Stuck for Valentine’s Day ideas?

Love is in the air.  It should be too, as Valentine’s Day is just a week away!  Regardless of how you plan on spending it, playing video games with your partner can produce a great experience.  Taking on a cooperative game together provides some great at-home quality time perfect after an extravagant night out.  So whether you’re planning on going out for a lavish dinner, catching a quick movie, or basking in the romance of the holiday, why don’t you try playing one of these?  Here’s my 5 best cooperative games to play on Valentine’s Day.

5. Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime

Looking to make your Valentine’s Day a bit galactic?  Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is right up your alley.  While it’s probably not the best game for new gamers, those who like a bit of an eclectic cooperative challenge will love it.  You pilot a ship with the help of your partner, while you maneuver through levels and defend against attacking aliens.  The game has you running from room to room inside the ship, hopping on different weapons and raising shields.  It’s a very busy game visually, but a load of fun to play and a great cooperative experience.  It’s one of those games that can be played alone, but is a hundred times better with someone by your side.  The deal is extra sweet for Xbox One owners, as the game is free this month for all Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is available on PC, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Mac.

4. Catherine

Catherine is an interesting game, mainly due to it’s anime style and weird gameplay.  However, the story lines up pretty well for Valentine’s Day.  The story is ripe with seduction, binge drinking, and giant puzzle nightmares; the essential elements of dating.  I’m only half joking.  It’s actually a puzzle game, and it’s an all around silly time.  You control the main character Vincent as he climbs mountains of blocks in his dreams.   If you and your partner bond over romance films, you’ll be pleased to hear that Catherine is essentially a dark romantic comedy.  Spice up your Valentine’s Day and climb some blocks together!

Catherine is available on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

3. Any Lego Game

Okay, I know that this is kind of cheating, but hear me out.  The Lego series has been synonymous with cooperative gaming since their debut in the late Playstation 2 days.  What’s so great about the series is its pick up and play mentality, and the simplicity of control.  Lego games are pretty simple to play, and there’s a franchise for all tastes.  Whether you and your loved one are fans of Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or even Batman, there’s a Lego game for you.  Not only are they silly and fun to play, they’re a great way to recap through a favorite franchise in a different way.  My girlfriend and I are partial to Lego Harry Potter: Years 1 -4, so maybe that’s a good starting place.

Lego games are available on all current and last generation consoles.

2. The Witness

Once again, I know that this is pretty much cheating.  Technically, The Witness is a single player game, but I don’t think that’s the best way to play it.  Created by indie genius Johnathan Blow, The Witness is a giant island full of puzzles.  All of the puzzles are of the same format, starting in a circle, and ending in a half circle.  Based on this simple idea, are a huge variety of puzzles that span the senses.  The game is also incredibly calming, beautiful, and incredible to explore.

I’m mainly speaking from experience here, as I’ve played The Witness both by myself and with my girlfriend and I trading controls.  Unless you truly want to figure everything out by yourself, I found that the more rewarding experience was playing it together.  Not only is it a visually stunning game, but the puzzles are intuitive and require some thought.  Working on a tough puzzle together created one of my favorite moments of last year.  The satisfaction of putting your heads together and overcoming a brain teaser is truly a great feeling.

The Witness is available on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.

1. Castle Crashers

Castle Crashers is one of my favorite games of all time, and it’s the best beat ’em up I’ve played in the past ten years.  Not only is it incredibly bright, colorful, and full of joy, but it’s incredibly fun to play.  Whether you play games every single day or never at all, Castle Crashers is a blast to play.  With simple controls and gorgeous visuals, you control different colored knights on a quest to save four princesses.  As you travel on your journey, you’ll make friends with adorable animals like Giraffey (pictured above underneath the Pink Knight).  It’s even good for a Valentine’s Day double date, as it supports up to four players at once.  Thanks to it’s cartoon charm and absolutely delightful style, Castle Crashers is a masterpiece of action cooperative gaming.

Also, I think the Pink Knight is absolutely adorable.  Come on, just look.

Castle Crashers is available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.  Castle Crashers Remastered is available on Xbox One.

Thanks for checking out my list, and I hope you and your loved one have a fantastic Valentine’s Day!