They say you don’t know your partner until you travel somewhere together, have a baby, and go through a renovation of the house. If you’re not yet ready for such big milestones, there is an alternative – playing co-op games.
Gaming and love go very well together. When you do it, it’s rather hard to control yourself and pretend to be someone you’re not. This means that by co-oping with your match, you get to see what they’re like in situations that involve competition, teamwork, and stressful high-paced environments.
Playing a game with someone also helps bond and get closer thanks to completing challenges and beating a common enemy. The romantic potential of co-op games and in-app games on dating platforms is truly huge.
Whether you’re looking for a casual relationship, a holiday fling, or a committed partnership, you can benefit from playing games with your perfect match. Today we’re going to share some of the best games for two players to bond, where and how to find a gaming partner, and what makes someone a perfect buddy for gaming.
The Best Games for Two-Player Bonding
There are thousands of co-op games out there, but not all of them are great for building chemistry. Here are the co-op gaming for couples options that will help take your emotional bond and relationship to the next level.
Casual and Fun Co-op Games
There’s nothing like a cute and soft game to play together! Perfect for a chill evening where you get to unwind and hang out with your partner, whether in the same room or remotely.
- Stardew Valley is a co-op classic. This farming simulation and role-playing game is designed to bring peace and fun to anyone who plays it. Grow crops, raise animals, befriend folks in town, and have the time of your life! There’s no end to the gameplay, so you can enjoy it for as long as you’d like.
- Animal Crossing is another simulation game where you’re located on an island and begin to build a community there from scratch. It’s super relaxing and open-ended as well, so you get to play for hours, days, and weeks.
- Overcooked! It is a bit more chaotic and it’s all about working together as a team to prepare and serve meals within a certain timeframe. The game gets progressively more challenging with each new level, so prepare for a race with time.
Adventure & RPG
Co-op games are great, but some of them get boring pretty quickly as there’s no plot as such. You just play, and play, and play. If you don’t want to get bored and have a few hours to kill with your match, choose one of the adventurous co-op games where you can do missions together and see real progress in the plot.
- Elden Ring (co-op) is an extensive, dark, and, according to some, a bit dull dark fantasy. It’s excellently executed, so even if your fantasy is not your thing, you will be able to enjoy and appreciate the attention to detail and the depth of the world-building. It has a plot but you’re welcome to roam around with your partner and fight random bosses.
- It Takes Two is an action-adventure platformer that is the opposite of Elden Ring and it’s all about helping the couple go through many challenges while being turned into dolls. There are many innovative and tricky quests there, so you’re up for a high-quality experience.
- Divinity: Original Sin 2 is strategic combat and allows up to four players in a co-op mode. The best part about the game is that the plot depends on you. You make decisions that end up shaping the story, so if you really like it, you can play multiple times for different outcomes.
Competitive but Playful
A little competition will add playfulness to your evening and might even instigate some sensual chemistry.
- Mario Kart. Who doesn’t want to play Mario Kart, right? A perfect game for couples, it is fast-paced and dynamic, and you can compete against each other and sabotage one another too.
- Super Smash Bros. is a fighting game with lots of iconic Nintendo characters put together. It’s rather simple to navigate and learn how to play, and fighting with some legendary characters will make you happy and nostalgic.
- Street Fighter is another fighting game that is not just fun and silly but pays a lot of attention to skill and strategy, so it’s a great game to follow up Super Smash Bros. with.
MMO & Online Co-Op
Every once in a while it’s good to play games with your partner where you don’t just play with each other but get to interact with a virtual world where a ton of other players are active. You get to e-meet many people around the world, team up for quests, join larger game events, and enjoy multiplayer bonding. With such games, you get to see how your crush treats others and how social they are in general.
- World of Warcraft is not a common guest on the best games for couples’ lists but it’s actually pretty great. It’s truly massive, and you get to create your own characters, join battles, complete quests, and deal with all sorts of monsters along the way. It’s super immersive, so if you both enjoy staying at home, you can easily play it every day of the week without leaving your house.
- Final Fantasy XIV is story-driven gameplay that’s rich in plot, details, and world-building.
- Apex Legends is a shooter set in the Titanfall universe that involves strategic teamplay and emphasizes the role of combat tactics.
Note: These are only the few co-op relationship games that exist out there. If you’ve already played them all, there are plenty of other options. And remember, when you’re playing with your partner, it’s not so much about what’s on the screen, but rather who’s by your side on your team.
Where to Find a Co-Op Partner (Or More Than Just a Gaming Buddy)
If you have no one to play co-op games with, it really isn’t a problem! The gaming-friendly dating app is a great space for gamers as a large portion of the users are avid game players and would love to find someone who enjoys games as much as they do.
Alternatively, you can go to themed community forums, or Reddit threads, meet someone on Twitch, or even search for local groups on Facebook.
If you live in a vibrant city or nearby, you can also attend gaming conventions and meetups. Such events are always full of people who would love to meet someone they could connect with, and that includes romantic connections.
Gaming Chemistry: What Makes a Great Co-Op Partner?
We all get carried away when we play a game, even just a little bit. This means that if your match is pretending to be someone they’re not, hiding their personality, or is super shy and doesn’t open up easily, you can use games to see who they truly are and understand if you have genuine chemistry or not.
There is also a scientific explanation as to why games and match-making work better together.
When you play, whether you win or lose, dopamine is released which helps you feel good on a chemical level. The more you dive into the game, the better your interaction with the other person feels. This, in turn, makes spending time with them more enjoyable and stimulates you to keep on playing and chatting with them.
If you play a cooperative game, then you have the bonus benefit of fostered teamwork. You two are working on something to achieve a shared result, and it naturally makes you more attractive to each other. Plus, you get to see what kind of partnership you can expect moving forward as a couple.
Then there is positive reinforcement that you both get from encouraging words, nudges, and playful teasing which are all normal elements of the game.
But what makes a great co-op partner?
Someone who’d make a good co-op partner may be a terrible player but has great communication skills and positive energy.
Think about it, who’d you rather be with? An excellent player who is angry and whiny, or a gaming newbie who’s encouraging, supportive, and doesn’t throw a tantrum when they lose?
Also, a good gaming partner will complement your playstyle and compensate for the areas where you’re lacking. With regard to co-op games, it’s important for a partner to know when to lead and when to follow, and they should have a balance between teamwork and independence.
At the same time, even if your co-op partner is clumsy and is not at all great at the game, but they’re funny, crack jokes, and keep the experience lighthearted and enjoyable, then what else can you wish for? Unless you’re competing for a prize, it doesn’t really matter if you win or lose, and how many points you score.
