The 20 best co-op games for Android phones and tablets in 2020

This story was originally published 2020/03/19
11:12am PDTon Mar 19, 2020 and last updated 2020/06/09
6:37pm PDTon Jun 9, 2020.

Android games with proper co-op modes aren’t especially easy to find, and even harder to search for on a place like Google’s Play Store. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 20 of our favorite co-op titles for Android smartphones and tablets here. These games offer simple ways to play with friends and family instead of relying on randomized online partners, making for a more personal and connected gaming experience.

Death Squared

SMG Studio’s Death Squared is a humorous and enjoyable puzzle game that’s centered around coordination, cooperation, and giant explosions. You can play solo if you wish, and you also team up with one other player to tackle the game’s eighty or so block puzzles in tandem. Even better, physical bluetooth controllers are supported, so if your partner isn’t a fan of touchscreen gameplay, there’s a separate control option available that’s a lot more tactile.

Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Battleheart 2

Mika Mobile’s latest RPG is a return to form for the developer. Battleheart 2 is a direct sequel to the 2011 mobile hit Battleheart, and it is just as great as the original, and maybe even a little bit better thanks to its co-op multiplayer support for up to four players. This time around you can expect detailed 2D graphics, plenty of heroes to equip and tons of loot to collect. Best of all, this is a premium game, so you won’t have to worry about any game-ruining in-app purchases.

Monetization: $3.99 / no ads / no IAPs

DUAL!

DUAL is an interesting cross-device implementation of a classic space shooter. Two opponents can face off head to head through two different Android devices, or they can choose to cooperate in a separate mode to take down the game’s many foes together. What’s interesting is that the field of play extends across both devices, so you’ll need to be within arm’s length for the full experience. Just keep in mind that the local co-op mode where both players get to shoot invading aliens is unlocked through an in-app purchase for $3, which actually unlocks the entirety of the game.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $2.99 a piece

XenoShyft

XenoShyft is a digital board game adaptation from Asmodee Digital, and I specifically picked this game from the company’s catalog because its gameplay is focused on coordination and strategic planning. While you can play this title solo, it shines when playing with others. At its core, this is a card-based game for 1 to 4 players, and it can be pretty challenging, which is why teaming up is the best way to tackle this strategic base-defense deck-builder.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $3.99

Bloons TD 6

The Bloons tower defense franchise has had a lot of success, and thankfully the developer Ninja Kiwi hasn’t lost its touch, as the year-old Bloons TD 6 is just as great as the previous titles in the series. Sure, you’re going to have to pay upfront, and there are a bunch of in-app purchases included, but I have to say the title’s newly-added co-op gameplay makes it all worth it. After all, it’s not like you have to sink a ton of money into this game to play casually with a partner. So if you have a hankering for some enjoyable co-op tower defense gameplay, Bloons TD 6 is currently the best choice.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $54.99

Double Dragon Trilogy

The Double Dragon Trilogy is just that, a collection of the first three arcade games. All three titles are classic beat ’em ups, and local multiplayer is indeed included, which means two players can join forces by connecting their bluetooth controllers on a single Android device. Not only is this a great way to play the brawler on the Shield TV, but you can even take two bluetooth controllers on the go to enjoy the title’s multiplayer gameplay on a phone or tablet.

Monetization: $3.49 / no ads / no IAPs

Sentinels of the Multiverse

Sentinels of the Multiverse is a turn-based collectible card game that’s set in a superhero universe with art to match. Your deck is made up of a team of good guys, and you’ll use their various powers to dispose of the game’s nasty hand-drawn villains. Co-op is supported for up to 4-players, and each player gets to bring along their own deck and hero, which should allow for many different strategies when tackling the game as a team.

Monetization: $6.99 / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 – $29.99

Hero Siege: Pocket Edition

Hero Siege is a popular hack-and-slash dungeon crawler that got its start on Steam. It has a lot in common with games like Wayward Souls, including its 2D sprite graphics and roguelike permadeath setup, though the action is much more frantic. Thankfully Hero Siege includes controller support for those that prefer tactile controls when slaying monsters. The game supports both single-player and online multiplayer co-op (up to four people), plus there’s a randomized mode for those that would like to continue playing after they finish the primary campaign.

Monetization: $6.99 / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $49.99

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes

Do you remember the tense bomb-diffusing scenes from just about every action movie ever made? Well, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is that scene made into a video game, and while the title used to only support Daydream virtual reality devices, it was recently updated to support touchscreens, which means everyone can now get in on the fun. Much like the game Spaceteam, one player will have to team up with at least one other so that the bomb-defusing instruction can be relayed through speech to the person tasked with defusing the bomb. Essentially this is a local co-op party game that supports two or more players, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

Monetization: $9.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Minecraft

Minecraft hardly needs an introduction. It’s an extremely popular voxel-based survival game that features tons of building mechanics, and of course, you can play with a partner locally over a LAN connection, or even jump into an online server by connecting through an IP address. For the most part, this is a sandbox affair, so you are free to do as you please, whether you want to jump into the Survival mode or dive into a Creative session.

