Mother’s Day is a time for celebrating your mum and all her achievements. If you’re looking for the perfect gift, this year it might be hard — with some shops closed and dine-in meals restricted, your options are limited.
But armed with a good game and enough time to settle in, you can have a fantastic Mother’s Day right at home. Whether it’s slaying demons or moving boxes, here a few of the best co-op experiences to make your Mother’s Day special.
Whether your mother is a casual gamer, a lapsed one or she doesn’t game at all, there should be something on this list to keep her entertained.
Moving Out
Moving Out is a whacky co-op simulator that sees players working together (and against each other) to transport goods. It’s cute, goofy and totally chaotic, making it the perfect game to play with friends or family at home.
Moving Out is great for any player, even ones with little gaming experience. Whether your mum’s a veteran or totally new to games, playing Moving Out with a partner is a fantastic experience.
Borderlands
While the Borderlands franchise tends to be a bit gorey and crass, the games are stylish, frantic and totally fun. If your mum is a Mad Max fan of old or just loves a bit of fast-paced action, Borderlands might just be the perfect adventure to take her on.
All games in the Borderlands series can be played in local co-op mode with a second controller, so if your mum runs into trouble you’ll be able to fish her out easily — or you might be the one that needs saving. Either way, it’ll be an awesome ride.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken the world by storm. In it, players can create their own perfect village and spend hours catching fish and bugs or hunting down the right fossils. While you’re limited to one island per Switch console, you can have multiple characters.
Two people working on an island is always better than one, and if you work together with your mum you can craft the perfect five-star island. Plus, it makes for some totally peaceful zen viewing if you just need to unwind at the end of a long day.
Until Dawn
While Until Dawn certainly isn’t for the faint of heart, it’s a great narrative experience that’s perfect for mums unfamiliar with console gaming.
Until Dawn follows a group of friends navigating a haunted mountain and trying to survive a night filled with deadly horrors. There’s monsters and gore aplenty so you’ll need to be sure your mum is fine with horror before embarking on this quest, but beyond that it’s a fantastic and terrifying time. Controller input is minimal so it’s perfect for new starters — all you’ll need is a curious mind and quick-thinking to survive. It’s best experienced with a partner, and who better to get you through your long, blood-soaked night than your mum?
Overcooked
Overcooked has broken friendships and split up families with its fast, high-stress gameplay. It may not make for a perfect Mother’s Day, but it’ll certainly make for an interesting one.
In Overcooked, players work together to cook recipes by coordinating ingredients and cooking times to meet customer demand. Knives, pots and pans go flying when you don’t plan well enough and every level has new and horrifying surprises waiting for you. As a family bonding activity, you can’t do much better than being yelled at in Overcooked.
Spyro, Crash & MediEvil
If you grew up with a PlayStation One, you might’ve spent some time playing it with your parents. Whether it was helping you through a difficult Crash level or discovering new worlds in Spyro, your parents might have equally fond memories.
With the remasters of classic 90s PlayStation One games like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon and MediEvil, your mum can re-experience the joys of gaming in the 90s — or uncover new and delightful worlds for the first time. While you will need to share the controller to make it a true co-op experience, these remasters really bring back the golden age of gaming as a kid.
Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves has evolved into a great co-op experience. While you’ll need seperate consoles or a second PC to play two-player, once you meet up in game, this swashbuckling adventure really opens up.
As you travel the high seas, conquer enemies and loot ships, you and your mum can ride high and reign as kings and queens of the ocean. Or you can grab an accordion and start a pirate band, get drunk at a local tavern, tell tale tales or talk to a parrot — whatever takes your fancy.
Diablo III
Diablo III is a high fantasy adventure perfect for a mum who loves tales like Lord of the Rings and doesn’t mind a bit of blood. This RPG takes players on a hellish journey through cults, ancient prophecies and biblical demons. Fair warning, there is a fair amount of violence here so ask yourself if your mum would enjoy it before you begin your adventure.
Diablo III is a hack’n’slash game that’s perfect for co-op, and having a second player helps immensely when carving through demon hoards. This game isn’t for every mum, but with consistently fun gameplay, there’s a lot to enjoy here.
A Way Out
A Way Out is a prison break adventure that demands two players — and it’s perfect to play with your mum. In the game, brothers Leo and Vincent attempt to escape prison together, but neither can escape without the other. The game operates as a giant puzzle box where players must rely on each other and their wits to get through.
A Way Out is a game that requires you to think and cooperate with your second player. In bringing your older and (presumably) wiser mother along for the ride, you might just make it out of the game alive.
Gaming is a fantastic way to maintain human connection. Even if you can’t see your mother this weekend, many of these games offer an online co-op option that could prove handy. Whatever your plans, we hope you all have a fantastic Mother’s Day this year.
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