The gaming world has had co-op modes since the early days of gaming. These games have always provided the group of friends and family with a satisfying thrill. Of course, it is not easy to find the ultimate game that everyone can enjoy with such a huge library of games.
Browsing Steam for an hour or two can be as boring as possible. So, here is a list of some of the best co-op games that you can find on Steam.
Terraria
Terraria is one of the most popular co-op games that are out there. It was created by Re-Logic and released on 16 May 2021. The game is 2D survival with a procedurally generated random map that goes on forever.
You will have to explore, craft, build bases, and defend yourselves from the monsters. You can craft thousands of materials, ranging from simple walls to laser blasters. The more complicated tools and weapons you build, the stronger you get.
The game is played in co-op mode with up to 8 players online and a 4-player split-screen. The more hands to build, the better defenses and crafting, and the more enjoyable the gameplay.
Portal 2
Portal 2, a product of valve released on 19 April 2011, is a puzzle-solving game built around teleportation. You are a robot in the game that has to get out of an AI-controlled facility that is hell-bent on keeping you inside.
The game’s lore is really interesting and funny, and you will have fun in the campaign mode. What makes this game more fun are the different tools you use, such as a gravity gun. Create portals, go through them, and solve puzzles to open new levels; repeat.
But that is not all; the game allows you to co-op with another player in the story mode, so go crazy with the portal gun and let the robotic love be free.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is one of the most popular games on Steam. It has a tilted top-down view with retro-looking visuals.
You start as a farmer who inherited their grandfather’s farm in the game. You will have to explore Stardew valley’s map, talk, bond with the local inhabitants, conquer dungeons and mines to become a master farmer.
The gameplay may sound simple and easy, but you cannot conclude unless you play and explore the contents.
Need a helping hand while farming? Not to worry, the game has a co-op feature that lets you invite up to 3 other friends. So grab your shovels and pickaxes, and find out what Stardew Valley has to offer.
Factorio
Factorio is another top-down visuals game that is hugely popular among survivalists. The game’s theme is building a factory on a new planet, mining ores, and making different materials to make a better running factory.
The loop continues until you have the ultimate, self-functioning factory.
The game also lets you create servers and let other people join in to give you a hand, or you can compete with each other to see who builds a better factory and fend off the creatures.
Oh yes, the natives of the land do not like the pollution you create while industrializing. Whenever your pollution reaches their nest, they will swarm your factory to destroy everything you have built. So build defenses, walls, turrets, anything that lets you kill the violent creatures.
Left 4 Dead 2
Run through the hordes of zombies, shoot them down, and do your best not to die. Left 4 Dead 2 puts you amid the post-apocalyptic world filled with the undead. Your job is to kill anything you see and reach the safety point on the other side of the map.
Left 4 Dead 2 is a fast-paced, 4-player co-op game that will leave you clutching your mouse in adrenaline-filled sessions. The game has many weapons and tools that will come in handy for your journey. Furthermore, the game has multiple game modes to test your strength against other players or infinite hordes of zombies.
The game has the AI Director 2.0 that customizes the difficulty to balance the gameplay. It also controls the horde crowd and the effects based on the player’s play style. So if you hit the game hard, it will only hit you harder.
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (Author’s Pick)
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is designed for up to 4-player co-op gaming. In the game, you are the force of love and are fighting against the evil force called Anti-Love.
Your mission is to ride your spaceship through the universe and battle evil robots and creatures, saving the love bunnies along the way. Each person mans a particular function of the spacecraft; thrusters, shields, and weapons.
Take control of the ship, communicate and rid the galaxy of the evil Anti-Love.
It Takes Two
If you are a fan of a good storyline, this game might be the one for you. It Takes Two has a beautiful storyline that starts with the divorce of a couple and their daughter feeling down about it.
Then one day, the couple, Cody and May, magically turn into dolls. You then take over and go through the world of toys to find the source of this magic.
The game has an open-world map and is fully interactive. So if you see any toys around, chances are, it can be a mini-game hidden within.
The game is a 2-player co-op, so you will need another person to play along as one of the characters. You have to communicate and work together to solve the puzzles of this game. Collaboration is the key.
