Four controllers, one couch, a night that gets out of hand: four-player gaming is a religion. This Top 50 gathers the best retro titles of the multitap era โ party games, races, sports and group brawls. RomWize ranks them by its re-evaluated scores and specifies each one's versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"A cornerstone of console first-person shooting, whose campaign is savored two-player in split-screen and whose system-link clashes set evenings ablaze. The cooperation shines in coordinating weapons and vehicles, while arena versus becomes a ground for memorable trash talk. Readable and wonderfully balanced, it redefined living-room multiplayer and remains a must to restart among friends."
"Co-op Zombies is enriched here by Grief mode, where two teams of players clash mid-horde without being able to shoot each other, and by the ambitious TranZit linking its zones by bus. The competitive side gains ranked League Play, structuring the climb through divisions. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the thrill of sabotaging your rivals while surviving the undead remains a treat among friends."
"The Spec Ops co-op mode is what makes the duo sing: twenty-three standalone missions built for two, from tandem sniping to races against the clock, each with its own challenge. The competitive multiplayer, meanwhile, is built around killstreaks whose chaining can swing a round. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the teamwork the two-player missions demand and the tension of the firefights remain intact."
"A first-person puzzler whose co-op mode, designed specially for two, rests entirely on communication and synchronizing portals. Mutual aid is mandatory and joyful: solving a puzzle with two brains, after a thousand tries, brings unmatched satisfaction. Playable in local split-screen, its deadpan humor and ingenious puzzles make it a high point of two-player gaming."
"With no co-op and no waves to fend off, this entry stands on its landmark competitive multiplayer: it invented the genre's modern progression, with level-based unlocks, perks and killstreaks that became the standard. Everything rests on reflex, map reading and loadout tuning. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the snappiness of its duels and the elegance of its balance haven't aged a day."
"A cover shooter with a heavy, brawny feel, whose campaign is best savored two-player in co-op, split-screen included, covering each other and pushing wall to wall under fire. Competitive versus, led by Warzone and Execution, rewards weapon and map control. Local split-screen backs up a multiplayer whose servers are no longer guaranteed, for a raw, tactical pleasure."
"A pillar of console shooting, whose campaign plays out four-player in co-op and whose competitive arenas defined the genre for a whole generation. The competition rests on power-weapon control, mastered jumps and team communication, readable and deep at once. Local split-screen backs up an online with uncertain servers, making evenings a joyful blend of mutual aid and rivalry."
"A legendary sequel to first-person shooting, pushing multiplayer further with symmetrical maps, a varied arsenal and dual-wielding. Split-screen co-op and system-link battles remain a peak of conviviality, where every ambush and reversal sets off shouts. The era's online belongs to the past, but local versus keeps all its depth and unifying energy."
"Co-op reaches its peak: the campaign is now played four-player, split-screen included, while the fortification-based Horde 2.0 and Beast mode, where you play as the Locust, multiply the ways to play together. Versus rounds out a social range unmatched in the trilogy. A high point of teamwork, even if the original online servers are no longer guaranteed."
"A pillar of console shooting, whose campaign plays out four-player in co-op and whose competitive arenas defined the genre for a whole generation. The competition rests on power-weapon control, mastered jumps and team communication, readable and deep at once. Local split-screen backs up an online with uncertain servers, making evenings a joyful blend of mutual aid and rivalry."
"The co-op Zombies mode is the heart of the game: together you hold the undead waves on cult maps like Kino der Toten or "Five," where JFK and Nixon lend a hand. The carefully balanced competitive side adds Wager Matches, where you bet your points, and local split-screen revives couch nights. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the gleeful dread of the hordes stays intact in co-op."
"A peak of aggressive racing where winning isn't enough: you send rivals into the scenery with takedowns of gleeful violence. The competition turns into a duel of nerves, a mix of driving and well-placed dirty hits that make the whole couch yell. Spectacular and accessible, it chains brutal reversals and fits of laughter, and constantly makes you want payback."
"Beyond the Spec Ops missions, this entry adds the Survival co-op mode: endless waves where you buy and upgrade weapons, turrets and AI squadmates between assaults to last as long as possible. The refined competitive side polishes the balance inherited from the series. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but managing resources together and the mounting intensity of the waves stay exhilarating."
"Co-op becomes the heart of the game: to the two-player campaign, split-screen included, is added Horde mode where five players hold out together against fifty waves of assault. Versus grows richer and still rewards mastery of weapons and ground. Mutual support takes on a new scale here, even if the original online servers are no longer guaranteed."
"Loot pillaging and unhinged gunplay marry here in four-player co-op where everyone cultivates their class and a wild arsenal. Mutual aid dominates, but the race for legendary guns breeds a teasing one-upmanship full of twists. Playable two-player in local split-screen, it suits express sessions as well as long campaigns, always with savage humor."
"With two or more, the Exo Survival co-op mode turns the exoskeleton into a playground: double jumps, dodges and boosts to hold ever-denser waves of enemies. The competitive multiplayer embraces that same vertical mobility, where exo-movement reshapes the duels and rewards control of high ground. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the sense of speed and verticality stay fresh in local play."
"The birthplace of Nazi Zombies, this entry launches the cult co-op mode on the Nacht der Untoten map, where you barricade windows and hold the line against undead waves. It's also the first Call of Duty whose campaign can be played co-op for up to four players. The brutal, snappy competitive side rounds it out. The era's official servers are no longer guaranteed, but the founding dread of zombies and the multiplayer campaign keep all their force."
"A dazzling kart race where anti-gravity and acrobatic tracks elevate four-player split-screen clashes. The fun swings between sleek driving and item chaos: a well-placed shell upends the order at the last corner, for joy and for fury alike. The infamous blue shell can frustrate, but it's also what triggers the laughter and the irresistible "let's run one more"."
"Loot pillaging and unhinged gunplay marry here in four-player co-op where everyone cultivates their class and a wild arsenal. Mutual aid dominates, but the race for legendary guns breeds a teasing one-upmanship full of twists. Playable two-player in local split-screen, it suits express sessions as well as long campaigns, always with savage humor."
