Many are struggling in the world right now, and social distancing can be tough. For many, video games serve as an engrossing escape or distraction from some of the grim details seen on the news or all around them. Though there’s a wealth of world-spanning RPGs and compelling single player adventures to dump tons of hours into, sometimes people just want to hang out with their friends.
Thankfully there’s also plenty of games for folks who want to play a fun cooperative adventure or jump into a competitive match with. Boot up Discord and hop in the call with a selection of some fantastic coop and multiplayer games.
Multiplayer: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Available on Switch.
Obviously Animal Crossing: New Horizons has to be on this list, considering the game coincidentally came out at such a perfect time. With folks practicing social distancing, New Horizons brings players together in such an effective and charming way. Players take on the role of the typical villagers from the long-running Nintendo series, but instead have been invited to create their own paradise on a tropical island. Players explore their island surroundings whilst inviting their friends to cultivate a community together.
Crafting and customization for outfits, houses, gardens, yards, and more can be done through collecting or buying materials. Days pass in real time, with randomized real-world seasons that yield different rewards to collect. Up to eight villagers can gather on islands together to hang out and show off all their cool builds and finds. Animal Crossing New Horizons is a perfect time spender and time waster with friends, with tons of things to do and see on everyone’s islands to simulate the island getaway folks could use right now.
Coop: A Way Out
Available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
While the allusion to cabin fever may be a bit on the nose, A Way Out is a campy coop adventure for two players full of thrilling set-pieces and an entertaining action story. Players take on the role of two convicts attempting to escape from prison so they may enact revenge on those who sent them there. It’s a uniquely coop-only experience full of puzzles and interesting scenarios that only two players working in tandem can accomplish successfully.
In between the pulse-pounding action sequences, the game also has a surprisingly huge variety of mini-games like Connect Four, darts, arm-wrestling, a musical duet rhythm game, basketball, wheelchair wheelies, etc. The game reeks of campy 80s movie flair, with the two protagonists seemingly plucked straight out of them. The game is not the most narratively complex affair, but that doesn’t really matter when the game is chock full of gameplay distractions. It’s a coop game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, meaning amongst the surprisingly entertaining story there’s still a bunch of fun options for players who aren’t paying attention anyway.
Multiplayer: Stick Fight: The Game
Available on PC (coming soon to consoles).
For just a fantastic, slap-stick brawler full of absurdity, Stick Fight: The Game is a hilarious and incredibly fun experience. Players take on the role of “iconic stick figures from the golden age of the internet,” in a 2D, physics-based combat game all about wrecking your friends in creatively strange ways. Each map has a variety of layouts and themes arranged together, from destructive wooden box towers in a western setting, to breakable ice on a winter stage, to disappearing platforms on a ghost-themed stage.
All kinds of guns, knives, launchers, and other more unique projectiles spawn around the map that players can use to get the edge over their opponents. Or they can choose to just punch you in the mouth or dropkick you in the chest. Either way, this game marries platforming and button-mashing brawling into a game that’ll keep players entertained for an unreasonable amount of time.
Coop: Overcooked 2
Available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Perhaps if friends are looking for a more challenging coop activity, players can hop into the kitchens of Overcooked 2. Aspiring sous chef or not, the incredibly popular Overcooked 2 gamifies the hectic nature of a restaurant kitchen team working together under a time crunch to serve customers. Complex recipes require teamwork between up to four players in a variety of challenges and trials.
Each chef prepares ingredients, cooks various foods, cleans dishes, and serves delicious creations to customers. Kitchen environments become even more crazy as the game progresses, forcing players to utilize moving platforms, teleporters, and tossing ingredients to one another. With an overworld full of several uniquely themed restaurants, there’s plenty of challenges awaiting prospective chefs in Overcooked 2.
Multiplayer: Call of Duty Warzone
Available for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Those maybe looking to scratch the battle royale itch should almost certainly hop into Call of Duty: Warzone. Sporting a free-to-play model built on the pulse-pounding and satisfying gunplay of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Warzone is the latest and greatest battle royale craze so far. 150 Players in squads of up to four are dropped into the world of Verdansk, as they fight to survive until they’re the last squad standing.
