It doesn’t matter what type of genre you enjoy — the best co-op games offer gaming experiences that are best with a friend.
Co-op gameplay is at the core of video games as a medium, dating back to the early days of the arcade, and developers have been constantly looking for new ways to allow players to play together. Now, it’s easier than ever to do so, with digital marketplaces bursting at the seams with games with online and local co-op.
But which ones should you pick up? Here are the best cooperative games you can play right now.
See more
- The best multiplayer games on PC
- The best multiplayer games on the Xbox Series X
- The best multiplayer games on the PS5
It Takes Two
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Platform, Adventure
Developer
Hazelight Studios
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Release
March 25, 2021
It Takes Two is the latest from Hazelight Studios, which made a name for itself with exclusively co-op experiences like A Way Out and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The studio’s latest attempt is its best, and that’s saying something. It Takes Two follows a struggling couple as they deal with an impending divorce. The couple’s daughter cries on dolls she made, transforming them into miniature knitted creatures. From there, it’s up to you and a teammate to make your way back to the house and, hopefully, fix your marriage in the process. The story is touching, and it isn’t afraid to dive into the darker parts of its subject matter. Still, It Takes Two stands out with its gameplay. True to the name, every puzzle and enemy encounter takes two people to beat. Each character has access to a new ability with each level, forcing players to work together to progress the story. It Takes Two is co-op done right, and it shows just how powerful a cooperative experience can be when it’s built for two people.
Outriders
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
People Can Fly
Publisher
Square Enix
Release
April 01, 2021
Outriders was an early hit for 2021. It comes from developer People Can Fly, known for its work on Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgement. Outriders brings together several elements from the studio’s previous games, combining a Gears of War cover system with Bulletstorm abilities and a Destiny 2-like loot system. All of these systems combine to create one of the most frantic shooters of recent memory, with the core gameplay looped backed up by RPG elements and exciting loot. Although you can play through Outriders alone, it’s best with friends. The world tier system in the game allows you to adjust your difficulty, and you can drop into any story point from the home screen. That makes it easy for friends to drop in regardless of their level. On top of that, Outriders has four unique classes. Each class regains health by performing a different action (the Trickster class, for example, regains health from getting close-range kills). With the class system, each squad member has a role to play in combat, encouraging parties to communicate and work together to win.
Read our full Outriders review
Fortnite
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Strategy
Developer
Epic Games
Publisher
Epic Games
Release
July 25, 2017
Fortnite is one of the biggest games in the world, and for good reason. Epic’s massive battle royale set the standard. Fortnite’s riveting combination of building and shooting brings a lot of depth, allowing players with the right strategy to make it to the winner’s circle. And now, with a growing list of iconic video game characters and plenty of seasonal challenges, it’s never been a better time to play Fortnite. Take a look at our Fortnite beginner’s guide if you’re just getting started.
Read our full Fortnite review
Monster Hunter Rise
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat ’em up, Adventure
Developer
Capcom
Publisher
Capcom
Release
March 25, 2021
Monster Hunter Rise finally brings the series back to Nintendo via the Switch, and it’s the best one in the series to date. It’s basically Monster Hunter: World, just in your pocket. Rise brings over the many gameplay improvements seen in World, including a unified map for hunting monsters and the Wirebug tool, which allows you to quickly get around and activate some special attacks in combat. Although taking down monsters is fun on your own, Monster Hunter Rise is best with a group of hunters. Combining attacks and abilities to deal as much damage as possible is part of the fun. You can team up with up to three other hunters online or through local co-op. Monster Hunter Rise also introduces the Rampage game mode, which tasks you with defending a village from monsters by attacks, setting up siege weapons, and instructing NPCs. Monster Hunter Rise is a true successor to Monster Hunter: World, and that’s seriously impressive on Switch.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
E
Platforms
Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator
Developer
Nintendo EPD, Nintendo
Publisher
Nintendo
Release
March 19, 2020
If you’re reading this guide, you’ve undoubtedly already heard of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and you know it’s one of the best multiplayer Switch games. Although the game is wonderful for relaxing alone after a long day, it’s with friends that New Horizons comes into its own. The sense of satisfaction that comes from showing off your island to your friends, and on the other side, visiting theirs, is unmatched in video games. Even the animation for going to another cool island is so adorable that you’ll want to vomit.
