The true collaborative nature of co-op gaming has often been second fiddle to competitive multiplayer games. However, there are still some amazing games with great co-op gameplay that don’t pit you against others.
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Whether you’re playing with a partner or a friend, sometimes, the best times in gaming are sharing the experience with someone else rather than battling them for supremacy.
So, here are ten of the best non-competitive co-op games out there.
13Atlas Fallen
The Sands Were Built For Two
Atlas Fallen
Atlas Fallenis one of the most underrated games of 2023. While it didn’t reach the heights of some other titans, it had someamazing co-op gameplay,which many games forget about these days.
You and a friend can explore this amazingly unique world of sand, and the combat is a fast-paced affair that evokes memories of action games of old.
It’s not that long, but it’s filled with gorgeous vistas, intense fights, and an intriguing sci-fi storyline that will be a blast to play with a friend.
12A Way Out
Doing Hard Time With a Friend
A Way Outis an extremely unique game built for two players and two players alone. You play literal partners in crime who are sent to jail and participate in your own version of The Shawshank Redemption.
You’ll be plotting to escape jail, running from the law, and trying to get back to your lives. It’s a very human experience for a video game, but one that requires teamwork and problem-solving to overcome.
It’s a unique game in many ways and an absolute gem of a co-op experience from astudio that thrives in this genre.
It’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking to play a game with a friend.
11Lords of The Fallen
A Lighter Souls-Like For Two
Lords of the Fallen
Many Souls-likes have co-op, but it’s often incredibly limited and usually more trouble than it’s worth.
Lords of The Fallenhas anincredibly accessible co-op mode, and it even has unique features for each character when paired up.
The invited character loses no souls on death, but only has one life, while the host character loses souls on death, but has two lives in the form of the Umbral realm.
It’s a bit strange initially, but you’re able to quickly figure out which player needs that extra life. Once you do, the game itself is a thrilling adventure full of incredible challenges and some of the best graphics of any game in the genre.
10Overcooked 2
War In the Kitchen
Overcooked 2
Overcooked 2is a co-op game that is a surefire way to lose friends in the best way possible, and while you can enjoy it on your own, the magic comes together with 2–4 players.
The idea of the game is that you are given recipes and must combine forces to make the food as fast as possible.
This is way easier said than done. Trap doors, cliffs to fall off, and various obstacles keep you from cooking perfectly, but you will likely overcome through perseverance and Gordon Ramsey-esque swearing.
The action can get chaotic, and I’m positive this game is responsible for a couple of rough patches in my friends' relationships, but the fun is more than worth the risk. Probably.
9Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order
Superhero Chaos with Friends
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3is an awesome time for anyone who has a few friends to play with.
It’s a continuation of the long-beloved series of games that gives you a massive roster of heroes to choose from as you battle through level after level of famous baddies.
Here, you get a somewhat abbreviated version of the Thanos storyline, but despite this watered-down narrative, the voice acting is great, the graphics are fantastic for a Nintendo Switch title, and, most importantly, it’s a lot of fun.
No matter who your favorite superhero is, you’ll find them here, and the ability to play as villains also adds to the fun.
Combat is fast-paced and quite difficult, and teamwork is essential as you can get overwhelmed pretty easily.
It’s a perfect party game, and while it might not hit the same high of the series' past, it’s still a great time.
8Remnant 2
Dark Souls With Guns
Remnant 2is one of thebest games of the past year, and it’s fully playable in co-op. You could categorize it as a traditional Souls-like, but what’s on offer here is so much more.
The randomly generated path you’ll take through this game makes replayability a must, and within each of the weird worlds you explore, you’ll find amazing stories playing out that you’ll find yourself entangled in.
You’ll be shooting at waves and waves of enemies here, but luckily, you can bring a friend to back you up.
The co-op here is done perfectly, with zero restrictions on the guests or host, and honestly, that’s how a co-op should be.
There are some amazingly inventive boss battles and incredible visuals to witness along the way, and the game itself lasts over 40 hours, so expect to get plenty of bang for your buck here.
7Destiny 2
Find Your Raid Partner
Destiny 2is an absolutely epic game at this point in time. It survived early issues and has become one of the best sci-fi games of all time.
It’s astaggering journeyto take from the start to the present day, but if you and a friend or two are looking to jump into the biggest space epic in gaming history, it’s available to you, and it’s available for free.
As a first-person shooter,Destiny 2pretty much stands alone. The shooting is razor-sharp, the graphics are gorgeous, and the variety of abilities you may access makes the experience all the more varied.
There are countless DLCs at this point that expand upon the already good story, and you’re able to find literally hundreds of hours' worth of content here.
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Everything works great in co-op, and you and a friend will get lost in the amazing worlds and environments on display here.
The story is still unfolding, so there has never been a better time to start.
6Warhammer 40k: Space Marine 2
Take on Tyranids As a Duo
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2provides you with big guns and big armor, which is a recipe for big destruction.
You and a friend will take on the lives of the Space Marines in a war against an alien horde, and I do mean horde.
Here, the enemies ferociously rush you, and the result looks like something fromWorld War Zand the aforementioned Remnant 2.
You will be blasting through hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies and slashing through aliens in a bloody display not seen since the lastGears of War.
Plus, best of all, you’re able to do it all beside a friend in a co-op campaign.
The gameplay is violent and brutal in the best way, offering an experience that makes you feel like a one-man army. There aren’t a ton of co-op shooters these days, but this is definitely one of thevery best ones out there.
5Helldivers 2
For Democracy!
Helldivers 2
Much like the game above,Helldivers 2pits you and a group of players against an insect, alien army of terrifying proportions.
This game is, for lack of a better word, chaos.
The feeling of being at war is truer inHelldivers 2than any other game in the genre.
Things explode, limbs are blown off, and bullets of all shapes and sizes whizz through the air at every moment during the incredibly tense gameplay, and the rush you feel while playing it is very real.
You can play with a friend and some strangers, but it’s at its best with a full group, as you can coordinate attacks and discuss strategy over various modes.
It’s an amazing experience that brings the best out of co-op and will hopefully usher in games of a similar ilk in the future.
4Baldur’s Gate 3
CRPG Greatness In Co-Op Form
Baldur’s Gate 3
How often do you get to say that the Game of the Year is also co-op? It feels like a rarity, but in 2023, that was the case withBaldur’s Gate 3.
Every moment of this brilliant adventure is playable with a friend or three, and you can even do couch co-op with someone if you’d like.
It’s a nearly flawless implementation of co-op in a CRPG that emphasizes freedom of choice and exploration.
The best part is that you can explore independently and meet up with a friend later.
This leaves all of you to go on your own journeys if you please, and it’s amazing that the game allows that.
Plenty of interesting strategies are also unlocked with co-op, such as positioning pre-battle, jumping into an existing battle at the right time to make a save, or any other wild ideas you might have.
In a game thatsupports creativity at all times, it only doubles when you add additional players into the mix.