Monetization: $6.99 / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $49.99

Spaceteam

Spaceteam attempts to recreate the frantic space battles of your favorite TV sci-fi shows… or at least, the frantic shouting on the bridge. One player will get to press nonsensical dials and switches as ordered by their partner or a group of friends. It’s a great little co-op party game similar in style to Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, but of course, Spaceteam dates all the way back to 2013 on Android, whereas the virtual reality game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes was only recently updated this month for touchscreen support.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs $4.99 a piece

Terraria

Much like Minecraft, Terraria hardly needs an introduction. Sadly Terraria has a bit of a bad rap on Android, thanks to years of neglect from the dev, but luckily the game was updated to v1.3 in 2019. This update brought many new features, such as reworked touchscreen controls, 800 new items, an expert mode, and new biomes. And again, much like Minecraft, LAN co-op is supported, which makes this an extremely deep game to dive into if you’re looking for some enjoyable co-op play.

Monetization: $4.99 / no ads / no IAPs

Soul Knight

Soul Knight is a bullet hell shooter that contains a slick fantasy theme. You can play as a knight, rogue, wizard, or thief in a top-down view while trying your best to kill everything that moves. Tons of weapons and upgrades are scattered throughout the game’s randomly-generated levels, along with NPCs that can be recruited for a little AI assistance. Of course, you can also team up with up to three local players if you’d like to really cause some damage.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $4.99

Crashlands

Crashlands is a delightful survival game from Butterscotch Shenanigans that was updated in 2018 to support co-op play. The game itself plays a bit like the Don’t Starve series, but offers its own sense of humor, not to mention a slick sci-fi theme. Now, the co-op that was added to the game offers something a little different than most titles since you won’t be able to join a session as your own character but instead will be able to join a friend’s local game with a second controller to take charge of Juicebox, a helper robot. This way, you’ll be able to pal around with your buddy while having the ability to offer a helping hand when necessary.

Monetization: $6.99 / no ads / no IAPs

BombSquad

BombSquad is a freeform take on the multiplayer Bomberman formula, with a heavy focus on the multiplayer part. You play the game on a central phone or tablet, ideally outputting the screen to a TV. Then up to eight players can connect to the device with either bluetooth controllers or the free add-on controller app. The title mainly focuses on PvP gameplay, though there is a separate co-op mode for those that would prefer to team up to take on a bunch of bots.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $49.99

Dragalia Lost

Dragalia Lost is a fairly popular gacha game from Nintendo, so of course, it’s a casual action RPG with a heavy emphasis on collection mechanics. It contains some of the best music found in any Android release, and the gameplay isn’t that bad either. Journeying from one level to the next while defeating groups of enemies, to then take on a giant boss fight, is a formula many gacha fans should be familiar with, but the fact that you can team up to take down the game’s many foes is what makes this a standout in today’s roundup.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $79.99

Rangers of Oblivion

Rangers of Oblivion is a free-to-play Monster Hunter clone, which means you can team up with a partner to take on the game’s many enemies. Much like its inspiration, you’ll spend the majority of your time hunting down these monsters in scenarios that play out like long boss fights. Primarily this game plays like a boss rush mode, but if that doesn’t float your boat, there are over ten separate game modes to explore, just be sure to watch out for the title’s monetization, as it leaves a lot to be desired.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $99.99

The Greedy Cave 2: Time Gate

The Greedy Cave 2 is a stylish free-to-play roguelike RPG that of course features co-op support. This means you can team up with your friends or partner to explore the game’s many dungeons. Each dungeon is randomly generated, and there are a few boss fights in the mix that should keep things interesting. Just make sure to watch out for the game’s monetization as it isn’t the best. Luckily you can casually play for free without too many issues.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $99.99

SHADOWGUN LEGENDS – FPS PvP and Coop Shooting Game

Shadowgun Legends is a first-person shooter that was built with a focus on PvP and co-op gameplay. It plays a lot like a mobile version of Destiny thanks to its inclusion of a social hub for grouping as well as a bunch of co-op missions and PvP content. It’s free-to-play release, which means there are in-app purchases, though the majority of in-game items are cosmetic only, which makes this one of the better FPS games currently available on the Play Store. While I can’t say the FPS genre will interest everyone, I’d still say this is an enjoyable game to play with a partner, even if they’re not the biggest FPS fan.

Monetization: free / no ads / IAPs from $1.99 – $99.99

SHADOWGUN LEGENDS - FPS and PvP Multiplayer games

Blackmoor 2: Fantasy Action Platformer

Blackmoor 2 is an arcade platformer that includes real-time online co-op battles for up to four players at a time. The gameplay offers a unique mix of co-op platforming and dungeon building, plus there’s a story mode for those that prefer to play on their own. On top of that, the game is monetized really well, and so the entire thing is playable for free, though if you’d like to support the devs, you can splash out on an in-app purchase to upgrade to the premium version of the title.

Monetization: free / contains ads / IAPs from $0.99 – $4.99