Cooperative games for a mixed table
Which co-op would you try with a table that includes new players?
Cooperative means the table wins or loses together. That is a different night from Catan. It also fails in a specific way: one confident person can play everyone else’s turn. Pick a game your table can share.
The Crew won the 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres. Cascadia’s award is on the gateway list. Awards are named where they are real, and they are not the reason to force a game on a tired table.
Rank two options at a time. Leave out anything you cannot judge. You can share the result or, on a public list, add your order to the visitor tally.
4–8 options keeps it quick. Leave at least two checked. You can adjust the order at the end.
What is on this list
The order here is a starting shortlist, not a ranking. Notes are context so a group can tell similar options apart.
- Pandemic
- Pandemic, designed by Matt Leacock (2008). 2–4 players, often about 45 minutes. You treat disease outbreaks together. One person can accidentally take over if the table lets them.
- Forbidden Island
- Forbidden Island, designed by Matt Leacock and published by Gamewright (2010). 2–4 players, about 30 minutes. A shorter cooperative treasure hunt on a sinking island.
- The Mind
- The Mind, designed by Wolfgang Warsch (2018). 2–4 players, about 20 minutes. Play number cards in order without discussing them.
- Just One
- Just One (2018), cooperative, 3–7 players, about 20 minutes. One-word clues, duplicates cancelled. Won the 2019 Spiel des Jahres.
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, designed by Thomas Sing (2019). Cooperative trick-taking, 2–5 players, about 20 minutes a mission. Won the 2020 Kennerspiel des Jahres.
- Horrified: Universal Monsters
- Horrified: Universal Monsters, published by Ravensburger. Cooperative, 1–5 players, about 60 minutes. You play against the monsters, not against each other.
- Mysterium
- Mysterium is a cooperative deduction game in which one silent player passes illustrated cards and the others try to read them. Check your edition for the exact player count.
Visitor rankings
Finish the pairs, then add your order from the results screen. Pickaside stores a random id in this browser and the order you submit. It does not ask for your name on a public list.
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Questions about this list
Is Just One really cooperative?
Yes. The guesser is on the team. Everyone else writes a one-word clue, and if two clues match, both are removed. You are not scoring against the guesser.
What is the player count for Mysterium?
Editions differ, so this page does not pin a single number. Mysterium is a cooperative deduction game: one silent player gives illustrated cards and the others interpret them. Read your box.