10 Best Good Coop Games to Play in 2025
We love good coop games. They bring friends together, spark laughter, and build teamwork. Here’s our list of good coop games!
10 Best Good Coop Games That Will Save Your Game Night! Looking for good coop games that won’t make you want to flip the table? Us too. We picked board games that make you work together, laugh, and shout directions at each other without taking it personally. We focused on games with clear teamwork, easy-to-understand rules, and fun twists that keep everyone talking. Whether you’re saving the world, fighting fires, or just trying to not embarrass yourself in front of friends, these good coop games bring out the best (and worst) in your group. Ready to pick your next favorite?
On this list:
10 Pandemic
We always reach for Pandemic when we want good coop games because nothing brings people together quite like a global disaster. There’s a real sense of teamwork as we race around the world, clearing up outbreaks and trying not to panic. The rules are simple, but the tension builds fast – especially when our medic friend forgets Asia is on the board. If you want a game that’s easy to learn, but tough to win, this is a classic. Plus, it gave us lots of excuses to yell, ‘Why is EVERYONE sick?!’ at each other.
9 Forbidden Island
Forbidden Island is like Pandemic’s younger sibling who is into treasure hunting instead of disease control. We love it as a good coop game because it’s quick, easy, and stressful in a fun way. We’re racing to grab treasures before the island sinks, and every turn feels important. There’s always someone who jumps in the water to save the day… and ends up stranded. It’s a solid choice for families or anyone new to the world of cooperative games. Bonus: the metal treasures are super shiny.
8 The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
If you like trick-taking card games and want a good coop game, The Crew is out of this world—literally. We tried this in our game night, and things got tense quick. No talking about your cards, so you end up learning a lot of meaningful glances and heavy sighs. There’s a sense of accomplishment when your team finally cracks a tough mission. It’s fun, challenging, and somehow made us feel both really smart and really dumb at the same time.
7 Spirit Island
If you want to flip the script and scare away the settlers, Spirit Island is a top pick for good coop games. We each played as angry island spirits, and let’s just say, we now fear volcanoes. This game is beefy—expect a challenge and lots of planning. It might seem tricky for new players, but the feeling of driving back the invaders together is so sweet. We almost high-fived when we won, but decided to do an awkward spirit dance instead.
6 Flash Point: Fire Rescue
In Flash Point, we’re firefighters risking everything to rescue kittens and not-so-lucky plastic people from burning buildings. It’s a great starting good coop game for families, simple to teach, but intense when the dice hate you. Everyone gets a special role, and honestly, we spent half the time making up dramatic firefighter names. Each game tells a mini rescue movie—we even had a round where the dog saved the day. Spoiler: Dogs are better than us.
5 Mysterium
Mysterium puts us in the haunted shoes of ghost detectives. One of us is a ghost giving weird clues (with art cards that look like a fever dream), and the rest play psychic investigators. We laughed at all the wild guesses, and cheered when someone finally picked up on our ghostly hints. It’s a great, light-hearted good coop game, so if you like Dixit-style art and a bit of spooky fun, this board game is for you.
4 Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
Jaws of the Lion is the lighter, easier-to-learn sibling of Gloomhaven—a true gateway into chunky coop dungeon crawls. We love it as a good coop game because it’s got great story, clever card play, and you can actually finish the campaign without quitting your job. Every session feels like its own tiny epic, full of epic moves and poor life choices. We bonded over getting stomped by rats, and we kept wanting ‘just one more round.’
3 Hanabi
Hanabi is a tiny box packed full of fireworks… and panic. It’s a good coop game for testing friendships—hold your cards out so you can’t see them, and trust your friends to gently mock your terrible guesses. Fast, easy to set up, and great to play a few times in a row. We always end up with at least one accidental boom, but when it works, it feels like magic. Highly recommended for groups who like a puzzle with a twist.
2 Ghost Stories
Expect lots of defeats in Ghost Stories, but it’s always a blast losing together. This is one of those good coop games that looks cute, but will ruin you. We struggled, we shouted, and once we actually won (we think). It’s all about saving a village from vengeful ghosts, using your powers and teamwork like you’re in some wild anime. If your group loves hard games and wants a challenge that feels like a real event, try this one.
1 Ark Nova
Ark Nova tops our list of good coop games. Technically, it can be competitive, but there are solid coop and solo modes that work great. In our group, we built awesome zoos together, and nothing beats cheering when you save a panda or finally add a cool enclosure. It combines clever planning with fun animal powers, and lets everyone shine. We loved it for its chunky strategy, friendly vibe, and that rush when the zoo comes together. This is the best one for us; it kept us laughing, plotting, and high-fiving each other all night.
