Sifting through the many games on your PlayStation 5 can be a drag. When it comes to playing with a friend, there are going to be some limitations depending on the titles. ?So, if you want to get a list of some of the best 2-player PS5 games out right now, ??check out our list.

The best 2 player games on the PS5

This list will include games that have appeared on the?? PlayStation 4. However, they can still be played on Sony’s current generation console. The games listed here are also multiplayer-friendly for local and online sessions.

Rocket League

Starting off with a free-to-play game, Rocket League can provide hours of fun. Yeah, the better you get, the sweatier this ?game can be. However, if you’re playing with one other person locally against bots or online against other players, it’s just a good t??ime whether you win or lose.

Though, to counter? the whole sweaty aspect of the game, it’s such a goo??d feeling when you finally master aerial and other advanced movement techniques. 

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection

Despite having a very rough launch with server issues and crashing, there’s still fun to be had in the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection on the PS5. If you and a friend want to sit down for some couch co-op or online Galactic Conquest or Campaign, you ??can do just that. 

It’ll be like 2005 all ov??er again, just with slightly upscaled ?graphics.

Tetris Effect: Connected

Tetris Effect: Connected is ?the definitive Tetris experience on the PlayStation 5. While it has a good ??sele??ction of single-player modes, it also offers a lot for a multiplayer experience. 

It has a three-player cooperative mode where you can team u??p with other people or sub in an AI to fight against a big boss. If you like a more PvP experience, it also sports the Zone Battle, Score Attack, and Classic modes.

Sackboy: A Big Adventure

Sackboy games aren’t quite as heavy hitters as Mario games, but if you want a solid platformer to get your friends in on the action, A Big Adventure is it. With easy drop-in multiplayer, you and y?our buddies can get through the game rather quickly. 

The hectic nature of more players on scr?een just adds to a better time. Yeah, you’ll be getting in each othersâ€?way, but it’s all in good fun. 

Serious Sam Collection

If you want the definitiv???e version of a boomer shooter with cheesy one-liners to mindlessly gun through with your friends, you’ll have a blast playing through the Serious Sam Collection. It’s a collection of games that’s easy enough to get in?to with some friends locally or on??line.

This has the three mainline Serious Sam games in one, with the DLC for all of them. There are hours of hilarity and madness to be had as you and your squad mates can blast through hordes of wacky and vicious enemies. There’s even a survival and PvP component in the game if you want to extend the life of this game for your group. Just, skip The Legend of the Beast to save you and your partner(s) a headache.

Castle Crashers: Remastered

Castle Crashers was perhaps one of the best cooperative games to play with friends on the seventh generation of consoles. Two gen??erations later, it holds up well and it’s one to definitely have on your radar if you’re looking for some 2-player games.

It’s a light version of a side-scrolling RPG that even newcomers to gaming can understand. Plus, the many different classes you can ??play really open up how much replayability ther?e is. 

Borderlands Collection: Pandora’s Box

So I’m kind of cheating here as this version of the Borderlands Collection contains the entirety of the series so far. What you want to focus on for a cooperative aspect are the FPS games: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands 3. Much like the Serious Sam collection, these gam?es have all the DLC expansions packe?d in with them.

So, if you want a hell of a good story with humor that? still mostly holds up today, even with ??the weaker parts of the third game, this series is the epitome of cooperative looter shooter games.

Broforce

If you like games like Contra or Metal Slug, Broforce is going to be the perfect game for you and your?? co-op partner(s). The 8-bit graphics are such a blast in the pa?st, paired with every unlockable character being a “broâ€?pa?rody of a popular movie character from the 80s and 90s. 

The cherry on top is how hectic the game can get, with several explosions, destructible environments, and the over-the-top satirical narrative. Even if you don’t like shoot-em-up games, this game is sure??ly going to bring a smile to you and your group.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Unlike many other cooperative games where you can just drop in and out of games, Baldur’s Gate 3 works differently. Characters are tied to campaign sessions, akin to typical Dungeons and Dragons sessions. It’s actually really cool, as you can ac??tuall?y “pick up where you left off�without anyone getting ahead or being left behind. 

With how much freedom you have in the game like exploration and dialogue choices, this is easily one of those games where you lose track of time. Plus, cooperative gaming just adds much more fun. It may be a genre that’s hard to get into, but cooperative Baldur’s Gate 3 deserves all the praise it gets. 

It Takes Two

You simply cannot overlook It Takes Two if you’re looking for the best ninth-generation game to play with just two players. It’s also deserving of all the praise it got not just from the story, but from the way it keeps you on your toes as you progress ??in this cooperative-only game. 

