Our five favorite couch co-op games for the Steam Machine

For two people settling into a campaign, start with Split Fiction. Stardew Valley suits a group that wants a farm to return to, while TMNT has room for up to six players. Each game below lists its local player count and whether it uses a shared screen or split-screen.

Valve's compatibility rules say every Steam Deck Verified game is also Steam Machine Verified. Split Fiction, Stardew Valley, and TMNT carry that Verified rating. The compatibility details here reflect Valve's metadata recorded by SteamDB, checked on September 29, 2026. They are compatibility assessments, not our own Steam Machine benchmarks or a test of every multiplayer controller combination.

Split Fiction

Split Fiction follows two writers caught in their own sci-fi and fantasy stories. This split-screen campaign needs two players throughout, much like Hazelight's previous game, It Takes Two.

EA confirms that the Steam version needs no EA app, so you can launch it directly from Steam. Here, EA's term “Steam Native” means Steam integration; it does not mean a native Linux build. It is also Deck Verified.

If you later play from separate homes, Friend's Pass lets a partner join the full game without buying another copy. The current Steam terms require an EA account linked to Steam for online features, including Friend's Pass and crossplay.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley supports two to four players in split-screen, each with their own farmer on the same farm. You can divide the chores or wander off to pursue different interests, then come back next session to carry on building the place together.

Each additional player needs a cabin. You can include them when creating a farm or add them to an existing save.

The multiplayer setup guide explains the rest: connect a controller for each extra player, open the in-game Options tab, scroll to Multiplayer, and select Start Local Co-op. Each joining player then presses Start.

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge draws on the old Turtles arcade games, with up to six people brawling on the same screen.

The publisher's six-player announcement confirms local and online play. Its compatibility record also lists a native Linux runtime for Deck.

We have not tested a six-controller Steam Machine setup.

Overcooked! All You Can Eat

In Overcooked! All You Can Eat, up to four players share a screen, chopping, cooking, washing dishes, and trying to get orders out before the kitchen falls apart around them. Passing ingredients and dividing the jobs take as much coordination as the cooking.

Team17's FAQ confirms up to four offline players, both remastered campaigns and their additional content, and more than 200 campaign levels. Assist Mode can extend timers or turn off order expiration if the standard pace stops being fun.

Overcooked is rated Playable on Steam Machine because text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard. Default controller functionality and default graphics performance pass. The Deck and SteamOS notes also warn that an external controller may need to be selected manually.

TowerFall Ascension

TowerFall Ascension puts up to four archers on one screen for local versus matches, with only a few arrows each. You have to recover them, and an opponent can catch a shot aimed at them.

For co-op, the base game's Quest mode supports one or two players fighting monsters and enemy archers.

TowerFall is Steam Machine Playable. Its default controls and graphics performance pass the assessment, but some button prompts do not match the device. The Deck assessment also reports legible text.

Before game night

Launch your choice once with all the controllers connected and get every player into a session. Allow time for setup, especially if you are filling all six places in TMNT or need to select an external controller manually in Overcooked.