I opened this thread to see if anyone recommended Valheim, because what you said is exactly what my group does. We’re all dads with jobs and we play when we can, but we schedule 2-3 hour video call sessions to fight the bosses.
When it comes to Valheim, you need the help, too. Those bosses can be brutal.
Seconding Valheim. There's nothing quite like starting with a simple objective, getting it derailed by a deathsquito or something and now you and your besties are trying to Oceans 11 the stuff you lost out of a hostile biome that you sailed to from across the map.
Have to host/rent a server though, unless the host is always on. Love Valheim, but we had a few server issues that forced us to move on
I keep hearing great things about Valheim. It's definitely on my to try list!
Yes, I know. The structure of Valheim is similar to Minecraft, in a way that would not be hard to pick up and play if you were already familiar with it. Plus, it's a great game. So I gave my recommendation :p
I can second PlateUp. Roguelike overcooked!
Exactly, I prefer it to Overcooked. Sometimes I feel like Overcooked is more of a puzzle game, cause it seems that each map don't have many ways of reaching a high score, hence being a puzzle to find the best strategy. And that stresses me out in an timed environment lol. While PlateUp it's fun to try overcoming the hardships of the items and layouts you get. I prefer it :p
100 percent. Borderlands 2 in co-op was amazing back in the day and it is still amazing today. I played it a bit with my wife about two years ago and we had a blast.
Borderlands is great for this. Tons of random missions for pickup sessions and can be played without the group without huge consequences. I like the improvements with BL3, but the earlier games are still great and usually on sale quite cheap.
I agree, it was perfect for our WE. We played almost non-stop, only to sleep a little bit and eat, and for instance while we took showers the other 3 could continue to play. It's my best memory of a LAN party (I don't have many, maybe that's why :p)
Try Helldivers, it's isometric twin stick shooter, with second game coming this year switching to third person kinda like Risk of Rain 2
Came here looking to suggest this; glad someone already has!
Try Factorio!! It’s got a demo you can try to get a taste as well. I spent ~20 hours in the demo itself before I bought the game. Looooved it.
Try Overcooked, cheap and fun, also might get mad at each other
Ready or Not is fantastic in co-op
I can always recommend Guild Wars 2. It is f2p but the base game still has alot of content with some restrictions to not get overrun by bots.
Big detailed world to explore together and do stories which you get every 10 levels. If you pick different races and decicions at character creation, it all converges after lvl 60.
You also unlock all waypoints for every starter zone from the get go, so you can play together immediatly.
It can feel very easy there so you might want to tackle zones above your level, but the game gets harder in the 80 zones, group content and the expansions. Especially in Heart of Thorns, where the whole jungle tries to kill you.
It has no subscription which makes it perfect to play and then take breaks and even if you outlevel your friends you get downscaled and still get loot, so you can help or the other way around.
overcooked, though its only got the one campaign and little replay ability
phasmophobia is extremely fun, though getting into it brand new can probably be a bit overwhelming
fall guys is a pretty fun party style game, pretty casual and all
skribbl.io is a little browser charades with drawing type deal if youre just feeling like doing something easy and low effort
valheim i definitely recommend if youre into terraria dst and minecraft together, same with the forest
My friend and I have fun playing Bro Force. It's like contra. If you like beat em ups, the ninja turtles game or streets of rage 4 are fun.
Golf with Friends is casual and at times frustrating fun. Don't have to wait for each person to hit the ball before you hit yours either, so the games courses don't drag on.
Me and my wife have been really enjoying Bread and Fred. Your two penguins tied together who have to use your momentum to climb a mountain. It's in the genre of "getting over it" where you can fall at any time and lose all progress. Two player only, it's more a couple game.
I don't see overwatch 2 on the list. I think the game gets an unfair amount of hate, it's one of my favourite games. One of the few games that is competitive but not Grey army colours. Community is toxic, and it takes a long time to learn though. It can be an exceeding satisfying game, but unfortunately I think it only really gets fun at Plat and higher elos (similar to csgo in that regard)
Stardew valley is a great vibe game that I don't see listed. One if the best games for casual chat and play imo.
Check out Phasmophobia.
It's a ghost investigation game that's easy to pick up, and has some really awesome scary moments. It's only about $14 and it's got an overwhelmingly positive rating on Steam.
Barotrauma! I even set up a lemmy community for it.
