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CNET
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
The Best Co-op Games to Play With Your Friends
Playing with friends is an essential aspect of gaming, so it's no wonder games like Split Fiction and It Takes Two from Hazelight Studios were recent hits. Some of my best memories are of marathon gaming sessions with friends, either shoulder to shoulder on a couch or logging in online from across the country. Despite how gaming has changed over the years, one thing remains the same -- people love playing games together. So, whether you're looking for a split-screen experience or just want something to hop into for a few hours with your friends, these are some of the best co-op games available right now. Best co-op games right now Best co-op games for two players These games are best experienced with one other person, so grab a friend and get to work. A few in this section, like Split Fiction, It Takes Two and Cuphead, only require one copy of the game, which makes it even easier to play. Hazelight Studios/EA Games A Way Out $30 at Steam $30 at Sony Ever wanted to break out of prison with a partner? So have Vincent and Leo. Set in the 1970s, you'll uncover the protagonists' motivations for needing to escape and why they ended up in the slammer in the first place. Over the course of the game, you'll work together to enact your plan and stay ahead of the law. Number of players: 2 Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 Genre: Action/adventure Co-op style: Split screen or online $30 at Steam $30 at Sony Valve Portal 2 $13 at Amazon Arguably one of the most popular (and most quoted) games of all time, 14 years later, Portal 2's co-op campaign is still worth a playthrough. Armed with portal guns, players take control of robots Atlas and P-Body as they solve puzzles and uncover dark secrets hidden within Aperture Science Laboratories. With legendary voice acting and some of the best game writing that still holds up to this day, Portal 2 is a co-op adventure you shouldn't miss. Number of players: 1-2 Platform: PC Genre: First-person, action/adventure puzzler Co-op style: Online or split screen $13 at Amazon FromSoft Elden Ring Nightreign $55 at Amazon FromSoftware's Elden Ring Nightreign is the studio's first game with a multiplayer focus. You drop in to Limgrave, a well-known location to those who've played Elden Ring, with two other players. And while you can play with two people, the game is really tuned around having a full squad of three players. Nightreign borrows aspects from battle royale games, like an ever-closing circle that forces you to move as you scavange items along the way. There are three levels, or nights, that you progress through as one of eight characters. At the end of each night, you'll fight bosses from across FromSoft's impressive repertoire with the build you've been able to put together, before culminating in a final battle with the Nightlord. It's an interesting spin on one of the best games that has been released in the last decade. Number of players: 1-3 Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 Genre: Roguelike Co-op style: Online $55 at Amazon Best co-op games for four players These games are better experienced with a crew at your back. Squad up with three friends and get ready to squash alien bugs, hunt monsters or battle waves of demons. Arrowhead Game Studios Helldivers 2 $35 at Amazon $35 at Target Imagine being shot from your spaceship in a bullet-shaped Hellpod, hurtling down through an alien planet's atmosphere and plunging into the hard earth. You pop up, call in your weapons, and make your stand against an army of giant, democracy-destroying bugs, robots or space zombies called illuminates -- with three of your friends by your side. You will undoubtedly die, but that's a sacrifice Super Earth is willing to make. The high-octane, third-person shooter gameplay Helldivers 2 delivers is truly unique. It's hard to beat the rush of calling down massive napalm strikes and giant orbital lasers as your friends provide covering fire against the hordes of enemies threatening to overtake you at any moment. Number of players: 1-4 Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S (starting Aug. 26) Genre: Third-person shooter Co-op style: Online $35 at Amazon $35 at Target Klei Entertainment Don't Starve Together $15 at Steam This spooky, hand-drawn title drops you and up to three friends into procedurally generated maps (that means each map is uniquely generated when you start a new game) filled with monsters. You're goal is to survive through the four seasons, each bringing different gameplay elements -- like temperature -- for players to contend with. You can choose from an eclectic character roster, each with their own unique abilities. The game has you scrounging for resources in swamps, deserts and forests, building your base and tools, and fighting off monsters and the weather while doing your best not to starve. If you've ever wondered how you and your friends would fare in a survival situation, this one's for you. Number of players: 1-4 Platform: PC, Xbox Series and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch Genre: Survival crafting Co-op style: Online or