Different from other battle royales is the introduction of Contracts and Cash, optional activities that players can participate in to acquire money during the match. Cash can be used to purchase a variety of different equipment options and upgrades, anything from extra armor, to a gas mask, to an airstrike, even to players’ own custom loadouts from Modern Warfare multiplayer. Warzone in a lot of ways lets players play a battle royale in their own way, piling tons of different elements of variety on top of the base formula to craft a unique game.
Coop: Resident Evil 5
Available on PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
An oldie but a goldie, Resident Evil 5 brought some of its trademarked survival horror to a fast-paced, tag-team adventure. Players take on the role of either the series veteran Chris Redfield or new character Sheva Alomar as they investigate a new zombie outbreak in Africa. Even though the game was even more action-oriented compared to past titles, Resident Evil 5 still remains an exciting coop zombie romp full of pomp and circumstance.
Players explore a variety of African locales, secret Umbrella corporation research facilities, and even a volcano to eliminate the source of this new zombie outbreak. The entirety of the campaign can be played solo, but many of the puzzles and scenarios are easily twice as fun with two players. It’s not exactly the scariest game in the series, but the coop set-pieces and zombies slaying are still enjoyable despite not being a traditional Resident Evil game.
Multiplayer: Destiny 2
Available on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
If players want to get engrossed in a more involved MMO-like affair, Destiny 2 is absolutely worth the starting price of free. Destiny 2 anoints players as Guardians, warriors imbued by the mysterious Traveler’s light, to fight enemies of the Darkness throughout the galaxy in a sci-fi universe. Players utilize all sorts of weapons, armor, and space magic in PvE and PvP modes that are updated and changed weekly. There’s all sorts of different Strikes, competitive multiplayer modes, and difficult Raid challenges to do, giving players a wealth of new activities right from the gate to sink tons of hours into.
Thanks to the Shadowkeep expansion’s launch, all of the original Destiny 2 content up to Forsaken became free for all players as well, making it much easier for new players to enjoy the world of Destiny. Assuming friends want to get addicted to an ever-expanding sci-fi affair, Destiny 2 is perfect for pouring time into.
Coop: Police Stories
Available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Maybe if players are looking for a more condensed or more tactical shooter experience, Police Stories is worth a playthrough with a buddy. Players take on the role of two grizzled police veterans investigating a case that blows way out of proportion. Police Stories is a top-down shooter indie game full of retro-wave character, involving close-quarters combat reminiscent of Hotline Miami but with more conservative action.
Duos are tasked with breaching and clearing criminal hideouts, arresting perpetrators, rescuing hostages, and more throughout the various levels. There’s also custom challenges players can engage in as well for more challenge or diversity. Being successful in Police Stories involves a lot of strategy and planning, as players can die very quickly if they take too much damage. If players are looking for a coop adventure that’s short and sweet, but also has some strategic depth, should check out Police Stories.
Multiplayer: Rocket League
Available on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
One of the most unique games to come out in the past few years is Rocket League, the arcadey blending of rocket-powered RC cars with the ever popular game of soccer. Players drive gravity-defying RC cars in what essentially is a game of soccer on video game steroids. Teams of three compete to have the highest score before time runs out, as boosted cars ignore gravity’s rules to strike the ball in the goal. Rocket League is the epitome of easy to learn, hard to master. The physics seem a bit wonky at first, but that’s part of the fun is not knowing how fast or how far an RC car can fly. Not many games are like it, other than soccer of course, making Rocket League pure fun that’s familiar but insanely different.
Coop: Don’t Starve Together
Available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Those perhaps looking for a challenging coop experience game would enjoy Don’t Starve Together, a stylish and uncompromising wilderness survival game. There’s a whole cast of interesting characters in Don’t Starve that have different individual attributes that excel in certain tasks. Players have to band together and survive in a fantasy world full of monsters and ghosts, whilst managing all the standard fare of survival games and then some. The game introduced a unique mental health stat that players need to manage as well, which rises as players are put in precarious and dangerous situations. The gameplay is surprisingly deep despite it’s slightly vague and disturbing appearance, and shouldn’t be off-putting for friends who want to challenge each other.
These are just a snapshot of some of the wonderful ways friends can come together during a time where not many of us are leaving the house that often. Hopefully players find joy in any of these games, whether they’re playing for the first time, or want to hop back in for nostalgia’s sake. Be safe out there, and play some video games.
