Playing video games together with friendsis always more fun than playing alone, but what if your buddies are gaming on a different platform? Essentially, you’ve got two options – invest in a new system or try to find some cross-platform co-op games you can all play together. Needless to say, one of those options is cheaper and easier than the other.
10 Open-World Games With The Best Co-Op
Open worlds are better with friends!
Cross-platform co-op games used to be a rarity, but these days that’s no longer the case. From shooters andRPGsto action games and platformers, there are plenty of amazing titles out there that support cross-play. Here’s a handy list of some of the best games available right now.
10Rocket League
Soccer, But With Rocket-Powered Cars
Rocket League
Almost a full decade since its initial launch, Rocket League remains one of the best cross-platformsports gamesyou can play with your friends. The game is constantly being updated with new customization options and additional modes and events are still being added at regular intervals. It’s not necessarily one of those games that will keep you hooked for hours on end, but it works great as a casual game you may log into once in a while to play a few matches with your friends.
Rocket League has full cross-platform support across all systems, but the PC version comes with a little caveat worth mentioning. The game was originally launched on Steam, but has since moved to the Epic Games Store and is no longer available on Valve’s client. However, if you already owned Rocket League on Steam prior to the switch, you can continue playing it there. Having to install an additional launcher is always a bit of a bummer but, on the bright side, the game is free to play since moving to the EGS.
Battleground of the Gods
MOBAs are usually associated with PCs, but there are a couple of good ones available on consoles, too. Arguably the best among them is Smite, a game where players take on the role of gods from various mythologies around the world. Smite is very similar to other MOBAs in terms of gameplay, but the fact that it uses a third-person perspective immediately makes it stand out from the crowd. It’s also one of the main reasons why you’re able to play it with a controller.
Depending on when you’re reading this, Smite 2 might already be available on consoles, complete with cross-platform functionality. But as of this writing, the sequel is only available on Steam in Early Access, with the full launch coming sometime in early 2025. Until then, only the original can be played with people from other platforms.
Slasher Horror Simulator
Dead by Daylight
Have you ever watched a slasher horror movie and thought to yourself, “Hey, I wanna be chased through the woods by a machete-wielding serial killer dressed as a clown”? If the answer is yes, first off, you should probably look into therapy. But secondly, it just so happens that there are several video games out there that offer that exact experience, with Dead by Daylight being easily the best of the bunch.
10 Games To Play If You Love Dead By Daylight
From Lethal Company to Evil Dead: The Game, here are some titles that are sure keep Dead By Daylight fans gripped.
Dead by Daylight is a 4v1 asymmetric survivalhorror gamewhere you can either play the Killer or join up with three other players and take on the role of Survivors. As a Survivor, you must work together with your team to quickly get out of Dodge before the Killer gets you. Playing as the Killer is arguably more fun, and definitely less stressful, but co-op is reserved exclusively for Survivors.
Family-Friendly Fun
Now here’s a co-op cross-platform game that the whole family can enjoy. Grounded is basically “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids”, the video game. In Grounded, you play as a child who was shrunk down to the size of an ant through some mysterious process and must now brave the dangers of the backyard to try to learn what happened and possibly get back to normal someday. Until that day comes, you get to have fun with a group of friends in a sandbox world filled with all sorts of creepy crawlies.
Grounded is a survival crafter that involves a fair amount of resource gathering and base building. But as soon as you’re done with the boring part, you can go out into the world and fight oversized spiders, beetles, and various other bugs. There’s even an underwater section that feels a bit like a less terrifying version of Subnautica. Good fun all around and (mostly) family-friendly provided you or your kids don’t have a bad case of arachnophobia.
Ninjas in Space
Much like a fine wine, Warframe has gotten progressively better over the 10+ years it’s been around. This isthequintessential co-op looter shooter that went on to inspire Destiny, The Division, and many other titles with similar gameplay loops. If you’re familiar with the genre, you already know what to expect here – choose a character archetype, jump into missions, kill everything that moves, loot everything that isn’t nailed down, extract, and prepare for the next mission. There’s also a progression system and various other mechanics that prevent things from getting repetitive.
Warframe’s biggest selling point is the titular exosuit that grants the wearer incredible powers. Warframes basically serve as character archetypes and there are well over 40 of them to choose from. Each suit looks unique and comes with a different set of abilities. Unlocking new Warframes is a highly involved and often time-consuming process, but that’s exactly what makes the whole thing so satisfying. you may skip some of the grind by opening up your wallet, but you could just as easily not spend a dime as the game is entirely free-to-play.
