


10 Best Games Like A Way Out (2026)

A Way Out is unusual because cooperation is not an optional mode attached to a single-player campaign. Two players control Leo and Vincent simultaneously, coordinating a prison escape before continuing through chases, shootouts, arguments, quieter conversations, and situations that place their partnership under increasing pressure.
Developed by Hazelight Studios, the game uses a persistent split-screen presentation even during online play. One player may be involved in a tense conversation while the other explores nearby, creates a distraction, or quietly causes a problem that both players will soon need to solve.
The closest alternatives preserve that dependence between players. Some come directly from Hazelight, while others focus on asymmetric information, emotional storytelling, shared decisions, local split-screen, prison escapes, or puzzles that are impossible to solve without communicating.
Here are the best games like A Way Out to play in 2026:
# | Game | Best For |
|---|---|---|
1 | Closest overall co-op adventure | |
2 | Modern two-player action and variety | |
3 | Emotional local co-op storytelling | |
4 | Asymmetric online cooperation | |
5 | Communication-based puzzles | |
6 | Cooperative prison escapes | |
7 | Relaxed local puzzle platforming | |
8 | Cooperative horror and shared choices | |
9 | Cinematic local co-op drama | |
10 | Physics-based teamwork |
1. It Takes Two

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Hazelight Studios |
Release Date | March 26, 2021 |
Players | Two-player local or online co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch |
It Takes Two is the closest overall alternative because it was created by the same studio and designed exclusively for two players. Cody and May are a married couple considering divorce when their daughter’s tears transform them into handmade dolls trapped inside a fantastical version of their home.
Every chapter introduces new cooperative mechanics. One player may control time while the other creates duplicates, or one may fire sap that the other detonates. These abilities constantly change, preventing either player from settling into the same role for the entire adventure.
The game supports couch and online co-op through a permanent split-screen view. Its Friend’s Pass allows someone who owns the complete game to invite another player without requiring them to purchase a second copy. The story is lighter and stranger than A Way Out, but both games place a damaged relationship at the center of a cinematic cooperative journey.
Why It’s Similar:
Developed by Hazelight Studios
Designed exclusively for two players
Local and online split-screen co-op
Different abilities for each character
Cinematic action and quieter story scenes
Friend’s Pass for an invited partner
My Verdict: It Takes Two is the easiest recommendation for anyone who enjoyed A Way Out. It is more colorful and mechanically adventurous, but it preserves the constant cooperation, character conflict, cinematic presentation, and memorable two-player set pieces.
2. Split Fiction

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Hazelight Studios |
Release Date | March 6, 2025 |
Players | Two-player local or online co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 |
Split Fiction follows Mio and Zoe, two writers who become trapped inside a machine attempting to steal their creative ideas. Escaping requires them to survive worlds drawn from Mio’s science-fiction stories and Zoe’s fantasy adventures.
One level might involve cybernetic ninjas, gravity manipulation, or transforming vehicles, while the next introduces dragons, magical creatures, and enchanted landscapes. Both characters regularly receive different tools, forcing players to coordinate their actions instead of simply attacking the same targets.
Like A Way Out, the entire adventure is built for two people and shown through split-screen during local and online play. Friend’s Pass supports cross-platform invitations, allowing one owner to bring another player into the complete campaign even when they use different supported systems.
Why It’s Similar:
Created by the developers of A Way Out
Mandatory two-player cooperation
Local and online split-screen
Cinematic action sequences
Character-specific abilities
Friend’s Pass with cross-platform support
My Verdict: Split Fiction is Hazelight’s most mechanically ambitious co-op game. Its story is less grounded than A Way Out, but the rapid changes in perspective, genre, abilities, and scale make every chapter feel like a new cooperative challenge.
3. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Avantgarden |
Release Date | February 28, 2024 |
Players | Single-player and two-player local co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S |
Get Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake to experience the adventure that helped establish Josef Fares as a distinctive cooperative game director. Two brothers leave their village to find a cure for their dying father, travelling through a world filled with giants, trolls, dangerous wildlife, and forgotten ruins.
The original game allowed one person to control both brothers simultaneously. The remake retains that unusual single-player design while adding a dedicated local cooperative mode in which each player controls one brother on the same screen.
Their different sizes and abilities shape nearly every puzzle. The older brother can move heavier objects and interact confidently with adults, while the younger brother reaches smaller spaces and handles tasks requiring greater agility. The emotional story is shorter and quieter than A Way Out, but cooperation is woven directly into the relationship between its protagonists.
Why It’s Similar:
Connected to A Way Out director Josef Fares
Two protagonists with different abilities
Local cooperative story mode
Environmental puzzles
Cinematic adventure
Emotional relationship between the leads
My Verdict: Brothers Remake is the best choice for players who valued A Way Out’s emotional side. Its cooperative mode is local only, but controlling two siblings through the same dangerous journey gives every puzzle a clear narrative purpose.
4. Operation: Tango

