Since gaming’s origin in the arcades, cooperative play has been a prevalent feature.Atari’s driving gameFire Truckwas released as a coin-operated arcade machine in 1978 and is considered to be the first to ever offer cooperative play. Since the late ’70s, co-op gaming became more and more prevalent until the mid-2000s. The release of the Xbox 360 and PS3 changed the way multiplayer gaming was perceived, as the consoles brought online gaming into the mainstream.
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The sudden rise in online multiplayer initially favored competitive multiplayer, as many players had never tested their skills against a large pool of players before. Thankfully, co-op gaming began finding its feet again, and as theXbox Onegames on this list show, this feature is still alive and well.
9Dark Souls III (87)
Dark Soulsisn’t a series known for giving players a helping hand, and the third game is no different. Players have no map, no waypoints between bonfires, and no list of quests to flick through. Instead, FromSoftware requires players to understand the world around them to progress. Whether that’s through interacting with NPC’s, learning the game’s lore, or simply using intuition to choose a path to follow.
One of the few ways that the game does offer a helping hand is through summoning. By using the White Sign Soapstone, another player can be summoned to aid in thefight against a bossor a tough section of enemies.
8Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition (88)
Despite its smooth framerates and stunning visuals that are bursting with sharp colors,Guacamelee!is a throwback to the days of arcades and theearly generations of home consoles. The 2D Metroidvania takes players back to the days of classic beat ‘em ups likeDouble Dragon,Double Axe, andStreets of Rage.
One of the game’s many old-school features is its drop-in co-op, letting a second player quickly join in on the action.
7FIFA 14 (88)
Although the games have comeunder a great deal of criticism lately, there was once a time whenFIFAfully deserved its spot asthe most popular sporting game series. As the Metascore suggests,Fifa 14is one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the series. This was helped in no small part by the inclusion of the holy grail of yearly sporting game features — a new game engine.
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The game’s co-op predominantly comes in the form of Pro Clubs. The mode lets players team up with friends online, who each play as one individual player, rather than controlling an entire team.
6Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition (88)
A prequel to 2002’sDivine Divinity, Larian Studios’Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Editionreleased in 2014 to universal praise. Just over a year after its initial PC release, the game came to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in the form of an enhanced edition.
Along with visual and voice-acting improvements, the enhanced edition expanded on the game’s online co-op by adding simple drop-in couch co-op.
5Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (89)
Dark Souls IIandDark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sinmay be considered the weakest entries in the soulsborne series by fans, but they’re also two of the most critically acclaimed games in the entire series.
Summoning is an even more vital feature inDark Souls IIthan in the other soulsborne titles, as the game includes significantly more bosses. As would be expected,Dark Souls II’s summoning works very similarly toDark Souls III’s, with White Sign Soapstones again being key.
4Monster Hunter: World (90)
The iconicMonster Hunterseries is known the being one of the best series of RPG games ever made. 2018’sMonster Hunter: Worldcontinued the IP’s consistency as a critically acclaimed series, as the game picked upJapan Game Awards’ Game of the Year award in 2018.
One of the many features that the series' is praised for is its excellent co-op, which allows players to team up and take down the many tough monsters.
3Forza Horizon 3 (91)
TheForzagamesare slowly but surely becoming one of the most critically acclaimed racing series in gaming history.Forza Horizon 3is no different, evidenced by its huge Metascore andBest Sports/Racing Game of the Year accolade at The Game Awards 2016.
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It’s not often that racing games offer co-op, butForza Horizon 3lets up to four players take part in a co-op campaign.
2Divinity: Original Sin II - Definitive Edition (92)
The secondDivinity: Original Sinappearance on this list, Larian Studios impressively found ways to improve on the already excellent predecessor. Similarly to the firstOriginal Singame,Original Sin IIwasreleased on PC first before coming to consoles a year later with numerous improvements.
The game was nominated forBest Co-op Multiplayer at the Reader’s Choice Best of 2017 Awardsbut was ultimately beaten by Studio MDHR’sCuphead.
1Grand Theft Auto 5 (97)
One of gaming’s most iconic franchises has always been known for its single-player gameplay. However, the post-releaseGTA 5online modehas given the series a new identity by offering tons of new missions, heists, and jobs that can be completed with a friend.
The modereportedly earned Rockstar a whopping half a billion dollars in 2019. The eye-watering amount that the company is earning is presumably a big reason as to why the highly-anticipatedGTA 6is taking so long to be announced. With Rockstar’s giant earnings, it’s not entirely unrealistic to think thatGTA 6’s single-player campaign may be little more than an after-thought.
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