Most cooperative games are designed with quick and fun matches in mind, but not all follow this trend.
10 Best Co-Op Platformers
Gaming is always better with a friend.
On the contrary, there’s also a considerable number of collaborative multiplayer titles that focus on expansive and immersive experiences, aiming to make you and your friends feel like you’ve entered a completely parallel reality.
Whether it’s through a vast world, endless mechanical possibilities, or simply letting you unleash your creativity in a context with few limitations, these kinds of games are perfect if you want to share a second life with your friends.
Therefore, if what I’ve described resonates with you, and you’re looking for this kind of experience, I recommend these ten co-op games designed for players who love getting lost.
10 Redfall
Better than You Think
Despite what you might think, no, I’m not including Redfall as a joke, but rather as a vindication of a game you probably won’t see mentioned in any article of this kind.
While I completely understand the criticism and reluctance surrounding this product, the truth is that it has Arkane Studios‘ DNA integrated throughout, and that only means one thing: immersion.
Thanks to the availability of four different playable classes, in a vast and dense world brimming with secrets, side quests, and loot, you can spend hours wandering around without even realizing it, because even I found myself doing so despite playing alone.
If you like FPS games with supernatural abilities and vampiric worlds, Redfall is a better option than it seems, especially since the developer made an effort to give it one last facelift before saying goodbye for good.
9 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint
A Tactical and Lethal Cooperative
Those who have read my previous posts probably know I’m a die-hard stealth fan, and I can’t think of a better way to represent that on this list than with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint.
I’ve always considered the series to be Ubisoft‘s most underrated IP overall, and while its latest installment follows several market trends I’m not too thrilled about, it maintains the core tactical infiltration I love so much.
Furthermore, there’s no denying that it’s a game capable of putting you and your friends in the role of true special operations agents, forcing you to create synergies to succeed in each mission, where cooperation and synchronization are essential.
Driving vehicles, reviving your teammates, synchronizing fire, positioning yourselves on a level layout to attack horizontally… It’s a lot of planning and execution, which makes Ghost Recon Breakpoint a delight in the right hands.
8 V Rising
Building a Litter of Vampires
While I admit I’m not particularly a fan of either survival or resource management mechanics, I also have to acknowledge how addictive V Rising is.
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Perhaps it’s the sheer size of its world, the incredible number of interactions and gameplay systems, the natural way combat roles arise based on your abilities, or building a castle with your vampire friends, but the game is brimming with fascinating mechanics.
For example, the whole concept of having to hunt bosses across the map to unlock new abilities and structures is phenomenal and truly encourages spontaneous exploration, feeding its robust progression system in the process.
V Rising combines numerous genres brilliantly, and while I wouldn’t consider it the best at any, it manages to blend them so competently that its versatility is its undeniable strength.
7 Project Zomboid
Unexpected Survivors
It’s hypocritical of me to say I’m not usually fascinated by survival and management games and then fit two in a row, but including Project Zomboid is simply giving credit where credit is due.
If the goal is to completely lose yourself in a captivating world, even if the reasons for captivating you are the anxiety and terror of feeling like your life could end at any moment, this indie game is a wonderful option, even in early access.
If you can get past the game’s somewhat unappealing visuals, you’ll encounter a universe of complexities stemming from the sheer number of activities you can do to ensure you see the sun again.
You can loot, craft, build, fish, fight, hide, cook, set traps, customize your character… I could never list every single thing you can do in Project Zomboid, and that only reflects how relevant it is to this article if you and your friends are fans of the genre.
6 Dying Light: The Beast
Running from the Apocalypse Together
Another of my zombie-themed apocalypses in the last couple of years has been Dying Light: The Beast, which became my favorite in the series, both as a single-player and a co-op title.
Techland truly perfected the formula and delivered a game with a dense, intriguing, and visually stunning open world, brimming with special moments that make us feel like we’re actually escaping an endless horde of undead.
Because the parkour is refined to the max, as are the gunplay, melee combat, and even the technical aspects related to animations and dismemberment, it’s very easy to feel like you’re in Kyle Crane’s shoes.
Furthermore, I don’t recommend missing the experience of being with a friend pursued by dozens of immortal Volatiles as night falls in Castor Woods, because that kind of magic only comes around once every few years in the world of co-op games.
5 Diablo 4
Density at its Maximum Expression
If you’re as distracted as I am and spend the first few hours of Diablo 4 without paying much attention to the map, you’re in for a surprise when you finally decide to zoom out and see the sheer scale of the adventure you’re about to embark on.
