5 OUTSTANDING ONLINE CO-OP GAMES
01
World War Z
World War Z takes the smart, fast, anthill-forming zombies of the Brad Pitt movie and throws them into the anthology-style, globetrotting format of the original book. That lets it showcase a lot of different regions and cultures through the lens of a particularly devastating zombie apocalypse. The game is somewhat light on content, but there are enough difficulty levels, character classes, and unlockables to keep the four-player cooperative undead-hunting fresh and lively for a good while. Buy for: PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Epic Games Store) (1-4 Players)
02
Absolver
Absolver is a meditative martial arts experience that teaches you to make friends through fisticuffs. You can team up with one or two pals to conquer the game’s small open world and bonus dungeons, all of which encourage teamwork. And if you don’t have friends to play with, you can meet other players in the open world and try to initiate spontaneous friendships through simple in-game hand gestures. Absolver is about communicating as much as it is fighting, and that makes it a cooperative adventure-brawler like no other. Buy for: PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam) (1-3 Players)
03
A Way Out
A Way Out doesn’t radically alter the fundamentals of the cooperative action-adventure scene. But what separates this game from its peers is that you see what the other person is doing at all times, thanks to a clever camera system that keeps tabs on both players in a range of inventive, cinematic ways. It also often requires both players to work in tandem. If you don’t have a buddy who owns the game, good news: A friend can download and play for free with you if you already own it. Buy for: PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Origin) (2 Players)
04
Syndicate
If there’s one genre that suffers from too few co-op games, it’s cyberpunk sci-fi. Thankfully, 2012’s Syndicate fills that void with an incredible four-player co-op experience. It’s a first-person shooter that has some of the most satisfying, weighty gunplay in a shooter ever, and features sci-fi hacking abilities similar to those of certain recent AAA games. It’s an oldie but a goodie, and a must-play for anyone in need of cooperative cyberpunk fun. Buy for: Xbox One (Xbox 360 version is compatible) and PC (1-4 Players)
05
Assassin’s Creed: Unity
Technical issues tainted its launch, but Assassin’s Creed: Unity has risen from the ashes as one of the most visually ambitious and fun co-op experiences on the market. Up to four players can team up and parkour around the streets of late 1700s Paris together, completing missions ranging from escorting Napoleon to killing Austrian spies. It’s great fun for fans of stealth and action games, and Unity’s drop-dead gorgeous recreation of Paris makes it a must-play for gamers who want to time-travel back to the French Revolution. Buy for: PS4, Xbox One, and PC (Uplay or Steam) (1-4 Players)
5 OUTSTANDING ONLINE CO-OP GAMES
