professional headshot of Joey Gauthier Joey Gauthier 04/27/2019

Local multiplayer games are a dying breed, but there are still some good choices out there!

Finding good local multi-player games has become an increasingly difficult task. There is more of a focus on online multi-player in modern games because that makes it easier for game developers to nickel and dime us with micro-transactions and DLC. Being a father, a husband, and someone who likes to entertain guests at my home, I have searched far and wide for local multi-player games and have many in my collection with a wish list of games to buy as well. I just thought it could be helpful to someone if I shared my findings as it hasn’t been an easy task gathering this kind of data.

There will be mistakes! It can sometimes be difficult to find good information on a game, especially if it isn’t a popular game. If I have played the local multi-player mode of a game listed below, I will give it a rating based of my personal experience with 4 player multiplayer and not the game as a whole. A lot of games I knew of with local multi-player are available on multiple platforms when I looked up the game. It is safe to assume that just because a game has 4 player modes on one platform doesn’t mean it necessarily has that on all available platforms. Also, some games have a four player mode available via a hack or glitch. I will not be listing those games either as the goal is to create lists of easily accessible four player games for all to enjoy!

Note that to play four players and any title listed for the PlayStation or PS2, you must have the Multi-Tap for that console.

Also, I will try to revisit this post and update this list as my awareness of four player games changes so check for updates. Feel free to list more titles in the comments section and I will add them to the lists!

Older Consoles With Multi-Player Adapters

The NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive all had adapters that allowed for more than 2 controllers to be connected at once along with a small list of games that utilized that functionality. Rather than list all the games that take advantage of those adapters, I will provide some links for further reading on those if you are interested.

Series That Always Have 4 Player Modes

Some series out there always (or at least almost always) have four player modes. Instead of listing each individual title, I am just going to list the series. Basically, if you pick up a game from any of these series, it is more than likely going to have a local four player mode.

  • Smash Bros
  • Mario Kart (except for the SNES version)
  • Mario Party
  • Worms
  • Bomberman
  • Buzz Trivia

Also, there are too many sports games to list. If a games starts with "FIFA", "WWF", "WCW", "NBA", "Madden", "NFL", "PGA", or "NHL" it likely supports 4 players if the console supports 4 players. I'll list sports titles that are more unique.

Action RPG

There’s something about teaming up with a few of your friends to fight for the greater good in a top-down action RPG that is incredibly satisfying and fun. If this sounds like your bag, these games are worth checking out.

Game Platforms My Rating
Alienation PS4 3.5
Champions of Norrath PS2
Custom Robo V2 N64
Diablo 3 PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac 4.7
Divinity: Original Sin PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux 3.9
Divinity: Original Sin 2 PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Dungeon Hunter: Alliance PS3, Mac 3.6
Gauntlet Legends N64, Dreamcast
Gauntlet: Slayer Edition PS4, PC 3.8
Helldivers PS3, PS4, PC 3.5
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris PS4, Xbox One
Magicka PC
Magicka 2 PS4, PC, Mac, Linux 3.8
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, PC 4.2
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, PC
Nine Parchments PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC 3.6
X-Men Legends PS2, Xbox, GameCube
X-Men Legends 2 PS2, Xbox, GameCube

Rhythm Games

Some people have great rhythm. Some don’t. Regardless, rhythm games can be a lot of fun to play with groups of people. Whether you are playing in a virtual band together or simply mashing buttons to the beat, these games can provide hours of entertainment.

Game Platforms My Rating
Amplitube PS2, PS4 4.5
Band Hero PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
The Beatles: Rock Band PS3, Xbox 360, Wii 3.8
Frequency PS2 4.4
Michael Jackson Experience PS3, Xbox 360, Wii 4
Rock Band PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Rock Band 2 PS2, PS3, Wii
Rock Band 3 PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Rock Band 4 PS4, Xbox One 4.2
Samba De Amigo Dreamcast

First Person Shooter (FPS) / Third Person Shooter

After my friends and I got to experience four player split-screen on 007 GoldenEye for the N64, we were hooked. While modern FPS games have stopped including this feature, there are still a nice handful of FPS titles to feature four-player modes.

