Gradius III co-op

Couch co-op for 2 players · full campaign in co-op

1989 · Konami · 70/100

Split-screen

shared screen instead

Local

2 players

Online

Not documented

Cross-play

Not confirmed

Co-op at a glance

Split-screen: No — shared screen
Local co-op: 2 players
Online co-op: Not documented
Full campaign in co-op: Yes
Cross-play: Not documented
Platforms: Arcade
Developer: Konami
Series: Gradius

Co-op details come from the IGDB games database. Missing entries mean “not documented”, not necessarily “not available”. Data checked: 2026-09-30

What it is

In the darkest reaches of infinite space, pure evil lies in wait ... The Dark Forces led by the god of destruction, Bacterian, prepare to launch a massive onslaught against the planet Gradius. Possessing unstoppable power, the Dark Forces threaten to plunge the Universe into total war and complete annihilation. Their invasion force smashes the Gradius defenses, and the surrounding planets soon fall like dominoes. Now Bacterian's evil grasp reaches for the heart of the resistance...planet Gradius itself... To counter the oncoming threat the United Gradius World Forces gather all their fighter craft. Half of them form a defensive net - the other half a strike team. But they are badly outnumbered and The Dark Forces easily tear through their thin frontline. No fighters survive the slaughter.... In a last gasp move, the United Gradius World Forces send out two fighters, previously considered too dangerous for combat missions: The InterDimensional VIC VIPER fighters. The Fighters take off for the heart of darkness to join the fray that will decide the fate of the Universe...

In the far end of the blackest reaches of space lies a galaxy built from layers upon layers of darkness. Bacterian, the mysterious god of destruction born from this unknown region, has once again emerged from his lair. In order to achieve his wicked goals, Bacterian deploys his Dark Force for one final attack. The Dark Force promptly envelops all of space in an energy field more powerful than any of us could have imagined as it carries out its rampage of destruction and carnage. The dark invasion picks off one planet after another surrounding Gradius, and now the home planet finds itself in mortal peril. To deal with this threat, the Gradius federal government orders its entire army to build a massive defense network as it launches an all-out attack, but against an army as unprecedented as the Dark Force, even this desperate defense is about to break. Now, once again, the super-dimensional fighter Vic Viper launches. It takes off toward the boundless darkness, entrusted with the very fate of the universe...