5Chivalry 2
‘tis Just a Flesh Wound
Chivalry 2
Chivalry 2 is the premier medieval warfare simulator where you spill blood on the battlefield alongside other melee combat enthusiasts. The game’s goal is to recreate those big cinematic movie moments where two armies of medieval soldiers are clashing into each other, complete with screaming and limbs flying everywhere. It’s a bit like Total War, but you’re playing in first person and can freely customize your character.
Chivalry 2 is pretty unique in that it focuses almost entirely on melee combat. You can play as an archer but only a small handful of them are allowed per team and, quite frankly, shooting a bow from behind a barrel is nowhere near as entertaining as charging into the fray with a poleaxe while yelling at the top of your lungs. Or throwing a pig at an enemy after hurling some Monty Python-esque insults. Or cleaving helpless peasants in twain as they try to defend themselves with pitchforks. Honestly, the possibilities for mindless fun in this game are almost endless.
4Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2
Inspired by Starship Troopers, Helldivers 2 is a co-op third-person shooter where you team up with other players to squash giant alien bugs and robots in the name of democracy. The game doesn’t take itself too seriously and is an absolute blast to play with friends and strangers alike. If you’re looking for a solid shooter with a good sense of humor, there are few better choices out there.
10 Games To Play If You Love Helldivers 2
For Super Earth and beyond!
Before you decide to engage in galactic warfare, we should mention that the game is only available on PS5 and PC. There have been rumors thatHelldivers 2mightmake the jump to Xboxat some point in the future, but the chances of that happening are very slim. In the meantime, the game offers full cross-platform support between PS5 and PC, with the caveat that you’ll need a PSN account even if you’re playing on Windows.
3Deep Rock Galactic
Ready Your Pickaxes
Deep Rock Galactic
Dwarves are commonplace in fantasy, but you rarely get to see them in a sci-fi setting. Thankfully, there’s at least one game out there that gives space dwarves the love they deserve. That game is, of course, Deep Rock Galactic, a co-op shooter where you explore caves and shoot swarms of aliens as one of four different classes. Traditional dwarven activities like mining and drinking are present here as well.
Deep Rock Galactic offers endless fun thanks to its procedurally generated caves that provide you and your friends with new weird and wonderful adventures every time you boot up the game. If exploration isn’t your cup of tea, maybe the fully destructible environments and vast array of futuristic weaponry will be more up your alley. Either way, Deep Rock Galactic is one of the most unique co-op games we’ve had in years and should not be overlooked if you’re itching for something fresh to play with your buddies.
2Remnant 2
Highly Underrated Co-op
Remnant 2 is a soulslike looter shooter that throws you into a dark fantasy world filled with all sorts of gruesome monstrosities. Your job? Kill them all and stop a mysterious evil entity from tearing down reality itself. The game has something that could be considered a story but, realistically, the main reason you’ll want to play it is that it lets you and your buddies run around strange worlds as you kill bosses and collect loot.
One of the most interesting features of Remnant 2 is that, similar to its predecessor, the game can be somewhat unpredictable. Every time you start a new campaign, the game randomly generates maps and quests based on a pre-existing set of variables. Things aren’t exactly procedurally generated per se, but there’s enough randomness to where you’re able to expect every campaign to be a bit (or a lot) different from the last.
1Space Marine 2
For the Emperor!
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is one of thebest 40K gamesout there, which is really saying something considering there are dozens upon dozens of titles set in the grimdark universe. The third-person action shooter does a perfect job of portraying what it would feel like to be a towering transhuman soldier stomping his way through battlefields in the 41st millennium. While you can crush xenos and heretics in the name of the Emperor all by yourself, the game is even better when played in co-op.
Space Marine 2 offers three different gameplay modes – Campaign, Operations, and Eternal War, all of which can be played in co-op. However, there is a slight caveat in that the PvP mode, Eternal War, is only partially cross-platform. If you’re on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S, you may play with other console gamers but not with PC gamers, and vice-versa. As far as the other two modes are concerned, cross-platform is fully supported across all systems in both Operations and the Campaign.
Warhammer 40,0000: Space Marine 2 - 10 Tips And Tricks We Wish We Knew Sooner
Some of these can make your life as a Space Marine so much easier.
