Best Local Co-Op & Split-Screen PS3 Games

For many gamers who grew up playing the PlayStation 3 in particular, having games around for that console that could be played locally with friends and engaging in cooperative or competitive styles across a variety of games made for some of the most exciting moments in one’s childhood.

There were all kinds of games being released at the time that either provided a great battling or party atmosphere for players getting together on the same sofa with their friends. From famous franchise entries to forgotten one-offs, the best local coop and split-screen games of the PlayStation 3 will be remembered fondly by many gamers today.

Updated September 28, 2024, by Chris Harkin: While the gaming industry will always continue moving forward, there seems of late to have been a lot of focus on nostalgia. The heavy focus on remakes and special editions of older games makes it all the more important to remember some of the very best entries in the histories of beloved consoles. The amazing catalog of co-op games for the PS3 makes it well worth keeping around even today. Whether or not gamers grew up with the PlayStation 3, there will surely be several games from this era they love or would love to try out, making this console almost as relevant as it was in its heyday.

13 Puppeteer

Dark, Fascinating Platform Fun

Though Puppeteer isn’t a traditional co-op game, the multiplayer mode allows a second player to take control of Kutaro’s companion in this surprisingly dark platformer. Kutaro is a young boy who gets transformed into a puppet and is immediately decapitated, leading to him picking up various new heads as he journeys through a platform world that can be navigated in 2D or 3D.

Kutaro has to acquire the four champions of the moon, giving him further abilities as he progresses, and a second player helping can provide a lot of use by hunting out collectibles as well as new heads and other useful items. Additionally, the second player gets to play as a ghostly cat, making for a fun, exciting adventure across a variety of levels, made far better by the split-screen, cozy couch vibe.

12 Time Crisis 4

Wild Rail Shooting Fun

• Systems: PlayStation, Arcade
• Released: June 20, 2006
• Developers: Nex Entertainment, Namco

Originally an arcade game but later ported successfully to the PlayStation 3, Time Crisis 4 is part of a franchise that many players will have experienced in arcade format at one time or another. The rail shooter style isn’t as popular as it once was, but Time Crisis 4 remains a very fun entry to try out when firing up the old PlayStation 3, and this, like many rail shooter games, is even better with company.

With a wild plot about biological, insect-like weaponry and three agents who are attempting to stop nukes going off, Time Crisis 4 was always unlikely to win many awards. However, this hasn’t stopped it from being fondly remembered by many fans of the PlayStation 3 as one of the most enjoyable arcade shooters, which used an FPS style for the PlayStation port, making for a fun, action-filled ride to revisit anytime.

11 LEGO Marvel Superheroes

Incredibly Fun And Relaxed Gameplay

There aren’t many games like those of the LEGO franchise. With a wealth of different Marvel Comics characters and varied levels with a story involving Doctor Doom and Loki teaming up, it is unsurprising that LEGO Marvel Superheroes remains the best-selling LEGO game ever.

While there are more and more superhero games coming out nowadays, many of them fail to hit the high notes and often are unable to encapsulate the comic book feel of their characters and stories. LEGO is custom-made to bring new life to any pop culture icons, and it has done so more successfully here than with most. Players can easily join together and swing, fly, or smash their way through all sorts of great adventures in this incredibly relaxed atmosphere, which remains one of the very best co-op games for the PlayStation 3.

10 Resident Evil 6

The Action-Based Curiosity

This long-running gaming franchise has seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to the success of the Resident Evil 2 & 3 remakes as well as the release of Resident Evil Village. However, during the PS3 era, Resident Evil 6 changed the game by taking the Resident Evil franchise slightly away from its roots.

While the more action-based style was divisive among many players, there was no doubt that Resident Evil 6 made for some great gameplay, particularly when it came to local co-op, as more players could get involved in a split-screen style than ever before in the franchise.

9 Spelunky

2D Co-Op Randomized Exploration

The first game in the Spelunky franchise provided a wonderful local cooperative experience, which worked similarly to some of the 2D Mario games for systems like the Nintendo Wii. Spelunky allowed up to four players to explore the randomized level system that the game offered.

While some players were frustrated by the lack of split-screen, Spelunky’s system worked well, allowing players to survive as long as they stayed close enough to the number one player who held the white flag. Spelunky provided a very different style of cooperative local play that not many PS3 games managed as successfully.

8 Call Of Duty: World At War

The Original Nazi Zombies Mode

The Call of Duty franchise provided an endless number of games for the PS3; however, one of the prime candidates that made great strides in local co-op was World at War. This early entry in the franchise added the zombies mode, which could be played across four different maps online or locally, and the campaign could mostly be played in that fashion, too.

