Updated June 2026 · data via IGDB
It Takes Two earns its love by doing something almost no game attempts: it reinvents itself every twenty minutes. Each chapter of Cody and May's journey introduces a completely new core mechanic—time-manipulation magnets, tiny squirrel warfare, a Book of Love acting as narrator—so the moment you master one idea, the game gleefully discards it and hands you something brand new. Layered on top is a story about a failing marriage told with genuine emotional stakes, and a co-op structure where neither player can progress alone.
When someone asks for games like It Takes Two, they're really asking for two overlapping things: the creative variety of a game that refuses to repeat itself, and the joy of a co-op experience where the other player isn't optional but essential. The best recommendations share at least one of those pillars—ideally both.
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96%From the same Hazelight Studios director, A Way Out is a co-op-only prison-break action adventure that constantly shifts genre and mechanics between its two players, making it the single closest spiritual twin to It Takes Two.
92%Portal 2's co-op campaign gives each player a distinct portal gun and requires constant communication to solve increasingly clever physics puzzles. Like It Takes Two, it's built from the ground up for two and constantly refreshes its mechanics.
87%Unravel Two is built explicitly for two players using yarn-physics platforming, where both characters are literally tethered and must cooperate to swing, pull, and solve puzzles—directly evoking It Takes Two's co-op design.
82%Trine is a co-op side-scrolling puzzle-platformer where each character has unique abilities—wizard, knight, thief—that must be combined to progress, mirroring It Takes Two's complementary-abilities design. Up to three players, gorgeous fairy-tale visuals.
82%Rayman Legends is a lavish co-op 2D platformer with inventive level designs, musical stages, and constant creative surprises that make each world feel fresh—a direct parallel to It Takes Two's level-by-level reinvention.
76%💎 GemLovers in a Dangerous Spacetime puts two players inside a spaceship, each manning different gun turrets and engines to navigate colorful levels, demanding constant communication in the same spirit as It Takes Two.
74%Overcooked! 2 is a frantic co-op cooking game demanding tight communication and split-second coordination between two players, delivering the same 'we did it together!' highs as It Takes Two. Mechanics escalate with each level.
73%Sackboy: A Big Adventure is a polished co-op 3D platformer with themed worlds, music-driven levels, and varied mechanics that channels the same family-friendly creative energy as It Takes Two.
72%💎 GemMoving Out is a co-op physics game where two players must haul furniture through chaotic scenarios together, delivering the same combination of laughter, teamwork, and escalating mechanical challenges as It Takes Two.
70%Psychonauts sends players through surreal, wildly different mental worlds, each with its own mechanics and tone—exactly what It Takes Two does room by room. The comedy, heart, and variety of gameplay ideas are remarkably similar.
68%Inside is a tightly crafted puzzle-platformer with a cinematic atmosphere and clever mechanics that evolve without ever repeating themselves, much like It Takes Two's commitment to never reusing an idea.
66%Braid introduces a completely new time-manipulation mechanic in each world and wraps it in a melancholy narrative—echoing It Takes Two's commitment to fresh ideas every level. A puzzle-platformer ahead of its time.
65%💎 GemA Hat in Time is a charming 3D platformer full of genre-hopping chapter themes—stealth chapter, movie-set chapter, haunted chapter—channeling the same 'what are we playing NOW?' surprise loop as It Takes Two.
63%Celeste is a precision platformer with a genuinely moving story about mental health and perseverance, pairing tight mechanical design with real emotional stakes—similar to the tonal ambition of It Takes Two.
62%Ori and the Blind Forest is a visually stunning platformer with fluid movement and puzzle-driven exploration. Its emphasis on a heartfelt story and polished, ever-changing challenges aligns with what makes It Takes Two memorable.
60%Astro's Playroom cycles through themed worlds each showcasing completely different gameplay gimmicks, capturing It Takes Two's signature 'every room is a new game' feel in a shorter, joyful package.
58%Gris is a wordless, emotionally charged platformer where each chapter unlocks new movement mechanics tied to the protagonist's grief arc—sharing It Takes Two's philosophy of mechanics serving story.
57%Limbo is a monochromatic puzzle-platformer with a relentless momentum and escalating environmental puzzles. It inspired an entire generation of indie puzzle-platformers that It Takes Two builds upon.
