In Valve’s endless quest to have a Steam “Fest” for every genre, this week sees an enormous sale on multiplayer games with the Couch Co-Op Fest, running until February 17. We’ve picked out some of the most impressive deals and interesting games from the list.
Couch co-op has traditionally described games played together in-person, sat side-by-side on the obligatory couch. Of course, being Steam with its Remote Play Together feature, this doesn’t exclude those who don’t want awful other people coming in their private space. Most games with a couch co-op feature have adopted this system, that lets you play co-operatively online, without other players having to own a copy of the game. All of the convenience, none of the vacuuming.
The remit is spread very widely here, such that anything with a co-op mode is included, rather than being to particular about the furniture used—not least because most people playing on PC aren’t sat in a sofa. And this is to our advantage, of course, because it just means more games are on sale. Valve has done a decent job with the layout for the sale, too, so while—yes—Call of Duty Black Ops III and NBA 2K25 are in there, they’re not dominating such that indie games aren’t visible.
We’ve picked through the colossal list for some co-op games you might have missed that we think deserve your attention, or are major titles you already know but now a lot cheaper. Like, you know, Portal 2 for 99c. The list below shows you the sale price, good through February 17, and the regular price in parentheses after.
Portal 2 – 99c ($10)
Left 4 Dead 2 – 99c ($10)
These two Valve titles are now old enough that you may have missed them the first time around. Both are extraordinary, we’re talking “best games of all time” levels of good. Getting them both for two bucks is wonderful madness.
Baldur’s Gate III – $48 ($60)
Divinity: Original Sin II – $13.49 ($45)
Obviously any time the best game of 2024 is on sale is a good thing, but if you’ve already completed it, you might want to go back a generation and play the developers’ previous game, Divinity: Original Sin II. You may have been put off by the number in the title, but fear not—this is a completely standalone game, and damned close to as good as BG3. (I, whisper it, think I prefer it.)
UFO 50 – $21.24 ($25)
As championed by Kotaku’s backbone, Carolyn Petit, this collection of imagined retro classics is one of 2024’s best releases, and while the discount here is minimal, the game’s still new enough that this is a great deal.
Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga – $10 ($50)
Mortal Kombat 1 – $20 ($50)
Overcooked! 2 – $6.24 ($25)
The Jackbox Party Packs – various
The whole Jackbox collection is on sale in this fest, the earliest games at 50 percent off, the most recent (7-10) at 35 percent off, bring them down to around $15 to $20 each.
Hellcard – $15 ($25)
If you ever wanted to play Slay the Spire in co-op, Hellcard is your answer.
Stranded Deep – $10 ($20)
I feel that Stranded Deep was rather underrated, as a result of its releasing at the absolute saturation point for survival sims. There was very much a vibe of “yet another one” about it, and that’s not really fair. It’s lacking a unique twist (it doesn’t have The Forest’s horror or Raft’s raft) but it delivers the core experience with respectable solidity.
Chained Together – $4.49 ($5)
Pico Park – $4 ($5)
Broforce – $3 ($15)
The Past Within – $3 ($6)
Rusty Lake’s approach to co-op was, of course, far weirder than anyone else’s. One player is in the Future, the other in the Past, trying to solve puzzles together, while not being entirely sure if you trust them.
Cassette Beasts – $12 ($20)
Crypt of the NecroDancer – $3 ($15)
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