Co-op games to play over the internet?
March 30, 2017 5:11 AM Subscribe
Every weekend I play co-op online games with a friend for several hours, but lately we can't find anything to play that meets our requirements. I'm looking for suggestions, hopefully available on Steam.
Requirements:
1. Can be played on a less than bleeding edge computer.
2. Co-operative, not competitive.
3. Doesn't require a controller.
4. No permadeath.
5. We both hate the early access fund my crappy never-to-be-finished indie game model and prefer released games. (There are some rare exceptions to this and would entertain purchasing a particularly well-crafted early access game.)
So far we've played and mostly enjoyed Terraria, vanilla and modded Minecraft, Don't Starve Together, Dungeon Defenders I & II, the Borderlands series, Torchlight I & II, Diablo II, World of Warcraft, TERA, D&D Online, Space Engineers, Magicka, Dungeon of the Endless, the entire Neverwinter Nights series, Baldur's Gate II, Divinity: Original Sin, the entire Warcraft series, Titan Quest, EVE: Online, and Rust. He has no interest in Guild Wars 2 and I have no interest in Ark, Overwatch, Saints Row IV, or Conan.
Clearly we like surviving, crafting, building, defending, fighting, and questing with a few headshots scattered in here and there, but I'll entertain other genres.
Requirements:
1. Can be played on a less than bleeding edge computer.
2. Co-operative, not competitive.
3. Doesn't require a controller.
4. No permadeath.
5. We both hate the early access fund my crappy never-to-be-finished indie game model and prefer released games. (There are some rare exceptions to this and would entertain purchasing a particularly well-crafted early access game.)
So far we've played and mostly enjoyed Terraria, vanilla and modded Minecraft, Don't Starve Together, Dungeon Defenders I & II, the Borderlands series, Torchlight I & II, Diablo II, World of Warcraft, TERA, D&D Online, Space Engineers, Magicka, Dungeon of the Endless, the entire Neverwinter Nights series, Baldur's Gate II, Divinity: Original Sin, the entire Warcraft series, Titan Quest, EVE: Online, and Rust. He has no interest in Guild Wars 2 and I have no interest in Ark, Overwatch, Saints Row IV, or Conan.
Clearly we like surviving, crafting, building, defending, fighting, and questing with a few headshots scattered in here and there, but I'll entertain other genres.
Best answer: My family has loved playing games together - Don't starve, Terraria and Minecraft - all on your list. The Trine series is the only one we really liked that isn't on your list. Sadly it isn't an extremely long game but it was fun.
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:06 AM on March 30, 2017
posted by ReluctantViking at 6:06 AM on March 30, 2017
Best answer: Path of Exile is free if you like Diablo 2/3 and Torchlight. Killing Floor 2 is a Left 4 Dead style horde shooter. Killing Floor 1 might be better for older hardware. Starbound was released recently and is very much like Terraria except sci-fi.
posted by GreatValhalla at 6:32 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by GreatValhalla at 6:32 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
If team-based PvP is ok, try Atlas Reactor.
posted by Boxenmacher at 6:46 AM on March 30, 2017
posted by Boxenmacher at 6:46 AM on March 30, 2017
Nom Nom Galaxy
There's also this Rock Paper Shotgun article on the 25 Best PC Co-op Games from a couple of years ago.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:51 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
There's also this Rock Paper Shotgun article on the 25 Best PC Co-op Games from a couple of years ago.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 6:51 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Clandestine -- one of you plays the "spy", the other plays the "hacker". Two completely different game play experiences, same team and objective.
posted by ellerhodes at 6:57 AM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by ellerhodes at 6:57 AM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I really enjoyed Starbound, and it sounds like it hits everything you want
posted by Law of Demeter at 7:41 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Law of Demeter at 7:41 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I was excited to read your question and then realized you'd named 90% of the games I'd have recommended. So here's the one that jumps out:
posted by introp at 7:46 AM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
- Starbound, mentioned above - very Terraria look and feel (in space!) with a pretty different set of mechanics for advancement, etc. Not sure how hard it is to run a "server" of this these days (haven't played it in a year) but if you've done minecraft you can manage.
- Portal 2 co-op - excellent, excellent co-op if you enjoy puzzle-solving brain-bending action platformers; having voice chat up (Skype, etc.) isn't strictly a requirement but makes this so, so much more fun
- Borderlands / Borderlands 2 co-op - technically you'd each be playing your own single-player campaign and just always joining together to do everything; Borderlands 1 has a great Diablo-quality loot game with silly fun weapons; Borderlands 2 is a slightly better-made game in terms of mechanics.
