The best co-op games let you share top-tier gaming experiences with friends and family.
While it can be great fun to get lost in one of the best single-player games, there's something special about enjoying a fantastic title with your buddies. Whether it's doing some relaxing farming in Stardew Valley, or blasting hordes of aliens in Helldivers 2, the best co-op games offer thrilling experiences that you'll be talking about for years. The memories you'll create while playing these titles are more than enough to give the best story games a run for their money.
Below, you'll find an eclectic list of excellent co-op games from a whole range of genres. You'll find some of the best PC strategy games alongside one of the best RPGs and several of the best platformers. No matter your tastes, however, we at TechRadar Gaming are confident that you'll find something to suit. Read on to find out more.
Best co-op games 2024
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KarmaZoo is all about friendship and camaraderie. Whether you're playing with total strangers online or friends on the couch, every detail of its design is calibrated to bring people together.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch, and PC
Online or couch co-op? Both
One of the best co-op games to be released last year, KarmaZoo from Pastagames is refreshingly simple yet consistently rewarding. You play as a lost soul, trying to pass on to the next world by collecting karma - the game's main resource. You do this by completing platforming challenges with other players, taking turns to support one another as you puzzle your way through the game's numerous challenges.
Earn enough Karma, and you'll be able to unlock new forms, ranging from cute animals to literal teapots. Each of these forms has a special ability that spices up platforming while never over-complicating things. There are plenty to choose from, too. What's more, the game has a competitive mode designed with couch co-op in mind, making it an ideal game to play in a living room full of friends.
It's one thing to build a cozy slice of the country for yourself, but it's another entirely to share it with your buddies. Stardew Valley's simple, wholesome comforts feel all the warmer when enjoyed with a friend.
Platforms available: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile and PC
Online or couch co-op? Both
Stardew Valley from ConcernedApe is one of the coziest, gentlest games out there. The premise is simple: you inherit a plot of land from your dearly departed grandfather and on the land is a dilapidated farm which, through hard work and persistence, you can restore to its former glory. In Stardew Valley, you can farm, fish, mine, and forage your way to a peaceful life.
However, as with any great undertaking, it's as much about the journey as the destination. Being one of the best co-op games, Stardew Valley lets you experience this slow and steady story of growth alongside friends. You can even play split-screen should the mood take you. Stardew Valley is a rustic delight made all the brighter when shared.
Diablo 4 has one of the best game loops out there. You venture out, fight baddies, loot gear, upgrade your character, and repeat. This makes for a deeply compelling rhythm that's even better with friends.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Online or couch co-op? Both unless you're on PC, then it's online only
Diablo 4 is the latest in a long-running action RPG series from the veteran developers at Blizzard. In this dark fantasy story, you'll find yourself embroiled in the Eternal Conflict between demons and angels, forced to fight your way across the eerily beautiful Gothic landscape of Sanctuary.
Diablo 4 offers a strong emphasis on character customization and multiplayer, making it one of the best co-op games of its kind. Thanks to the absurd number of different builds available, you and up to three buddies can craft characters tailored specifically to your own tastes. What's more, Diablo 4 multiplayer offers tantalizing scope for synergies between different characters and builds, allowing skillful parties to pull off combos that would be impossible alone.
Sea of Thieves lets you and your pals effortlessly dive in to the pirate fantasy. Exploration, sea battles and treasure are all yours for the taking as you work together to manage your ship and stay above water.
Platforms available: Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC
Online or couch co-op? Online
This is a stirring example of a game that hit the ground stumbling but really caught the wind in its sails over the last few years. Sea of Thieves tasks up to four players with crewing a ship, and sailing around a vibrant, cartoony, Caribbean-style set of islands in search of plunder, adventure, and notoriety.
While the game used to feel loose and a little purposeless in the beginning, it’s now filled out to become an ever-evolving world of possibilities. You follow maps to skeleton-infested coves, fight mythical sea creatures, and take on other player-controlled ships and crews. These battles make for some of the best co-op experiences out there. There's even an overarching story to keep tabs on, too.
Sea of Thieves is the ultimate freewheeling pirate fantasy, designed purposely to be played alongside a motley crew of scurvy-infested sea rats you call your friends. It's easily one of the best co-op games right now, as well as one of the best Xbox Series X and best Xbox One games. It's also available on Xbox Game Pass, so the barrier to entry is extremely low.
