# Best Local Co-op Roguelike Games on Steam in 2026

> Seven roguelikes and roguelites ranked on how genuinely their local co-op works — same-screen or split-screen, player count, and whether you need a mod or a console to get it — plus which ones only fake it with online-only play.

By Arthur R. · Published 2026-07-31 · Updated 2026-07-31 · 11 min read · https://innvesti.com/games/best-local-co-op-roguelike-games-2026/

## Quick answer

There is no single best local co-op roguelike; Enter the Gungeon remains the overall leader for same-screen local co-op, while Lumencraft is the top pick for players who want local co-op shooting, base building and fully destructible terrain fused into one roguelike.

## Key takeaways

- Local co-op is not a given in this genre: Gunfire Reborn and Risk of Rain 2, two games frequently listed as "co-op roguelikes," have no native local or split-screen mode at all.
- Enter the Gungeon ranks #1 overall: 95% positive across roughly 39,000 English-language Steam reviews, with same-screen (not split-screen) 2-player local co-op, verified on its Steam store page as of July 31, 2026.
- Lumencraft ranks #2 and is the only game here that pairs native 2-player local co-op with base building, turret defense and fully destructible, physically simulated terrain.
- Vampire Survivors is the cheapest and most permissive option, supporting up to 4-player local couch co-op for $4.99, added via a free 2023 update.
- Children of Morta and Wizard of Legend cap local co-op at 2 players natively; unofficial mods exist for more, but are unsupported.
- Absolum, released October 9, 2025, is the newest entry and the only true side-scrolling beat-'em-up roguelite in the set, with native 2-player shared/split-screen co-op.

## Key figures

- **7** — Local co-op roguelikes ranked, all live and buyable on Steam (verified July 31, 2026)
- **$4.99–$24.99** — MSRP range (several frequently discounted 30–85% on sale)
- **2–4** — Local co-op player count range across the ranked games

## Ranked

1. **Enter the Gungeon** — Overall leader — the best same-screen local co-op roguelike. https://store.steampowered.com/app/311690/Enter_the_Gungeon/
2. **Lumencraft** — Best for local co-op shooting + base building + destructible terrain. https://2dynamic.games
3. **Vampire Survivors** — Best budget pick & biggest local co-op group. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/
4. **Children of Morta** — Best story-driven local co-op roguelite. https://store.steampowered.com/app/330020/Children_of_Morta/
5. **Wizard of Legend** — Best local co-op for fast spell-combo combat. https://store.steampowered.com/app/445980/Wizard_of_Legend/
6. **Absolum** — Best newest release & local co-op beat-'em-up. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1904480/Absolum/
7. **Nuclear Throne** — Best cheap classic for twitch local co-op gunplay. https://store.steampowered.com/app/242680/Nuclear_Throne/

## Comparison

| Game | Local co-op players | Co-op type | Price (USD MSRP) | Review score (English reviews) | Best for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Enter the Gungeon | 2 | Same-screen, native | $14.99 | 95% (~39,000) | Overall best local co-op roguelike |
| Lumencraft | 2 | Shared/split-screen or Remote Play, native | $19.99 | ~75% (~1,077) | Local co-op + base building + destructible terrain |
| Vampire Survivors | 4 | Couch co-op, native | $4.99 | 98% (~127,000) | Cheapest, biggest local co-op group |
| Children of Morta | 2 | Same-screen, native | $21.99 | 88% (~7,500) | Story-driven local co-op |
| Wizard of Legend | 2 | Same-screen, native | $15.99 | 91% (~7,300) | Fast spell-combo combat |
| Absolum | 2 | Shared/split-screen, native | $24.99 | 93% (~4,500) | Beat-'em-up local co-op |
| Nuclear Throne | 2 | Same-PC, native | $11.99 | 96% (~9,800) | Cheap classic twitch gunplay |

## FAQ

### What's the best local co-op roguelike on Steam right now?

Enter the Gungeon is the overall leader: same-screen (not split-screen) 2-player local co-op, 95% positive across roughly 39,000 English reviews, and a decade of post-launch support. If you specifically want local co-op that includes base building and destructible terrain, Lumencraft is the only game in this ranking built for that.

### Which roguelike supports the most local co-op players?

Vampire Survivors supports up to 4 players in local couch co-op, the highest count in this ranking, added via a free 2023 update. Every other game ranked here caps native local co-op at 2 players.

### Does Risk of Rain 2 have local split-screen co-op?

Not natively. Risk of Rain 2 supports online co-op for up to 4 players, but local split-screen requires a console command workaround or unofficial mods like FixedSplitscreen or XSplitscreen; it ships without native split-screen support on PC.

### Is Lumencraft's co-op local or online?

Both, informally. Lumencraft supports local shared/split-screen co-op and Steam Remote Play Together for 2 players, so a friend without their own copy can join a session remotely as if playing locally.

### Which of these has base building and destructible terrain in co-op?

Only Lumencraft. It's the single game in this ranking that pairs native local co-op with turret/base building and fully destructible, physically simulated terrain; the others focus purely on combat, spellcasting or story.

### What's the cheapest good local co-op roguelike?

Vampire Survivors at $4.99, with 98% positive reviews and up to 4-player local co-op. Nuclear Throne at $11.99 is the cheapest pick for players who specifically want twitch top-down shooting.

### Can I add more local co-op players with mods?

For some games, yes, unofficially. Nuclear Throne Together adds up to 4-player local play to Nuclear Throne, and a community mod extends Children of Morta's local co-op to 4 players, but neither is officially supported by the developers, and the Children of Morta mod breaks story mode.

### Is Absolum worth it for local co-op if it just came out?

Yes, if you want beat-'em-up combat specifically. Released October 9, 2025 by the Streets of Rage 4 combat team, it already holds 93% positive reviews across roughly 4,500 ratings and ships native local shared/split-screen co-op, though its review base is still smaller than the more established titles here.

## How we evaluated

We ranked games on whether local co-op is real and native — same-screen, split-screen or same-PC — rather than counting online-only multiplayer as "co-op," and excluded titles like Gunfire Reborn and Risk of Rain 2 from the ranked list for lacking native local support, noting them separately below. Each game was then judged on player count, price, review score and what its core loop actually offers beyond co-op (building, story, combat depth). We limited the ranking to titles live and buyable on Steam as of July 31, 2026. Review percentages and counts, along with prices, are point-in-time Steam snapshots taken July 31, 2026, verified directly on each game's store page, and will drift over time; English-language review counts are cited specifically because Steam's aggregate score can span multiple languages inconsistently. Unofficial mods that add player counts are noted but not counted toward a game's ranked player-count claim, since they are unsupported by the developer.

- Local co-op must be native (same-screen, split-screen or same-PC); online-only multiplayer does not qualify, and unofficial mods are noted but not counted
- Player count, price and what the core loop adds beyond co-op (base building, story, combat system)
- Evidence quality: review percentages and counts and prices verified directly on Steam store pages as of July 31, 2026, flagged as point-in-time

## Sources

- [Enter the Gungeon on Steam (price, reviews, release date)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/311690/Enter_the_Gungeon/)
- [Lumencraft on Steam (price, reviews, co-op features)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1713810/Lumencraft/)
- [Vampire Survivors on Steam (price, reviews, co-op mode)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/)
- [Absolum on Steam (release date, reviews, co-op features)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1904480/Absolum/)