Co Op 3D Platformers: The Best 3D Platform Video Games to Play Together
Co op 3D platformers are video games where two or more players run, jump and climb through full 3D worlds as one team, with the camera behind or around each character. The best ones today include It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Biped 2.
Below you will find what makes a 3D platformer different from a side-scroller, what turns one into a great co-op game, the standout picks with what their official pages say, which ones you can play online on PC, the newest arrivals, how to search Steam for more, and why moving through 3D space with friends is so satisfying.
What is a co op 3D platformer?
A co op 3D platformer is a platform game set in a three-dimensional world, built for players who share the levels and help each other reach the goal. Merriam-Webster defines a platformer as a video game focused on "moving past obstacles in real time with one's avatar," mainly by jumping and climbing. The 3D part means you can move in every direction, not just left and right.
That extra dimension changes everything:
- Depth: you judge how far a ledge is in front of you, not only beside you.
- Camera: you steer a view that follows your character, or the game moves it for you.
- Space to split up: players can take different paths, cover each other and meet at the next checkpoint.
The camera is the hard part. In a GDC talk listed on GDC Vault, designer John Nesky of thatgamecompany put it this way: "The entire experience of playing a game is framed by its camera, but the addition of the third dimension has brought more than a few twists that torment players to this day." His list of failure cases includes "impairing judgment of distances," the exact skill a 3D jump depends on.
What makes a 3D platformer work in co-op?
A 3D platformer works in co-op when the camera keeps every player readable and the levels make teammates need each other. The best games solve it in a few different ways.
- Split screen for each player. Many two-player games give each person their own half of the screen, so nobody fights over the view. It Takes Two and Split Fiction list Shared/Split Screen Co-op on Steam, as well as Online Co-op.
- One shared camera for a group. Games for three or four players often frame the whole team at once, which keeps the group close. Sackboy: A Big Adventure lets you "Create teams of two to four adventurers," and its parties can play the whole game, "including a number of co-op only levels."
- A physical link between players. Chained Together literally ties the team together: "The chain is fully simulated and wraps around platforms."
- Paired abilities. It Takes Two is "a genre-bending platform adventure created purely for co-op," built so each level needs both players.
- A helper role. In Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, Nintendo explains that in Bowser's Fury "Another player can take control of Bowser Jr. and help out by attacking enemies and storing power-ups."
When you compare games, ask one question: does the design need two people, or just allow them? The great co-op 3D platformers need them.
What are the best co op 3D platformers?
The best co op 3D platformers cover every group size, from story games for two to chaotic climbs for a squad. Each pick below comes with what its official store page says.
For two players:
- It Takes Two is tagged 3D Platformer and Puzzle Platformer on Steam and plays in couch or online co-op.
- Split Fiction, from the same studio, is "a boundary-pushing co-op action adventure" that jumps between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. Its page sums it up: "It's weird, it's wild, and it's designed to be shared."
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land invites you to "Explore 3D platforming stages," with Bandana Waddle Dee as "Kirby's battling buddy who joins the action in 2-player co-op play." It is local co-op on one Nintendo Switch.
For up to four players:
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury lets you team up with friends locally or online; Nintendo lists 1 to 4 players on one system and 2 to 4 online.
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure offers local and online co-op on PC for teams of two to four.
- Biped 2 is "a coop action adventure game with a strong focus on moment-to-moment collaboration alone or between 2 or 4 players."
- Chained Together asks you to take on "the infamous hardcore platformer either alone or chained together with up to three friends."
For bigger or sillier groups:
- Human Fall Flat is "a hilarious, light-hearted physics platformer set in a world of floating dreamscapes," and its page says online play supports up to 8 players.
- A Hat in Time describes itself as "a cute-as-heck 3D platformer featuring a little girl who stitches hats for wicked powers," with split screen co-op on PC.
A note on Astro Bot: it is one of the most celebrated 3D platformers of recent years, but it is not a co-op game. Its PlayStation page says plainly: "ASTRO BOT is a single-player experience."
Which co op platformers on PC can you play online?
On PC, the co op 3D platformers you can play online are the ones whose Steam page lists "Online Co-op" in the Features box: It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Biped 2 and Chained Together all do.
A few details matter before you invite anyone:
- Connection: Chained Together warns that "A high-speed internet connection and a good connection between players are required to play online." Physics-heavy games feel every bit of lag.
- Crossplay: Split Fiction and Biped 2 both list cross-platform support on Steam, which helps when your friends do not all play on PC.
- Local-only games: A Hat in Time and Human Fall Flat list Remote Play Together. Valve's Steamworks documentation says this lets friends join "as though they were sitting at the same computer playing together," so a couch co-op 3D platformer can still reach a friend in another city.
- Controllers: 3D platforming usually feels best on a gamepad, so plan one per player.
For the broader list of PC co-op picks beyond platformers, see our guide to co op games online.
How do you find co op platformer games on Steam?
You find co op platformer games on Steam by combining the 3D Platformer tag with a co-op tag, then confirming the details in each store page's Features list.
- Start with tags. Browse 3D Platformer together with Online Co-Op or Local Co-Op. It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Sackboy, Chained Together, Human Fall Flat and Biped 2 all carry the 3D Platformer tag.
- Read the Features box. Tags come from players, but Features come from the developer: Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op and Remote Play Together tell you exactly how the game connects.
- Check the player count in the description. "Two to four" and "up to three friends" are very different nights.
