What are the best co-op games on Steam?

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The 25 must play gamesWhy?

Best co-op games on Steam	Price	Steam Rating	Co-Op
97 Portal 2	$19.99	Overwhelmingly Positive	2 Player Online / 2 Player Couch / 2 Player LAN
95 Castle Crashers	$14.99	Very Positive	4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch
95 Terraria	$9.99	-	8 Player Online / 8 Player LAN
95 BattleBlock Theater	$14.99	Very Positive	2 Player Online / 4 Player Couch
95 TowerFall Ascension	$14.99	-	2 Player Local

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Castle Crashers

Top Pro

Playing with groups of friends allows for endless scenarios of building and destruction

Up to 8 players can join a shared Terraria world, including the worlds that are used in single-player mode. This allows for large co-op or PvP games. Build something big together, or destroy the other guy’s base. The scenarios are endless. See More

Top Con

Replay value is low for those who play it as an adventure game

Terraria might best be described as a hybrid of a sandbox game with an adventure/platformer. While it has many advantages over full-sandbox games, the 2D world can (for some) hinge on its mostly-linear boss progression to feel meaningful. Once you've cleared the game entirely, you know what to expect, and for some players this loss of challenge/goal can make continued play feel mundane or boring. See More

Specs

Co-Op:8 Player Online / 8 Player LAN

Genre:2D platformer / Minecraft-like

Controller Support:Android (MOGA / HID), Steam (Full)

Top Pro

Co-op adds a completely new element of coordination to the gameplay

There is a modified co-op campaign that requires players to coordinate their actions to succeed. This makes it a fun couch co-op game due to the importance of communication (as well as how fun it is to grief your teammate in person). See More

Top Con

Competitive play feels lackluster

Competitive play is not as enjoyable as the co-op modes due to stiff combat. The mechanics of this wear out pretty quickly. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:2 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Genre:Platformer / Indie

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Any skill level can figure out the gameplay, while still keeping it challenging for everyone

Anyone can pick up the game and reach a level of basic competence in a matter of minutes. To become a great player, however, there is a lot of technique and strategy to learn. The gameplay remains pretty basic and easy to grasp, but there is a level of skill that can only be learned through repeated practice. See More

Top Con

Co-op quest mode is short

The co-op quest mode takes around seven hours to complete. For those looking for a longer game with full co-op quests, this may not fit the bill. Fortunately this isn’t the only game mode. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Invigorating cooperation based survival dynamic

Left 4 Dead 2 requires players on the same team to cooperate to survive. This makes for an interesting dynamic for teammates, as it will be increasingly difficult to make it through a level if any one player decides to go off on their own. See More

Top Con

Very difficult without team engagement

For those looking for a casual co-op experience, Left 4 Dead 2 probably isn't the best option. Without a good sense of teamwork and focus, this game can get very challenging. See More

FunEpiphron's Experience

Good game See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Co-Op:1 Player Online / 100 Player Couch / 400 Player LAN

Top Pro

Chaotic gameplay that results in amusing friendly fire

Since the main gameplay mechanic of casting spells is skill based on how quickly you execute a certain key combination, there's a high chance of misclicking or mistargeting and accidentally attacking your ally. There’s nothing quite like thunderbolting or summoning death on your friends. See More

Top Con

A bit of a learning curve

With the number of spells you have at your command comes the challenge of discovering and remembering them all. But once you know them, you'll be able to counter anything that's thrown at you. See More

Boris Yakubchik's Experience

Great fun -- just watch a YouTube video of people playing it with their friends :) See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch / 4 Player LAN

Genre:Action RPG

Controller Support:Full

See All Specs

Top Pro

The spell system is pretty unique

Magicka has a unique spell-casting system based on adding elements such as fire, water, and stone to an action queue. There are eight basic elements (each assigned to a key), of which up to five can be queued at a time. Some elements can be combined in the queuing process (such as fire and water to create steam). The effect of the spell changes to match the elements you add to the queue. Additionally, there are four casting methods: beam (right-click), area (shift+right-click), self-cast (middle-click), and imbue weapon (shift+click). See More

Top Con

Memorizing spells is extremely difficult

The vast combination of elements make it all but impossible to blindly figure out what spell combos the game has and even the wiki page has no usefulness in finding spells for your play style. See More

Top Pro

Two different gameplay modes

Other than the standard campaign mode there's also a survival mode that's your standard affair with increasingly difficult waves of enemies. There's also an online leader board for survival mode. See More