local $15 at Steam Kinetic Games Phasmophobia $20 at Steam Ever wanted to be a ghost hunter? Phasmophobia lets you and up to three friends investigate haunted locales, following clues and dealing with truly terrifying paranormal activity. Your job is to use all the ghost-hunting equipment at your disposal to collect as much evidence as possible and make it out alive. Horror games can be fun alone, but they're a blast to play with friends. Try it in VR for a horrifyingly immersive experience. Number of players: 1-4 Platform: PC, Xbox Series and S, PlayStation 5, VR Genre: First-person horror Co-op style: Online $20 at Steam Anegar Games Chained Together $5 at Steam Do you and your buddies have the communication skills needed to break out of hell? Now's your chance to test your theory. The only hitch is that all four of you are chained together and must synchronize your movements to climb higher and higher through challenging obstacles. One wrong move and you'll plummet back to the start. While you can play with up to four people, you can also do it with just one other person. Number of players: 2-4 Platform: PC Genre: Platformer Co-op style: Online $5 at Steam Best single-player games with co-op These games are primarily single-player adventures, but they do support bringing along a friend or three. Whether you're passing the controller back and forth or dropping in and out, try these games solo or with friends. Larian Studios Baldur's Gate 3 $60 at Steam $70 at Sony Arguably one of the best RPGs ever made, with incredible emphasis on player choice. If you've ever wanted to play Dungeons and Dragons but could never find a Dungeon Master to run a campaign for you, Baldur's Gate 3 can fill that void. And with drop-in, drop-out co-op with up to four people, you can start a campaign alone and finish it with friends or vice versa. It's one of the best games made in recent years and certainly worth your time if you like fantasy RPGs. Patch 8 -- the game's final content patch -- was released in April, which added 12 new subclasses to the game, so it's a great time to jump back in or pick it up for the first time. Players: 1-4 Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 Genre: Turn-based strategy RPG Co-op style: Online $60 at Steam $70 at Sony 343 Industries/Splash Damage/Ruffian Games/Bungie/Saber Interactive/Xbox Game Studios Halo: Master Chief Collection $55 at Amazon Staying up way too late and playing Halo: Combat Evolved with friends might be my first co-op game memory. Whether you're tearing through the campaign or playing online, the Master Chief collection can give you the co-op hit you're looking for. It contains six Halo games, more than enough to keep you and your friends entertained for a while. Snipers and swords, anyone? Number of players: 1-4 Platform: PC and Xbox Series X and S. (Available on GamePass.) Genre: First-person shooter Co-op style: Online or split screen $55 at Amazon Iron Gate AB/Coffee Stain Publishing Valheim $20 at Steam A Norse-inspired survival crafting game of the highest tier. Face off against monsters and collect resources to build weapons, bases and armor to surpass increasingly difficult biomes and bosses. And you don't have to go it alone, you can bring up to 10 friends in a lobby. It offers some of the best crafting, survival gameplay I've experienced, and building a whole settlement with friends is a blast. Number of players: 1-10 Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S Genre: Survival crafting Co-op style: Online $20 at Steam Ballistic Moon/PlayStation Publishing LLC Until Dawn Remastered $40 at Amazon $48 at Best Buy While not technically a co-op game, it's a single-player experience that's just as fun with your friends. If you've ever watched a horror movie and thought, I wouldn't make that choice, this game is your chance to prove it. It's a different style of game than others on the list; you'll essentially take part in scenes in a movie, making split-second decisions and participating in quick-time events. It was recently remastered for current-generation consoles, making it a good time to pick this one up if you didn't when it was initially released. It's also been made into a movie, though it only shares a name -- the story is entirely different. Number of players: 1 Platform: PC, PlayStation 5 Genre: Horror Co-op style: Pass the controller $40 at Amazon $48 at Best Buy Best free co-op games You don't always have to shell out to play with friends. Here are a few free options. Mediatonic Limited/Epic Games Fall Guys See at Fall Guys A wacky game that has you and your friends take control of clumsy, cartoonish characters. The goal is to avoid being knocked off of zany obstacle courses. That's really all there is to it. It's fun with friends and free to play, so it's worth a shot if you're looking for something to get into together. Number of players: 1-60 Platform: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch Genre: Battle royale, Platformer Co-op style: Online See at Fall Guys Total Mayhem Games We Were Here See at Steam This game puts you and a friend in control of an explorer and a librarian lost in a castle. Your task is to solve the puzzles you encounter. You'll be separated from each other, so use your