GTFO
Head’s up, everyone! GTFO has finally come out of early access, and the full game launched on 10 December 2021. The game was so popular even in its early access that it was awarded multiple titles; Gamer of the Show in E3 2018 by Gamereactors, Best Cooperative Game in E3 2018 by DualShockers, to name a few.
GTFO is a 4-player co-op game where you play as prisoners sent by the Warden to clear out an underground facility and retrieve some items. The game is unforgiving, a mistake may lead to the obliteration of the squad, and stealth is key.
You will have to work together and make sure that each step counts. The game is intended to be played by four players together, but there are bots to fill up the empty slots. However, looking at the communication level needed to survive the hordes, it’s best to have humans by your side.
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia is one of the best horror games on Steam. Even though the game was released in September 2020, about 30,000 players are playing the game regularly.
Phasmophobia is a 4-player co-op game that puts you in the shoes of paranormal investigators. Your mission is to get to a haunted location with your gadgets, find out evidence of the existence of the entity, and get out.
You can use different gadgets like an EMF reader, parabolic mic, cameras, and more to find out the whereabouts of the entity. But you have to be careful as they can kill you. You can, however, help your friends subtly once you are dead and come back as a ghost.
Unravel Two
Unravel Two is a mesmerizing game with a captivating story surrounding the story of a tiny creature made out of yarn called Yarny. You meet up with another Yarny at the start of the game and go through the side-scrolling, puzzle-solving platformer.
Unravel Two has two characters all the time, so the story demands co-op mode and is best played with another person.
Dead by Daylight
You find yourself in a strange area; you look around only to see three other people around you just as lost and scared as you are. Suddenly something catches your eye, making its way towards you, and before you can process anything, the unknown figure sprints to take your life.
Dead by Daylight features a 4v1 multiplayer mode where one person plays as a killer while the rest as innocents trying to escape the bloodthirsty killer and leave the area. You will have to cooperate with the innocents and make sure you get out alive.
Overcooked! (The series)
The Overcooked! saga is a fun, cartoony cooking game that revolves around co-op with up to four players. The series takes place in the Onion Kingdom, where different calamities occur, and your job is to save the kingdom from those perils by cooking.
There are three games in the series, Overcooked!, Overcooked! 2, and Overcooked! All You Can Eat.
In the first game, a giant meatball attacks that land, and you work your way in different parts of the land to learn and cook new recipes to finally face the meatball. In the sequel, you strive in the same manner to save the world from the ‘Unbread.’
However, the third in the series combines both games with never-seen-before levels and chefs. But this version’s selling point is its graphics. Overcooked! All You Can Eat can be played in 4K at 60 fps.
Battleblock Theater
Battlblock Theater is a 2D puzzle-solving platformer game with draw-animation style visuals and comic-style characters. This game has its own story for single-player or co-op mode.
You are on a journey to save your world from cats in the game. The technologically advanced fluffs are trying to take over the world, and your job is to travel and free your 300 friends.
The game also has different arenas to invite your friends and brawl things out. It goes on a step further and provides a level editor, so you can create mayhem of obstacles simply to annoy your friends.
Dying Light
Made for those who love exploring open maps and surviving, Dying Light is an award-winning game on Steam.
The game sets you in a fully interactive city swarmed with different zombies. You will have to explore, craft tools and equipment, and build a base to defend yourself. Things seem calm during the day, but the fun begins at night.
The zombies in the game do not like sunlight, so they hide in their nests until dusk. When the night falls, they come out in the open and start hunting for their meal.
The game also forces you to visit the horde nests as such places have better loot. Furthermore, you can parkour your way through the city’s rooftops to run from said hordes, should they ever attack you.
Dying Light is a fun and thrilling co-op game that is best played with up to four players.
Valheim
Valheim takes place after you, the character, are chosen as the warrior for the Valkyries to save the world tree. The game is also open-world so that you can explore to your heart’s content.
Since the game is survival, you will have to start with nothing and craft your way up. Build defenses to protect you, hunt for food, follow the story, and kill the monsters threatening the world tree.
You can play the game with a total of 10 players in a dedicated server and co-op or race against each other for survival.
