Better Together: The Best Co-op Mobile Games to Play With Friends
From building a world together in Minecraft to holding hands in the clouds of Sky, these are the phone games that are better with people you know.
Every phone in the room is already out. The question is whether everyone is scrolling alone or playing together. The best multiplayer mobile games turn a group of people staring at screens into a group of people shouting at each other, in the good way.
This guide covers the best co-op mobile games on iOS and Android for playing with friends, whether you are on the same sofa or in different cities. We sorted them by group size and noted which ones let phone players join friends on PC or consoles.
For two to four: the core squad
Minecraft is still the king of building something with friends. Bedrock Edition lets phone players join friends on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch, so one cousin on an iPhone can help another on a console finish the castle. You can join on the same Wi-Fi, through a friend's world online, or rent a Realms server that stays up even when the owner is offline.
Brawl Stars is built for a squad of three. Form a team with two friends, use voice chat, and the game becomes a very different, much more tactical thing than solo queue. Supercell also lets you make friendly rooms to play against each other.
Monster Hunter Now lets nearby players team up to take on the same monster, which turns a walk in the park with friends into a hunting party.
For a party: five to fifteen
Among Us is the party game of the smartphone era. Four to fifteen players share a spaceship; one or more are impostors trying to sabotage the crew. The real game happens in the emergency meetings, when friends accuse each other with more drama than any soap opera. Making a private lobby takes seconds, and it is free on phones.
Pokémon UNITE is five against five. If you can gather five friends, you can fill a whole team and practise against bots or other groups. It is gentler than most MOBAs (team battle games fought over a map), which makes it a good first one to play together.
The big crowd: raids and open worlds
Pokémon GO raids are the closest thing mobile gaming has to a block party. Up to 20 trainers can join one raid battle, and community days fill parks around the world with strangers who happily help each other. Remote raid passes also let you join friends who live elsewhere.
Sky: Children of the Light is a social game first and an adventure second. Friendship is built slowly: you light a candle for a stranger, unlock the ability to hold hands, and later to chat. Holding hands lets one player lead another through the world, which is lovely with a partner who has never played a game before.
Pass the phone: one device, many players
Not everyone at the table has to own the game. The Battle of Polytopia supports pass-and-play, so several people can take turns on one phone or tablet. It's an easy way to get a family playing strategy together after dinner.
For a squad that wants a shooter, Call of Duty: Mobile has four-player battle royale squads and private matches.
How to make it work
Set up a group chat or voice call first; nearly every game on this list is better with voices. Check that everyone has updated before game night, because version mismatches are the number one reason a session fails to start. And for Minecraft, decide who hosts the world so the progress isn't stuck on one person's phone.
Our pick: for a group, Among Us; for a long-term project with two or three friends, Minecraft; for a calm evening with one person you like, Sky. Want the free options only? Our best free games guide has more.