Read our full Animal Crossing: New Horizons review
Stardew Valley
E10
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Simulator, Indie
Developer
ConcernedApe
Publisher
ConcernedApe, Chucklefish Games
Release
February 26, 2016
If you like the laid-back style of Animal Crossing: New Horizons but want something a little more focused, or are craving a new Harvest Moon-style game, look no further than Stardew Valley. This farming simulator is the ultimate relaxing experience, especially with friends. It’s soothing to simply tend your garden, clean up your area, craft, trade, fish, or just hang out with the people of the town. You can have a friend join your existing farm, but starting a new place from scratch together is just a fantastic way to hang out for some stress-free gaming with a friend.
Among Us
E10
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Strategy, Indie
Developer
InnerSloth
Publisher
InnerSloth
Release
June 15, 2018
Among Us was released in 2018 and for the majority of its life, it drew around 500 to 1,000 players a day on Steam. Now it’s one of the most popular games on Steam, peaking with nearly 500,000 concurrent players. If for some reason, you haven’t heard of Among Us, it’s a social deduction game for up to 10 players. You play as a crewmember with a list of short tasks to complete, including dumping trash, diverting power, and uploading files. For crewmembers, the goal is simple: Complete all of your tasks, and your team wins. The kicker, though, is that there’s at least one imposter among the crewmembers. The imposter’s job is to stealthily move around, killing off crewmembers in isolation while sabotaging different rooms on the map. Whenever someone finds a body or calls an emergency meeting, your group has a chance to talk and vote someone out. Among Us is a simple game that anyone can pick up and play, and with people spending more time than ever inside, a worthy replacement for simple tabletop games. Among Us is free on Android and iOS, and it’s only $5 on Steam. Even better, the game supports crossplay between these platforms, allowing you to team up and play with virtually anybody. You can also play Among Us on Mac if you are so inclined.
Phasmophobia
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Genre
Puzzle, Tactical, Indie
Developer
Kinetic Games
Publisher
Kinetic Games
Release
September 18, 2020
It’s rare to find a game on Steam with an overwhelmingly positive review score, much less a game that’s already been reviewed by nearly 10,000 people (likely more when you’re reading this). Phasmophobia is an early-access game that came out of nowhere. The first release for Kinetic Games, Phasmophobia puts you in the shoes of a ghost hunter. In each investigation, you and up to three others will use cameras, UV flashlights, thermometers, and more to find and track a ghost. Your job isn’t to get rid of the ghost, though. Rather, you’re tasked with gathering evidence to pin down what type of ghost is responsible for the haunt. Although Phasmophobia is very much a horror game, it’s a ghost-hunting game first and foremost. The majority of each investigation is spent setting up equipment and trying to get a read on where the ghost is at. There are scares, but they’re few and far between, and Phasmophobia earns every frightening moment. It’s like playing an episode of Ghost Adventures, just without Zak Bagans to keep you safe. Even better, Phasmophobia has a VR mode, and you can team up with your friends regardless if they have a VR headset or not. For a game only a few weeks old, Phasmophobia is surprisingly polished, and it has a good amount of variety, to boot. However, it’s still an early-access game, so there are a few rough edges.
