---
title: "Parsec + Emulator: How to Play Local Co-op Games Online with Friends"
canonical_url: https://emudesk.com/issues/parsec-emulator-online-local-coop-multiplayer
content_locale: en
source_locale: en
entity_type: issue
index_status: index
published_at: 2026-08-31T18:22:23.000Z
updated_at: 2026-09-01T00:45:02.474Z
freshness_status: fresh
---

# Parsec + Emulator: How to Play Local Co-op Games Online with Friends

My friend and I want to play co-op emulator games together online, but we are on different PCs. I know that RetroArch has Netplay, but it only works with certain cores and requires exact ROM matching. Is there a simpler way to play any emulator together, regardless of the game or core? I have heard that Parsec works for this, but I am not sure how to set it up or how the guest player's controller gets recognized as Player 2 in the emulator.