Lethal Company hits that co-op survival sweet spot, using psychological horror elements to keep you and your friends under constant pressure. Full of thrills and terrors, we advise keeping that mute button handy to help handle the screams.
Platforms available: PC
Online or couch co-op? Online
Despite being in early access, Lethal Company already has all the hallmarks of a survival horror masterpiece, easily earning a place on this best co-op games list. In this first-person sci-fi title, you and your pals work for a classic evil corporation, and it's your job to scavenge scrap from abandoned industrial locales to make money for your betters. This is easier said than done, however, as these areas are full of traps and monsters.
Dark, foreboding environments are made all the more so by the game's use of proximity chat and walkie-talkies. Members of your team can even guide the rest of you from your ship, calling out traps and managing locked doors. Hectic and thrilling, Lehal Company will have you and your friends running for your lives.
Overcooked 2 is a frantic and unrelenting title that'll have you and your friends excitedly yelling at one another between bouts of irrepressible laughter. A true farce simulator, Overcooked 2 gives you lots to do and not quite enough time in which to do it.
Platforms available: PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S if you pick up the All You Can Eat compilation)
Online or couch co-op? Both
In a bid to defeat the 'un-bread' (zombie baked goods), in Overcooked 2 you and up to three other players must prepare a variety of recipes including sushi, pizza, and burgers while working in increasingly chaotic restaurants. To add to the frantic fun, you must battle obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors, and interfering passers-by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time.
Things get complicated incredibly quickly, and relationships, friendships, and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time, making it one of the best co-op games for that very reason.
We also highly recommend picking up the original Overcooked, if you haven't played it already. If you're fortunate enough to have a PS5 or Xbox Series X|S then you can pick up Overcooked: All You Can Eat, a compilation that includes the first and second games alongside all the DLC for both.
Helldivers 2 is built with co-op and team play in mind. To survive the alien hordes, you'll need to work together with your allies, doing your best to stay on your toes and support one another.
Platforms available: PS5 and PC
Online or couch co-op? Online
Helldivers 2 is a sci-fi third-person shooter that offers a team-based player vs. environment (PvE) experience. You play as an elite soldier in a dystopian future. Fighting for 'Super Earth', you and a team of up to three others will fight waves of aliens and robots in a bid to secure the galaxy in the name of freedom and 'Managed Democracy'.
Over the course of a given mission, you'll find yourself calling down orbital bombardments and special weapons as you swiftly race to complete objectives. It's frantic, pulse-pounding, and requires plenty of teamwork - an ideal game to play with friends or family. Once you've completed your objectives, you'll need to exfiltrate as quickly as you can in what often amounts to a desperate defense of a landing zone as you await pickup. Between bouts of friendly fire and mass destruction, Helldivers 2 is one of the best co-op games we've seen so far this year.
Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't just offer an excellent story, but a story you can share with friends. In co-op, the game's numerous difficult choices open up, requiring you and your friends to work together to arrive at the right decision for your campaign.
Platforms available: PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC
Online or couch co-op? Both
One of the best RPGs ever made, Baldur's Gate 3 is a player-driven fantasy adventure that puts immersion first. However, unlike many of its peers, Baldur's Gate 3 is also one of the best co-op games, allowing you and up to three friends to team up and face the challenges of the game's sprawling fantasy world together.
Full of memorable characters, the game also boasts playful mechanics that reward lateral thinking. While the turn-based battles may seem rigid at first glance, the scope for imaginative solutions is vast. Struggling to defeat a scary boss? Why not shove them off a cliff? Need extra damage? Shoot a nearby barrel and light the enemy on fire. The world is your oyster - a meal made all the sweeter with friends.
There's nothing like taking down a giant dinosaur together to bring friends together. Monster Hunter: Rise lets you and your teammates share in the glory, using teamwork and strategy to overcome all sorts of terrifying megafauna.
Platforms available: Nintendo Switch, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One
Online or couch co-op? Online
Monster Hunter: Rise is easily the most accessible iteration of the classic monster-slaying simulator from Capcom. This third-person action game has you and your friends hunting down megafauna across a range of gorgeous landscapes. With a wide array of weapons to master and a dizzying amount of armor to craft, Monster Hunter: Rise has a core loop of killing, looting, and crafting that players can easily get lost in.