Moving Out
E
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Developer
DEVM Games, SMG Studio
Publisher
Team17
Release
April 27, 2020
In reality, moving is no fun at all. However, just like in Overcooked, when you turn it into a whacky game that forces you to work together in less-than-ideal situations, it can become a wildly good time. Unlike in Overcooked, Moving Out is way more physics-based, with every item you pick up being able to bump, knock over, and even break other objects. You and up to three other friends are a team of movers with multiple missions in the town of Packmore. They all have the same basic objective: To move all the objects in a house into the moving truck within the time limit. But it’s never that simple in practice. Large objects require more than one person to lift, like beds, for example, leading to chaotic moments of confusion as one person wants to go one way and you the other. Tossing objects is not only an option — it’s necessary in harder levels, and stuffing it all into the van is yet another wrinkle to the whole thing. Oh, and did we mention there are ghosts to deal with in some levels, too? If you’re looking for a game that just might test the limits of your friendships — or end up being a completely hilarious exercise in coordination — Moving Out is a great little distraction.
Gears 5
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
The Coalition
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Release
September 10, 2019
Third-person shooters, particularly cover-based ones, aren’t always the most accessible games for newcomers. Microsoft and The Coalition seem to have recognized this with Gears 5, which gives less-experienced players the chance to help out their veteran Gears of War friends. The robotic character Jack can be used in both Horde mode and the campaign, providing support and damaging enemies while the other players fire away with their Lancers. In a squad full of experienced players, you can also play the brand-new Escape mode. In an aggressive cooperative mode that plays almost like a reverse-Horde, you must storm through a short level and make your way to the exit as a venom bomb slowly fills up the halls behind you. It’s difficult and requires plenty of coordination, making it the perfect option to play with a few friends.
Read our full Gears 5 review
Halo: The Master Chief Collection
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter
Developer
343 Industries
Publisher
Xbox Game Studios
Release
November 11, 2014
343 Studios took over the Halo license (after Bungie split to create the Destiny series on its own) and decided to bundle all the original games together in one package. While it wasn’t quite what fans were hoping for at launch, the team has stuck with the game for the years following, even adding a few more to the collection, and it is now a fantastic way to experience the absolute best Halo games of all time. This bundle will let you and a friend tackle Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 in their best-looking and best-performing forms yet. No matter how you slice it, that’s a ton of co-op fun just going through the campaigns alone. These titles have been lauded as some of the best FPS campaigns ever made, and the extra polish these remasters get, especially in the first and second game, make them feel like brand new games.
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Massive Entertainment – A Ubisoft Studio
Publisher
Ubisoft
Release
March 15, 2019
You can play the majority of Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 by yourself, but the real way to play the game is to invite three of your closest friends and brave the toughest missions together. Enemy scaling means that you’ll face tougher challenges, but with allies by your side to revive you if you go down, you’ll still be ready to brave the apocalypse and save the United States from total collapse. Alongside the campaign, side missions, and endgame content, The Division 2 brings back the Dark Zone player-versus-player area. Long wolves might encounter trouble, but with someone watching your back as you search for the game’s best loot, you can survive and show other players what you’re made of.
Read our full Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 review
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Adventure
Developer
Gearbox Software
Publisher
2K Games
Release
March 25, 2022
When it comes to cooperative looter-shooters, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands stands among the very best. Gearbox has created its biggest game to date, packed full of goofy characters to meet, objectives to complete, weapons to discover, and multiple fantasy locations to explore. It can be played as a solo experience, but longtime Borderlands fans know that things get much more interesting when you bring a friend into the mix. Using your character’s different abilities, you can deliver combinations of attacks to deal massive damage to enemies. Several cooperative changes have been made compared to previous games in the series, as well. A level-sync system now lets you join a friend to play together, even if you differ widely in level. A loot-instancing option will give everyone in your group their own drops after beating enemies. If you want to team up with another player for couch cooperative gameplay, the game also supports split-screen.
Read our full Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands review
Diablo III
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat ’em up, Adventure
Developer
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher
Blizzard Entertainment, Square Enix
Release
May 15, 2012
The game began with a bit of a rough launch, but Blizzard’s Diablo III has grown into a phenomenal action-role-playing game from the king of the genre. Its campaign is short but sweet, packing in a ton of action and several boss battles where you and some friends can tear through mountains of enemies in search of better gear. With multiple classes to choose from, the Reaper of Souls expansion, and a steady stream of new content being released through “seasons,” Diablo III is a hobby-grade game that gets even better when you bring some friends along for the ride.
