I used to think cooperative games were boring; where’s the challenge in working together against a deck of cards, instead of competing against your friends? But over the years, I’ve realized some of my favorite game memories have come from cooperative games.

Here are my favorite co-op board games, in order from light to heavy gameplay:

Just One

Players: 3-7

Time: 20 minutes

This is one of those super simple games I wish I had designed. One player doesn’t know a secret word, and everyone else tries to get them to guess it by writing a one-word clue. The catch is that if anyone writes the same word, they get cancelled. So you’re trying to come up with a clue that is just the right level of obscurity.

Concept

Players: 4-12

Time: As long as you want

You have to get everyone to guess your secret word by communicating via placing tokens on a big board of symbols. It’s a tricky and fun party game.

Codenames: Duet

Players: 2-4, best with 2

Time: 15-30 minutes

It’s hard to beat the original Codenames, but I think this 2-player version is equally fun, and it was designed by a fellow Minnesotan, Scot Eaton!

Hanabi

Players: 2-5, best with 3+

Time: 25 minutes

The hook of this game is that you have to turn your hand of cards around, so only the other players can see your cards. You have to rely on clues from them to decide what to play.

The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine

Players: 2-5

Time: Each game is about 20 minutes, but you’ll probably want to play multiple times

This is my game group’s favorite game of the year. It’s a co-op trick-taking game that gets more fun each time you play, as you complete harder and harder missions.

Mysterium

Players: 2-7

Time: 60+ minutes

This is a cool twist on the art-based game Dixit; the “ghost” player is trying to give players clues about who killed them, but they can only communicate via abstract picture cards.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective

Players: Any number

Time: 60+ minutes, depending on how much your group likes to debate

This is like a “choose your own adventure” book. You’re trying to solve a mystery in as few clues as possible, by visiting locations and asking witnesses.

Mechs vs. Minions

Players: 2-4

Time: 60+ minutes

This is my favorite action programming game, where you’re trying to program your mechs to carry out an amazing series of attacks…but something always goes hilariously wrong!

Pandemic Legacy (Season 1 & 2)

Players: 2-4

Time: 60+ minutes

I’m sort of lukewarm on the original Pandemic, but the legacy elements make the game so much cooler.

Gloomhaven

Players: 1-4

Time: 60+ minutes

I’m not that into tactical combat games, but the dual-card system for battles is really interesting. I love the depth in the character upgrading and unique missions. Hopefully you can convince a friend to buy it and learn the rules for you. 🙂

Honorable Mentions

Here are a few games that didn’t quite make the cut, but I appreciate them for their creativity:

• The Mind – Each player has a hand of cards, with numbers from 1-100, and you try to play them out in order…without talking! It’s an interesting experiment in time perception.
• Magic Maze – In real time, you’re trying to quickly move characters through a maze. The catch is that each player can only move pawns in one direction, so you have to frantically work together without speaking.
• Slide Quest – Players each control one side of a tilting platform to roll a knight around and complete missions.