Just as you start thinking this game can’t get any more innovative, it does. Please, play It Takes Two even if you think its graphics look “childish??.�Just let go of any preconceived notion?s of the game before trying this game. 

While we have listed only ten games on this list, there are many others out there you can try that suit you and your friends, family, or significant others. And yes, fightin?g games were omitted from this list, just because the skill gaps can oftentimes lead to shorter times playing them.

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New blocks just dropped

Next week sees the compelling blockbuster Tetris Effect: Connected make its debut on both PS5 and the newly launched PlayStation VR 2 (PSVR 2) platform �In addi?tion to these new editions, a fresh update for all versions will be bringing a selection of new modes to the iconic, wall-building puzzler.

//youtu.be/BiL6U_iONN4

Available from February 22, the free update will bring four new modes to Tetris Effect: Connected. These include Classic Score Attack, (complete with PAL/NTSC speed toggles), Zone Marathon, which, as the name suggests, adds the Zone mechanics to Marathon mode, and Endless options for both Master and Purify modes. You can check out? an explainer video above, demonstrating the new modes. The video also features comments from?? pro-Tetris players Blink and Yoshimi.

The PS5 edition of Tetris Effect: Connected will include additional features including support for Haptic Feedback on Dual Sense, PSVR 2 Sense, and the PSVR 2 headset. as well as 4K resolution support. The PSVR2 release will also support eye tracking, and will allow players to select their zone of choice by looking directly at the zone and performing a ha??rd blink. Nice touch.

Tetris Effect: Connected launches on PS5 and PSVR 2?? on February 22. It is available right now on PS4, PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Luna, and Oculus Quest.

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The Tetris Effect in the palm of your hands

The new Nintendo Switch OLED model is out today, with a bright new screen to light up those handheld play sessions. And just in time for a showcase of how good that screen can look is Tetris Effect: Connected, w??hich? also launched today for the Nintendo handheld.

This version includes both the original Tetris Effect and all its later-added Connected features. Alongside the main campaign and its stellar mix of visuals and music, there are also the many multiplayer modes like Connected co-op, Zone Battle, and Classic Score Attack. And already, just watching this trailer made a flood of memories come swimming back about how much I dug Tetris Effect the first time around.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=glZpE3Gib1w

The Nintendo Switch version of Tetris Effect: Connected also has cross-platform multiplayer between all platforms. This ranges from the Switch itself to PC via Steam and Epic, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and even Oculus Quest. So yeah, your VR Tetris friends can compete too.

Tetris Effect: Connected is also getting a few Nintendo Switch-specific features. An additional vibration option adds an extra layer of vibration to the Tetris dropping. And there is support for any combination of Joy-Con configurations, so you can easily have everyone play along even if you don'??t have a ton of Joy-Cons available.

For anyone who hasn't played Tetris Effect yet, this is an obvious pick-up to get. It is a simply sublime experience, and one of my favorite ways to play Tetris. And for those who are also picking up an OLED Switch today, with its bright new screen, this seems like a good way to put it through the? paces and see how big a difference the OLED makes.

The post Tetris Effect: Conn??ecte?d is out now on Switch, just in time for the OLED appeared first on Destructoid.

It ain't broke, but they fixed it anyway

I'm not gonna lie, I'm not great at Tetris. Tetris Effect originally drew me in as a gorgeous VR experience, but once I got started I enjoyed trying my hand at beating the solo campaign. I was a bit unsure of what to expect from the new multiplayer update, Connected (which is free if you already own the base game, by the way), but I can tell y??ou, even for someone like me who ??lacks a certain skill level, it's a blast to play.

There are four game modes in the update. The most simple of these are the Score Attack modes, of which there are two. In just plain 'ol Score Attack, you're playing head-to-head with standard Tetris Effect rules in place, but no Line Attacks are ?exchanged. Whoever has the highest combined score after two rounds wins??.

Tetris Effect: Connected (Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Oculus Quest [reviewed])
Developer: Resonair, Monstars, Stage Games
Publisher: Enhance, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Released: August 17, 2021
MSRP: $39.99

Then there's Classic Score Attack, which has the same setup, only it's old-school Tetris rules: no hard dropping, no holding, only one piece shown in the queue, etc. The regular Score Attack is a good option if you're looking for "single-player competitive Tetris," while Classic is pretty brutal, and it's?? the rules play??ers use at pro competitions.

Zone Battle is another fun addition to the traditional Tetris experience. It's another one-on-one format, but it also incorporates the time-stopping Zone mechanic from the single-player. If you enjoyed that part of the base game, definitely give ??this mode a shot.

