaller and stranger: BOKURA
BOKURA
Recommendation
- Best for
- A smaller two-player story built on different perspectives.
- Why it fits
- Each player sees the world differently, so progress depends on comparing what each screen is telling you.
- Skip if
- You want polished blockbuster pacing more than a strange, compact co-op idea.
If short task-based co-op suits you better than a story, KeyWe does the same trick with a postal office and much less commitment.
What not to reach for
A single-player game with a co-op mode bolted on will not scratch this. The games above were designed for exactly two people, which is why they keep working after the novelty of the first hour. The original Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons gets recommended constantly here and should not be: it is one player on two sticks, not co-op at all.
Why the original Brothers is not a co-op replacement
The original Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons asks one player to control both brothers. Its paired protagonists do not make that Steam release a two-player campaign. Likewise, a single-player game with a cinematic story will not fill an evening you planned for two people.
Start with It Takes Two if you want a story to finish together. Open more games similar to A Way Out when you want to explore beyond these three.
Sources and last check
Last checked: September 5, 2026. Game features and play modes were checked against the official Steam listings: It Takes Two, Split Fiction, We Were Here, Brothers - A Tale of Two Sons. Recommendations reflect the play styles described above. Check the store for current requirements before buying.
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