Rayman Legends
If you played games on an Atari Jaguar, you should know about the famous platformer Rayman. Now, the Rayman is on PC, continuing on the legacy.
In Rayman Legends, a run and gun platformer, you go through a series of level, fighting creatures and bosses to return to your home.
In the co-op mode, players who join you will play as the friends of Rayman. It is a 4-player co-op game with beautifully created visuals that leave you with a nostalgic experience.
Deep Rock Galactic
Deep Rock Galactic is a fun-filled survival game where you play as dwarves mining deep inside an alien planet. You and your party of three other players’ jobs are to go down, mine different ores, and head back.
You will have to be cautious because the game throws violent alien creatures at you. Each of you will have guns and unique tools that will help you fight and survive these strange monsters,
The game also features a procedurally generated map, so you do not know where you are landing even if you have played the level before. Furthermore, the game also gives you a fully destructible environment, making the gameplay as immersive as possible.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike needs no introduction, a team versus game where you have access to different weapons required to take down the enemy team.
The most played game of Steam, with more than 408 million hours globally, has different game modes where you can get on a shootout with your friends. But that is not all. CS: GO’s highlight is team play. You can add your friends to your team and go against other players worldwide.
If you are confident enough, you can also go on competitive mode and show the other team a better shooter. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive offers various game modes and maps where you can co-op or versus with your friends.
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes takes on a different approach towards co-op gaming. One player has a screen where a bomb is slowly ticking. Your job is to diffuse the bomb before the time runs out.
But things are not as simple as they seem. You have no clue about how to diffuse the bomb. Your friend (or friends) have a manual for the bomb. They have to guide you through the whole process, no matter how complicated they are.
However, you do not have access to each other’s screens. If you have the bomb, then your friends will have the manual. Communication is the key to success. You will have to be clear in your instructions and description to stop the bomb successfully.
Minecraft Dungeons
The latest edition to the Minecraft universe, Minecraft Dungeons, is on Steam. It is an action-adventure game where you have to go through the dungeons (of course), following along the storyline.
The game throws all the original Minecraft mobs at you. It also gives you the best tools to help you fight. Furthermore, the game showcases new and powerful weapons and armor that help you in your ordeal.
The game has beautiful graphics and all the good elements of the OG Minecraft. Furthermore, you can also play the game with three other friends and conquer the dark dungeons together.
Human: Fall Flat
Human: Fall Flat is one of the funniest co-op games on Steam. It features ragdoll-physics movement that leaves your character shaky and hilarious.
The game is more fun when you play together with your friends. You can co-op with your friends and struggle to go through the puzzles in this platformer.
The game is more fun when you play together with your friends. Whether online or couch, you can co-op with your friends and struggle to go through the puzzles in this platformer.
There are many different levels that can test your controls, cooperation, and patience in the game. Furthermore, the game also features workshops where you can create your levels and skins with the help of Unity. You can even browse all the custom levels that players all around the globe have created.
Totally Reliable Delivery Service
Another Ragdoll-physics game that can leave you clutching your stomach. The game features you as a delivery person whose job is to grab the package, get on a vehicle, and deliver the package.
But don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the tasks. The controls are so wonky that you will have difficulty maneuvering the vehicle you are using. Speaking of vehicles, they range from simple cars to spaceships. You can pick whatever you unlock as you play the game.
Since the game is a multiplayer co-op, you can have three of your friends join you on the epic delivery journey, and hit the ground like a noodle, laughing away the pain.
ARK: Survival Evolved
Another hugely popular survival game on Steam is ARK: Survival Evolved. The game is set on an island named ARK, full of wild and terrifying dinosaurs. You start with nothing near the beach and gather resources and craft materials to survive.
The game has an open-world map with a fully interactive environment, so you can do anything you want. The goal, however, of the game is to explore, tame different creatures of the island, become the apex predator, and finally escape.
ARK: Survival Evolved is a multiplayer game, so you can always invite your friends to lend you a hand with the dinosaurs. You can also play the game online with strangers. While playing with a large group, you can either co-op with everyone or go solo against everyone to see who survives the most.