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Tactical
Developer
Infinity Ward
Publisher
Activision
Release
November 14, 2022
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.o is Activision’s latest take on the battle royale genre, and it’s a good one. One of the biggest titles in gaming right now — even rivaling the likes of Fortnite — Warzone 2.0 is a massive battle royale game, with 150 players on the standard game mode and up to 200 on certain limited game modes. It’s simply bigger than the competition, which is a testament to the talent at Infinity Ward. Despite photo-realistic visuals and a huge map, Warzone 2.0 maintains a solid 60 frames per second across PC and consoles. It’s not just the size that sets Warzone 2.0 apart, though. The Gulag mechanic gives you a second lease on life, while the new DMZ mode gives a new way to play. Even better, Warzone 2.0 is still completely free.
Overcooked! 2
E
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Simulator, Strategy, Tactical, Indie, Arcade
Developer
Ghost Town Games
Publisher
Team17
Release
August 07, 2018
Overcooked 2 is easy to learn but tough to master. Don’t let its cutesy visuals fool you — Overcooked 2 presents more of a challenge than most co-op games. In increasingly complex stages and with increasingly complex orders, your job is to help run a kitchen and get orders out on time. Each round starts simply, with a coordinated team organizing themselves into stations to create an efficient cooking machine. As the orders and problems start to pile up, though, the kitchen quickly devolves into madness, where every correct order feels like a victory. The first Overcooked is an excellent game, but its sequel improves on the co-op cooking fun in a number of ways. Most practically, Overcooked 2 has online multiplayer, while the first game was limited to local co-op. Playing games online with friends is becoming increasingly important, making the first game basically obsolete. Plus, Overcooked 2 has four pieces of DLC to the first game’s single expansion, so there’s no shortage of levels to play through.
Minecraft
E10
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac
Genre
Adventure, Arcade
Developer
Mojang Studios
Publisher
Mojang Studios
Release
November 18, 2011
Minecraft is the bestselling game of all time — ignoring the multiple iterations of Tetris that have been released over the years — so it needs little introduction. Minecraft‘s massive reach shouldn’t undermine just how good of a game it is. It’s Lego for the 21st century, offering hundreds of hours of fun on basically any device with a screen and an internet connection. Even better, Minecraft supports cross-platform play. You can team up and build with your friends no matter if they’re on iOS, Android, Windows Mobile, Fire TV, Oculus Rift, Gear VR, Windows Mixed Reality, PC, Switch, Xbox One, or PS4.
Cuphead
E10
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Shooter, Platform, Adventure, Indie, Arcade
Developer
Studio MDHR
Publisher
Studio MDHR
Release
September 29, 2017
Cuphead‘s 1930s cartoon aesthetic is enough to get anyone interested in the game. Lovingly hand-drawn, the characters, enemies, and environments explode off the screen in a mess of film grain and color. Cuphead is a beautiful-looking game, but more importantly, it’s a fun game. Knuckle-busting platforming levels give you the skills and resources to face the game’s many boss encounters, each of which offers a unique character design and a unique challenge. Cuphead is a great time with just Cuphead, but it’s even better with Mugman. Playing as a duo isn’t any easier — bosses scale in difficulty depending on the number of players — but a player two is indispensable on run-and-gun stages. Cuphead and Mugman can revive each other, making a poorly timed jump or parry a little less punishing. Unfortunately, Cuphead doesn’t support online play. Co-op is restricted to two local players.