Top Con

Optimization could be better

At certain times during competitive play, the game can lag or slow down (not rare for an online game), which may mess up the timing of skill shots in the game. Being that timing is highly important to the gameplay, having a poor netcode that fluctuates during play can be upsetting, especially if it results in a loss. See More

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Borderlands 2

Top Pro

Complimentary classes that are great for teamwork based co-op

The varying classes and play styles are designed to work together and promote co-op play. One player may be a tank, with large guns and durable shields, while another may have medic abilities and a long-range sniper rifle. This makes for a scenario where each class compliments each other, which is a fun way to play together. See More

Top Con

Boring bulletsponge enemies

A lot of the enemies, and especially bosses, are just bulletsponges that require no different tactics in place to beat them. See More

Case Cowboy's Experience

Nothing beats it! It aged very well, it's cheap and has a lot of replayability! See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player LAN / 2 Player Couch

Top Pro

Maintains depth while still being accessible

The game starts out easy. There is very little in terms of mechanics and the only objective is not to starve. Then, over time, new mechanics are introduced as you explore more of the game world. The game provides very little guidance, leaving players to figure out how things work for themselves. Goals and story elements are also unveiled organically over time. See More

Top Con

Constant restarts can be drawn out and boring

The game is a roguelike, so permanent death is something that will be encountered often. The beginning of a playthrough starts out pretty slowly, which is exacerbated by the fact that the player will need to restart so many times. See More

TranquilZirnitra's Experience

its fun See More

Specs

Co-Op:2-4 Player Local

Genre:Roguelike, Survival, Horror

Top Pro

Intuitive and fluid parkour movement gives a sense of power and control

The main protagonist is capable of scaling buildings, jumping over obstacles, and vaulting over zombies. This makes traversing the open-world city a lot of fun, as it is intuitively controlled as well as gives a sense of power to the player that they can artfully traverse the world with ease. See More

Top Con

Extremely low ammo count once you get guns

You may have to use melee weapons always See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 PLayer LAN

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Being designed around co-op play makes for crazier and crazier gameplay, the more people join in

Broforce features 4-player local and online co-op modes. The gameplay is pretty much built around this type of play, much as it was in arcades, so having the ability to team up locally or online makes for a versatile multiplayer mode. Each additional player will increase the hilariously frantic nature of the game by a significant margin. See More

Top Con

Poor character balancing

Some characters are obviously better than the others, or are highly situational. See More

Specs

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Genre:Action / Indie / Platformer

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Endless solutions

With proper planning users can "code" together very precise ways to create all the things needed for the game, some in very inventive ways that can differ quite a bit. This allows for tons of replayability. See More

Top Con

Can become rather repetitive

There's really little payoff for being able to build really long chains of automation, it usually results in being able to open a new tech tree which allows the player to continue the process of building automation chains ad infinitum, which, admittedly can become rather boring after a while. See More

Chris McGee's Experience

One of the best Games i have played in my ~ 22 years of gaming experience!!! See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Realtime Strategy (RTS)

Top Pro

An open sandbox that provides a wide variety of activities

Saints Row 4 offers a very compelling open-world experience with much to do and see. Not only does it offer the usual large city to explore whith completing objectives, but it also pokes fun at similar titles in the genre, going over the top to parody competitors like Grand Theft Auto.. See More

Top Con

Only one player gets to experience the scripted parts

While different players have different roles when playing co-op, only the host player will see the scripted parts of the game. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:2 Player Online / 4 Player LAN

Controller Support:Full

See All Specs

Top Pro

Large soundtrack that should appeal to anyone as it contains a good cross section of popular music

With a soundtrack of 109 songs, there is bound to be music that suits just about anyone. The player listens to music over the radio; the breadth of this catalog makes for a realistic listening experience as it mimics the variety of a real radio station. See More

Top Pro

Friends can easily jump in and out of your campaign with the included online co-op

Saint's Row IV features 2 player online co-op, thought there is no local co-op supported. The online co-op allows 2 friends to experience the campaign together, which may appeal to those looking for a shared experience over a solo one. See More

Top Pro

Great character customization

Players can change their appearance if they need to, at any time. See More

Torchlight II

Top Pro

Extensive mods that add to the fun

More than any other ARPG currently on the market, Torchlight 2 has accumulated a good number of mods to improve the game in a variety of ways. See More

