Summary
The number of cooperative games has diminished over the years, but there are still a handful of titles each year, likeSplit Fiction, that encourage you to make plans with a friend so you experience something unique together. There are few feelings greater than solving a puzzle or defeating a tough boss with a real-life companion on your side.
As great as it can be to play a game with a friend or loved one, sometimes it’s just easier to play something by yourself instead. It can be challenging to schedule the time to play with someone else, and some games are just easier to play alone. While these titles can be enjoyed cooperatively, they are also a blast to play solo.
Sea of Thieves launched in 2018 and allows you to explore the seven seas with up to three friends. Playing with a full group is always fun as you work together to operate your ship, engage in battle with other players or monsters, and look for buried treasure. The game has been receiving new content since its release, so there is a lot for anyone to do if they decide to hop in.
As fun as it is toplay the role of a pirate with a few friends, there is so much to do in Sea of Thieves that you’re able to easily hop in solo and still have a great and hilarious adventure as you stumble from island to island. The game is certainly more difficult without a crew, but you can easily sink in hundreds of hours with Sea of Thieves, alone or with friends.
Deep Rock Galactic is one of the most enjoyable cooperative games on the market and has remained a blast to play since its release in 2020. Featuring a variety of missions and procedurally generated levels to make each run feel fresh,you must choose a character classand complete goals to unlock new weapons and cosmetics.
Though you can embark on quests with up to three other players, you can also experience Deep Rock Galactic on your own to gain levels, practice with different classes, and more. The game pairs you with a drone named Bosco on solo missions that will help you mine resources, light up dark areas, and even carry items for you.
6Cuphead
Cuphead is a popular platformer that instantly gained recognition for its unique art style and difficult boss battles. When Cuphead and his brother, Mugman, lose a bet with the devil, they must travel around Inkwell Isle to collect souls for him in exchange for their own lives. Though you can play this cartoon-like game with a friend, it’s actually easier on your own.
Cuphead and Mugman are presented as co-protagonists, but the latter only appears as the second-player character during actual gameplay. It should be easier to beat the game with a friend, but the bosses in Cuphead double their usual amount of health when playing cooperatively. Beyond stronger boss fights, having a second player can be genuinely distracting as you attempt to focus on not dying for the fiftieth time.
The beat ‘em up genre has been synonymous with cooperative gameplay since it became popular during the late 1980s with arcade titles like Double Dragon and Final Fight. While they might not be as popular as they once were, there are stillplenty of modern beat ‘em upsthat are just as fun to play as the games that inspired them.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is often praised as being one of the best beat ‘em ups in recent memory, and even allows up to six people to play simultaneously for a party-like experience. These types of adventures are usually fun with someone else by your side, but one of the things that makes Shredder’s Revenge special is that you can have just as much fun playing on your own.
Grounded, very much inspired by Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, follows a group of children who have turned tiny and must find a way to survive a backyard filled with massive and deadly insects. Beyond creating weapons and shelter, you and whoever else you play with will also need to take care of their characters’ hunger, thirst, and more to see another day.
Similar to other games like Sea of Thieves and Deep Rock Galactic, Grounded is certainly intended to be played with a friend or two, but they are also great to play on your own if you’re looking for something to do. You can even hop into a shared world by yourself to get new gear or reinforce a shelter. Either alone or with a group, Grounded will keep you busy for hours at a time.
3Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley has become the gold standard for the farming simulation genre and continues to grow with updates that have significantly changed the game since it launched in 2016. One of the biggest and most popular changes arrived in an update in 2018 that allowed multiple people to work on the same farm together.
One player acts as the host and can play whenever they like, while everyone else can only play when a few conditions are met. Working together on a farm to maximize its potential can be a lot of fun, but Stardew Valley began as a single-player game and is still more fun to play that way than having to rely on a cooperative farm’s host to be around to play.
Since the original Monster Hunter launched on the PlayStation 2 in 2004, the series has always encouraged players to play online for the full experience. Playing with friends is easier now than it was over two decades ago, and very few things bond players together like taking down a tough enemy like a Rathalos by using their unique skills and weapons to help each other out.
While the Monster Hunter series has a reputation for being an exciting group activity, it’s still fun to complete quests on your own, like a solo adventurer who prefers to work alone. Similar to Cuphead, monsters usually have more health when facing them as a group, so you’re not at a huge disadvantage for playing alone, and having the freedom to hunt at your own pace might be more enjoyable than playing with a group once a week.
Fextralife Wiki
Baldur’s Gate 3 is filled with decisions that will affect your playthrough, but the most important choice begins before you even start the game: Will you play by yourself or with a group of friends for a proper Dungeons & Dragons experience? Both options have their advantages, but having to wait for your friends to have spare time to complete a nearly hundred-hour campaign sounds like a test of patience and endurance.
You could have the best time of your life playing through Baldur’s Gate 3 with a couple of close friends, but having the freedom to boot up the game whenever you feel like it might be better for someone who is looking for something more casual. Plus, you may fill your party with amazing characters, like Shadowheart and Gale, that you might not get a chance to know if you’re playing with real-life friends.