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Clever Plays |
Release Date | June 1, 2021 |
Players | Two-player online co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch |
Operation: Tango turns two players into an Agent and a Hacker completing espionage missions in a near-future world. The Agent physically infiltrates dangerous locations, while the Hacker accesses security networks, cameras, databases, and digital systems from a remote interface.
Each player receives different information and cannot simply look at the other person’s screen. Progress depends on describing symbols, interpreting instructions, synchronizing actions, and remaining calm when a supposedly simple operation begins falling apart.
The campaign is online-only and requires voice communication, making it less suitable for couch play than A Way Out. However, its cross-platform Friend Pass allows one owner to invite another player for free. Roles can also be reversed, giving both players a reason to repeat the missions from the opposite perspective.
Why It’s Similar:
Adventure designed specifically for two players
Separate roles and information
Constant communication
Coordinated infiltration and puzzle solving
Cinematic espionage missions
Cross-platform Friend Pass
My Verdict: Operation: Tango is perfect for pairs who enjoyed coordinating separate tasks in A Way Out. It removes the physical split-screen but makes communication more important because neither player can see the complete problem.
5. We Were Here Forever

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Total Mayhem Games |
Release Date | May 10, 2022 |
Players | Two-player online co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S |
Purchase We Were Here Forever for a two-player adventure that treats clear communication as its central mechanic. Two explorers become trapped in Castle Rock and must navigate its dungeons, graveyards, submerged passages, abandoned settlements, and increasingly elaborate machinery.
Players are frequently separated and shown different parts of the same puzzle. One person might see a collection of symbols while the other controls the mechanism those symbols describe. The solution only becomes visible when both players explain exactly what is in front of them.
Built-in walkie-talkies reinforce the feeling of being isolated from your partner, and holding the communication button prevents you from hearing their response. The game is less action-focused than A Way Out, but few alternatives create a stronger sense that escaping genuinely depends on the person at the other end of the connection.
Why It’s Similar:
Two-player cooperative campaign
Separate perspectives
Communication-based puzzles
Both players perform essential tasks
Story-driven escape
Cross-platform online play
My Verdict: We Were Here Forever is the best recommendation for pairs who enjoyed A Way Out’s teamwork more than its gunfights. It will also reveal which player gives clear instructions and which one believes “the strange symbol” is a useful description.
6. The Escapists 2