Blizzard took the formula from the series’ third installment and amplified it to deliver the densest game in the franchise to date, with so many points of interest every few feet that you might feel overwhelmed.
Even without considering the number of available classes, each with its own possible builds that increase the gameplay options to hundreds (thousands if you factor in player synergies), Diablo 4 is a game designed to have you hooked without letting you know when you’ll be able to leave.
You head to a point to do the main mission, then you get distracted by a beast camp, and from there you enter a cave that eventually leads you to a fortress, and so on; Diablo 4 keeps you jumping from point of interest to point of interest, because the game doesn’t allow for boredom.
4 Monster Hunter Wilds
Connecting with Nature and Weapons
Monster Hunter Wilds stands out as one of the most exciting and unique cooperative games I’ve had the pleasure of playing this decade, especially because it reminded me how great Capcom can be when they truly put their mind to it.
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From chaotic kitchens to epic mountain climbs with friends
There are franchises whose core concepts are destined to be timeless with infinite room for growth, and the system of tracking majestic beasts with your friends to hunt them in massive and spectacular battles belongs to that select group.
The game has such an absorbing loop that no matter how many Chatacabras or Rompopolos you end up killing, you’ll always want to return to continue enjoying the thrill of combat, the magic of exploration, and the dopamine rush of its loot system.
As an unconventional open world, Monster Hunter Wilds partially subverts expectations and transforms you and your friends into true hunters, not just people playing a game. The barrier to entry is a bit high due to its poor interface, but beyond that, it’s a perfect creation for cooperative play.
3 Remnant 2
Relentlessly Addictive
The Soulslike philosophy is perfectly designed for playing with friends, but I dare say no other game in the industry has capitalized on it quite like Remnant 2.
Between the immense creativity of its weapons, playable classes, and setting, coupled with great gunplay and magnificent bosses, it’s an experience that perfectly understands how to adapt the genre to the third-person shooter context to create a challenging yet satisfying adventure.
This is true in general, but when you add the cooperative aspect, the world truly comes alive, taking you through surprising and intricate landscapes designed to immerse you in a dark fantasy.
If you don’t enjoy demanding titles, Remnant 2 might not be your kind of game. However, beyond that, I struggle to find reasons not to consider Gunfire Games‘ title one of the greatest cooperative games of all time.
2 Terraria
You’ll Forget About the Real World
-
- Released
- May 16, 2011
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood and Gore, Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Vita, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, 3DS, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
- How Long To Beat
- 100 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 418 MB (March 2023)
- Metascore
- 85
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
This being the third time my hypocrisy has reared its head in a single article—which I think is a record—talking about Terraria, the deity of sandbox and survival games, in a piece about co-op games where getting lost is just the sensible, sane, and appropriate thing someone can do.
Even without feeling a tenth of the passion that the most dedicated fans of this indie game experience, I’ve never had a gaming session with my friends that lasted less than four hours, as it envelops you in a way that makes you disconnect from reality.
In the end, its sandbox nature isn’t merely nominal; it’s what most clearly reflects the immensity of its size, its gameplay systems, and its possibilities, so much so that you can dedicate thousands of hours to it and still not have experienced everything it has to offer.
Nevertheless, if you’re like me and are only willing to give it a few dozen hours with your friends instead of your entire life, that’s fine too. Terraria doesn’t discriminate against any type of player, and whether your goal is the platinum trophy or simply to enjoy the journey until you don’t want any more, you’ll have the tools at your disposal.
1 Borderlands 2
Vault Hunters for Life
Maybe it was because I was so young, but the first time I discovered Borderlands 2 could be played with a friend, even though I’d already finished the game and seen most of the content, was one of the most exciting moments of my teenage years.
Precisely because, having played it almost entirely, I knew how much the experience would change with a second Vault Hunter, and time proved me right. Every joke was funnier, every shootout was more adrenaline-pumping, and every legendary loot was more special.
We forgot so much about the main mission that we spent hours clearing the map of enemies and relentlessly completing side missions, enjoying Pandora’s glorious cel-shaded biomes and getting deeper and deeper into the dopamine rush of its gameplay loop.
While Borderlands 2 may not have as many playable characters as some others on this list, nor do they offer as many varied builds, Gearbox Software‘s magnum opus truly shines in the sheer entertainment it delivers through its refined gunplay, irreverent dialogue, and addictive progression.
Playing through the campaign of this sequel in co-op is an essential experience for anyone who considers themselves a fan of the genre. So, if you haven’t done it yet, I’m both envious and happy for you, because your life is about to change.
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If you were going to buy a multitap, it was probably for one of these games.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
