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Like many games (especially these days!), Tales of Symphonia has a co-op mode that allows you to play with your friends or family. If you were playing as a kid when the game first came out in the early 2000’s, this mode was perfect for when your parents insisted you had to share it with a sibling.

That’s because the co-op mode in Tales of Symphonia only kicks in during battle. Outside of combat, control stays squarely in the first player’s hands.

Now, though, if you’re returning to the game for some nostalgia or even playing it for the first time, you might be wondering how to play co-op in Tales of Symphonia. The question gets even more complicated if you’re looking to play it online, such as on Steam.

I’ll dive into the question here, so you can enjoy this amazing game with your friends.

How to Play Tales of Symphonia Co-Op

Two People Gaming Together
Photo by Afif Kusuma on Unsplash

It seems like a no-brainer to say it, but there are two ways you can play Tales of Symphonia:

  • On a console (probably GameCube or Playstation 3)
  • On a PC (probably on Steam)

The way you’ll play co-op varies depending on the platform you’re playing the game on. I’ll look at both ways and describe how you can play together on either way.

On a console…

Playing co-op on a console is honestly much easier. Remember, the game was designed well before online play was a big deal for console games. Back then (it makes me feel so old to say that!), all you needed was multiple controllers and your friends in the same room as you.

Simply plug your controllers in and go to the start menu. Choose the Tech option to get to the screen where you can set the character’s special attacks.

At the top of the screen, you’ll see a few options: Manual, Semi-Auto, and Auto. Auto turns on the AI. Manual sets it so the second player can control the character completely. Semi-auto makes it so the player partially controls the character, but the character will run up to your targeted enemy on their own when you try to attack. In other words, Semi-auto takes care of the targeting for you, which could be more suitable for beginners.

When you’re done playing with your friends, simply go back into each character except the one you’re playing and turn them all back to Auto.

On Steam…

When you play on Steam, it gets a bit more complicated, because chances are, you aren’t physically hanging out with the person you want to play co-op with.

If your second player is actually with you, though, then the good news is that playing multiplayer seems to be pretty easy. Some players have reported that all you need to do is plug in a second controller to your PC, then set a second character to Manual or Semi-auto.

So what if you’re looking to play with a second player online? There are other players who say you can do it, using Steam’s Remote Play Together feature. When you open the game, you should have a Steam notification that allows you to right-click anyone on your friends’ list so they can play with you.

The drawback to this is that it shares your screen with the other player. Because you’re basically streaming to them and they’re inputting commands through your stream (think something along the lines of using a service like Google Stadia), there could be some lag between when your friend presses a button and when the character responds.

Why Play Co-Op?

Tales of Symphonia Party

As you’ve seen, playing co-op can be really simple or a little on the complicated side depending on how you’re playing the game. Is there a good enough reason to even bother with it, or is not worth the time?

Like with many other questions, the answer is, “it depends.” Whether or not you should play co-up depends on what you personally want from your experience.

If you hate the AI in the game or you want a way to bond with your friends, then co-op mode is of course a great time. In general, I feel it’s fairly safe to say that just about any game feels more fun when you can play it with friends.

But Tales of Symphonia’s multiplayer mode isn’t super comprehensive. Anyone playing with you will only enjoy control of their character during combat. Outside of combat, only the first player can explore the world and interact with NPCs.

Playing co-op in the game doesn’t really have much an impact on the gameplay, especially for the first player. You won’t be missing anything if you play alone.

Wrap Up

Now you know how to play co-op with a friend on Tales of Symphonia, whether it’s on Steam or on a console. I know some people also choose to play it on their PC using a GameCube emulator, but that’s honestly not something I have much experience with.

If you have any other questions about the game, please don’t hesitate to let me know by either sending us an email (through the contact us page) or by leaving me a comment below.

You can also check our RPG section on the site to see if I’ve already addressed your other concerns about the game.

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