Resident Evil 2 Returns With Incredible Couch Co-Op Mode

Published Nov 14, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

Chris is a Gaming Editor at ScreenRant. He has been a professional writer since 2009, and has written for top TV, comics, movie, and video game outlets like Engadget, Polygon, Destructoid, and more. He brings with him an expertise in every game genre, no matter how niche or mainstream.

You may know him as the former Managing/Reviews Editor of Destructoid, where he published hundreds of game reviews across every genre, including MMOs, sports games, and Metroidvanias.

Find Chris on Twitter @_SRChris.

Sign in to your ScreenRant account

Resident Evil 2 made a huge splash when it was originally released in 1998. I vividly recall the original Resident Evil being released to acclaim, but it was around the second iteration that I began to see the groundswell of fans really grow for the series. Once it hit the Nintendo 64, the rest was history, as a new generation of fans were introduced to this series that's still making a name for itself.

Given its pedigree, it makes sense that Capcom would bring back one of the series' most well-known games in 2019, especially since it tells the story of Leon leading into Resident Evil 4. Now, you can play a co-op mode with a ton of extras.

Live on Nexus Mods, you can find a co-op mode for Resident Evil 2 called Local Couch Co-op, formerly known as "Hunky Friend." This is actually a multi-faceted mod, as it allows you to play Resident Evil 2 Remake both in-person co-op and with an AI partner, similar to how Resident Evil 5 played out at launch:

"Local couch co-op for Resident Evil 2 Remake! A second player joins Leon or Claire or whoever as HUNK or 15 other characters on a shared screen, split screen or Classic Cameras' fixed angles (with mod install), or let an AI partner you give orders to take the spot!"

There's an experimental version where each player gets their own monitor, which works on both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 versions. The cutscenes will play on the first player's monitor and then get copied to the second player's monitor, and there will be separate instanced menus for each player on each screen.

You can also swap monitors, which is nice, just in case someone decides to move. You'll turn this impressive mode on through the Extras menu, then Experimental.

Interestingly, there are also a few other modes on offer beyond the ability to play Resident Evil 2 in co-op. Player two can control Sherry in the Biohazard Babysitting mode. Then there's Pragmata mode, which turns Sherry into Diana from Pragmata and gives her a hacking mechanic to defend herself.

Since it's a fan-made mod, it has some issues, but the creator has solutions:

"If it's a Runtime Error it is more then likely an issue of it being the wrong Reframework version. If you use Linux and its being finicky use Proton_GE Latest but it didnt need to use any compatibility tool. If the game just crashes at start or shortly after starting, it is possibly because of the DLL file found in the mods Plugin folder (re2coop_pads.dll), this is there to help with compatibility with Controllers the game isn't used to (Ps3, 3rd party etc).

You don't "Need" it if your controllers are working fine, but it can cause crashes I believe because antivirus heuristics distrust it and causes stops them (which then crashes the game). So if you're having an issue I recommend removing them and seeing if that fixes it."

Resident Evil 2 is one of the best games in the series, and the remake has kept its legacy going even longer with an updated control scheme and a reimagined look at Raccoon City. The fact that it's co-op now, thanks to a mod, is the cherry on top.

Systems