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Mouldy Toof Studios |
Release Date | August 22, 2017 |
Players | Single-player and up to four-player local or online multiplayer |
Platforms | PC, macOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android |
The Escapists 2 approaches prison breaks as open-ended planning challenges. Each facility follows its own schedule, forcing inmates to attend roll calls, meals, exercise sessions, and assigned jobs while quietly collecting supplies and searching for weaknesses in the prison’s security.
Escaping may require stolen uniforms, handmade tools, concealed tunnels, copied keys, coordinated distractions, or enough confidence to improvise when a guard discovers something that should not be hidden inside your desk. Several escape routes are specifically designed for multiplayer and require inmates to perform different tasks.
Its top-down presentation and sandbox structure are far removed from A Way Out’s cinematic direction. However, both games make prison life, preparation, timing, cooperation, and the eventual breakout central to the experience. Local and online multiplayer also allow up to four people to plan an escape together.
Why It’s Similar:
Prison setting
Cooperative escape planning
Local and online multiplayer
Different responsibilities for each player
Stealth, distractions, and improvised tools
Several possible escape routes
My Verdict: The Escapists 2 trades cinematic drama for freedom and experimentation. It is the best alternative for players who wanted A Way Out’s prison chapter to last longer and offer far more opportunities for an escape plan to collapse spectacularly.
7. Unravel Two

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Coldwood Interactive |
Release Date | June 9, 2018 |
Players | Single-player and two-player local co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch |
Unravel Two follows two tiny Yarnys connected by a single thread. They travel through forests, industrial areas, buildings, playgrounds, and other oversized environments while their journey reflects a separate story about friendship and escape.
The connecting thread is both a limitation and a tool. Players can swing from one another, create bridges, pull their partner to safety, and combine into a single Yarny when a difficult platforming section is easier for one person to handle.
Co-op is local rather than online, and the game contains less dialogue and direct character development than A Way Out. Its quieter storytelling still gives the journey emotional weight, while the shared tether ensures that both players remain physically connected throughout almost every challenge.
Why It’s Similar:
Two characters travelling together
Local cooperative campaign
Platforming and environmental puzzles
Players can rescue one another
Emotional visual storytelling
Cooperation integrated into movement
My Verdict: Unravel Two is a gentler alternative for couch co-op. It lacks A Way Out’s crime drama, but the tether between its characters turns movement, mistakes, and narrow escapes into a shared experience.
8. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Supermassive Games |
Release Date | August 30, 2019 |
Players | Single-player, two-player online co-op, and up to five-player local play |
Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch |
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan follows five friends whose diving trip leads them onto an abandoned military vessel. Exploring the ship reveals supernatural threats, conflicting perceptions, and several opportunities to make decisions that end badly for everyone involved.
Shared Story mode allows two online players to experience the same narrative simultaneously while controlling different characters. They may witness separate events, discover information the other person lacks, or make a choice that changes what happens during their partner’s scene.
The cooperation is built around decisions and survival rather than coordinated platforming. Characters can die permanently, relationships change according to player behavior, and an apparently sensible action may create consequences much later. Movie Night also supports up to five local players who pass control between characters.
Why It’s Similar:
Two-player shared online story
Simultaneous scenes from different perspectives
Cinematic presentation
Decisions with lasting consequences
Multiple playable protagonists
Cooperation mixed with uncertainty
My Verdict: Man of Medan is the strongest horror alternative to A Way Out. Its Shared Story mode gives both players independent responsibilities, and neither person can be completely certain what the other has seen or chosen.
9. Beyond: Two Souls

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | Quantic Dream |
Release Date | October 8, 2013 |
Players | Single-player and two-player local co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS3, and PS4 |
Buy Beyond: Two Souls for a cinematic adventure following Jodie Holmes, a woman who has been connected to a mysterious supernatural entity named Aiden since childhood. The story moves across different periods of her life, covering government experiments, dangerous assignments, personal relationships, and attempts to understand what Aiden truly is.
Duo mode divides control between two local players. One controls Jodie during exploration, conversations, and physical action, while the other controls Aiden, moving through walls, manipulating objects, distracting enemies, and protecting Jodie from danger.
The roles are not as evenly balanced as those in A Way Out, and one player may occasionally wait while the other completes a scene. Its mature story, cinematic direction, quick decisions, and unusual connection between two playable characters still make it a worthwhile choice for pairs who value narrative more than constant mechanical cooperation.
Why It’s Similar:
Cinematic story-driven adventure
Two connected playable characters
Local cooperative mode
Action, exploration, and decisions
Mature emotional themes
Story events experienced through different roles
My Verdict: Beyond: Two Souls suits players who enjoyed A Way Out as a shared cinematic experience. Duo mode does not give both people equal control at every moment, but alternating between Jodie and Aiden keeps each player involved in the larger story.
10. Biped

