Last Updated: October 10, 2026
Yes — at 70% off, It Takes Two is worth buying, because one copy covers both players: the free Friend’s Pass lets a second person join your session without owning the game. With a list price that has sat near $40 since 2021, a 70% cut lands the purchase around $12, and that $12 buys roughly 12–15 hours of campaign for two people rather than one. The deal only stops being worthwhile if you have nobody to play with, since the game has no solo mode.
📄 In This Review
What the 70% Discount Actually Saves You
Co-op games are usually priced per person, which is what makes this discount unusually clean. Two normal copies at full price would run near $80. Here, the second player downloads a free client and joins, so your total outlay is one discounted copy. That is the entire cost story:
- One copy, 70% off: roughly $12 for two players.
- Two copies, 70% off: roughly $24 — only needed if you want two people playing on two separate accounts independently of each other.
- Marginal saving from waiting: if a deeper seasonal cut appeared later, the difference would be a few dollars. Waiting has a low ceiling and a real cost if you want to play this weekend.
Discounts on this title recur several times a year across Steam’s seasonal and midweek sales, so 70% off is not a once-ever window. The practical decision is less “is this the historic low” and more “do I have a second player and a screen big enough to split.”
Friend’s Pass vs. Steam Family Sharing
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How the Friend’s Pass works
The owner buys the game. The second player downloads the free Friend’s Pass client from the same storefront, and the owner sends an in-game invite. The friend plays the full campaign at no cost and does not need to buy anything. Two caveats matter in practice: both players need a linked publisher account (the Steam version launches through the EA app), and the Friend’s Pass client only unlocks while hosted by an owner’s session — it is not a standalone game.
Why Steam Families is the wrong tool here
Steam Families lets up to six accounts share a library, but it does not let two members play the same owned title simultaneously from a single copy. It also routinely excludes games that require a separate publisher account and launcher, which this one does. So Family Sharing will not get your partner into It Takes Two for free — the Friend’s Pass will. Treat Family Sharing as useful for everything else in your library, not as a substitute here.
What Hardware Runs It Smoothly
This is a 2021 title built around split-screen rendering, which doubles the load of drawing two viewpoints. It runs on modest hardware, but a few components matter more than others — and the second viewport is the reason to aim above the minimum.
| Component | Runs it | Comfortable for split-screen |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4-core desktop-class (i5-3570K / Ryzen 3 1300X class) | Ryzen 5 3600 / i5-10400 class or newer |
| Memory | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Graphics | GTX 660 / R7 260X class | GTX 1660 / RTX 3050 class or better |
| Storage | ~50 GB free | ~50 GB on an SSD |
| Output | 1080p at 60 fps | 1440p at 60–120 fps, or 4K with upscaling |
| Input | One keyboard, or one controller | Two wireless pads plus 10 ft USB-C charging cables |
The store page is authoritative on current requirements, and handheld compatibility badges change over time, so check the current label if you plan to play on a Steam Deck. Both local split-screen and online co-op are supported on PC, which means you can choose between one couch and two houses.
Couch Co-op: The Measurements That Decide Whether It Feels Good
Split-screen is where furniture stops being decoration. On a 55-inch TV split vertically, each player gets roughly a 27-inch half. Sitting too far back turns small on-screen prompts into squinting:
- 55-inch TV: sit 6–7 ft from the screen; beyond about 8 ft, split-screen text gets uncomfortable.
- 65-inch TV: 7–8.5 ft. 75-inch: 8–10 ft.
- Screen center height: 42–48 in from the floor while seated. Wall-mounting above a fireplace at 60 in is the single most common cause of neck strain during long sessions.
- Sofa seat height: 17–19 in. Lower than 16 in and standing up between chapters gets awkward.
- Sofa seat depth: 20–22 in for active play. Deep lounge sofas at 24–26 in force a reclined posture that makes controller grip worse, not better.
- Coffee table: 16–18 in high, with 14–18 in of clearance from the sofa’s front edge so knees and controllers have room.
- Walkway: 24–36 in between the coffee table and the media console.
- Seating width: two adults holding controllers need about 28 in each. That means a 78–88 in three-seater, not a 58–64 in loveseat — elbows collide on a loveseat within an hour.
For online co-op in two rooms, the desk numbers matter instead: desk surface 28–30 in high, chair seat 16–19 in, monitor 24–30 in from your eyes with the top third of the screen near your seated eye line (roughly 42–46 in from the floor), and elbows at about 90 degrees with the keyboard at 26–28 in.
Furniture That Survives a 12-Hour Campaign
Co-op sessions are long, static, and repetitive — the same weight in the same spot for hours. That punishes cheap construction in predictable ways.
| Build | Typical foam density | Seat weight rating | What wears first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiln-dried solid hardwood frame | 2.0–2.5 lb/ft³ | 250–300 lb per seat | Cushion loft flattens after 3–5 years |
| Engineered wood / particleboard frame | 1.6–1.8 lb/ft³ | 200–250 lb per seat | Corner joints and the back rail loosen |
| Steel or aluminum frame | 1.8–2.5 lb/ft³ | 250–300 lb per seat | Welds and powder-coat chips |
| Bonded leather upholstery | — | — | Surface peels in 2–4 years of daily contact |
Two additional realities: flat-pack sofas usually arrive in two or three boxes at 60–90 lb each, which is a two-person carry up stairs, and standard interior doorways are 30–32 in wide, so measure the narrowest turn in your hallway before ordering anything wider than 34 in. Slipcovers on a performance-weave fabric handle pets and snack crumbs far better than linen, which stains and creases.
Pick Your Setup by Situation
| Your situation | What to buy | Numbers to hold to |
|---|---|---|
| Small apartment or studio | 50–55 in TV, two-seat sofa, two C-tables instead of a coffee table | 6–7 ft viewing distance; 24–26 in table height; 18 in minimum walkway |
| Renters who can’t drill | Media console at 20–24 in tall rather than a wall mount | Console depth 15–18 in; screen center 42–48 in with a riser if needed |
| Back pain or long sessions | Firm seat cushion, lumbar pillow, footrest at or just below seat height | Seat depth 20 in; footrest 16–18 in; breaks every 60–90 minutes |
| Kids and pets in the house | Performance-weave or microfiber upholstery, washable slipcover, cable raceway for controllers | Foam 1.8 lb/ft³ minimum; avoid bonded leather entirely |
| Online co-op in two rooms | Two desk setups with adjustable chairs and a headset each | Desk 28–30 in; monitor 24–30 in away; seat 16–19 in |
Quick Answers
- Does my friend need to buy the game? No. The Friend’s Pass client is free and plays the whole campaign when hosted.
- Can two people share one Steam account? Not simultaneously. Use the Friend’s Pass on separate accounts instead.
- Is there split-screen on PC? Yes, along with online co-op.
- Anything else to budget for? A second controller if you don’t own one, plus a surge protector with enough outlets for two charging cables and a TV.
Bottom line: at 70% off, the game is the cheapest part of the equation. Budget for the second controller and check your viewing distance before you buy — a $12 purchase that forces you to squint at split-screen text from 10 feet away is a worse deal than the discount suggests.
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