walkie-talkies to work together to solve the problems you encounter. You'll need to describe the solutions over voice chat to one another, which can lead to some funny situations. This one is free, so give it a shot. There are two other We Were Here titles, but you'll have to pay for those. Number of players: 2 Platform: PC, Mac, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch Genre: First-person puzzle solver Co-op style: Online See at Steam Digital Extremes Warframe See at Steam Warframe is a long-running, third-person action game. You take control of a Warframe -- a bio-mechanical suit of armor -- which offers various combat functions and roles like your tank, damage or support class. There are over 100 warframes to choose from, each with its own unique abilities. The game was released in 2013 and has received numerous content and gameplay updates. While free to play, an in-game cash shop offers both gameplay advancements and cosmetics. Number of players: 1-4 Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 Genre: Third-person shooter Co-op style: Online See at Steam
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
CS2 Premier Season 3: Everything you need to know
Premier Season 2 has officially come to an end, with the upcoming CS2 Premier Season 3 being announced by the developers through the game's social media handles. At the time of writing, the Premier game mode has been disabled, with several changes expected to be made when it goes back live. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now With the release of CS2 Premier Season 3, there are several new things expected in the game's community, including new map pools, anti-cheat updates, and more. Alongside that, the ratings will also get reset, requiring players to start the grind again. Changes in CS2 Premier Season 3 CS2 Premier Season 3 will lead to the arrival of a brand-new competitive season, succeeding the previous Season 2. As always, the competitive ratings will receive a reset, and you will subsequently have to win 10 placement matches to find out your Premier Rating in CS2. Based on your performance, you can expect the rating to either increase or drop by a few hundred points. If you managed to play and win at least 25 matches in Premier Season 2, you will be awarded the Premier Season 2 model upon the release of the new season. For the same, you must ensure that your competitive skill rating is visible and hasn't gone away due to inactivity. Speaking of the maps, it is widely anticipated within the CS2 community that there could be possible changes made to the Active Duty Map Pool. As of now, the map pool features the following maps: Dust 2 Ancient Anubis Train Inferno Mirage Nuke There are chances that one of these maps gets replaced by other popular maps like Cobblestone, Overpass, or even Cache, which has particularly received a brand-new overhaul in CS2. Additionally, Valve has also acquired the rights to Cache from the creator, increasing the chances of the map's return very soon. Finally, there has been news regarding Valve improving CS2's anti-cheat and rolling out VACnet 3.0, which has been in development for a while now. Although it hasn't been confirmed yet, it is a much-needed change, given that CS2 Premier matches often get infested with cheaters. With VACnet 3.0 potentially rolling out, it will make it a lot better for regular players, who have been demanding a cheater-free experience. This is all you need to know about CS2 Premier Season 3, and it will soon be made available inside the game in the coming days.
Stuff.tv
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Sony PS One at 25 – we remember Sony's first portable console
Sony may be a console giant today, but back in 2000 the company was still figuring out how to take over the world. A major step on that ruthless march to dominance was the release of the PS One. Ah, the PS1 – I loved that thing. The moment when gaming finally became cool! We're not talking about the original PlayStation, which wasn't even called the PS1 back then (well, that would have been wildly presumptuous). This is the PS One – and it was no mere name change. Sony's sleeker, curvier console – half the footprint, a third of the weight – was aimed at a younger, wider audience less obsessed with mean, angular hardware. And you could buy a screw-on 5in screen that arguably made it Sony's first portable console. A portable PlayStation? Were they expecting you to play serious games on the bus? Sort of. Slap on that screen and, boom, instant self-contained portable gaming. Now, obviously you couldn't play it anywhere – unless you had the world's longest extension lead. But it freed the console from the family telly and gave us our first hint of AAA gaming on the go, years before the Steam Deck was a glint in Valve's eye. Plus the car adapter could keep kids quiet in the back, blazing around virtual race circuits while parents – ironically – sat there grumbling in a traffic jam. So did anyone really buy this thing, or was it just for weird 2000s retro heads? People loved it. The PS One crushed the competition in 2000, outselling everything from Sony's own supply-constrained PS2 to Sega's beleaguered Dreamcast. Even with the screen it was a