Divinity: Original Sin II
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre
Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Adventure
Developer
Larian Studios
Publisher
Larian Studios
Release
September 14, 2017
While many of these co-op games are focused on fun, fast, lightweight experiences that are relatively easy to drop into with new players, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the opposite end of the spectrum: It’s an epic, fantasy, PC-style RPG with all the bells and whistles, but one that’s built from the ground up to be played cooperatively. They don’t even have to cooperate! The game allows for party members to be actively working against one another if they so choose. Between that social structure and a deeply systemic, simulation-focused design throughout, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is about as close as digital games have come to capturing pen-and-paper role-playing.
Portal 2
E10
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Mac
Genre
Shooter, Platform, Puzzle, Adventure
Developer
Valve Corporation
Publisher
Valve Corporation, Electronic Arts
Release
April 19, 2011
The original Portal is a perfect, focused, and hugely influential curio of game design, combining razor-sharp physics platforming puzzles that explore its core, portal gun mechanic, with hilarious writing in your taunting robot overlord, GLaDOS. The sequel is bigger and better in every way, with a highly-produced campaign, an expanded cast, and new mechanics to explore. For our purposes, it also adds a truly excellent co-op campaign, completely separate from the single-player story, which tasks two robot friends with solving puzzles that require two sets of portals. Doubling the number of portals in play makes the co-op campaign fiendishly tricky at times, but all the more satisfying when you do solve it, especially with a friend.
Read our full Portal 2 review
Overwatch 2
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher
Blizzard Entertainment
Release
October 04, 2022
First-person shooters almost always offer team-based modes these days, with games like Call of Duty, Halo, and Counter-Strike becoming some of the foundational esports. Those games are built on their symmetry, however, starting players off on equal footing to provide a test of raw skill. Blizzard took cooperative FPS play to a whole new level with Overwatch, a team-based “hero shooter” where every player controls a different character with unique skills. Overwatch 2 expands on the base game and improves upon the formula established with games like Team Fortress 2. There is a huge roster of heroes that play radically different from one another, making team composition and collaboration crucial to success. Few shooters reward creative teamwork the way Overwatch 2 does since its growing cast of characters and maps synergize and counter one another in a huge and ever-evolving combinatorial metagame. With such a range of characters and playstyles, Overwatch 2 is the perfect co-op shooter for people that aren’t especially into shooters otherwise.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
E10
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows Mixed Reality, SteamVR, Daydream, PlayStation VR, Meta Quest, Meta Rift, Gear VR
Genre
Puzzle, Simulator, Indie, Card & Board Game
Developer
Steel Crate Games
Publisher
Steel Crate Games
Release
July 16, 2015
It’s a classic Hollywood scenario: A field operative is locked in a battle with time as they try to defuse an elaborate bomb. Meanwhile, a support team frantically digs through manuals remotely to help their colleague get out alive. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is one of the first virtual reality games that really plays with the medium (you can play it without, but the experience lacks tactile suspense). One player, wearing a VR headset, must defuse a procedurally generated bomb, but has no idea how to do so. Everyone else in the game has to solve each of the bomb’s many puzzles, digging through physical manuals to help the defuser. As you may have sensed, asymmetry is a running theme on this list. Putting players in different roles leads to fun and interesting cooperation, and this is a perfect example of how new technology can inspire wholly new types of play.
Destiny 2
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Google Stadia
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical, Adventure
Developer
Bungie
Publisher
Activision
Release
September 06, 2017
Bungie mastered the modern first-person shooter with its Halo series, but it took it to a whole new level with Destiny, using that buttery-smooth shooting as the mechanical foundation for an infinite, cooperative loot grind that draws as much from MMORPGs or Diablo 3 as it does Call of Duty. The sequel refined and evolved what so many people loved about the first game into one of the most polished, online AAA experiences available. Destiny 2 has a little bit of everything: An epic space opera story, intense structured competition, an endless hunt for better and cooler loot, and surprisingly chill PvE missions for when you just want to unwind and shoot aliens with your buds.
