As the holiday season arrives and colder weather encourages indoor gatherings, many seek entertainment. A wide selection of multiplayer games is available to enjoy with others across console, PC, and supported gaming handhelds.
Whether seeking quick action for family fun, a cozy co-op adventure with a partner, or a casual online catch-up with friends, Xbox provides options for every gaming enthusiast this holiday season. Below are some featured titles, including 2025 releases and classic games worth revisiting:
Multiplayer Party Time
For a fun party game suitable for the entire family, Lego Party offers entertaining challenges. Players compete to collect the most golden bricks by participating in 60 diverse minigames inspired by various Lego collections. With numerous minifigures to unlock and customizable modes, Lego Party provides entertainment for everyone. It supports up to four players via split-screen or online multiplayer.
Overcooked 2 – Available with Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate
Simulate the chaos of meal preparation in Overcooked 2, a game that lets players digitally cook together. Gather aspiring chefs locally or online to test abilities and friendships through timed cooking challenges. Chop, prep, cook, and serve various dishes, aiming for a three-star rating before time expires, all while trying to minimize digital kitchen mayhem.
Craft, Co-operatively
Minecraft – Available with Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate
Playing Minecraft together is a common family activity, and it can easily become a holiday tradition. Starting a new world and engaging in split-screen co-op is straightforward, offering endless possibilities. Players can embark on a brief adventure in Survival mode or construct elaborate creations throughout the holiday season in Creative mode. With new content introduced this year, including blocks, weapons, biomes, mobs, and updated visuals, the winter break is an ideal time to revisit the game.
Grounded 2 (Game Preview) – Available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Test teamwork and survival skills in Obsidian’s Grounded 2. Players and up to three companions are shrunk to ant size within Brookhollow Park. Traverse the environment on Buggy mounts, collaborate to gather resources like grass planks and weed stems for shelter, craft health-boosting smoothies from algae and mushrooms, and assemble weapons and armor from materials like red ant mandibles to combat creatures such as bees and spiders. Further adventures involve exploring the park’s mysteries to uncover how everyone ended up in this predicament.
Fight with Friends
This popular extraction shooter offers a fresh approach to the genre. Players embark on expeditions into the ruins of humanity’s past, scavenging resources while evading robots and other players. While enjoyable solo, Arc Raiders transforms into an intense and dynamic experience when played online with a three-person team. The underground city of Speranza provides a unique setting for holiday gatherings.
Gears of War Reloaded – Available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
For an intense co-op gaming experience, Gears of War: Reloaded delivers action and nostalgia. This title reimagines the original Gears of War campaign and multiplayer in stunning 4K 60 FPS, featuring graphical and gameplay enhancements for a modern split-screen experience on console and PC. Whether discovering this Xbox classic for the first time or revisiting it with a family member, Gears of War Reloaded offers an excellent way to experience the explosive beginning of Delta Squad.
Co-op Clean-up
PowerWash Simulator 2 – Available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
For a relaxing and unwinding experience, PowerWash Simulator 2 offers engaging multiplayer modes. Players can join up to four friends online for satisfying cleaning tasks or utilize the new split-screen couch co-op, allowing two players on the same device to collaborate. The game features a variety of unique and imaginative locations to clean, from small vehicles to whimsical teapot-shaped hideaways and funfair attractions, ensuring enjoyment for all.
For those with a creative flair, House Flipper 2’s co-op mode supports up to four players online across PC and console. Players can engage in a linear story mode or explore the sandbox mode, where they can freely clean, decorate, and furnish various homes collaboratively, or even construct new ones from scratch. This allows for individual room design or joint house building, offering numerous avenues for creative expression and shared enjoyment.
Two-player Adventures
For an epic co-op experience, Split Fiction provides an explosive setting. This two-player adventure follows two young authors drawn into each other’s sci-fi and fantasy realms, featuring high-action gameplay, engaging platforming, and puzzle-solving across stunning landscapes inspired by high fantasy, cyberpunk, and other magical themes. It can be enjoyed by two players via split-screen on the same couch or online. The Friend’s Pass system allows only one player to own the game for both to play together.
Charming and vibrant, Lego Voyagers offers a delightful, shorter co-op journey. Players control two tiny Lego bricks, navigating a colorful 3D world by hopping, shuffling, and snapping to solve puzzles and overcome environmental obstacles. This light-hearted, accessible adventure is suitable for all ages. With the Friend’s Pass, two individuals can play together with a single copy of the game, either locally or online.
Farming Fun
Stardew Valley – Available with Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium and Ultimate
In Stardew Valley, players inherit an overgrown farm, transforming it into a thriving agricultural haven. This cozy farming simulator allows for building a dream homestead, unlocking new items and recipes, developing skills, and fostering relationships with local residents. Its co-op mode supports up to eight players, making Stardew Valley an ideal setting for collaborative building and adventuring.
Lightyear Frontier – Available with Xbox Game Pass Premium and Ultimate, and PC Game Pass
Embark on a peaceful open-world farming adventure in Lightyear Frontier, set on a distant planet. Players can build and customize their mech, explore vast landscapes, cultivate alien crops, and establish a homestead. This experience is enhanced when shared with up to three friends, allowing for collaborative exploration and building.
Retro Vibes
Towerborne (Game Preview) – Available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Stoic’s brawler offers a modern take on a classic genre, supporting co-op for up to four players, including local couch co-op on console. Players can choose a class, specialize for unique team compositions, and embark on adventures with friends, making it suitable for both quick sessions and extended play during long winter nights. Following a year in Early Access, Towerborne has received nine major updates, introducing substantial new content, inviting players to revisit the Belfry and discover what lies beyond its walls.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion – Available with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass
Marvel Cosmic Invasion will delight fans of retro beat ’em ups and Marvel. This latest co-op side-scroller from Tribute Games, known for TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, allows up to four players to team up as two Super Heroes each, utilizing a cosmic swap mechanic for unique combos. The roster includes MCU favorites like Captain America and lesser-known characters such as Beta Ray Bill, all presented with beautiful pixel graphics. This genre is best experienced with friends, and this title is no exception.