55%Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a polished, dimension-hopping action-platformer that swaps mechanics and set-pieces at a pace reminiscent of It Takes Two's relentless creativity, with two playable characters.
52%💎 GemUntitled Goose Game supports co-op for two players and tasks both with creatively trolling unsuspecting villagers through environmental puzzle-stealth comedy—delivering It Takes Two's co-op laughs in a much shorter burst.
50%💎 GemFez plays with perspective in a way that constantly reframes the puzzle-platformer around a single ingenious mechanic, rewarding curiosity and exploration in the same indie spirit as It Takes Two's best rooms.
48%Don't Starve Together is a co-op survival game requiring players to divide tasks and communicate to stay alive, delivering meaningful two-player dependence similar in spirit to It Takes Two's teamwork design—but in a very different genre.
| Game | Match | Shared DNA | Biggest difference | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Way Out | 96% | Adventure, Action | Darker, more grounded story; less whimsy and platforming. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Portal 2 | 92% | Platform, Puzzle | Pure puzzle focus; no platforming variety or emotional narrative arc. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Unravel Two | 87% | Platform, Puzzle | Shorter and simpler; less mechanical variety per level. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Trine | 82% | Platform, Puzzle | Fantasy setting; less mechanical variety between levels. | PlayStation, PC, Nintendo |
| Rayman Legends | 82% | Platform, Adventure | No narrative; purely gameplay-focused co-op platformer. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime | 76% | Puzzle, Adventure | Space-shooter genre; no platforming or story depth. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Overcooked! 2 | 74% | Action | No narrative or platforming; pure party-game chaos. | PlayStation, PC, Nintendo, Xbox |
| Sackboy: A Big Adventure | 73% | Platform, Adventure | Less narrative ambition; more traditional collect-a-thon structure. | PlayStation, PC |
| Moving Out | 72% | Adventure, Action | Pure physics party game; no story or platforming. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Psychonauts | 70% | Platform, Puzzle | Single-player only; no co-op component. | Xbox, PlayStation, PC |
| Inside | 68% | Platform, Puzzle | Single-player, dark/silent tone instead of warm co-op story. | PlayStation, PC, Mobile, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Braid | 66% | Platform, Puzzle | Difficult, abstract puzzles; no co-op. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox |
| A Hat in Time | 65% | Platform, Adventure | Single-player (co-op DLC exists but limited); Nintendo-style collectathon structure. | Xbox, PlayStation, PC, Nintendo |
| Celeste | 63% | Platform, Adventure | Hardcore difficulty spike; entirely single-player. | PlayStation, PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
| Ori and the Blind Forest | 62% | Platform, Puzzle | Single-player; more Metroidvania structure than level-by-level variety. | PC, Xbox, Nintendo |
The three pillars are: mandatory co-op (not 'co-op option' bolted onto a single-player game), constant mechanical reinvention (each level or chapter plays differently), and a sense that both players have equal agency. Portal 2 nails all three in its co-op campaign—each puzzle is unsolvable alone, and the game regularly breaks its own rules to introduce new portal mechanics. Trine gets close too, with its complementary-character design forcing players to use wizard, thief, and knight abilities in concert.
Games that share only the platforming or puzzle genre without the co-op heart—like Celeste or Inside—are still excellent recommendations for solo players who loved It Takes Two's level design philosophy, but they scratch a different part of the itch.
If co-op is non-negotiable, start with Portal 2's co-op campaign, then move to Overcooked! 2 for chaotic kitchen comedy that tests communication under pressure. Untitled Goose Game supports two players and delivers surprising laughs in a much shorter session. For something cozier, Unravel Two (in the 'additional' list) is explicitly built for two and uses its yarn-tether mechanic to make helping each other feel genuinely tactile.
Outside the candidate list, Moving Out and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime are both hidden-gem co-op titles most lists skip but that deliver the same 'we're figuring this out together' energy that defines It Takes Two.
It Takes Two uses its marriage-in-crisis narrative to give emotional weight to every mechanic—the wasp nest level hits differently because of what it represents. If that emotional resonance is what you're chasing solo, Unravel tells a wordless, touching story through yarn physics, while Gris channels grief into beautiful platforming. Psychonauts is the best match for the playful creativity and genuine heart: each mental world is its own genre sandbox, and the comedy-to-sincerity ratio is remarkably similar to It Takes Two at its best.
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