My suggestion is Gunfire Reborn on steam. A great FPS PvE..
Especially if they used to play Risk of Rain 2. Gunfire is a great, less sweaty alternative. Much slower and less punishing, which means my friends don't need to be talked into it like ROR2, even though I think ROR2 is a much better game.
Pulsar is the game that I feel like was so close to being a great game but they gave up on it before it got there. Working together to run the ship is awesome but the world is SOOO empty. Like at least add mod support so folks can help or something. I want to love the game but that always stops me.
We had a lot of fun with V Rising. It's a bit like Diablo I'd say, but with base building and crafting and the level is based entirely on gear, so if someone misses a few sessions you can just craft one extra set of the latest armor you unlocked and they are on your level instantly.
I don't know if that's something that can be done in one session, but I have a group of friends that have been playing Divinity: Original Sin 2 every week for a couple months now, and they really enjoy it.
Yes! DOS2 is an amazing game. Good replay value too as the different characters have their own storyline. It's an open world RPG with turn based combat. I'm not super coordinated when it comes to fast paced combat so this is perfect. Civ VI and Factorio are my all time favorite multiplayer (and solo) games.
This is an odd one, but Powerwash Simulator has been an blast for me and my wife. We used to play a lot of Overwatch, but didn't like the new direction with 2. It somehow manages to scratch some of the shooter itch while being really chill.
For the King (and coming soon, For the King 2) has been a go-to coop game with one of my buddies. It's a turn based, low poly dnd-esque game with a handful of different campaigns. FTK 1 has 3 character parties, so one of us will just play 2 characters, but otherwise it's pretty perfect for 2 people.
My friend I have been playing Children of Morta and it's a pretty fun coop experience.
I have to second this one, it's really fun as a couch coop.
Yeah my gaming group has been playing HLL for the past few months, but ever since the last couple of patches the quality of matches has just dropped and it's pretty obvious the new run speed has made defending almost impossible once a team gets some momentum. We're still having fun, but the game is trying it's best to ruin that.
Outlast Trials is the big coop fun surprise of the year for me. You can also still buy it 25% off on epic for like 20€ until today.
People should not ignore this game cause it is from the outlast series. This game has way less jumpscares and its more about the tension of being chased all the time. Also way less scary in coop than in solo. It's more like Deadbydaylight meets L4D2 mobs. Level and Character Design reminds me off Bioshock. The coop fun is comparable to Phasmophobia, just less scary but more tense
Spiritfarer is a very sweet cartoon game about death where you can play couch co-op with your other player being a kitty. HIGHLY recommend this game, but don't be surprised if it makes you bawl your eyes out.
You could try dead by daylight
Oh man the Overcooked series is great for multiplayer! Can really cause some heated disagreements at times though lol
Last games I had fun with co-op :
I would recommend Vermintide, its like left 4 dead but you're bashing rats
I am far too casual to care to keep a running list of issues and their status. What I can say is:
The game is a much smoother experience than V2 and will continue to receive UX improvements as I'm sure you're aware V2 has had over the years.
That said it will never feel the same as V2, and I think at this stage it's intentional from FatShark
Far too casual of a player to bother tracking a change log for this sort of game. Heck I wasn't even able to articulate why I prefer Darktide in this comment. The best I can do is direct you to my other comment in this thread.
Not sure if it's been mentioned, but Hunt Showdown is a blast with a friend. Me and my buddy have played it a long time. They're always patching and adding content here and there. :)
Not sure what the price is unfortunately.
I don't think Barotrauma has been mentioned yet? Survival in a submarine, as far as I know. Haven't played it, but it reviews well.
Ark and other survival/crafting games like 7days to die and Raft are great fun. Persistent worlds for collective fun.
There's a new Starship Troopers co-op shopter out with 16 simulataneus players kilming bugs.
And Legion Td2 for a co-op campaign/bots experience.
I kind of enjoyed starship troopers but it is def alpha
Based on your played games you would probably all enjoy World of Warships. It’s F2P, possible to play and enjoy without spending money (though of course spending money does allow you to get more stuff), has deep gameplay and large learning curve but matches are all less then 20 minutes.
I haven't played it just yet, but people have been praising Crab Champions a lot.
Also if it's just you and one mate, and you'd like to enjoy an experience together in one session and be done with it, try A Way Out but make sure to not Google a single spoiler.