Top Con

Limited respec system

Much like an old school dungeon crawler, there is little to no useful respec system here. You can respec the last three skill points used on a character, but that is it. This tends to lead towards plenty of skills in the skilltree that ended up going nowhere, which are just wasted points. Unless you know specifically where you will be putting each and every skill point for your build beforehand, no respec may have an impact on making a perfect build. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG

Top Pro

Highly interactive environments that contain rewards and consequences to ones actions

Divinity: Original Sin has a high level of interactivity within the games environment. This ranges from NPC interactions, elemental spells that can douse fires, to a cornucopia of in-world items that can be stolen. Most actions in the game have consequences as well; for example, you will lose reputation in a town, when caught stealing. There is often a price to pay for behaving badly and getting caught, but a great thrill when getting away with nefarious deeds. See More

Top Con

Mechanics take a lot of trial and error

There is a basic tutorial, but it is very limited and does not explain some of the finer aspects of the game. Much of the title relies on using spells, both in and out of combat. Outside of combat, magic can be used to burn down doors or summon rain to put out fires. While this may seem like an intuitive mechanic, it does take some getting used to and isn’t explained anywhere in the game. See More

Specs

Co-Op:2 Player Local / Online

Genre:Dungeon Crawler RPG

Top Pro

Great local co-op that works well with single room group play

Up to four local players can play on a single screen at the same time in Rayman Legends. This is not often the norm on PC, but is starting to become more common in new releases. It is especially good for those with Steam Machines or living room PCs that can host a number of friends in one room. See More

Top Con

No online multiplayer

These days it’s disappointing to see a multiplayer game released that does not support online multiplayer. A company with the size and scope of Ubisoft should have no problem incorporating this feature. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:Local Wireless

Genre:Platformer

Controller Support:Full

Pros

Game unsyncs every turn, which makes playing the game a horrible experience. See More

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Grim Dawn

Top Pro

Drop-in co-op (online and LAN)

Co-op is pretty convenient as players can drop in and out of your gaming session at any time. This way there is no wasted time waiting to find players to play with. See More

Top Con

Static pre-rendered levels

This may cut down on replayability a bit as all the levels in the game are pre-rendered, meaning that each playthrough will have the exact same layout, making for something that can get tiring and too familiar. Similar games have gone with randomized levels, which can keep the game fresh. While Grim Dawn is meant to be a throwback to earlier games in the genre, some newer features found in more recent released would have been welcome. See More

EfficientSamshinHalmoni's Experience

Great arpg experience. What diablo3 should have been. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player LAN

Genre:Action / RPG / Hack n' Slash

Top Pro

Intense co-op play

The whole game can be played in local or online co-op with up to three other players. Each stage is procedurally generated and features certain objectives you need to complete. Of course, there are also hordes of enemies to swarm you. Add in extra players and the action becomes quite turbulent. Additionally, there is no way to turn off friendly fire, which means everyone who is going in guns blazing may accidentally kill a friendly player. Everyone needs to keep a close eye on all the action in order to succeed. See More

Top Con

Things can get a bit repetative

After a while, everything can start to seem a bit "samey" because you are really only accomplishing the same tasks over and over again. See More

Specs

Top Pro

The better you get, the longer you survive, the more difficult the game gets, keeping everything challenging

The game gets tougher as time passes. By minute 40, you’re playing at a hardcore difficulty. This is good for learning the mechanics, because you will have a chance to replay many levels of differing difficulty each time you die and restart. This helps you gain a better grasp of the ins and outs of the game, each time. See More

Top Con

Unclear how to unlock things

The in-game explanation of how to unlock items is not very clear or intuitive, which can lead players to waste time trying to figure it out. See More

ResoluteEkecheiria's Experience

Game is broken and fool of bugs See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Partial

See All Specs

Top Pro

12 unlockable characters allows for many differing playstyles

Initially, the player can only choose to play as one character. Over time and as a result of completing certain objectives, you will be able to unlock all 12. Each character has unique stats, moves, strengths, and weaknesses; for example, the sniper attacks slowly from distance while the soldier attacks quickly but must be much closer to the target. See More

Top Con

Last level lags on many systems

There's something wrong with the last level of Risk of Rain that causes many systems to play sluggishly – i.e., everything moves at one-third the speed it should. See More

AwareEnbilulu's Experience

this gaem is boering See More

Top Pro

High replayability thanks to unique levels created by random generation

Levels are randomly generated, which makes every playing experience unique. This in turn makes the game highly replayable. See More