- Burnout Paradise (the Ultimate Box is available on Steam) - If you have any interest in silly fun arcade-style driving games, this is it. Technically I think this isn't co-op but I used to spend hours with friends just driving around the city together, jumping off buildings and being silly.
posted by introp at 7:46 AM on March 30, 2017 [2 favorites]
My first thought was Portal 2, as introp suggested. Icewind Dale is another Aurora/Infinity engine D&D game with multiplayer support. Apparently there's an Enhanced Edition and Steam takes care of the multiplayer.
posted by Hactar at 8:17 AM on March 30, 2017
posted by Hactar at 8:17 AM on March 30, 2017
Grim Dawn
posted by MeatheadBrokeMyChair at 9:39 AM on March 30, 2017
posted by MeatheadBrokeMyChair at 9:39 AM on March 30, 2017
Best answer: I was surprised to see that Factorio is still in Early Access, because my husband and his friends have been playing co-op games with it FOR MONTHS. MONTHS. With mods even. And with such dedication that I'm a little jealous of it, and also fearful, which is why I've never played it, because the description of building complex systems of automated factories sounds like pure addiction given my gaming preferences.
Castle Crashers doesn't require a controller, though I've no doubt it's better with one. It's an adorable cheeky co-op friendly 2D hack-n-slash.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:41 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Castle Crashers doesn't require a controller, though I've no doubt it's better with one. It's an adorable cheeky co-op friendly 2D hack-n-slash.
posted by foxfirefey at 10:41 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: In light of the fact that you seem to be making a list to work through, it might be worth noting that Stardew Valley multiplayer will be out on PC at some point in (it looks like) 2017.
posted by howfar at 12:34 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by howfar at 12:34 PM on March 30, 2017
Broforce
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:16 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by SpiffyRob at 1:16 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm going to soft recommend Risk of Rain. Side scroller, permadeath (in the same way Dungeon of the Endless is - run based, not "I'm losing 50hours of a character" permadeath). It's more action-oriented, but has multiple character classes, plenty of items, and multiple difficulty levels. Cons are you aren't really building anything on a grander scale, though you are getting progressively stronger as you play (a constant theme in most of the games you've mentioned).
I'll also second Starbound.
posted by isauteikisa at 4:06 PM on March 30, 2017
I'll also second Starbound.
posted by isauteikisa at 4:06 PM on March 30, 2017
Helldivers! Spreading managed democracy is reliable and safe! Would you like to know more?
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:21 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by obiwanwasabi at 5:21 PM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Some of these suggestions I've already played with people who are not my friend and I know he wouldn't like them, but I am marking them as best answers anyway. Thanks, everyone! We're trying Monaco this weekend.
posted by xyzzy at 10:11 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by xyzzy at 10:11 PM on March 30, 2017
This might not be quite the sort of game you're looking for, but I enjoyed playing Left 4 Dead 2 a *lot* back in the day.
posted by Aleyn at 10:28 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by Aleyn at 10:28 PM on March 30, 2017
I was so excited to see this question until I read that you've played most of the co-op games we've liked!
We've been playing Pit People lately. It's in early access and the main story isn't finished, but there's plenty there for a co-op team. It's a casual strategy game and it's hilarious. :) The quality of what is there is EXCELLENT. It's by an established company - same folks who made Battleblock Theater and Castle Crashers.
Monaco is absolutely fantastic. And for the people who miss playing Monaco for the first time, watch Leverage on Netflix. It's basically Monaco: The TV Show. Good fun.
posted by WowLookStars at 10:35 PM on March 30, 2017
We've been playing Pit People lately. It's in early access and the main story isn't finished, but there's plenty there for a co-op team. It's a casual strategy game and it's hilarious. :) The quality of what is there is EXCELLENT. It's by an established company - same folks who made Battleblock Theater and Castle Crashers.
Monaco is absolutely fantastic. And for the people who miss playing Monaco for the first time, watch Leverage on Netflix. It's basically Monaco: The TV Show. Good fun.
posted by WowLookStars at 10:35 PM on March 30, 2017
Puzzle Pirates. It's co-op in the sense that it's a multiplayer social game where teams of various sizes work toward a common goal together, each doing separate (but important) activities.
posted by zeee at 10:50 PM on March 30, 2017
posted by zeee at 10:50 PM on March 30, 2017
You might like Blizzard's heroes of the storm - very teamplay and strategy oriented for a PvP game (you can also play coop vs ai but that's pretty mindlessly easy)
As a huge bonus, it's free! So there's not really any reason not to try it out.
posted by randomnity at 8:00 AM on March 31, 2017
As a huge bonus, it's free! So there's not really any reason not to try it out.
posted by randomnity at 8:00 AM on March 31, 2017
Oh man, Puzzle Pirates. I spent 10 years playing that and gained a spouse in real life (met in the game). Love it.
posted by WowLookStars at 8:52 PM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by WowLookStars at 8:52 PM on April 3, 2017 [1 favorite]
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posted by michaelh at 5:37 AM on March 30, 2017 [1 favorite]