Read our full Destiny 2 review
Grand Theft Auto V
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter, Adventure
Developer
Rockstar North
Publisher
Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive
Release
September 17, 2013
Over 10 years after launch, Rockstar is still supporting Grand Theft Auto Online with new content (enhanced versions are even coming to Xbox Series X and PS5). If you’ve played a GTA game before, you know what this one is all about: It’s Grand Theft Auto V, just online. GTA Online takes the focus off of the story and puts it on the sandbox. Join up with a crew or take on jobs with just a small group of friends — the choice is yours. GTA Online makes being a criminal fun, and the illegal shenanigans are even better with friends.
PAYDAY 2
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Genre
Shooter, Role-playing (RPG), Tactical
Developer
Overkill Software
Publisher
505 Games, Starbreeze Studios
Release
August 13, 2013
Everybody loves a good heist movie, but there are shockingly few heist games. Grand Theft Auto V had a handful of co-op heist missions, but PayDay 2 is one of the only games where that is the whole point. There is no linear campaign to speak of, just a rotating selection of heist missions for one to four players, like robbing stores or hijacking armored vehicles. Between missions, players earn money and experience to be spent on weapons, cosmetic upgrades such as a staggering variety of masks, and skill points that help them specialize into different criminal archetypes, like “Mastermind” or “Enforcer.” Released first in 2013, the game’s enduring community has led to a ton of additional content in subsequent years, making this a rich playground for any new players jumping in because of the heist fantasy.
Deep Rock Galactic
T
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5
Genre
Shooter, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Ghost Ship Games
Publisher
Coffee Stain Publishing
Release
May 13, 2020
Deep Rock Galactic is one of many Left 4 Dead clones. However, instead of sticking with the campaign-focused formula, developer Ghost Ship Games decided to take their first release in a different direction. In Deep Rock Galactic, you play as a space dwarf exploring a network of caves that have become overrun with aliens. The catch is that the caves are procedurally generated, and the environments are completely destructible. Those random elements breathe a lot of life into Deep Rock Galactic. In a genre where games often fail due to repetitiveness, Deep Rock Galactic gives you something fresh each time you play. You can choose how deep you want to go, too. It’s possible with the fully destructible environments to drill your way through the caves straight to the objective. Alternatively, you can scout around for alternate paths, searching for weapon upgrades and anything else that will help you on your run.
Back 4 Blood
M
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Shooter
Developer
Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Release
October 12, 2021
Speaking of Left 4 Dead clones, how could we not include Back 4 Blood? This co-op zombie shooter, even just from the name, is obviously calling back to that incredibly fun series that nailed the four-player formula of running through levels against mobs of zombies but has the benefit of being created by that same team. Now on their own, they finally gave us a follow-up to the Left 4 Dead games, although needing to do so under a brand new name. Back 4 Blood has the same setup, you and four friends against zombies and various special infected, but adds in new random elements and perk cards that keep things fresh.
Read our full Back 4 Blood review
Don’t Starve Together
T
Platforms
Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S
Genre
Simulator, Strategy, Adventure, Indie
Developer
Klei Entertainment
Publisher
Klei Entertainment
Release
April 21, 2016
Don’t Starve might be the most charming survival game out there. In a genre where every developer is concerned with realism, Klei Entertainment went in a different direction with Don’t Starve, honing in on the survival elements and ditching the realism for a gothic coat of paint. Don’t Starve Together is the same game, just with online and local co-op. Plus, it’s a stand-alone expansion, so you don’t need the original game to play. Don’t Starve is a game that pairs survival of the fittest with adventure and exploration. You’ll quickly notice how random everything is every time you restart a new world. The first few worlds you create give you the chance to learn the game rather than focus on surviving. We won’t lie to you, Don’t Starve is a challenging and unforgiving game, but if you remain patient and willing to learn, you can benefit over time.
Editors’ Recommendations
-
The best weapon mods and perks in Dead Island 2
-
The best Skill Cards in Dead Island 2
-
Can you play Quidditch in Hogwarts Legacy?
-
The best PS5 exclusives
-
All Xbox One games with mouse and keyboard support
