Video games are a lot of fun, but co-op games let you enjoy that fun with a friend (or friends). Although shared-screen co-op on PC is rare, there are plenty of great games that you bring a friend along through a LAN or internet connection. These eight games are some of the most fun PC co-op titles you’ll find (and yes, we intentionally left out some of the biggest ones – you already know those).
Think we missed one? Tell us what it is in the comments!
Orcs Must Die! 2
Co-op tower defense is rarely as much fun as Orcs Must Die! 2 makes it. It’s a great singleplayer experience, but when you add a friend, it gets better. Each of you will be able to purchase your own inventory of traps, so you can complement each other with your choices. The game doesn’t let you relax, though. Enemies attack from multiple directions, and you’ll have to depend on your friend to watch your back if you want to survive.
Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine
If you’ve ever thought that the Ocean’s Eleven crew could have used your guidance, then Monaco is the game for you. You’ll plot out an elaborate heist with your friends, and then fail spectacularly at executing it. The alarms are going off, and your friends are freaking out, but you can still complete the mission. If you’re into heist games but want something a little different than the shooter-style gameplay of Payday, then Monaco may be right up your alley.
Borderlands 2
Gearbox’s shooter is a blast to play, but at times, wandering Pandora can get a little tedious and repetitive. It’s not because the game is bad, but because we’ve done most of these quests before, just in a different place. But when you bring a friend along for the ride, the game’s whole dynamic changes. You can choose to fill different roles (much like in an MMO), and the difficulty ramps up with each friend you add. Best of all, you can finally show off that stupidly awesome gun you got last week to someone besides the skags.
Broforce
Like action movies? Like side-scrollers? Want something combines them both? Then Broforce is your game. It’s a side-scrolling retro shooter that has for its cast of characters some folks you’ll recognize as being almost-replicas of popular 80’s action movie heroes, including Chuck Norris, Rambo, and The Terminator. They each have unique loadouts, and you’ll control the bro of your choice as you take on large numbers of nameless villains who are just begging for a little lead justice.
Magicka
It’s easy to dismiss Magicka (and Magicka 2) as simple little games about funny wizards, or at least it is until you give it a try. The game is actually quite challenging, and the spellcasting system forces you to combine elements (each tied to a keystroke) to make the spell you want, and then push the right button to cast it the way you want. Of course, it’s really easy to make a mistake, and that’s where the real fun comes in. All your friends can be hit by your spells, and in a typical game, you’ll spend more time killing your friends than your enemies. It’s hilarious, it’s silly, and it’s a whole lot of fun.
Payday 2
Want more of a shooter in your heist game? Payday 2 has you covered. You can do everything from planning your character, to casing the joint, to pulling on your mask and getting down to drilling the vault open. There are a wealth of different missions and locations to knock over, and you can even go full stealth and be sneaky if you like. It’s all up to you, and the three friends you bring along.
Divinity: Original Sin
If you’re into RPGs, and you and a friend have some time on your hands, you really need to try out Divinity: Original Sin in co-op. Not only does it let you combine your abilities with the elements and each other for additional devastation, it also puts both of you into the dialog tree and stands back to see what happens. It’s hard to describe how great it is the first time your buddy breaks open a barrel of oil that you then light on fire to cook a group of enemies, but you’ll see the appeal pretty quickly once you try it out.
Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide
The newest game on this list, Vermintide is a Warhammer game that will feel familiar to Left 4 Dead fans. You choose from one of five classes, and then join up to three friends in pushing through various levels infested with Skaven ratmen. Each character has a unique fighting style and weapons, with some filling a tank-like role and others serving as the more frail DPS machines. Special types of Skaven pop up periodically, and completing a mission earns you a roll at a piece of loot. There’s a rudimentary crafting system to let you try for better gear, so you can constantly work towards an upgrade. A survival mode and more loot is planned for an upcoming patch. If you like Warhammer, or the idea of stabbing, burning, and skewering rats appeals to you, you should really give Vermintide a look.