N64
Game Platforms My Rating
007: From Russia With Love PS2, XBOX, GameCube
007 GoldenEye N64, Wii 4.7
007: Nightfire PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC, Mac
007: The World is Not Enough N64
Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M. N64
Borderlands: The Handsome Collection PS4, Xbox One 4.1
Call of Duty: Black Ops III PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, Mac 3.9
Daikatana N64, PC
Duke Nuken 64 N64
Duke Nuken Zero Hour N64
Far Cry: Instincts Xbox 360
Forsaken N64
Halo Xbox
Halo 3 Xbox 360
Halo 4 Xbox 360
Halo: Master Chief Collection Xbox One
Halo Reach Xbox 360
Hexen N64, PC, Mac
Link's Crossbow Training Wii
Operation WinBack N64
Perfect Dark N64 4
Quake II PlayStation, N64
Quake III: Arena PS2, Dreamcast, Xbox 360, PC, Mac, Linux 4.6
Red Steel Wii
TimeSplitters PS2
TimeSplitters 2 PS2, Xbox, GameCube 4.3
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect PS2, Xbox, PC
Turok 2 N64
Turok 3 N64
Turok: Rage Wars N64
Unreal Championship Xbox 4.2

Platformers

Platformers can make for great fun when playing alone, but why not hand your other controllers to some buddies to make things more interesting? Just try to avoid fighting over who gets the power-ups!

Game Platforms My Rating
Banjo-Tooie N64
Chameleon Twist N64
Donkey Kong 64 N64
Guacamelee! PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux
Guacamelee! 2 PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards N64
Kirby's Return to Dreamland Wii
Kirby Star Allies Switch 3.8
LittleBigPlanet PS3 3.8
LittleBigPlanet 2 PS3
LittleBigPlanet 3 PS4 3.8
New Super Mario Bros Wii 4
New Super Mario Bros U Wii U 4.3
New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe Switch 4.6
Rayman Legends PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, Switch, PC 4
Rayman Origins PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, Mac
Sonic Heroes PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC 3
Speedrunners PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Spelunky PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Super Mario 3D World Wii U 4.5
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures GameCube
Towerfall: Ascension PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac
Unruly Heroes PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC 3.8

Racing

Racing games can be one of the most competitive multi-player experiences you can have! With everyone hyper-focused on the race knowing that everything can change in a split second, racing your pals is a great way to make the time go by. Note that Micro Machines 2 is in this list for the SNES and Genesis. This is because that game has 2 extra controller ports built into the cartridge so it doesn’t need any additional adapters. Also, the Mario Kart series is listed above as the whole series has four player modes with the exception of the SNES version.

Game Platforms My Rating
Action Girlz Racing PS2, Wii, PC
Antz Extreme Racing PS2, Xbox, PC
ATV Offroad Fury PS2
ATV Offroad Fury 2 PS2
ATV Offroad Fury 3 PS2
ATV Offroad Fury 4 PS2
Automobili Lamborghini N64
Beetle Adventure Racing N64
Billy the Wizard: Rocket Broomstick Racing PS2, Wii, PC
Crash Team Racing PlayStation
Cruis'n Exotica N64
Cruis'n World N64
Derby Stallion 64 N64
Destruction Derby 64 N64
Diddy Kong Racing N64 4
Excitebike 64 N64
Extreme-G N64
Extreme-G 2 N64 3.8
Extreme-G Racing Association GameCube 3.9
F-Zero GX GameCube 4
F-Zero X N64
Iggy's Reckin' Balls N64
Jeremy McGrath Supercross 64 N64
Kirby Air Ride GameCube
Mickey's Speedway USA N64
Micro Machines 2 SNES, Genesis
Micro Machines 64 N64
Micro Machines v4 PS2, Windows 4.3
Micro Machines: World Series PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux 3.7
Monster Truck Madness 64 N64
Penny Racers N64
Polaris SnoCross N64
Rally Challenge 2000 N64
Re-Volt N64, Dreamcast, PC
Ridge Racer 64 N64
Roadsters N64
San Francisco Rush 2049 N64, Dreamcast
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, PC, Mac 4
South Park Rally N64, Dreamcast, PC
Wacky Races: Starring Dastardly and Muttley PS2, Dreamcast 3.7
Wacky Races: Mad Motors PS2
Wipeout 64 N64 3.9

Fighting

Most fighting games out there focus on 2 player fights, but there are a small handful of fighting games that make for great four-player brawling action! I listed the Smash Bros series at the top since the whole series features four-player fighting, but here are some others you might not have known about.

Game Platforms My Rating
Barbarian PS2
Brawlout Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC 3.7
Fighter Destiny 2 N64
Gang Beasts PS4, PC, Mac
Lethal League PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Power Stone 2 Dreamcast

Party Games / Mini Games

Sometimes, rather than playing a regular game with other people, it can instead be a lot of fun to play a series of mini-games lasting only a few minutes each. These style of party games keep things fresh with their control schemes, objectives, and game play styles changing over and over. They work well for those of us with short attention spans! Note that the Mario Party series was already listed above.

