The 10 Best Co-op Games on Xbox Series X|S in 2027

Direct Answer

The best co-op game on Xbox Series X|S is Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which bundles six campaigns playable in two-to-four-player co-op and is included with Xbox Game Pass or $39.99 standalone. The best value is Sea of Thieves at $39.99 (also on Game Pass), a shared-world pirate adventure for up to four crewmates.

This list is for Xbox owners who want campaign or open-world co-op, locally or online, and it leans heavily on titles that come free with Game Pass to stretch your money. Every game below is real and currently available on Xbox Series X|S, ranked on co-op design, drop-in ease, content volume, and value through Game Pass.

1. Halo: The Master Chief Collection 🏆 BEST OVERALL

Halo: The Master Chief Collection from 343 Industries is $39.99 standalone and free with Xbox Game Pass. It packages the campaigns of Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo 4, and Halo: Reach, every one of them playable in co-op.

The scale is what wins. You get six full campaigns supporting two-player split-screen and up to four-player online, plus cross-play across Xbox and PC. The collection runs at up to 120 fps on Series X. For the price of one game you get a decade of Halo to play through with a friend.

It ranks #1 because no other Xbox package offers this much proven co-op campaign content in one purchase, and on Game Pass it effectively costs nothing extra. The campaigns scale their difficulty across four settings, so a skilled player and a newcomer can find a level that works for both.

Because the games are the original campaigns remastered rather than a spin-off, you are playing the actual story missions that defined the series, now with modern resolution and frame rates on Series X hardware.

2. Sea of Thieves 💎 BEST VALUE

Sea of Thieves from Rare is $39.99 standalone and included with Game Pass. Up to four players crew a single ship, navigating a shared online world, hunting treasure, fighting skeletons, and battling other real crews.

It is Best Value because crewing a galleon together is one of gaming's purest cooperative experiences — one person steers, one mans the sails, one watches the map, one fires cannons. Years of free seasonal updates and "Adventures" have expanded it continuously. With four friends and one Game Pass subscription, the cost-per-player is tiny.

Cross-play with PC means your crew can mix Xbox and Windows players, and the shared-world design drops other real crews into your session, so cooperation with your own team is balanced against the threat of rivals on the horizon. New seasons add fresh world events, cosmetics, and limited-time story content roughly every few months.

3. Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios costs $69.99 and supports four-player online co-op for the entire 100-plus-hour campaign. Each player runs their own character through a deep, choice-rich Dungeons & Dragons story.

It ranks high for sheer depth. The turn-based combat keeps everyone on equal footing regardless of reflexes, and split-screen is even supported locally for two players on console. It is a long-haul commitment best suited to a regular play group.

The host carries the save, so the same person should generally be online for the group to progress, and players can break off to handle their own quests on different parts of the map. The 2023 Game of the Year pedigree means the voice acting, branching choices, and reactive world hold up across the entire run.

4. It Takes Two

It Takes Two from Hazelight is $39.99 and a two-player-only adventure with a Friend's Pass that lets a second player join free. The roughly 12-hour campaign constantly reinvents its mechanics and won 2021 Game of the Year.

It lands here as the premier pair-up game on Xbox. Split-screen or online, one copy covers two players, making it both excellent and economical for couples or close friends.

5. Diablo IV

Diablo IV from Blizzard is $69.99 and supports two-player local split-screen plus four-player online parties. You hack through demons in Sanctuary, hunting loot and leveling one of five classes, with new seasons roughly quarterly.

Couch split-screen Diablo on Series X is smooth and a rarity among modern loot games, which is why it makes the list. The endless gear chase suits players who enjoy optimizing characters together over many sessions.

6. Gears 5

Gears 5 from The Coalition is $39.99 and free on Game Pass, supporting three-player campaign co-op plus the cooperative Horde and Escape modes. You play through a third-person cover shooter campaign with a friend controlling each squad member.

It earns its place as the showcase Xbox-exclusive co-op shooter. The Horde mode — surviving waves of enemies with up to five players and building fortifications — has kept squads coming back for years. Each character class has a distinct ultimate ability and a fabricator role, so a coordinated team divides labor between damage, engineering, and support.

The Escape mode adds a faster three-player challenge built around a shrinking poison cloud. On Game Pass it costs nothing extra.

7. Minecraft

Minecraft from Mojang is $29.99 and free on Game Pass for PC/console, supporting four-player split-screen locally and far larger online servers. Gather, build, and survive in an endless block world with cross-play across platforms.