- Look at recent reviews. Players are quick to mention camera trouble, connection problems or a co-op mode that feels tacked on.
- Watch the release dates. New co-op platformers appear on Steam every year, and Early Access games often add levels as their communities grow.
What new co op platformers are worth trying?
The newest notable co op 3D platformers include Biped 2, released on Steam on November 5, 2025, and two 2025 releases from earlier in the year: Split Fiction (March 6) and PEAK (June 16).
- Biped 2 adds a four-player mode to the original two-robot formula. Its page says "Apart from familiar mods, we've introduced a new one - a four-player co-op!"
- PEAK is "a co-op climbing game where the slightest mistake can spell your doom," where friends "Help each other up ledges" on the way to the summit. It plays in first person, so it feels different from a classic third-person platformer, but the jumping and climbing tension is pure platforming.
- Split Fiction is the big story pick of the year for pairs.
We covered classic 2D picks like Rayman Legends and PICO PARK in our co op platformer guide; this list stays in 3D.
Why are 3D platformers good for playing together?
3D platformers are good for playing together because they turn space into a shared puzzle: everyone has to read the same world, call out what they see and time their moves together.
Research shows that this kind of play exercises real skills. A randomized study in PLOS ONE trained older adults on Super Mario 64 for six months and explains that "3D-platform games require the use of spatial memory processes to build a cognitive map of in-game environments." In other words, learning a 3D level means building a mental map, and in co-op you build it out loud with your friends.
There is also the simple fun of it. A missed jump in 3D is rarely just your fault: the camera, the distance and your friend's timing all play a part, so failures become shared jokes instead of frustration, and the clean run at the end feels earned by the whole team.
Where does Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands fit?
Coins Catcher: Co-op Lands is an online co-op 3D platformer for up to 8 players, tagged 3D Platformer on its Steam page, with voice chat for everyone and crossplay between PC (Steam), mobile and VR. It is made in Unreal Engine 5 by Alehundred (solo developer Alejandro Friant) and published by Alehundred Studios.
The 3D twist is scale: you are 10 cm (about 4 inches) tall and travel through magic portals into giant dioramas of seven real historical eras, from Italy 1956 back to Alexandria 300 BC. The group meets first in the Forest Hub, a sacred forest with giant mushrooms and glowing butterflies. Players collect coins and spend them in the game on talents like jump height, run speed and bubble charges, and on unlocking the next eras, while the team defeats the enemies and the giant beast of each era, from a wolf in Italy to a giant spider in Alexandria. The story twists the Brothers Grimm tale The Seven Ravens: seven brothers, cursed into seven giant beasts. When the group gathers 100 coins, the era's tower opens and a race to the top starts, with the Magic Gem for whoever arrives first. Fire, ice, oil and bubble spells add friendly chaos, and each diorama has 8 signs with real historical curiosities.
In VR it uses third-person puppeteering: the camera floats behind your character and you control it from behind, so you get full VR immersion in a platformer without a first-person camera. The game is in Early Access on Steam and open to suggestions from the community.
FAQ
What is a co op 3D platformer?
It is a platform game set in a 3D world where two or more players run, jump and climb through the same levels as a team, usually with split screen, a shared camera or one camera per player online.
What is the best co op platformer in 3D?
It Takes Two and Split Fiction are the standout picks for two players, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Sackboy: A Big Adventure lead for groups of up to four, and Human Fall Flat suits bigger, sillier groups.
What are good co op platformers on PC?
On Steam, try It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Biped 2, Chained Together, Human Fall Flat and A Hat in Time.
Are there online co op platformers in 3D?
Yes. It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Biped 2 and Chained Together list Online Co-op on Steam, and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury supports 2 to 4 players online.
Is there a new co op platformer worth playing?
Biped 2 arrived in November 2025 with a new four-player mode, and PEAK and Split Fiction both launched earlier in 2025.
How do I find co op platformer games on Steam?
Browse the 3D Platformer tag together with Online Co-Op or Local Co-Op, then confirm Online Co-op, Shared/Split Screen Co-op or Remote Play Together in each game's Features list.
Sources
- Merriam-Webster. Platformer: definition and meaning. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, 2026.
- Nesky J. 50 Camera Mistakes. GDC 2014, GDC Vault.
- West GL, Zendel BR, Konishi K, et al. Playing Super Mario 64 increases hippocampal grey matter in older adults. PLOS ONE, 2017.
- Valve Corporation. Steam Remote Play. Steamworks Documentation, 2026.
- Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts. It Takes Two. Steam store page, 2026.
- Hazelight Studios, Electronic Arts. Split Fiction. Steam store page, 2026.
- Sumo Digital, PlayStation Publishing LLC. Sackboy: A Big Adventure. Steam store page, 2026.
- META Publishing, NEXT Studios, PlayJoy Studios. Biped 2. Steam store page, 2026.
- Anegar Games, Lab42, Secret Mode. Chained Together. Steam store page, 2026.
- No Brakes Games, Curve Games. Human Fall Flat. Steam store page, 2026.
- Gears for Breakfast. A Hat in Time. Steam store page, 2026.
- Team PEAK. PEAK. Steam store page, 2026.
- Nintendo. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury. Nintendo.com, 2026.
- Nintendo. Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Nintendo.com, 2026.
- Sony Interactive Entertainment, Team ASOBI. ASTRO BOT. PlayStation.com, 2026.