bargain, giving budget-conscious gamers access to a quality machine with a huge library of titles – enough to keep it going until 2006, just before the PS3 arrived. It wasn't flash. It wasn't 'next gen'. But smart decisions ensured it was a stellar success. There's a moral for the games industry in there… Sony PlayStation side quests (hardware edition) The PS One wasn't the only time Sony decided to remix a hit console. Here are four other efforts that found the company wandering off the main PlayStation path. The PS2 Slim: so sharp it could slice cheese. Probably. PS2 Slim (2004): Realising not everyone wanted a console the size of a fridge, Sony slimmed down the PS2, even improving a few bits (beyond reduced heft) while doing so. It was a hit to the degree Sony repeated the trick for subsequent generations. The PS3 even got a 'Super Slim' edition. PlayStation TV (2013): Handheld console games on the big screen? That'll never catch on. Cough. But it was Sony that got there first, with a Vita minus a screen that lived under your telly. Alas, early compatibility issues and general bafflement made this one a rare misfire. Shame. PS4 Pro (2016): If the very thought of 1080p disgusted you after upgrading to a 4K TV, Sony was ready to dangle a PS4 Pro in front of your face. Updated games shone. Older ones pretended to shine due to upscaling. And 4K Blu-rays… weren't supported. Erm. Well, you can't have everything. PlayStation Classic (2018): This dinky plug-and-play retro box went right back to the start, cramming in 20 PS1 classics – but not the ones you wanted, obvs. Sony also cunningly made the controller cables approx. 1cm long. Still, the gamepads could be swapped for something better – as could the games if you risked Sony's ire and modded the unit. Now read: The 25 best PlayStation games of all time
Express Tribune
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Stardew Valley surpasses Portal 2 to become Steam's top-rated game
Stardew Valley has surpassed Valve's Portal 2 to become the top-rated game on Steam, nearly a decade after its release. The cosy farming simulator, created by solo developer ConcernedApe, was first released almost ten years ago and continues to attract a large and active community. Over the years, it has received updates introducing new NPCs, multiplayer features and additional content, helping to maintain its popularity. As of July 2025, Stardew Valley has overtaken Portal 2 on Steam's top-rated list with a score of 8.87 from 899,309 votes, according to Steam250. Portal 2, released in 2011 and widely considered a classic for its puzzles, mechanics and humour, now holds the second spot with a score of 8.85 from 436,510 votes. The list, based on user reviews, frequently changes, but Stardew Valley's rise to the top marks a notable achievement for the indie title, which has been praised for its relaxing gameplay and pixel art style. ConcernedApe has previously indicated the possibility of a sequel to Stardew Valley, although he is currently focused on his upcoming game, Haunted Chocolatier.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Steam Summer Sale is live — get up to 80% off popular PC games
SAVE UP TO 80%: Until July 10, the Steam Summer Sale is offering a wide range of discounts on PC games. The Steam Summer Sale 2025 has officially kicked off, and it's a scorcher. Running now through July 10, Valve's annual discount blowout is delivering steep price cuts of up to 80% off everything from AAA blockbusters to indie darlings. Some of the most talked-about titles are on serious discount. One such game is the Resident Evil 4 Remake — 50% off at just $19.99. That's survival horror at its most affordable. Plus, with the recent announcement of the sequel Resident Evil Requiem — with 4's protagonist Leon Kennedy returning as a rumoured character, this is the ideal time to catch up. Another headliner is Cyberpunk 2077. Thanks to multiple patches, the Phantom Liberty DLC buzz, and the game's launch on the Nintendo Switch 2, it's back in the spotlight and down 65% to $20.99. Horror fans can snag Dead Space (2023) for just $11.99 at an 80% markdown — while Force-wielding action fans can grab Star Wars Jedi Survivor at a shocking $13.99 (that's 80% off). Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, arguably one of the best games of 2025 so far, has already had a price cut at $44.99. Meanwhile, Elden Ring, one of the finest games of this generation, has had 40% slashed off to only be $35.99. Monster Hunter Wilds is also now only $55.99 with a 20% discount, if you've yet to catch up on the latest multiplayer/co-op hunting action. Beyond the big hitters, the sale is stacked with great deals under $15. Vampire Survivors is basically a no-brainer at $3.74, and Slime Rancher 2 is a wholesome escape for just $19.79. Plus, American Truck Simulator is cruising at a low $4.99, perfect for those chill, podcast-fueled drives. This year's sale doesn't feature flash sales, so the prices you see now are what you'll get throughout. Make sure to check your Wishlist for custom alerts, and earn trading cards and other profile goodies as you browse and spend. And don't forget — all trading cards expire Aug. 12, so if you're hunting for the seasonal badge, plan accordingly.
