All of our veteran readers will know that the team here at 2Game are all huge fans of local multiplayer games. These so-called hotseat titles used to be few and far between, but we're thrilled to report that the selection of local multiplayer games in 2021 is quite impressive indeed!
To be perfectly fair, we did opt to include some prominent examples of top-tier hotseat titles of yesteryear. Such games, however, will easily go toe-to-toe in sheer fun-factor with any of the latest titles on this list. What makes them uniquely relevant are the content updates and events they may have received since their initial release.
In other words, all the games you'll see in this article are stellar hotseat multiplayer games to play over this holiday!
Best Hotseat Games to Play Multiplayer
One last thing before we start! There are two important bits of information about each of these games for you to be aware of. The first is - obviously - the number of hotseat players supported. No sense in getting a two-player game if you've got four total peeps to entertain.
The second, though, is the system requirements. Something like The Ascent, for example, won't run on low-spec machines. To that end, we've simplified the spec requirements as much as we could and categorized the games as such. A 'low' hardware requirement, for example, will run on virtually anything under the sun.
Of course, if you're specifically after truly low-spec multiplayer games, we've got you covered in a separate feature-length article. Have fun!
It Takes Two
From the outset, we had a pretty solid idea of the sort of game It Takes Two would end up being. This narratively-driven two-player masterpiece has now proven its mettle on a global stage, going so far as to get the revered TGA Game of the Year award of 2021!
Simply put, this is probably the highest-profile hotseat game we've had in a decade, and to say that it holds up under scrutiny would be an understatement. Featuring two former partners who've been transmuted into plastic dolls, the pair now need to complete the adventure of a lifetime and learn how to deal with the predicament of a divorce from the perspective of their young daughter.
- Total Players: 2
- System Requirements: High
The Ascent
We were hugely enamored with The Ascent when it first came out. Not only is this isometric twin-stick shooter one of the best-looking games of the year, but it's also just a huge buttload of fun. Badass, chunky gunplay combines with intuitive movement and progression mechanics in a cyberpunk overworld nobody could see coming.
What many don't know, though, is that The Ascent also features a fully-fledged four-player hotseat multiplayer mode. Of course, it does come with all the usual caveats of a hotseat isometric shooter (all players share the same screen, etc.), but it works marvelously well. As long as you've got the PC to pull it off.
- Total Players: 4
- System Requirements: High
Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat is pretty old by now, having launched all the way back in 2016. Still, the game remains uniquely relevant thanks to its continued post-launch development (holiday events, wee!) and owing to its wacky physics engine.
There's honestly not much to be said about Fall Flat that hasn't already been said. It's a weirdo physics simulator where players need to band together to complete all manner of nutty puzzles. The split-screen mode supports up to two players, but that's more than enough for some fun times with a friend, partner, or family member.
- Total Players: 2
- System Requirements: Moderate
Unrailed!
Having come out late last year, Unrailed! quickly carved out a small niche for itself with its unique approach to gameplay. Namely, it's a game about building train tracks across an infinite number of random-generated levels.
The train is always moving, you see. If it stops, you lose, so in order to keep it moving, you may need to build bridges, take down trees, deal with aggressive mobs, and do a number of other fun activities. Unrailed! is almost entirely alone in what it attempts to do, and it's a safe recommendation for some cool two-player co-op gameplay.
- Total Players: 2
- System Requirements: Low
Kitaria Fables
Farming sims have been all the rage as of late - as per Stardew Valley itself - and Kitaria Fables takes the ARPG/farming concept even further. Basically, this is a classless open-ended hack 'n' slash with a farming layer slapped on top of it.
What makes Kitaria special, though, is that it does everything remarkably competently, and then adds multiplayer to the mix, for good measure. It's a lovely and cozy sort of ARPG that we don't see as often as we'd like to.
- Total Players: 2
- System Requirements: Low
Shift Happens
What would a best-of list of hotseat multiplayer games be without a proper sidescroller? Shift Happens is a 2017 release that's received a bit of a resurgence as of late, thus making its way onto our list of best multiplayer games of 2021.
Featuring opportunities for both cooperation and backstabbing, it's strange to us how there aren't more games like Shift Happens. In fact, we're hard-pressed to think of a single recent hotseat sidescroller that scratches the same niche. So, we advise you to play Shift Happens this holiday season!
- Total Players: 2
- System Requirements: Low
Overcooked! All You Can Eat
Finally, Overcooked's ultimate build is now available on PC, too. Overcooked! All You Can Eat is very true to its name, featuring all the content from both standalone Overcooked games and all the post-launch expansion packs and DLCs.
The value proposition present here is downright astonishing. Fair warning, though - Overcooked is probably the most difficult game on this list. It starts off simple and neat enough, only to quickly ramp up to unforeseen levels. Great fun, just don't expect it to be a breeze.
- Total Players: 4
- System Requirements: Low
Play Overcooked! All You Can Eat today!
Closing Thoughts
And there you have it! That's our list of top local multiplayer games for gamers to play in 2021! To say that the year has been a hoot for gamers would be a severe understatement, we feel, and the fine hotseat releases only go further to underscore this claim.
Naturally, 2Game's now all-in when it comes to holidays, so it may be a good idea for you to participate, too. Namely, our biggest giveaway of all time is still going strong, and you've got plenty of time to join. Getting 12 PC games of your choice is no joke, after all!
Otherwise, our Community Hub features all manner of fun reading:
- 2021's Coolest Holiday Gaming Events
- Top 10 Best Holiday-Themed PC Games in 2021
- PC Games as Christmas Gifts? Here's how to choose!
We've got plenty more coming your way over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned, and stick with us - the start of 2022 is going to be a heck of a time for PC gaming!
All of our veteran readers will know that the team here at 2Game are all huge fans of local multiplayer games. These so-called hotseat titles used to be few and far between, but we’re thrilled to report that the selection of local multiplayer games in 2021 is quite impressive indeed! To be perfectly fair, we did opt to include […]
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