Single-player gaming experiences are a great way to explore the lore and world-building that developers painstakingly put their blood, sweat and tears into giving us. But sometimes it's just fun to kick back and mess around with your friends. Multiplayer has been a pillar in gaming since its inception and continues to be a massive component of the medium to this day. So here are 20 of the best multiplayer games you should enjoy with your friends RIGHT NOW.
1. Rocket League
The greatest combination since chocolate and peanut butter, Rocket League is a game that answers the age-old question: “What if you played soccer with cars?” Offering an unparalleled, high-flying multiplayer experience, Rocket League allows you and your friends to compete in a variety of modes that’ll have you glued to your TV for hours.
2. Among Us
Putting your deductive skills to the ultimate test, Among Us is a game that you and your friends can lose hours playing. Its simplistic style and gameplay mechanics are outweighed by the game’s heavy reliance on strategy, deceit, and trusting your gut. Although easy to pick up, you’ll find that its rewarding premise won’t be as easy to put down.
Image by allinonemovie from Pixabay
3. Fortnite
This seminal battle royale shooter helped kickstart the genre’s massive popularity and remains a fixture in gaming culture to this day. Pitting up to 100 plays against one another in a last-one-standing battle, players are treated to vibrant graphics, varied gameplay mechanics, and updates that consistently keep the game fresh and engaging.
Sergey Galyonkin on Wikimedia Commons
4. Minecraft
This seemingly simplistic sandbox title took the gaming world by storm when it was first released back in 2011. Since then, Minecraft’s open-ended, limitless gameplay has allowed players to experience the game however they want while building to their heart’s content, making it a multiplayer (and single-player) experience unlike any other.
Image by allinonemovie from Pixabay
5. Overwatch
Placing a heavy premium on working together and strategizing accordingly, this team-based shooter is the perfect title to enjoy with your friends. Its diverse roster of heroes, addictive gameplay, and emphasis on teamwork have made it a fan-favourite multiplayer experience that you and your friends won’t be able to put down.
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
This beloved Nintendo series has been a couch multiplayer staple for decades, and it's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Its most recent iteration (Mario Kart 8 Deluxe) offers players the same chaotic, over-the-top action the series has always been known for, making it the perfect title to bring you and friends together for some nostalgic fun.
7. Call of Duty: Warzone
Another in a long line of free-to-play battle royale titles, Call of Duty: Warzone combines the thrill of expansive high-stakes battle royale action with the tried and true gameplay mechanics of the beloved CoD series. With a variety of modes, addictive gunplay, and a massive open world, Call of Duty: Warzone is the perfect fast-paced shooter to jump in with your friends.
EliaRueda on Wikimedia Commons
8. Sea of Thieves
Developed by Rare, the famed studio behind beloved series like Banjo Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country, this swashbuckling pirate-themed romp through the high seas is a multiplayer experience unlike any other. Sea of Thieves’ open-world multiplayer adventure is rife with unique combat, randomized encounters, and limitless treasure — making it the perfect game to boot up with your pals.
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
9. Destiny 2
Combining the best aspects of first-person shooters and MMORPG games, Destiny 2 is the latest title from famed Halo developer Bungie. Offering smooth gameplay, impressive visuals and a variety of engaging competitive and cooperative game modes, Destiny 2 is an unrivalled multiplayer experience that you and your friends must get your hands on.
Sergey Galyonkin on Wikimedia Commons
10. Phasmophobia
Tasking you with taking on the role of a ghost hunter, this unique cooperative horror title forces you and your friends to meticulously investigate a variety of haunted locations. Communication and teamwork are your greatest tools as you and your friends make your way through this unusual paranormal multiplayer romp.
Kinetic Games Ltd. on Wikimedia Commons
11. Apex Legends
From the same developer that brought us the acclaimed Titanfall series, Apex Legends is another battle royale success story. Treating players to its frenetic action, unique character abilities, and heavy emphasis on teamwork, this dynamic multiplayer juggernaut should be added to your rotation as soon as possible.
dronepicr on Wikimedia Commons
12. Valheim
Set in a randomly generated Viking world, this unique survival game forces you and your friends to work together to build bases, scavenge for resources, and take on a plethora of mythical creatures. The perfect blend of striking visuals and engaging gameplay, Valheim is a title you and your friends won’t soon put down.
Islandmen on Wikimedia Commons
13. Deep Rock Galactic
As a dwarven space miner (yes, you read the correctly), you’ll be tasked with sifting through procedurally generated caves in search of valuable galactic resources, all while fighting off hordes of vicious alien creatures. Deep Rock Galactic is a cooperative FPS experience unlike any other that’s sure to have you and your friends hooked within minutes.
14. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
In what can only be described as American Ninja Warrior meets Nickelodeon, Fall Guys is an eccentric and vibrant battle royale platformer that pits you and up to 31 other players against each other in a series of wacky mini-games. This lighthearted and colourful title is a far cry from the typical battle royale faire on the market, making it the perfect casual multiplayer experience.
15. GTA Online
Rockstar Games breathed new life into their open-world phenomenon when they decided to take the whole experience online. This standalone multiplayer experience is brimming with activities, missions, and unbridled exploration that players continue to flock to more than a decade after its release; and it’s one that you and your friend won’t soon forget.
16. Rainbow Six Siege
Placing a heavy emphasis on strategy, Ubisoft’s Rainbow Six Seige is a tactical FPS game that rewards teamwork and coordination above all else. You and your friends must work together in a series of close-quarters firefights to utilize your unique strengths and abilities to complete the game’s fun and varied objectives, making for one of the most thrilling and rewarding team-based experiences out there.
dronepicr on Wikimedia Commons
17. Dead by Daylight
This asymmetric survivor horror title pits you and a group of your friends against another friend who is the designated killer. The rest of you are tasked with working together to repair a series of generators all while eluding your killer friend. Dead by Daylight, with its persistently fresh and engaging updates, is an intense multiplayer experience that effortlessly blends strategy, stealth, and survival horror.
18. Don't Starve Together
Who knew surviving the harsh wilderness with your friends could be such a fun and rewarding experience? Combining typical survivor horror mechanics with a breathtaking art style and uniquely dark atmosphere, Don’t Starve Together is an unparalleled cooperative experience that will help scratch that survival horror itch.
19. Ark: Survival Evolved
Very few games have (successfully) incorporated the prehistoric angle. Luckily, Ark: Survival Evolved has managed to do so with flying colors. Set on a mysterious island brimming with dinosaurs (amongst other prehistoric and mythical monsters), Ark tasks you with gathering resources, taming dinosaurs, and building shelter in your bid to survive the elements, making for a fun and unique cooperative game to enjoy with your friends.
Ark Survival Evolution on Wikimedia Commons
20. Monster Hunter: World
This acclaimed Capcom title is the latest in the long-running Monster Hunter series and it makes for the perfect game to kill a few (or several) hours with your friends. As the game’s self-explanatory title suggests, you are tasked with tracking, fighting, and ultimately hunting a myriad of colossal creatures in what will quickly amount to a deeply fun and rewarding cooperative experience unlike any other.
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
