When you’re seriously into gaming but your significant other has never picked up a controller in their life, you might assume that will never change. If you want to change their mind and get them to game with you, there are a ton of great titles out there for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and even PC that are easy enough for your non-gamer SO to get stuck into.
We’ve made life easier with our roundup of all the games we’re playing with our partners this year.
We’ve selected these games based on how easy they are to get into for non-gamers. That means there’s no experience in gaming needed, no complicated controls or button combos to remember, and no gore or violence – we get that first-person shooters aren’t for everyone.
Overcooked (and Overcooked 2)
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Cooking simulation
We’re kicking things off with the most fun you can have playing couch co-op with your SO: Overcooked, and its sequel, Overcooked Two. I’ve enjoyed playing this cooking simulation game with my partner, with the easy controls and fast-paced gameplay making for some laugh-out-loud moments. You can play local couch co-op with your SO when you’re together, or, as we’ve done in the past, play online multiplayer when you’re apart.
Image source: Xbox
Available for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and PC, both Overcooked games are cross-play enabled, so you can play together regardless of your hardware. The game encourages teamwork, so if your partner would rather team up with you than play against you, Overcooked is the game for you.
You’ll need to work together, communicating and delegating tasks to cook a variety of dishes. There’s a time limit, so you’ll need to frantically chop ingredients, cook, assemble dishes, and serve them as fast as you can.
As if that wasn’t challenging enough, each kitchen has unique obstacles such as moving conveyor belts, portals, and platforms. Things can, and will go wrong, which is what makes the game so chaotically funny.
It Takes Two
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Action-adventure
I’d love to play It Takes Two with my partner, but finding the time to game together can be challenging when one of you works nights! It’s worth making time for this couch co-op or online multiplayer action-adventure title, though, with its colorful, magical world, emotionally engaging storyline, and challenging puzzles.
Image source: Xbox
The story revolves around two dolls, Cody and May, who spring into life after their married couple owners face divorce. Dr Hakim, a talking book of love, guides the two on a whimsical journey where they must work together to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and, ultimately, save their relationship.
With a narrative that explores themes of working together, friendship, and love, the storyline appeals to non-gamers, and intuitive controls make It Takes Two easy to dive into, even if your SO has never picked up a controller before.
You’ll need to work as a team to progress, and the varied challenges and puzzles ensure that each of you will have your favorite moments. The shared sense of achievement from beating challenges together will bring you closer together as a couple, too.
A Way Out
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC
Genre: Multiplayer action-adventure
If you prefer your co-op gaming a little less cutesy yet still accessible for your non-gamer other half, pick up A Way Out. This split-screen co-op action adventure game sees you work together to escape prison, so if your SO loved watching Prison Break, it’s the perfect choice!
Image source: Steam
In this story-driven game, you play as prisoners Leo and Vincent, two cons with completely different personalities who must collaborate to escape jail. The game features a good mix of stealth and fast-paced action, with a rich, emotional narrative that explains the prisoners’ backgrounds and how they ended up here.
This is a cinematic experience, focused on storytelling and the development of each character, so it’s a great intro to gaming for your other half. With a variety of engaging puzzles and challenges, nothing is ever so difficult that it becomes frustrating, while accessible controls make A Way Out easy for non-gamers to approach and stick with.
Portal 2
Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS3, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Puzzle platformer
Valve’s first-person puzzle-platformer is one of the best games to play with your SO. You control two robots, P-Body and Atlas, and must work your way through a set of puzzles backed by a collaborative storyline.
Image source: Steam
Using the portal gun, you’ll solve a variety of challenging puzzles together, requiring teamwork, communication, and ideas from both players. There’s nothing quite like that “Yes!” moment when you both figure out the solution, though a word of warning – pumping your fist in the air and claiming all the glory for yourself won’t win you any relationship points!
The witty narrative and dark humor in Portal 2 will have you both laughing out loud, while exploring and mastering the portal gun mechanic is a challenge in itself. There are no complex controls and no button combos to learn, though that doesn’t mean you won’t need your brain switched on to solve the increasingly complex portal puzzles.
Though Portal 2 is a few years old now, it’s still some of the most fun you can have gaming with your non-gamer SO. Unfortunately, you can’t play Portal 2 on your PS4 or PS5, so you’ll need to play on PS3, Xbox, Switch, or PC.
Spiritfarer
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Management simulator
Spiritfarer has one of the most beautiful, hand-drawn worlds I’ve ever seen, with an emotionally engaging narrative that will draw non-gamers in. The game supports couch co-op, where you take on the role of Stella, a Spiritfarer who helps spirits resolve their unfinished business before guiding them to the underworld, and your partner plays as Daffodil, Stella’s cat.
Image source: Steam
Spiritfarer is the ideal game to play with your SO on a rainy afternoon at home. The relaxed pace means there are no time constraints. You’re floating along on a boat, building relationships with various spirits, and enjoying the gorgeous graphics and beautiful soundtrack.
For those who aren’t usually into gaming, the slower pace makes Spiritfarer easy to enjoy. Discuss your choices, work collaboratively to solve puzzles and help spirits, and focus on the narrative rather than worrying about complex controls as there are none here.
Don’t Starve Together
Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, PC
Genre: Survival
The original single-player Don’t Starve remains one of my favorite wilderness survival games, but the multiplayer expansion is even more fun to play with your other half. In Don’t Starve Together, you’re in a mysterious, hostile wilderness and must explore, craft tools, gather resources, and avoid starving.
Image source: Steam
That makes Don’t Starve Together sound much simpler than it actually is, and if your partner is the easily frustrated type, this game might not be for them. If you enjoy working together to overcome challenges and survive in an ever-changing, procedurally generated world, then this game will test you and bring you together.
Simple point-and-click mechanics make it easy to get started and focus on surviving, and you’ll need to communicate and plan to gather and manage resources – nobody wants to run out of firewood or food!
The distinctive dark art style ensures the game appeals to those who aren’t usually found with a controller in hand, while the shared focus on staying alive keeps you working together to overcome challenges. The permadeath feature adds an extra dimension to the game. If your character dies, they’re not coming back.
Though you’ll need to work hard to survive Don’t Starve Together, the quirky art style, original instrumental soundtrack, and simple controls ensure the game is always accessible, fun, and engaging. There’s plenty of freedom to get creative and shape the world around you. How many days can you survive?
We hope you’re going to have as much fun as we’ve had playing one, two, or all of these games with your non-gamer SO. Who knows, it might even be the start of a beautiful regular weekend gaming habit together!
If you’re craving more gaming action, we’ve got a great roundup of indie games you might enjoy and a bunch of free RPGs to try out.
Image credit: Steam
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
