Two Player Games
A Social Experience
Video games make all kinds of experiences possible. Many of those experiences are designed for the solo player and are perfect for playing alone. Others are best played with a friend or against an enemy!
Double the Fun
Some of the most enduringly popular games in history are best enjoyed with the help of a willing friend. Double Dragon, the arcade game that started the beat ‘em up genre, emphasized cooperative play and did so to tremendous effect.
Then there were the classic side-scrolling shooters like Gunstar Heroes and Contra. When facing tough enemies, there was something truly satisfying about knowing that your buddy had your back!
Going head-to-head proved just as popular, with games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter showing how entertaining it could be to battle human opponents.
Bug to Feature
2-player gaming has actually been around for as long as gaming itself. When the first games came out in the early 1970s, the technology didn’t exist to simulate a computer opponent. To play Pong and enjoy it, another player was essential! For Pong, and generations of arcade games that followed it, the social dimension that came from needing a partner became a huge part of the appeal of the arcade.
The Most Dangerous Prey… in Herds
The thrill of having another player beside you didn’t diminish just because hardware became powerful enough for AI players to offer a challenge. Multiplayer games like GoldenEye 007 and Mario Kart were integral to the success of consoles like the SNES and N64.
PC gamers also came to appreciate the joys of titles like Quake and Command & Conquer that could be played over a Local Area Network for large, multiplayer experiences. The internet made it possible for games to be played over much greater distances and meant that many games focused on big team play on the net rather than cooperative or head-to-head local play.
A World Made for Two
But the 2-player experience hasn’t ever gone away. There are now thousands of games geared toward challenging two gamers to work together against a series of obstacles and opponents—or pitting those same two players against one another!
Though the internet may allow hundreds of players into the same environment, there’s something more intimate about limiting the player count to just two. It’s the smallest team or match possible, after all.
2-Player Games Today
Today, there are more kinds of game available to multiple players than ever before. For the most part, you’ll be either competing against a single opponent, or in partnership with them against hordes of computer-controlled enemies.
Some two-player games are more strategic. Digital recreations of popular tabletop games like chess and pool are enormously popular, as are role-playing games with intricate plots, grand themes and deep, rewarding combat.
Whatever your taste in games, the chances are that there’s something out there that will help you to enjoy it with a friend.
GamePix’s Collection of 2-Player games
This part of the site has been devoted to our range of two-player games. Each is designed with multiplayer in mind, and, like all of our games, they’re playable on any browser or platform.
So, what kinds of game fall into the two-player category? Well, there’s a huge number to choose from;
- Bomber Friends is a take on the classic Bomberman games. Players compete to blow one another up in a maze of death, collecting power-ups and additional bombs along the way. You’ll need to react quickly, anticipate the moves of other players, and be ruthless in your cunning. It’s a formula that has delighted millions, and you can enjoy it right here.
- For those that like sports games, Basketball Stars brings together a big-head version of the classic game, where players can compete one-versus-one to score the most baskets and be crowned king of the court.
- Getaway Shootout and Rooftop Snipers are two games that rely on pixel art and wacky physics to provide bout after bout of hysterical, over-the-top action. With catchy soundtracks, simple controls, and the potential for unexpected results, they’re sure to enthrall and amuse.
- Teen Titans Go! is a game that celebrates some of the DC universe’s less well-known heroes, and it’s fantastic for fans of the TV show, and of animated gameplay in general.
- Ludo incorporates everything that’s good about the card game beloved by more than 100 million satisfied customers. It’s all wrapped up in a neat little digital package—with no need to worry about tidying up after the gameplay is done with!
- Dino Meat Hunt is a co-operative platform game where players use buttons to control their character of choice. There’s a dinosaur dad and a dinosaur child to control, and a whole range of obstacles and prehistoric environments to navigate.
- Finally, Mini Golf is a pastime that entertains just about everyone in real life—but some of the ball-rolling action can be simulated just as easily on your mobile or desktop device. Take turns with a friend to putt the balls around the obstacles and into the hole in as few strokes as possible. With 18 holes to navigate, each offering a different level of challenge, this is a game that will provide guaranteed fun, even if you’re not usually a fan of golf.
All of the 2-player browser games here on GamePix are completely free, so you can play with—or against—other players as much as you like, and on any device with a web browser.
FAQs
What 2-player games can I play?
You can play any of the games in our 2-player game section, right here on the GamePix site. All of the games in this section are designed with co-op or 1v1 play in mind, and all of them are playable for free, directly from your browser.
What is a good 2 person game online?
All of the free online browser games here in the 2-player section of the GamePix site are excellent 2 player games—immediate, fun and highly cooperative… or adversarial!
