The best co-op games with a campaign and an ending are Split Fiction, Portal 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Gears 5, Baldur's Gate 3, We Were Here Forever, Sniper Elite: Resistance, and A Way Out. Each gives your group a route from the opening mission to actual credits.

That rules out survival sandboxes, horde modes, extraction loops, and games whose “co-op” is mostly repeating missions for better gear. Several picks below have optional multiplayer or replayable content, but the campaign itself can be finished and left finished.

Pick by group and commitment

Split Fiction

Split Fiction is the cleanest modern answer for two people. Mio and Zoe move through a fixed story that keeps changing genres and mechanics, but every level is built around both players. Nobody is following the host around as an underpowered guest.

It works locally or online. Friend's Pass means only one person needs to own the full game, and cross-play covers PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. That removes two of the most common co-op-night problems before they start: buying a second copy and discovering you chose different platforms.

The catch is absolute. This is a two-player game, and it expects both people to participate in timing, platforming, and puzzles. There is no useful solo version if your partner disappears halfway through.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2.

Find Split Fiction on Amazon

Portal 2

Portal 2's co-op mode is not the single-player campaign with another robot dropped into it. Valve built a separate story, test chambers, and puzzle progression for Atlas and P-body. Both players need to place portals and understand the solution, which is why finishing it feels like completing a project together rather than sharing a screen.

It is the easiest recommendation here for two people who want a shorter commitment and no gear management. The age shows around platform availability: PC remains straightforward, and the Xbox 360 version is playable on newer Xbox consoles through backward compatibility. PlayStation is limited to the original PS3 release.

Skip it if: Either player wants combat or gets motion sick in first-person puzzle games.

Platforms: PC; Xbox through backward compatibility; PlayStation 3 on legacy hardware.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

For a group that wants several finished shooter campaigns rather than one endless shooter, The Master Chief Collection is difficult to beat. It contains six Halo games and 67 campaign missions, so the group can finish one story, take a break, and return for the next.

There are two setup warnings. Player limits vary by campaign: Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 are built for two, while later campaigns support larger online teams. Campaign cross-play between PC and Xbox is also not consistent across the whole collection; official support specifically added it for Halo 3 and ODST, so check the chosen campaign before promising a mixed-platform night.

Best for: Two to four players who want linear shooting and a lot of campaign without a loot treadmill.

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S.

Find Halo: The Master Chief Collection on Amazon

Gears 5

Gears 5 is the useful three-player exception. Two people control armed soldiers while the third plays Jack, a support robot that can shock enemies, fetch weapons, protect the squad, and unlock its own abilities. That role works well when one friend enjoys support or is less comfortable with shooters.

It works badly when all three people expected to carry a Lancer. If that sounds like your group, the shorter Hivebusters expansion is the better fit because its three-player squad consists of three human fighters.

The main campaign and Hivebusters both reach proper endings. Horde and Escape are there afterward, but neither is required to make the purchase worthwhile.

Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S. Campaign co-op supports PC/Xbox cross-play.

Del and Kait fighting together during the Gears 5 campaign
Official Gears 5 screenshot © Xbox Game Studios and The Coalition

Baldur's Gate 3

Pick Baldur's Gate 3 when the group wants one long campaign and can protect a regular night for it. Up to four players create characters, make choices, fight turn-based battles, and live with the consequences in the same story. Patch 8 added cross-play across PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

The freedom is the appeal and the danger. One person can start conversations, make decisions, or wander into trouble while everybody else is comparing equipment. Agree on who handles important dialogue and whether solo sessions are allowed before the save becomes a small constitutional crisis.

This is also a poor “we will play whenever everyone happens to be free” choice. The campaign is substantial, and a four-person schedule is often a more dangerous boss than anything in Faerûn.

Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S.

We Were Here Forever

We Were Here Forever is for two people who want communication to be the main mechanic. The players are often separated and see different information, so progress depends on describing symbols, spaces, and suspicious machinery over voice chat. It is a full puzzle adventure through Castle Rock, not a stack of disconnected challenge rooms.

No local co-op means each player needs a system, copy, microphone, and stable connection. Cross-play between PC, PlayStation, and Xbox helps, but this is still a bad choice for the friend who responds to every explanation with “wait, which lever?”

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S.

Sniper Elite: Resistance

The entire Sniper Elite: Resistance campaign supports two-player online co-op. Its large missions let partners split jobs naturally: one tags enemies and watches the route while the other moves, sabotages, or takes the shot. Multiple infiltration and extraction points keep it from feeling like two people walking through a narrow firing gallery.

It has a defined story and ending, while optional Kill List targets and alternate approaches give a finished mission some replay value. Axis Invasion can introduce a hostile player into the campaign, so turn that off if the point of the night is cooperative planning rather than being hunted by somebody who has memorized the map.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S.

Harry Hawker carrying a man while taking fire in Sniper Elite: Resistance
Official Sniper Elite: Resistance screenshot © Rebellion

A Way Out

A Way Out is the smaller, more grounded Hazelight option. Two players control Leo and Vincent through a prison escape and the story that follows. It is co-op only, uses split-screen even during online play, and changes activities frequently enough that neither player spends the whole campaign doing the same job.

Friend's Pass lets one owner invite a second player through the full online game, but unlike Split Fiction, it does not solve mixed-platform groups. Both players need to be on the same platform family.

Choose this over Split Fiction when you want a shorter crime story with fewer platforming demands. Choose Split Fiction when mechanical variety and cross-play matter more.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One; playable on newer PlayStation and Xbox hardware through backward compatibility.

Where to start

For two people, start with Split Fiction unless its platforming is an obvious mismatch. Choose Portal 2 for a smaller puzzle commitment, Sniper Elite: Resistance for methodical shooting, or We Were Here Forever when both players enjoy explaining badly drawn symbols to each other.

For three, Gears 5 works if somebody wants Jack's support role; otherwise see the dedicated three-player co-op recommendations. For four, pick Halo when the group wants immediate action and Baldur's Gate 3 when everyone will reliably return to the same save.

Once you have two sensible finalists, put them into the game randomizer. Choosing between good options should not consume the time you saved by avoiding another live-service game.

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