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Couch co-op and split-screen tend to be associated with consoles as the terms conjure images of friends playing Mario Party and Crash Team Racing on a TV, but PC owners have plenty of options as well. Nowadays, most major multiplayer releases make their way to Steam, and they typically offer online support to simplify the process of finding partners. LAN parties have generally transitioned to online connections, a decision that permits users to either play with friends or strangers.
Online is the standard in modern gaming, but that does not mean local co-op has gone extinct. In fact, some of the best co-op games on Steam let players share a screen. Even though PC gaming is not synonymous with local co-op or especially split-screen, there are plenty of games that demonstrate the potential of these multiplayer experiences.
Updated February 9, 2025 by Mark Sammut: 2025 is starting to pick up momentum, but the best is yet to come. Consequently, a section dedicated to upcoming local co-op Steam games has been added.
1 Path Of Exile 2
An Early Look At A Future (And Current) Great

- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Developer(s)
- Grinding Gear Games
- Early Access Release
- December 6, 2024
- 2-Player Local Co-Op
2013's Path of Exile is almost too good. The free-to-play action RPG delivered roughly a decade's worth of brilliance, firmly establishing itself as one of the definitive dungeon crawlers. Even nowadays, it is still a pretty easy recommendation. However, for all its positives, PoE only supports online co-op, which makes sense for a game that was initially designed with computers in mind. Along with still offering 6-player online co-op, the 2024 sequel adds local multiplayer to the equation, albeit limited to just two people sharing a screen. Controllers are also required on PC.

Path Of Exile 2: 7 Biggest Improvements Over The First Game
Path of Exile 2 has introduced a slew of much-needed improvements over its celebrated predecessor.
Now, Path of Exile 2 is currently in early access and very much a work-in-progress; consequently, anybody looking to jump on board should be prepared for missing features, a few rough edges, and tweaks/updates that could drastically change the viability of certain builds. Crucially, the early access version is not free, although the full release will go down that route. As such, people who are not sure if this project is for them might wish to wait until version 1.0 drops, which will probably not happen very soon.
With that out of the way, it is now time to say that Path of Exile 2 is fantastic. Improving on nearly every idea found in its predecessor, the sequel is bigger and better, offering more satisfying combat, customization options that come with ridiculous variety, and a pretty good story (from what is currently available). The endgame is also shaping up to be pretty great. In terms of local co-op, PoE2 is quite a natural fight for the feature, and the classes and their build options encourage parties to put together characters that complement each other.
2 Baldur's Gate 3
An Ambitious & Lengthy RPG For Tabletop Fans

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- Top Critic Rating: 96/100 Critics Recommend: 98%
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- 2 Player Local Co-Op
- Splitscreen
After achieving near-perfection with Divinity: Original Sin 2, which is also a great co-op PC RPG, Larian Studios did the impossible and produced something arguably even better. After spending almost three years in early access, Baldur's Gate 3 finally made its proper debut in August 2023, and to say the game was well-received would be an understatement. Hailed as a new benchmark in the CRPG genre, the long-awaited sequel is a deep and rewarding single-player experience that can easily keep somebody entertained for months on end. A big part of the game's appeal is its flexible and reactive design that seeks to morph the world to complement a player's choices.
While a fantastic solo experience, Baldur's Gate 3's local co-op feature is also not an afterthought. Players can join someone's else campaign, or start a new one where they play together from the beginning. Thanks to the use of split-screen, adventurers are not tied to each other, and one party member can head out to explore on their own while their partner does something else. Even though they will likely stick together during most sessions, Baldur's Gate 3 makes it possible for both players to feel in control.