It makes the list for its universal accessibility — almost anyone can pick it up, and split-screen survival or creative building is a dependable group activity. The Bedrock edition on Xbox enables cross-play with friends on phones, Switch, and PC.

8. Overcooked! All You Can Eat

Overcooked! All You Can Eat from Team17 is $39.99 and bundles two remastered Overcooked games with four-player local and online co-op. Run a frantic kitchen against the clock while the floor collapses and trucks split your stations apart.

It ranks here as the best chaotic party co-op on Xbox for mixed-skill groups. Easy to learn, hilarious under pressure, and stuffed with content in this all-in-one edition.

9. Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite from 343 Industries is $59.99 with a free-to-play multiplayer component, and its campaign supports three-player network co-op. You explore a semi-open Halo ring, clearing outposts and bosses with friends.

It lands here for combining a strong co-op campaign with a completely free multiplayer suite. The open-structure campaign gives squads room to tackle objectives in any order, and the free multiplayer means friends can join the competitive side at no cost. The grappling hook adds a traversal hook to co-op that earlier Halo games lacked, letting players zip across the ring and into firefights together.

Cross-play with PC widens the pool of friends who can join.

10. Grounded

Grounded from Obsidian is $39.99 and free on Game Pass, supporting four-player online survival co-op. You are shrunk to ant-size in a backyard, building bases, crafting gear, and surviving spiders and insects together.

It rounds out the list as a fresh survival-crafting pick. The shared base-building and the genuinely tense bug encounters make it a strong choice for groups who liked Minecraft but want more direction and a sci-fi story. On Game Pass it is free to try with friends.

The shrinking-down premise gives the familiar survival loop a fresh tension, since common backyard insects become deadly threats at ant scale, and the base-building rewards teams that plan defensible layouts before nightfall.

How to Choose

• For the most content per dollar, get Game Pass — Halo MCC, Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, Grounded, and Minecraft are all included, so one subscription covers most of this list.
• For two players, It Takes Two needs only one copy thanks to the Friend's Pass and is built entirely for pairs.
• For a deep, scheduled campaign, Baldur's Gate 3 offers 100-plus hours of four-player story.
• For couch split-screen, Halo MCC, Diablo IV, Minecraft, and Overcooked all support local play on one console.
• For a shared open world, Sea of Thieves or Grounded give four players a persistent space to build and explore.
• For wave-survival nights, Gears 5 Horde mode is the standout cooperative challenge.

FAQ

Which Xbox co-op games come free with Game Pass? From this list, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Sea of Thieves, Gears 5, Grounded, Halo Infinite (campaign sold separately, multiplayer free), and Minecraft are all included with Xbox Game Pass. A subscription starts around $11.99 per month for Console tier, which makes it the cheapest way to access most of these games.

Do all of these support local split-screen on Xbox? No. Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Diablo IV, Minecraft, Overcooked! All You Can Eat, and It Takes Two support local split-screen on one console. Sea of Thieves, Baldur's Gate 3 (split-screen for two), Gears 5, Halo Infinite, and Grounded are primarily or entirely online co-op.

Do I need Xbox Game Pass Core for online co-op? For most online co-op you need at least Xbox Game Pass Core (about $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year), which replaced Xbox Live Gold. Free-to-play titles and local split-screen do not require it, so Halo Infinite multiplayer and couch co-op games can be played without a subscription.

Is It Takes Two playable with one copy on Xbox? Yes. It Takes Two includes the Friend's Pass on Xbox, letting a second player download a free companion client and play the entire campaign with the owner. You only need to buy one copy for two people.

Bottom Line

For the best overall Xbox co-op experience, Halo: The Master Chief Collection ($39.99 or free on Game Pass) delivers six full co-op campaigns in one package. For the best value, Sea of Thieves ($39.99 or free on Game Pass) gives four-player shared-world adventure with years of free updates.

Subscribing to Game Pass unlocks most of this list at once.

Sources

• Xbox Store and Xbox Game Pass official listings and pricing
• 343 Industries official site (Halo MCC and Halo Infinite co-op details)
• Rare official site (Sea of Thieves updates)
• The Game Awards (2021: It Takes Two; 2023: Baldur's Gate 3)
• IGN Xbox co-op game reviews and roundups
• GameSpot Xbox multiplayer reviews
• Pure Xbox Game Pass co-op guides