Good co-op games can be hard to come by, with so many games that claim they’re co-op only to have the co-op severely limited or to be completely bug-ridden beyond playability, and for whatever reason, it tends to be even more difficult to find good co-op games for the PC specifically.
This is why I have taken the time to compile a list of what I believe to be the 7 best co-op games for the PC. A list of 7 co-op games that every PC gamer should play at least once.
Portal 2
I’m sure just about everyone has heard of Portal 2 already, even still, this wouldn’t be a very good list without including it.
Portal 2 has the same puzzle-solving, portal-shooting and humorous gameplay as the first, however in Portal 2 you can team up with a friend to work together to solve completely new puzzles with a new and epic story to go with them.
Left 4 Dead
Another great game by Valve, Left 4 Dead is a co-op zombie survival/FPS game. Sounds fun already, doesn’t it?
In Left 4 Dead you play as one of 4 survivors and fight through swarms of zombies on your way to the safe house at the end of each level. It’s a very simple design, but it brings hours of enjoyment.
There is also a Versus mode if you want to play against your friends instead of with them.
Diablo 2
Although Diablo 2 is starting to show its age, it still remains one of the most enjoyable co-op experiences of all time, and with Diablo 3 on the horizon now is a great time to get into the Diablo universe.
Diablo 2 is a fast-paced hack and slash RPG where you play as one of 5 heroes (7 if you have the expansion) on a quest to fight back the forces of Hell and defeat Diablo, the Lord of Terror.
Trine 2
A quirky little side-scrolling adventure, Trine 2 lets you play one of 3 different characters, each one with different abilities to help solve the various puzzles in each level.
Although the first Trine was also co-op, I feel the second gives a better experience since you can play online instead of needing to use the same computer for co-op. So if you enjoyed the first, I definitely recommend the second.
Magicka
A good excuse to “accidentally” blow up your friends, Magicka is a 4-player co-op adventure in which you play as a powerful wizard that goes on a quest to save the world from another, more powerful and eviler wizard.
The real fun comes in with the spell system. In Magicka you can combine multiple elements to form a single spell, often with explosive and hilarious results.
Terraria
Often called the “2-D Minecraft”, in Terraria you create a character and are put into a huge and open 2-D world to explore and gather materials to create better equipment and build your dream house/castle/evil lair.
During your adventures you’ll come across many different monsters to kill, lands to explore and bosses to fight. Best of all, the multiplayer and singleplayer experiences are the same, something rarely found in co-op games where you usually get a watered down version of singleplayer instead.
Shogun 2: Total War
It’s not often you run into a strategy game with a co-op campaign, let alone one as good as Shogun 2.
Shogun 2: Total War takes place in 16th-century feudal Japan in which you command one of 8 different warring clans that are fighting for control of Japan.
Shogun 2 mixes both turn-based strategy and real-time strategy in a fun and interesting way. Similar to the Civilization series, the main gameplay of Shogun 2 takes place on a huge map in which each of the warring clans takes a turn to build their armies, manage their cities, etc. However, when a battle starts you have the option to control it in a real-time environment.