For me, though, Connected Mode was the star of the show. You and two other players go up against AI bosses, and every so often, all three of your boards wil?l combine into one big one, and you take turns dropping blocks, trying to clear as many lines as possible. That, in turn, deals damage to the boss.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2czq3SAbGw

If you "die" in this mode (the official term is "Tap Out," I learned recently), your teammates can revive you if they play well enough. I had to play online because unfortunately none of my friends have Tetris Effect (at least that I'm aware of), but I can imagine some of my budd?ies would love to play Connected Mode togethe??r.

There is both local and online play with friends though, in addition to the "play with strangers" thing. Tetris Effect: Connected is also cross-platform and uses a room code to get everyone hooked up, so there are plenty of options if your squad plays Tetris together for fun.

Just when you thought that's it, there's more too. That's right, there's bonus features! This includes the highly requested Spectator Mode, which allows between four and six additional players to watch from the sidelines. PAL Mode is also a new addition, which replicates the feeling of the European PAL format from the NES Tetris game, so you get a lower framerate, faster horizontal movement, and faster dropping speed. On the flip side, we also got a Slow Speed Mode, and that's exactly what i??t sounds like. Plus there are performance vs. fidelity options, so you can customize your play experience exactly how you want it.

Just like other multiplayer games, Connected also has Tiers and Skill Ratings. You get an individu??al SR for each mode, and then whichever Tier you're in is determined by all of those SRs combined. You win SR points if you win a game, you lose SR points if you lose. Bob's your uncle??.

Match length depends on which mode you're in, as well as how good you are. The Zone Battle and Score Attack modes can basically go on for as long as you and your opponent can keep from "Tapping Out," but I found the Connected mode to be a bit longer. No game went on for more than maybe twenty minutes at most, though. The wait times ?weren't bad at all to get into games either, which was another plus.

That's all of the logistics finally out of the way, so now let's talk about game feel. What do you expect? Tetris Effect felt amazing to play from the start, so the base was already there to have some really co?mpelling multiplayer versions.

At the end of the day, it's Tetris. We're not reinventing the wheel here, but that's not a bad thing in the slightest. If you love Tetris, you'll love this multiplayer. The sound and visuals are stunning, and the new game modes put a fresh ne??w take on a classic that are worth trying in and of themselves.

It's already a given that competitive players are going to have fun with this, especially when there are multiple variations of traditional Tetris gameplay. If you're someone like me who's a bit more chill, though, I promise you will still have a great time with this game. I especially recommend trying out the Connected Mode if you're a more laid-back player, ??????????????????????????too, because there's more leeway there.

I thought I had seen it all with Tetris 99, so I'm really impressed to see how the brand keeps moving forward and giving us new things to try out. I'm not sure how the hardcore Tetris masters are going to feel about this one, but for a casual fan like me, this is about as good as it get??s.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Tetris Effect: Connected appeared first on Destructoid.

It will also launch on Steam the same day

The world of Tetris Effect is becoming more connected. A free update to Tetris Effect will bring current owners into Tetris Effect: Connected on Aug. 18, coinciding with the trippy Tetris' launch on Steam.

The free update to all existing versions of Tetris Effect adds the co-op and competitive multiplayer modes highlighted in the Connected update that was, previously, on just Windows 10 and Xbox consoles. That's Connected, Zone Battle, Score Attack, and Classic Score Attack, which all sound like a pretty alright time.

Tetris Effect: Connected will also be truly connected, as in, cross-platform play will be available between the Steam, PlayStation 4, Epic Games Store, Oculus Quest, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows 10 versions of the game. There are also some bonus features coming, like a new Spectator Mode, PAL and "Slow" speed modes. Oculus Quest 2 headsets also get a pe??rformance vs. fidelity option, and PS4 copies will be available to Remote Play.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT2TfOoNlrs

Essentially, it's a lot of Tetris that's on the way. This is a game that's quite literally stood the test of time, though 2018's Tetris Effect felt like an amazing new take on it. It's cool to see all the Connected options and updates finally rolling ou?t to other versions of the game.

If you pick Tetris Effect: Connected up on Steam too, there are a few bonus goodies for those who have held out for so long. Some Tetris Effect-themed avatars and wallpapers will be available, as well as a seven-track soundtrack sampler by Hydelic, a previous pre-order bonus for the game on PS4 and Epic. So yes, if you're like me, reading that means you're probably already opening up the soundtrack in whatever audio streaming service you have and listening to it again.

The Tetris Effect: Connected update goes live on Aug. 18 for all availa?ble versions.

The post Free T?etris Effect: Connected update rolls out? August 18 appeared first on Destructoid.