The split-screen options worked particularly well, showcasing what the franchise could achieve, and the zombies mode, in particular, became an infamous couch-play mode for players alongside their friends. World at War is filled with an endless number of hours that can be spent alone, online, or locally with friends.

7 Diablo 3

Incredible RPG Co-Op

Diablo 3 remains one of the greatest RPGs for cooperative local play. Normally, large RPGs such as this will only feature cooperation through online multiplayer, but Diablo 3 changed things dramatically by allowing up to four players to play on one PS3 system together.

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While the style of an RPG of this length and scale is already difficult to create, the makers of Diablo 3 weren’t scared to attempt the creation of a local cooperative style that could have changed the game for what constituted a great party title. However, with online multiplayer continuing to drive the idea of players playing together, not many RPGs have attempted to add these kinds of features since. Though it lacks a split-screen feature, fans of Diablo are sure to enjoy the co-op experience being offered through this title.

6 Far Cry 3

Bloody Tropical Adventures With Friends

Games like Far Cry have always been popular for players working together or against each other. The level of destruction available and the mayhem that can be created, particularly in Far Cry 3, made for a beautifully open-ended game to join in on together when playing in the split-screen cooperative mode, as well as making it slightly easier with friends.

Players could join together locally to engage in a variety of missions that were designed for cooperative play in a separate mode from the regular single-player campaign. Far Cry 3 was one of the last large-scale games to feature such a format, but it remains a great one that gamers love to revisit even today, with characters like Pagan Min even making a recent return to the franchise.

5 Borderlands 2

Improved Loot-Filled Mad World

A game that came with a lot of options, Borderlands 2 was the massive hit sequel that expanded upon the world of Pandora, turning up the comic book-style visuals and hilarious scripting and letting up to two players roam across a vibrant world, completing missions and collecting as much loot as possible.

The entire Borderlands franchise represents the perfect blending of casual gameplay and high-octane action. Though they are FPS games, the accessibility, especially in the split-screen co-op department, makes the Borderlands games feel even more playable for those who are not too keen on the genre. Because of the expansive effort put into furthering the world of the first game and upgrading the mechanics, Borderlands 2 has often been called one of the best games of all time, and being able to experience it in a couch co-op setting is just another reason to give it a try.

4 Rayman Legends

A 2D Co-Op Platforming Masterpiece

Probably the best platform game for local co-op play ever to exist, Rayman Legends was severely underrated on release but still garnered a great deal of love from gamers and critics for the easy jumping in and out of cooperative local games. Players can get involved in mini-games, challenges, and a huge variety of levels, including bonus levels from Rayman Origins.

All of this made for a wonderful experience that worked really well across the board for either single-player or local cooperative styles. With a great mixture of levels, some beautiful sound design, and a frantic pace at times, Rayman Legends was a favorite for many PS3 players to get involved with alongside their friends.

3 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

A Hugely Replayable Multiplayer Mode

The Uncharted franchise has always had some sort of multiplayer capability in addition to the excellent single-player campaigns. However, Uncharted 3 provided the ability to play together locally with friends. This allowed players through the LAN system to join in the action together.

The variety of ways to play made Uncharted 3 a hugely popular game for split-screen lovers, helping to lift the franchise to new heights by making the multiplayer mode hugely replayable in nature. The multiplayer aspects of the franchise have never been more successful than they were with this third entry on the PS3.

2 Portal 2

The Greatest Co-Op Puzzle Game

Portal 2 is one of the stranger games to ever be released. Featuring both a complete single-player campaign and a totally different cooperative 2-player campaign that challenges gamers and their friendships through either online or local play, this puzzling platformer made for one of the best games in history.

Portal 2 is filled with a variety of increasingly difficult challenges that players have to engage in, and gamers won’t always be able to solve a puzzle without working together and finding the solution. The challenge and length of the cooperative campaign were some of the major selling points of this game, even though some still frustrate players to this day.

1 LittleBigPlanet

The Ultimate Platform Sandbox Game

One of the best games of all time and a PlayStation-exclusive franchise starter, LittleBigPlanet is one of the best examples of a game that thrived on community interaction, even allowing players to make their own custom levels to enjoy with friends.

The level editor became the main focus of LittleBigPlanet and the subsequent sequels. It has become a major aspect in many other games due to the success of this title, becoming something of a genre known as “create, share, play.” Players can join together locally with up to four players, enjoying all manner of levels in the story mode as well as the custom-made levels, both of which provide endless hours of fun.