Best Retro Multiplayer Games for Game Nights

The Golden Age of Couch Multiplayer

Before online gaming made remote play the norm, multiplayer meant sharing a couch, splitting a screen, and fighting over controllers. The era from 1985 to 2002 produced the highest concentration of couch multiplayer games ever made — games designed specifically for people in the same room.

These games work today the same way they worked then: friends, one television, and games built for competition or cooperation.

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Best Co-op Games

Contra (NES, 1988)

The defining two-player co-op game. Two players run left to right, or right to left, or into the screen, shooting aliens with increasingly powerful weapons. The default difficulty is brutal with one player; with two players sharing lives, it becomes a mutual obligation to not die.

The Konami Code gives 30 lives. Use it.

Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis, 1992)

Four characters, two players, side-scrolling beatdowns. Streets of Rage 2 has better move variety than most modern beat-em-ups: each character has throws, jump attacks, special moves, and unique combo enders. The two-player mode enables combination attacks. The soundtrack is exceptional electronic music.

Play as Blaze and Axel for the most complete experience.

Gunstar Heroes (Genesis, 1993)

Treasure’s side-scrolling action game is harder than Contra and more chaotic — enemies come from everywhere, screen-filling bosses transform through multiple phases, and the weapon system creates eight combinations of four weapon types.

The two-player co-op makes the chaos manageable. One of the most technically impressive Genesis games visually.

Secret of Mana (SNES, 1993)

Three-player action-RPG on the SNES through the Multi-tap accessory. One player controls Randi, one Primm, one Popoi. The combat is real-time with a charge meter for weapon attacks. The world is open enough for cooperative exploration and the story is long enough to be a genuine campaign.

Most sessions work fine with two players (the third character is AI-controlled); three players makes the game’s real-time chaos educational about the limits of your patience with friends.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (SNES, 1992)

The best licensed beat-em-up on the platform. Two players, four turtle options, stages that include prehistoric jungles and the future, enemies thrown directly at the screen via Mode 7. The controls are immediately intuitive — A to jump, B to attack, Y to throw — and the satisfaction of hurling Foot Soldiers into the screen never diminishes.

GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)

The game that proved first-person shooters worked in a living room. Four-player split-screen, license to kill mode, pistols only, one-hit kill, remote mines. The Temple level. Friday nights in 1997 were organized around this game.

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Best Competitive Games

Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES, 1993)

The definitive two-player fighting game of the 16-bit era. Eight characters plus the four bosses, speed settings, and the version of the game where competitive play mattered at a non-tournament level.

The SNES stick layout (four face buttons) is less ideal than the arcade six-button layout, but playable. The game’s fundamentals — spacing, anti-air, fireball/uppercut rock-paper-scissors — are accessible enough for casual play and deep enough for genuine competition.

Mortal Kombat II (SNES/Genesis, 1994)

The more balanced sequel to the fatality-famous original. Twelve characters, more finishing move variety, and gameplay that stood on its own merits rather than relying on controversy. The Genesis version with the blood code active is closer to the arcade.

Mario Kart 64 (N64, 1996)

Four-player racing with items designed to facilitate chaos. The Blue Shell specifically exists to ruin the leader’s race. The Star makes you invincible. The lightning bolt shrinks everyone else. No friendship survives Rainbow Road.

Bomberman (NES/SNES, various)

Plant bombs in a maze, blow up blocks, collect power-ups, blow up opponents. The five-player Super Bomberman (SNES) with the Multi-tap is one of the best party games ever made. The strategy — controlling board quadrants with bomb placement while reading opponents’ likely movements — is simple to learn and decades deep.

NBA Jam (SNES/Genesis, 1993/1994)

Two-on-two basketball with power-ups, illegal moves tolerated, and “He’s on fire!” when you hit three shots in a row. Not realistic. Relentlessly entertaining. Two players competing in two-on-two format with the full NBA roster creates games that end friendships in the most entertaining possible way.

Micro Machines (NES/Genesis/SNES, various)

Tiny cars racing around kitchen tables and pool tables in top-down view. The original formula that Mario Kart was partly inspired by. Four-player modes on console versions with adapters. The joy of seeing a tiny car navigate a cereal bowl rim never entirely leaves you.

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Platform-Specific Multiplayer Highlights

NES (via NES Four Score adapter for 4-player):

• Balloon Fight — simple aerial combat
• Tecmo Bowl — NFL licensed football with memorable plays
• Double Dragon II — two-player co-op with friendly fire disabled

SNES:

• Super Mario Kart — the original, still good
• Super Bomberman series — the standard for the format
• Kirby Super Star — co-op with shared abilities

Genesis:

• ToeJam & Earl — co-op alien explorers in a rogue-like structure
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — Tails follows Sonic and is helpful until he isn’t

PlayStation:

• Crash Team Racing — better karting physics than any Mario Kart before Double Dash
• Twisted Metal 2 — vehicular combat with eight weapons and good split-screen balance

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Tips for a Good Retro Game Night

Accessibility first: Not everyone has played retro games. Start with games that explain themselves in the first thirty seconds — Mario Kart, Bomberman, NBA Jam. Save the games with learning curves (Street Fighter, GoldenEye) for later in the night when people have committed.

Two controllers, always: Having only one controller for a multiplayer game is fatal. Bring extras.

Shorter sessions for more variety: A complete Street Fighter II Turbo tournament takes longer than it sounds. Have games of different lengths available and rotate.

Drink breaks between games: The social rituals around retro game nights are as important as the games.