Online multiplayer has become part and parcel with many video games these days, but finding something you can play on the couch with a loved one has gotten tougher. If you're looking for some cooperative fun, though, we can help. Below are 25 of the best couch co-op games we've played across the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Note that we're focusing on genuine co-op experiences, not games that have local multiplayer but aren't truly cooperative in practice. Even still, our list encompasses everything from platformers and puzzlers to RPGs and arcade shooters. You know the broad strokes of any Super Mario game by now. Within the series, though, 3D World stands out for using a largely fixed camera and levels that are more semi-3D than the totally open spaces of games like Super Mario Odyssey or Super Mario Galaxy.

Playing this game on the Nintendo Switch only underscored how rare such an experience is not just on the platform, but in the medium in general. Yoko Taro has famously said he finds games that stick to genre conventions boring, which is why his titles often mix and match formulas on the fly. In its first five minutes, the game covers twin-stick shooters, side-scrolling action and top-down shoot'em up gameplay in a virtuosic opening sequence, all while retaining the same button controls, maintaining coherence in player participation.

I'm not sure why I keep going back to Cloudpunk (PS4, Xbox, PC, Switch). The sprawling, dystopian city of Nivalis is every bit the future imagined by the cyberpunk fiction of the 1980s, a technocracy full of staggering inequality and endless skyscrapers rising into the clouds, embroidered with neon. I finished the game, in which you play a driver delivering packages in a flying car, months ago. And yet I keep returning to race aimlessly across its gleaming airborne highways and luxe high-rises, soothed by the hum of my engine. It's oddly comforting to be here in the middle of a pandemic, in a place of obscene wealth, crushing poverty and technology that does little to change either.

PS4; Vanillaware/Atlus You'd think a game with 13 protagonists would be a bloated mess, but this is anything but. With a complex, superbly rewarding storyline to piece together and mind-blowing, time-bending revelations around every corner, this mix of visual novel and tower-defence game is a must-play. PC; Colestia Forget Call of Duty: Black Ops – this is the CIA conspiracy thriller you're looking for. The twist is that this isn't just a detective puzzler – the more you unearth, the scarier your surroundings become. PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch; Adamgryu This wonderful little Zelda-inspired hiking adventure came out on PC last year, but you might have missed it on Switch this year. It leads to such an evocative few hours, with gorgeous natural colours filtered through its retro art style.

Thursday is supposed to be a joyous moment for video game players, with the arrival of the highly-anticipated video game "Cyberpunk 2077" on multiple platforms. However, some players are reporting significant technical issues with the game on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One home consoles. A thread on Reddit in the cyberpunkgame subreddit with more than 10,000 comments details some of the big issues players have spotted, including textures taking a long time to load, blurriness, and signs showing "debug" text. "Playing on a ps4, game is good but i really cant stand how blurry It is," wrote one Reddit user. PlayStation, Xbox or Switch?:How to pick the right video game console According to video game site Polygon, citing livestreaming showing PS4 and Xbox One gameplay, the game crashed multiple times and experienced issues like freezing.

Perhaps because many Americans were stuck at home during the global coronavirus pandemic, U.S. consumers spent more than $33.7 billion on video games in the first three quarters of 2020, according to research firm The NPD Group. That's an increase of more than 20% compared the $27.9 billion spent in the same period in 2019. Perhaps it's no surprise, NPD forecasts a 24% percent increase in holiday game spending compared to last year. Spending could be even higher except new consoles – the Microsoft Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5 (with Blu-ray Disc drive or disc drive-free digital version) – constantly sold out after November debuts. If you're looking for something to gift a gamer, or to treat yourself to something new to play during a "staycation," USA TODAY's Marc Saltzman, Brett Molina and Mike Snider recommend a handful of games, divided into various age groups (but be sure to read the recommended age rating before you buy).

Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission. Video games and consoles are expected to be one of the hottest sellers during Black Friday 2020, especially with the holiday season upon us. For any gamers out there hoping to nab some incredible deals for their favorite platforms--whether it be Xbox One, PS4 or Nintendo Switch (sorry, the Xbox Series X and PS5 won't be discounted yet!)--GameStop is already slashing its prices, with discounts on countless games and merchandise worth snapping up. While GameStop's official Black Friday sale begins online on Wednesday,November 25, hundreds of early deals are already well underway, with up to 50% off select video games, up to $50 off Razer PC accessories, up to 50% off gaming headsets, and a ton more. If you're hoping to shop in person, note that Gamestop stores will be open on November 27 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m, November 28 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m and November 29 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., during which limited quantities of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X will be available for walk-in purchase.

With more than 110m PlayStation 4s sold, Sony is coming into the next console generation with nothing to prove. But the company has squandered goodwill before: it followed up the beloved PlayStation 2 with an awkward-looking, difficult-to-develop-for console that cost the equivalent of £600 in today's money. It took PlayStation 3 almost a decade and several remodels to make up the ground it had lost. The PlayStation 5 certainly looks wild next to the modernist oblong that is PS4, but this is no conceptual experiment in hardware design. It is a console that wants to make you feel good, to celebrate the time, money and passion we expend on video games.

Save up to 33% on Select Nintendo Switch games: Switch games don't fall in price often, so this is a great chance to round out your collection, including Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon: Let's Go for $39.99 each, among others. Last of Us Part II for PlayStation 4 for $39.99 (Save $20): This is one of the best games of this generation, at a great price. If you haven't played this yet and own a PS4, be sure to pick this one up. Mortal Kombat 11 for $14.99 (Save $45): You can get a digital download for Mortal Kombat 11 for just $14.99 today, a huge savings over the typical selling price. PlayStation Now 1-Year Subscription for $41.99 (Save $18): PlayStation Now is a subscription service to over 300 games that you can download whenever you want.

Save up to 33% on Select Nintendo Switch games: Switch games don't fall in price often, so this is a great chance to round out your collection, including Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Pokemon: Let's Go for $44.99 each, Super Mario Party for $39.99 and more. Last of Us Part II for PlayStation 4 for $39.99 (Save $20): This is one of the best games of this generation, at a great price. If you haven't played this yet and own a PS4, be sure to pick this one up. Mortal Kombat 11 for $14.99 (Save $45): You can get a digital download for Mortal Kombat 11 for just $14.99 today, a huge savings over the typical selling price. PlayStation Now 1-Year Subscription for $41.99 (Save $18): PlayStation Now is a subscription service to over 300 games that you can download whenever you want.