Details | Information |
|---|---|
Developer | NExT Studios |
Release Date | March 26, 2020 |
Players | Single-player and two-player local or online co-op |
Platforms | PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch |
Biped stars Aku and Sila, two small robots sent to reactivate navigation beacons across Earth. Reaching them requires travelling through forests, frozen mountains, deserts, mechanical facilities, and platforms designed to test coordination.
Each analogue stick controls one of a robot’s legs. Walking, climbing, operating machinery, carrying objects, and crossing narrow surfaces therefore demand more concentration than expected. Cooperative challenges expand the idea by making both robots control connected mechanisms or support each other across hazards.
The story is lighter and less developed than A Way Out, but the campaign places two-player cooperation at the center of nearly every movement. Success often produces genuine satisfaction, while failure usually involves two robots collapsing into a confused pile because someone moved the wrong leg.
Why It’s Similar:
Two-player cooperative campaign
Local and online play
Movement requiring coordination
Partner-based environmental puzzles
Two distinct playable characters
Challenges built around communication
My Verdict: Biped is the most mechanically focused alternative on this list. It does not offer a dramatic crime story, but few games create so many funny arguments from the simple act of trying to walk in the same direction.
Best Games Like A Way Out on Each Platform
Best Games Like A Way Out on PC
Every game included in this list is available on PC. It Takes Two and Split Fiction are the closest complete alternatives, Operation: Tango provides excellent asymmetric cooperation, and The Escapists 2 lets groups create their own prison-break plans.
Players can browse PC game keys for more cooperative adventures, puzzle games, and story-driven releases.
Best Games Like A Way Out on PlayStation
PlayStation players can access all ten games. Split Fiction and Brothers Remake require PS5, while several older releases remain available through their PS4 versions. It Takes Two is the best overall choice, while Man of Medan and Beyond: Two Souls place greater emphasis on cinematic storytelling.
Browse PlayStation game keys for more local and online co-op games available on PlayStation consoles.
Best Games Like A Way Out on Xbox
Xbox players can choose from every game except Beyond: Two Souls. It Takes Two, Split Fiction, Operation: Tango, and We Were Here Forever offer the strongest two-player online experiences, while The Escapists 2 supports local and online prison breaks.
The Xbox game keys category contains more multiplayer adventures for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Best Games Like A Way Out on Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch players can choose It Takes Two, Operation: Tango, The Escapists 2, Unravel Two, Man of Medan, and Biped. Split Fiction is available on Nintendo Switch 2.
Players can explore Nintendo game keys for additional cooperative and story-driven games.
FAQs About Games Like A Way Out

Final Words
It Takes Two is the closest overall alternative to A Way Out because it preserves Hazelight’s two-player structure, persistent split-screen, cinematic presentation, character-specific abilities, and Friend’s Pass. Split Fiction expands the same philosophy through faster action, cross-platform play, and constantly changing science-fiction and fantasy worlds.
Brothers Remake and Unravel Two are strong choices for local cooperation, while Operation: Tango and We Were Here Forever make communication the most important tool available. The Escapists 2 focuses directly on planning and executing prison breaks, although its sandbox structure provides considerably more freedom than A Way Out.
Man of Medan and Beyond: Two Souls place greater emphasis on cinematic storytelling, while Biped concentrates on moment-to-moment coordination. None reproduces A Way Out’s exact combination of prison escapes, chases, puzzles, and gunfights, but every game gives two players meaningful reasons to communicate, cooperate, and blame each other when the plan goes wrong.
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