I’m looking for some fun PC games I can play with my wife/nephews. I’m therefore looking for PC games that support split screen with controller support. Any genre, but preferably games that can be played by someone no older than 12. Will be playing them on a ROG Ally connected to a TV with xbox controllers. Interested in any genre.
It Takes Two was an absolute blast with my wife
That game is great fun. Also their other game, A Way Out, but that could be a bit mature at points for young children.
Loved The Way Out as well as ait Takes Two.
Anyone have any idea how well the game works on a Steam Deck? Would love to play it docked to my TV but I’ve heard EA’s launcher causes some problems on the SD.
We played it on Nintendo Switch, a far weaker device, at stable 30fps (slightly worse resolution than screen size but not too bad after you get used to it). Barring weird EA stuff should work great on steam deck
Yeah I figured that would be fine, just worried about the EA stuff.
Not split screen but fun, I would recommend lovers in a dangerous spacetime. It a coop game you have to control a spaceship, collect things and survive.
I second lovers in a damgerous space time
I think Rocket League supports split screen. It’s really fun for all ages too.
Ultimate Chicken Horse is a really fun party game!
- People have mentioned it yet, but I want to second It Takes Two, such a fantastic game! Story might not not appeal to everyone, because of relationship drama and a particular scene, but younger kids tend to ignore it and gameplay is a blast anyways! (Platinum’ed it with my then 8yo son.)
- Death Squared is a great cooperative puzzle game for 1, 2 or 4 players.
- The Overcooked! games are really nice coop games, albeit more and more chaotic the further you move on.
- Moving out is similar to Overcooked, but haven’t played it myself.
- ibb & obb is such a cool lo-fi coop platformer.
- Shift Happens is another cool coop platformer, and costs almost nothing.
- Unravel 2 is another gem in coop platformers, with quite a moving story.
- Pikuniku is very cool for younger kids, and a very funny game, too!
- Minecraft Dungeons is a nice Diablo clone, but not that dark and suitable for younger players.
- You can’t go wrong with Tetris. I personally like the Puyo Puyo Tetris variants and Tetris Effect.
Screencheat if you want a game to “pick up and play”. It’s a shooter with different modes where everyone is invisible and you must look at the other players split screen to deduce where they are and shoot them. It’s really fun to play!
That sounds like it would drive my wife crazy 🤣
Ultimate Chicken Horse needs to be on this list. It’s a competitive platformer where before each round, everyone adds a piece to the level. You need to make it hard enough that someone doesn’t finish, but easy enough that you finish. If everyone finishes, no one gets points.
Very fun, possibly my favorite couch game.
Seconded, I love UCH so much. One of my favorite multiplayer games, I’ve never had anything but a great time with it.
Party Animals “should” be finally coming out this September. Buddies and I had a blast when it was in open beta. Similar idea to Gang Beasts.
Another fun one is Human Fall Flat which has some quirky controls.
Towerfall, ultimate chicken horse, gangbeasts, stick fight, overcooked are some of my personal favorites. All easy couch coop or competition 2-4 player games. Also keep talking and nobody explodes is a figurative blast, but I don’t know how well a 12 year old would do with the communication needed there… might be able to handle it.
The new Lego Star Wars is really really good and has fantastic drop in/drop out multiplayer. Also a fan of TMNT Shredder’s Revenge for co-op
Same-screen, but: PlateUp!
Double dragon and battle toads are pretty fun
Any of the Lego games are pretty awesome for local co-op.
I’d also recommend Castle Crashers, it’s a hack and slash / beat 'em up style game that supports up to 4 players locally.
Quick List of worthwhile games in my library that seem child appropriate and have the local multiplayer tag
- n++
- Splunkey
- Towerfall *
- Rayman Origins
- Battleblock Theater
- Monaco
- What The Golf
- Jamestown
- nidhogg
- Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
- The Trine Series
- Untitled Goose Game
- Tojam and Earl Back in the Groove **
*Haven’t played Towerfall before, but it had a lot of buzz going on about it when it came out.
**Not sure if Toejam and Earl is actually good, too much nostalgia clouding my judgment.
It takes two and a way out are both great