My partner expressed an interest in finding a game for both of us to play. She doesn’t play many games, and I generally prefer single player games so I find myself at a loss for what’s out there that we might like. Hoping the community here can help!
We have played some retro platformers together. Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, that kind of thing. And I know she plays puzzle match games on her phone. Which isn’t a lot to go on.
It needs to be a multiplayer PC game that runs on Linux/Proton (if unsure, please suggest your game anyway. It probably does). One machine is a mid-range PC from about 5 years ago. So probably no recent AAA games with high system requirements.
I’m thinking:
- Easy to pick up and play and can offer a satisfying play experience with short play times.
- Cooperative play would be a plus.
- Being able to play with just two people (not forced to play with random people online).
My particularities:
- I won’t play a game that requires creating/signing in to an account to play it at all. I can tolerate that requirement for multiplayer play, but I’d rather it just use a Steam account.
- I’d prefer if it didn’t install a launcher.
- I’d like it to either have a built in server and/or be selfhostable.
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Portal 2 has great puzzles for two players, but the timing can be frustrating
Portal 2 was my first thought as well. It can also work as a good litmus test for how they will respond to FPS controls. You can try kb/m or controller and see what feels natural. My partner (we found playing left4dead after portal) is an inverted controller person. Which was wild to me considering they worked in a heavy clerical field and really took to building keyboard with me. Yet, no kb/m for gaming. After that switch , they were able to enjoy co-op 1st person stuff a lot easier.
After portal we played borderlands 2 together. It’s low pressure most of the time and can be a background activity while you talk and hang out. The story is kinda cheesy but it’s fun to share the inside jokes with someone and bonded us in an unexpected way.
Hopefully those work for you!
Edit: it takes two and split fiction are really fantastic coop experiences as well. But, it take two should probably have a small warning for emotional content. Split fiction is a ton of fun but does get kinda difficult for less seasoned players. I found it endearing helping through those sections, but it could be harder for others. There are some moments that we both audibly wowed at though! That made the difficulty worth it.
PlateUp! The better overcooked (this time, roguelike). Love this game. Might test your relationship a little though…
Me and my husband play this on emulator
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I do not know how well it fits your characteristics but Sea of Stars is a cool retro rpg you can play in coop.
Sonic Racing Crossworlds. The bots are plenty tough on the hardest difficulty. But you can make them easy too.
From the top of my head I can think two:
- Battle block theater is a platformer puzzle game and really fun to play in local coop, and it runs on almost anything.
- Sonic All stars racing is a really fun Mario kart like racing game with local multiplayer.
Not sure about Linux support though, so check it out first, but both are relatively old titles so I think they have a good chance to run.
I know that you said multiplayer, but if I can be one more voice on single player games that you guys may enjoy playing in turns I strongly recommend GRIS. It is so beautiful and I think it suits itself well for shorter play sessions.
I haven’t seen anyone say Enshrouded yet. Im hosting a server on wine/linux for my group. Its like Valheim but with more direction like a quest log and lore and etc. Lots of good reccs on the thread already too.
Stardew Valley. My wife and I just started playing it together. It is a good time. Genuinely fantastic game.
I picked up gaming in 2022 (played all the Halo Games, Star Wars Fallen order and Survivor, Dark Souls) and she hasn’t played anything since childhood in the 90’s… We are both loving Stardew.
Try emulating Kirby and the Forgotten Land using a Switch emulator.
I recommend avoiding people’s recommendations for PC-only/indie games altogether. You will be lowering your standards just to get something that ‘works’ rather than something that’s actually worth your time.
This is a bonkers take on PC games
Only if you have low standards.
Deep Rock Galactic can be played up to 4 players, but 2 is fine. There’s difficulty scaling to what you want to do and you have to want to play high difficulty content to access it. You go around various biomes, mining for resources, fending off enemies. There’s a multitude of mission types to play that can be fun to funny.
It was officially released in 2020 but was in early access for longer than that. It’ll run well on mid range PC builds and supports Linux though with the typical warning it might be a little janky until you get the right modifications going. The DLC in the game is cosmetics and you have plenty you can earn through regular gameplay.
A racing style game that you two can play around in I believe is called Wreck Fest. It’s a demolition styled racing game so crashing, smashing, and bashing are all encouraged. It has from straight racing to demolition derbies with AI.
It released in 2018 and should work fine on a mid-range PC, though might need to turn down some of the physics effects since there’s a lot. Its DLC is different cars which isn’t really pay to win as they have strengths and weaknesses to them. I’ve played it on single player and it’s still fun, with a friend would be wonderful.
If you’d like a rogue lite kind of game, there’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splintered Fate. It’s a coop rogue lite where you build up power sets and see how they do. Can be up to 4 players but solo is very much viable as well.
I really enjoyed We Were Here with a good friend. It’s a coop escape room like puzzle game where you’ll play in different rooms but your puzzles interact with the other room and you’ll have to communicate and work the two rooms together to solve it
The sequels are also very nice!
Tick Tock:A Tale for Two is also a similar idea, but doesn’t require first person navigation.
The Past within has a similar concept and is also great!
Something you might want to consider is that often boardgames nowadays have an electronic equivalent. Case in point, my best mate and myself recently played The Dresden Files over Steam.
I’m in a similar situation with my wife not being particularly interested in games - I’ve had some success in playing LA Noire with her guiding the investigations and interrogations. The jazz soundtrack in particular helped convince her, funnily enough!
Not quite perhaps what you’re looking for, but may work for others with hesitant non-gamer partners.
