Play With Friends: Six Unusual Cooperative Games Of Different Genres

Video games are fun. But it becomes even more fun when you can invite friends to the games. Cooperative games nowadays come out often, and the eyes run away from their number. Therefore, we have selected a list of the best cooperative games that we definitely recommend.

The We Were Here Series

GENRE: PUZZLES
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2017-2023
MODE: Online Cooperative
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS 4, PS 5

We Were Here is a series of cooperative puzzle games. In the story, players play the role of two researchers in Antarctica who follow in the footsteps of their missing colleagues and end up in a mysterious castle. Depending on the part of the location, they change: everything starts with a Gothic castle and ends with a parallel world, similar to Dante's Hell.

The main feature of the series is puzzles tied to the interaction between players. In most cases, the players will be separated and see different things. For example, the first player has to go through the maze for a while while the second player coordinates his movement. All the information must be transmitted over the local radio, which is still a task in the process of brainstorming.

In addition to interesting puzzles, which sometimes take a long time to think about, the series has an excellent visual style with an interesting design of architecture and characters. And sometimes the game turns out to turn into a good horror. They did not deprive the series of an interesting story, which only accelerated from part to part.

If you like puzzles or the cooperative mode of Portal 2, then we highly recommend We Were Here, which is a great series of games with interesting and unusual tasks.

Left 4 Dead 2

GENRE: First-person shooter
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2009
MODES: Online Co-op, PvP
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Online co-op for up to 4 people, PvP for up to 8 people
PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

A cooperative shooter for 4 people, where players in the role of survivors must move from point A to point B, simultaneously fighting off numerous zombies. It sounds simple, but in fact, it is always an unforgettable adventure for a friendly company. Firstly, the levels and plots themselves are diverse in gameplay situations. For example, in one campaign, you arrange a concert in an amusement park, and in another, you have to make your way through hordes of infected people to the evacuation point under the bombing of fighter jets.

Secondly, the game has an extensive list of special infected, ranging from hunters who can jump from huge heights to a tank that, due to its height, can throw cars at players.

Thirdly, each game is made unique by a local AI called "AI Director," which, depending on your success, can throw you more problems, or vice versa - make the task easier if you fail.

Adds replayability and local PvP mode. There are 8 players divided into 2 teams: 4 survivors and 4 special infected. The task of the survivors is to get to the exit, and the task of the infected is to murder the opposing team. And despite such a simple formula, this mode has huge replayability: in addition to the fact that the AI Director is not going anywhere, the players in the local Versus also add a drop of their madness.

It's not for nothing that Left 4 Dead 2 is considered one of the best cooperative games in principle: it was she who set the formula that all similar shooters follow so far.

PayDay Series

GENRE: First-person shooter
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2011/2013/2023
MODE: Online: Cooperative
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: up to 4 people
PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS 3, PS 4, PS 5, Nintendo Switch

Each new part of Payday is a unique experience. At the same time, the basic gameplay is always the same — this is a cooperative shooter for four people, where players act as robbers who rob various places, starting from a small bank and ending with the White House. You will have to confront an officer of the order of various positions, from ordinary patrolmen to local juggernauts called "Bulldozer.”

Payday: The Heist is a direct gameplay successor to Left 4 Dead, but without PvP and with a lot more special enemies. The game stands out against the background of the progenitor with charismatic playable characters and the atmosphere of a cinematic action movie about robberies. The task is simple: to rob a place. There is no quiet option — everything is only loud and with frenzied dynamics. All this has frenzied dynamics and serious requirements for well-coordinated teamwork.

PayDay 2 is already a much more interesting project. The game is no longer trying to imitate Left 4 Dead 2 but offers a unique cooperative that still has no analogues. This part of the series already looks like a full-fledged robbery simulator, albeit with some conventions. The number of mission options has increased many times — at the moment, there are about 70 missions in the game. There is a variation in passing the level: you can either quietly take everything out or the old-fashioned way with a gun in your hands. As a bonus, the pumping was redesigned, making it look like the one from Borderlands.

You can talk about PayDay 2 for a long time, but it's easier to say that this is a great game for co-op if you want to sit down for several hundred hours. Support for the game has already ended, but there is a lot of content there now, there will be something to do.

Payday 3 is the current part of the series that was released recently. The basic gameplay formula remains the same as that of PAYDAY 2, but it has been greatly improved. Stealth has been developed so much that now most robberies can be completed without wearing a mask; the loud version has also been upgraded due to improved destructibility; more interactions with hostages have been added: you can build entire builds on interaction with them. The only thing the game is inferior to its predecessor so far is the amount of content. But it's a matter of time.

Every game in the PAYDAY series deserves your attention. These are great cooperative games where you won't get bored.

GTFO

GENRE: Horror
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2021
MODE: Online Cooperative
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 4
PLATFORMS: PC

Cooperative survival horror for 4 people, where players in the role of 4 prisoners will have to perform tasks in a huge underground complex from an entity called Warden, and at the same time, try to understand what happened here and how to escape from here.

Against the background of the GTFO genre, it stands out that this is not so much a shooter as a Survival horror: without stealth, well-coordinated teamwork, and the ability to adapt on the go, you will not get far here. At the same time, the game is damn difficult: there are few bullets and resources, the Warden's instructions are not always clear, and they kill very quickly.

The GTFO entourage is most suitable for the film "Strangers": on the one hand, it is an action movie with high dynamics and beautiful fights, and on the other, it is still a horror where you involuntarily look back at every rustle.

There is also enough content in the game. There are 85 levels in the game, the passage of which will take from 20 minutes to 2.5 hours. At the same time, there are no types of missions, so there is no sense of monotony, and if it starts to appear, then the game gives you an unusual level.

GTFO is one of the most unusual cooperatives and is definitely one of the top three cooperative horror games: for the gameplay, for the atmosphere, for the high demands on players. Therefore, if you want to test how well you can interact with your friends under pressure, GTFO is your choice.

Resident Evil 5

GENRE: Third-person Shooter
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2009
MODE: Online cooperative, local cooperative, split screen
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2
PLATFORMS: PC, PS 3, PS 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

This game was not the first attempt to transfer the already classic Survival Horror formula to the rails of cooperatives. At least before that, the Resident Evil Outbreak dilogy was released exclusively for PS 2. But it was thanks to Resident Evil 5 that it became one of the most memorable parts of the saga about the T-virus, corporate conspiracies, and the zombie apocalypse.

The game is dedicated to trying to stop the spread of another virus outside Africa. The gameplay remained at the same level as in the last part. It's still a third-person shooter with a large arsenal of weapons and a large variety of enemies. But there are two main characters now, which means that the dynamics have also increased many times.

Without a partner in Resident Evil 5, you can't do most of the actions — even just open the door. Due to the decrease in inventory, one player cannot carry almost the entire arsenal, so it is necessary to distribute the type of weapon and ammunition among the players. In addition, the game throws up various interesting gameplay situations tied to the cooperative, from particularly strong monsters to non-trivial puzzles.

Due to the wide variety of situations and a huge number of activities for 2 players, Resident Evil 5 is considered one of the best games in the series and an excellent game for two friends.