Top Pro

Co-op multiplayer mode lends itself well to those looking for a non competitive mode

Each player has to help the other survive, which makes the co-op multiplayer a fun mode for friends, as it leaves out any competitiveness. See More

See All

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Portal 2

Top Pro

Creates a sense of accomplishment through a high level of teamwork

Game is shit See More

Top Con

Main co-op campaign is short

The co-op campaign in Portal 2 is about 4 hours long for experienced players, meaning it could be beaten in a just a couple days. With almost zero replayability, this makes the game feel incredibly short. Luckily, hundreds of hours of user-generated content is available. See More

Steve's Experience

The co-op in Portal 2 was an enjoyable experience when I played it with a close friend. It was fun trying to figure out how to solve each puzzle and none of the puzzles felt overly difficult to solve. There was additional fun and challenge added in when trying to earn Steam achievements/PS3 trophies and finding new and funny ways to kill each other. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Co-Op:2 Player Online / 2 Player Couch / 2 Player LAN

The 25 must play gamesWhy?

My Recommendation for Portal 2

My Recommendation for Portal 2

Creates a sense of accomplishment through a high level of teamwork

Main co-op campaign is short

Challenging puzzles that require creative thinking

Steep co-op learning curve

Well implemented tools that improve teamwork

Late game single player can be quite difficult

Co-op does not punish when you want to goof off with or troll the other player

Entertaining and well delivered voice acting

Huge selection of user-generated content that should appeal to any use-case

So large in scope that it takes multiple playthroughs to see everything

Versatile selection of co-op multiplayer

Witty and funny character driven story

Cross-platform co-op

My Recommendation for Castle Crashers

My Recommendation for Castle Crashers

Nostalgic beat 'em up gameplay that is familiar, making an easy game to jump into

Bugs that appeared in the original Xbox title were not fixed for the PC port

Silly humor keeps the game light hearted and amusing

Hitboxes are questionable

Gameplay stays fresh with the distinctive look to each of the level designs

Fair amount of grinding

Co-op keeps you coming back for unlockables

Poor item ballancing

Supports co-op up to 4 players

Controller heavily recommended

Bugs that appeared in the original XBox title were not fixed for the PC port

My Recommendation for Terraria

My Recommendation for Terraria

Playing with groups of friends allows for endless scenarios of building and destruction

Replay value is low for those who play it as an adventure game

Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pacing

Unintuitive menus

Rewarding progression system that hinges on your own collecting and crafting abilities

Progress can feel slow

Really fun, especially when playing with others

Gameplay can feel slow

Contrasting bright and happy graphics against the suspenseful survival gameplay makes for a game creates a feeling of urgency

Great flexibility and dynamic generated worlds

Find servers, tutorials, and streams within minutes online

It has tutorials, a large calm community and great number of bosses

Gives drive and purpose by hybridizing sandbox and adventure elements

Items

Active modding community

Fun combat

Intriguing world

Constant rewards

Really great indeed

My Recommendation for BattleBlock Theater

My Recommendation for BattleBlock Theater

Co-op adds a completely new element of coordination to the gameplay

Competitive play feels lackluster

Thought-out presentation that balances style and humor well

Good mix of co-op and PvP multiplayer modes keeps the game enticing

No difficulty spikes, the game is very well balanced

Endless replayability through the level editor and its easily sharable creations

Cute and funny

My Recommendation for TowerFall Ascension

My Recommendation for TowerFall Ascension

Any skill level can figure out the gameplay, while still keeping it challenging for everyone

Co-op quest mode is short

Well balanced risk-reward gameplay by way of limited ammo

Limited to local multiplayer only

Friendly fire during local co-op means communication is key but also leads to humorous banter

Gameplay lends itself well to small local gatherings

Old-school, arcade-like design adds a level of complexity not found in many modern games

Refined power-ups and arenas creates a situation where the gameplay has no fat

My Recommendation for Left 4 Dead 2

My Recommendation for Left 4 Dead 2

Invigorating cooperation based survival dynamic

Very difficult without team engagement

Turn the gameplay upside down by hunting the hunters in a unique co-op mode where you play as the zombies

More of the same

Melee weapons have the best visceral experience

AI not the smartest

Highly improved over Left 4 Dead

There is no variation of gameplay

AI teammates work great in single player gameplay