Summary
Disney is seen as one of the most wholesome brands on the planet. Yes, one could look at the shadier side of their business practices but it is safe to say they provide quality family content. On the gaming side, there could be more current Disney titles out there but the pickings are slim.
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That didn’t use to be the case asDisneygames flooded the NES and SNES, for example. Not every game was great, but at least the brand was out there.Disney Illusion Islandis the first high-profile console game in association with Disney in a while. It’s also co-op, which is great as it allows the whole family to get in on the action. Were thereDisney co-op gamesbefore this? Here are some of the standout games.
8Disney Illusion Island
It’s more about choosing a favorite character and then rolling with it which is not a bad thing. Another game in this series,World of Illusion, features co-op between Mickey and Donald, but it will be more difficult to play as it was released on the Sega Genesis.
7Disney Infinity 3
Disney Infinity 3was the last game in this series before the whole thing was canceled. All three games feature two-player co-op and they revolve around different themes. The first game was focused on Disney characters while the second was about Marvel heroes, and the third was onStar Wars.
The nice thing about the statues needed to play these games was that they could be used in the sequels. It was a weird treatto see Yodainteract with Thor as well as Aladdin, as one fun crossover example. Because this game and the second game were released on PS4 and Xbox One, they are backward compatible with the new consoles.
6Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Dayswas the first game in the series to feature multiplayer. It was released on the DS and allowed players to connect four portables together for some co-op action. The single-player campaign focused on Roxas, Sora’s Nobody, and took place between the first and second games.
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Players could inhabit the roles ofOrganization 13 memberslike Axel or Larxene in the co-op portion of the game. The multiplayer mode was separate but progress made could be carried over into the campaign. Unless one has a DS, it’s hard to get a game together now but it still remains a memorable experience.
5The Great Circus Mystery
The Great Circus Mysteryis part ofDisney’s Magical Questseries from Capcom. It is the second game and the big hook of the trilogy was the costumes. Mickey and Minnie, the two playable characters, could find power-up suits in the game.
For example, they could become cowboys or cleaners with powerful vacuums. Players could join together in a two-player co-opon the SNES, which was a new feature over the original game. The final entry also featured co-op but this time it was between Mickey and Donald.
4Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangerswasan NES classic, also developed by Capcom. Based on the cartoon, players could control Chip or Dale in an exciting action platformer together or separately.
Unlike most retro games of this era,Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangerscan be played on modern hardware viaThe Disney Afternoon Collection. It contains the sequel which has co-op as well. The inclusion of special features in this collection, like save states and the rewind button, helps make these two games easily accessible to all types of players.
3Goof Troop
Goof Troopis the final Capcom-developed Disney game worth mentioning here. Unfortunately, this SNES game was not released inThe Disney Afternoon Collectioneven though it’s also about a Disney Afternoon cartoon. The game is a top-down puzzle game akin toThe Legend of Zeldawithout a huge emphasis on combat.
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Players could control Goofy or his son Max on an adventure on a pirate-infested island. The most significant thing about the game isthat Shinji Mikamiworked on it who would later go on the help birth theResident Evilseries.
2Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Twois a puzzle platformer like its predecessor. The big improvement over the original was the inclusion of co-op via Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Together, Mickey and Oswald had to save the Disney Kingdom from going under again.
It’s a more lighthearted adventure and it’s a musical too, which not a lot of games can brag about. PlayStation and Nintendo fans can’t play it on modern hardware but it is accessiblevia backward compatibilityon the Xbox family of consoles.
1Disney Universe
Disney Universewas like Disney’s answer to Sony’s exclusiveLittleBigPlanetseries. There was not an emphasis on building levels but players could customize their avatar with a plethora of movie props. Some examples includePirates of the Caribbean,Monsters Inc., andAladdin.
Some levels were even based around these properties such asPirates of the Caribbeanwhich is an early example in the game. Players could team up with three other friends for a relatively easy action game. LikeEpic Mickey 2,Disney Universeis backward compatible with Xbox systems.
Disney Illusion Islandwas released on July 16, 2025, and is available on Switch.