The Dead Island games are great for co-op
For your base building survival fix, I highly recommend Raft or Subnautica Nitrox, the unofficial multiplayer mod
If you hate your friends or want to hate your friends, try Pico Park or Overcooked. Also the space game Heavenly Bodies, but it's only 2-player
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a local co-op where you share the controls of a spaceship. Your goal is to save the space bunnies. Not quite the same style as the games on your list but it's inexpensive and cute.
Lots of great suggestions here but you can also go super chill and casual with some other games.
Among US, skribble.io, the new TMNT (free if you have netflix), castle crashers, Marvel Snap (some pay elements but more palatable than others). Older, more chill time, and cheaper.
World War Z Aftermath is a great multiplayer game and also cross-platform!
I feel like there are too many to list, but an obvious one that I don't see mentioned is Halo. The Master Chief Collection is pretty great, and has a ton of content that can all be consumed in short sessions (except for certain levels on legendary difficulty).
It is also still on sale on Steam for a little longer, if you don't have it already.
Starship Troopers: Extermination is PvE wave/extraction shooter, from the company that developed Squad. Looks pretty fun but if you are not into that universe nor have enough friends you'd need to rely on other players as well.( basically max 12 players in 3 teams atm.) Warning: early access so if you are not tolerant to EA type of development/update cycle just avoid.
There is a couple other PvE wave/extraction shooter as well, so give them a try.( Just google that term, usually around $30 and could go on sale.)
Rocket League, this one I played since launch and really good game to start before your group all come online and then move on to other games.(since it supports up to 4v4, but usually people only queue 2v2 or 3v3 matches.)
I think Starship Troopers is 16 max currently, based on a few extractions that showed that number.
Just hit early access so it's only got the one map with day/night variation, but man I've been having fun with it. Good lobbies almost feel like MAG games where squads are working independently on different objectives while still coordinating as a larger group. Always fun to be locked down at ore extraction and hearing the base squad losing their shit because some Tigers show up. Also sending out a squad to exterminate a plasma bug that's shelling your base from a distance. The game has a lot of potential, just hoping the developers can show up.
Only thing it desperately needs right now (that I haven't seen mentioned as a planned feature) staged reloads. Gunner class gets slaughtered during long ass reloads that have to start completely over when interrupted.
Either way, solid start to game. Hope it turns out as well as it seems it can.
Thanks for correction, oh yes I agree with the reloads. When I play Bastion during the peak of later waves it feels like my anxiety builds up every time the bullet count down when not in a safe spot. Make me kinda wish that class has the ability of Tribes heavy that can disk/grenade jump away from danger. (so a trade off of stim/health for extraction option.)
Edit: and for the no respawn extraction if I am not near squad for revive or covering fire I am usually toasted. We should have some ground vehicle to transport Bastions.
What do u think about League of Legends? It's lots of fun with friends & u can queue in parties of 5 (the team limit across the game) maximum. Should u not have a full party, u can queue with whoever's ready to play and have randoms autofill.
I really like playing League and especially with friends. If everyone's a total newbie to the game then it's better to make friends with someone who can coach you .. or just play customs v bots 😄🧡
I've had lots of fun playing the game over the years and don't mind playing alone or teamed-up 😁 Takes some getting used to if* u aren't acquainted with mobas but trust me when I say it's a world of fun once one gets the hang of it (ime & mi mates' anyway).
I've over time moved on to playing aram (a single-lane accelerated mode). It's more chaotic haha but also sweet for learning how to dodge and read through the fow 🌁
I hope u find a game !! 🤗
It may not be something you can complete in an evening, but Solasta: Crown of the Magister is a cross platform co-op game based on the ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
It's available on game pass, and has bee a ton of fun for my friends and me.
I don't know how much you'd like it since the shooters on your list aren't super similar, but Xdefiant should be releasing soon and is f2p. I really enjoyed the closed betas. There's an open one June 21-23 if you want to give it a try.
If you enjoyed risk of rain 2 I would recommend the binding of Isaac which is another roguelike
DayZ can be fun. Building up a base and trying to survive together. A bit of a learning curve but a very social game. Especially if you find a good private PVE server.
thanks for using Leebra!
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Valheim is good even if you can't be on at the same time. Just slowly build out a world as you would in Minecraft and save the biome raids for when you can get the party together. It's flexible.
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