Game Platforms My Rating
The Adventures of Cookie & Cream PS2, PS3
The Bible Game PS2, Xbox
Chu-Chu Rocket Dreamcast
Fuzion Frenzy Xbox 4.5
Fuzion Frenzy 2 Xbox 360
The New Tetris N64
Nintendo Land Wii U 3.7
Pac-Man Vs. GameCube
Rat Attack! N64, PC
Starwhal PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PC
Super Monkey Ball GameCube
Super Monkey Ball 2 GameCube 4.4
WarioWare Inc Mega Party Game$ GameCube
Wii Party Wii 3.3

Sports

There are lots of sports games out there that allow four players to play simultaneously on the same console at the same time. Being that I’m not a huge sports game fan, I wasn’t about to try to list all of them. I know that, for example, most of the FIFA soccer games allow four players and I am sure there are many other series just like that. Instead of listing all of those series, here is a list of some other sports games I could think of with four player multi-player.

Game Platforms My Rating
Agassi Tennis Generation PS2, PC
All Star Tennis '99 N64
All Star Baseball '99 N64
All Star Baseball 2000 N64
All Star Baseball 2001 N64
Athens 2004 PS2, PC
Backyard Basketball PS2, PC, Mac
The Bigs PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
Centre Court Tennis N64
Cyber Tiger N64
ECW Hardcore Revolution N64
Mario Golf N64
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour GameCube 3.7
Mario Power Tennis GameCube, Wii
Mario Tennis N64
Mario Tennis Aces Switch 4
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Wii
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Wii
Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Wii
Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games Wii U 3.1
Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Wii
Nagano Winter Olympics 98 N64
NBA Hangtime N64
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition PS3, Xbox 360, Wii 4
NBA Jam: Tournament Edition Genesis, Sega CD, PlayStation 4.2
NBA Street V2 PS2, Xbox, GameCube
NFL Blitz 2000 N64
Rocket League PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Switch, PC 4
Snowboard Kids N64
Snowboard Kids 2 N64
Sportsfriends PS3, PS4, PC
Stikbold PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Super Mario Strikers GameCube
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98 N64
Wii Sports Wii, Wii U 4
Wii Sports Resort Wii 4

Shooter / Run n Gun / SHMUP

Whether you‘re flying around in a "bullet hell" kind of setting trying to survive or running around frantically trying to shoot the bad guys, these games can be a lot of fun solo or with a group of friends. There are a lot more of these types of games out there than what I’m listing here. These are just the ones I could think of because they are in my collection.

Game Platforms My Rating
Aces of Luftwaffe - Squadron PS4, Xbox One, Switch 3.8
Army Men - Air Combat N64
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes N64, Dreamcast
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2 N64
Assault Android Cactus PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux 3.8
Asteroids Hyper 64 N64
BattleTanx N64
BattleTanx: Global Assault N64
Broforce PS4, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux 4
Jet Force Gemini N64
Knife Edge: Nose Gunner N64
Star Fox: Assault GameCube
The Wonderful 101 Wii U

Vehicular Combat / Air Combat

Vehicles can be used for me than racing in video games it seems. Usually a combination of driving or flying and trying to shoot your enemies at the same time, these games can be great multiplayer fun and sensory overload.

Game Platforms My Rating
Crimson Skies Xbox 3.8
Twisted Metal III PlayStation
Twisted Metal 4 PlayStation
Twisted Metal: Black PS2, PS4 4.1
Vigilante 8 N64
Vigilante 8: Second Offense N64

Other / Unclassified

Sometimes a game is difficult to classify. Other times you would call it something like “beat em up” which isn’t a genre that has a lot of games that support 4 players. Either way, this is my catch-all section for any game that fits one of those two categories. The game itself might be easy to classify, but not the multi-player.

Game Platforms My Rating
Biokus Club with Bumpy Trot PS2
The Bouncer PS2
Bust-A-Move 3 DX N64
Charlie Blast's Territory N64
Conker's Bad Fur Day N64
Crawl PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac
Dr. Mario 64 N64
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac
Nidhogg PS4, PC, Mac
Overcooked PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Overcooked 2 PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC, Mac, Linux
Propeller Arena Dreamcast
Snipperclips Switch
Toy Commander Dreamcast
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