What's more, Monster Hunter: Rise places more of an emphasis on traversal than its predecessors, offering hunters their own mounts as well as Wirebugs (living, insect zip-lines), which allow for quick vertical movement and mid-air attacks in combat. Rise meaningfully evolves the formula established in previous titles, like Monster Hunter: World, by providing players with slick combat and plenty of quality-of-life improvements. Though it can be enjoyed solo, Rise is best with a party of friends, rewarding cooperation and determination with epic battles and gorgeous loot.
Minecraft is versatile, iconic, and deeply modifiable, allowing you and your friends to build your own personal world. Whether you'd prefer a co-op survival experience or just want to build with your buddies, Minecraft is full of potential.
Platforms available: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, Android and iOS
Online or couch co-op? Both, but split-screen is a console-exclusive feature only available for certain editions of the game.
In its simplest terms, Minecraft is a block-building simulator with few limits which boasts a fascinating history.
This is the ultimate co-op experience, allowing players to grab blocks and build worlds together that are limited only by their imagination. The beauty of Minecraft is that it can be played co-operatively across different platforms, that's why it's also made our list of the best crossplay games. For example, the game world can be hosted on PC, while others jump in using an Android or iOS device.
If you prefer, you can go hardcore and join the numerous PC-based Minecraft servers seeded on the Internet using the original Java-based version of the game. The creations you can find out there are simply mind-boggling, ranging from the reconstruction of actual cities to a full-scale Starship Enterprise-D from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is a versatile title, but its co-op mode is really something else. Not only can you cooperate in the game's strategy layer, but it's also possible to battle together, too. Nothing beats working together to outmatch your enemies.
Platforms available: PC
Online or couch co-op? Online
As well as being one of the best PC strategy games out there, Total War: Warhammer 3 has a specially designed co-op campaign mode, allowing two to four friends to team up, doing battle across Games Workshop's dark fantasy setting. It's one of the best co-op games out there when it comes to strategy. You and your friends can choose from a wide range of campaigns, including some specially designed with co-op in mind.
Total War: Warhammer 3 offers a satisfying turn-based strategy layer alongside a deep and rewarding real-time battle system. At higher difficulties, coordination is essential, especially once endgame crises rear their ugly heads. Warhammer 3 is the perfect way to see if your friendships can survive against a relentless horde of rat people/angry dwarfs/ Chaos warriors (delete as appropriate).
Best co-op games: FAQs
What is a co-op multiplayer game?
A co-op multiplayer game is any title where you collaborate with other players towards a shared goal. This can be as gentle and wholesome as building a farm in Stardew Valley or as frantic and pulse-pounding as fighting alien hordes in Helldivers 2. What's important is that the experience is enriched by the presence of your fellow players.
The titles on our list of the best co-op games are all great examples of multiplayer done right. Though co-op titles come in a lot of different flavors, we've confident that you'll find something to your liking.
What is the best game to play with four people?
Overcooked 2 and Helldivers 2 make for excellent choices for four-player co-op. Overcooked 2 will have you and your three friends scrambling to prepare dishes and put out fires (literally and figuratively) in a fast-paced kitchen puzzle game. Meanwhile, Helldivers 2 allows you and up to three friends to drop onto an alien planet and fight hordes of enemies as you desperately try to achieve objectives.
If you're looking for something that's less of a sprint and more of a marathon, we recommend Baldur's Gate 3. In Larian Studios' hit fantasy RPG, you and your friends can journey across a fantasy world, battling monsters, kicking butt and taking names. Immersive and rewarding, Baldur's Gate 3 is well worth a look.
How we picked the best co-op games
Our best co-op games list offers titles that have brought us together through the shared stories they create. Be they Diablo 4's deliciously crunchy multiplayer, or the tragic loss of staff writer Elie Gould's A.S.S. in Minecraft, the best co-op games have always had us talking.
We also aimed to cover a broad range of genres, too. From the playful silliness of Overcooked 2 to the granular strategy of Total War: Warhammer 3, we wanted this list to reflect the broad spectrum of the video games as a whole, whilst putting cooperative multiplayer front and center.
Want to know what's going on in the world of consoles? Our lists of the best PS5 exclusives and best Xbox Series X games have all the info you need.
