Best Online Co-Op Games On PS Plus

Sony’s PlayStation Plus Extra subscription gives players access to a wide plethora of games that cover most needs. The service has lengthy RPGs like Dragon Quest 11 and Skyrim, shorter action games like Devil May Cry 5, and competitive multiplayer titles like Soulcalibur 6 and For Honor. There should be something for just about anyone, and that includes co-op.

Local co-op and split-screen games encourage friends to come together for a night in front of the TV, and the best examples of these releases on PS Plus are mentioned in this article. However, online co-op is also popular, and this option is not neglected by Sony. What are the best online co-op games on PS Plus?

Outriders

Upon release, Outriders received positive but not glowing reviews. The game nails its combat, blending satisfying third-person gunplay with a diverse range of abilities that cater to its four classes. As a looter shooter, the title showers players with new items to ensure they always have something fresh to try. This is one of those games that encourage people to constantly swap out gear rather than sticking to specific articles, and Outriders makes this process fun by offering loot that also looks good.

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While enjoyable solo, Outriders goes up a notch when played in a group. As obvious of a statement as that might sound, the game’s combat system does genuinely improve when there are more folks around. Not only does this allow players to synergize their builds, but it also boosts the mayhem to a whole new level. The story is nothing to write home about, but it should get the job done until players reach the endgame content.

It Takes Two

Designed specifically with multiplayer in mind, to the point of not including a single-player option, It Takes Two might be the best co-op game on PS Plus. While the game supports couch co-op and shines brightly in this setting, it loses very little of its luster when experienced through an online connection. Combining gameplay and story seamlessly, It Takes Two follows a married couple who are on the brink of splitting up since they are not great at communication. Through the magic of fantasy, they wind up inhabiting their daughter’s dolls, sending them on a surprisingly epic journey that comes with a side helping of personal growth.

Hazelight specializes in co-op games, and the studio followed up the brilliant and gritty A Way Out with the more family-friendly but nevertheless mature It Takes Two. Both titles are must-play regardless of whether someone is into multiplayer or not as they tell powerful and well-written stories, all the while incorporating enjoyable and creative gameplay sections. In the latter’s case, It Takes Two shakes up its mechanics frequently throughout its campaign, ensuring things seldom feel repetitive.

Ghost Of Tsushima: Legends

Ghost of Tsushima is a fantastic action-adventure game with a robust single-player campaign. A few months following the base title’s debut, Sucker Punch dropped Legends, a co-op side experience deep enough to justify a standalone release. Along with common modes like Survival, Legends also comes with a Story that guides two players through roughly 6 hours of content.

Legends has four classes: Samurai, Ronin, Assasin, and Hunter. Each one fits an archetype and has a specific role they should be fulfilling in combat scenarios. While some options like the Samurai are viable for solo or two-player runs, classes like the Ronin are designed with support in mind.

Back 4 Blood

Added to PS Plus Extra in January 2023, Back 4 Blood is a first-person co-op shooter reminiscent of Left 4 Dead. Turtle Rock’s project wears its influences on its sleeve, which is hardly a terrible thing considering the market is not flooded with these sorts of titles. Back 4 Blood has solid gameplay and visuals, along with a card-based customization system that permits players to tweak their loadouts.

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The differences between Back 4 Blood‘s playable survivors are not skin-deep either. Each character has unique traits and default weapons, which encourages teams to craft parties consisting of survivors that bring the best out of each other.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

A popular first-person action game, Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2023. Despite its growing age, Fatshark’s release is still reasonably active, and it is arguably the best action-oriented Warhammer game of the last decade. Vermintide 2 pits the Heroes of Ubersreik against wave after wave of rat-themed enemies, showering them with loot if they manage to survive.

While the vanilla version only has 13 missions (+4 from free updates), the stages are meant to be repeated endlessly as players upgrade their class and weapons. Vermintide 2‘s five playable characters are wildly different from each other, ensuring most people find someone who suits their preferences.

Returnal

Housemarque knows a thing or two about co-op. Dead Nation, Resogun, and Alienation all make good use of the feature, and they support both local and online connections. The developer’s most recent project, Returnal, did not launch with multiplayer, but an online two-player co-op option was added as part of the Ascension update. Thanks to this addition, players can now join forces to take on the game’s roguelike challenges, and there is the option to use a public or private server.

Returnal is challenging, and co-op does not necessarily make the experience easier. However, it does introduce a revive option into the gameplay loop, granting players a second chance. Otherwise, co-op provides essentially the same core experience as solo runs, albeit with two Selenes rather than just one. As the base package is fantastic, the same can be said about Returnal‘s co-op.

Conan Exiles

Conan Exiles comes in many flavors. Want a single-player survival game? That is most people’s default mode. Yearning to take on dungeons while following a more linear path? Then stick to the main campaign, which lasts roughly 30 hours. Want to raid bases created by other players? Just jump into a PvP server. While some meals are tastier than others, all variants can keep someone entertained for a long time.

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Although only multiplayer servers were initially available, Conan Exiles now supports traditional PvE co-op, allowing people to start playthroughs with their friends. Once in, players can build bases and face the Exiles Lands’ many dangers together. Even if a solo run is arguably more fitting of a hardcore survival experience, co-op is still a great option in its own right. Unfortunately, this mode comes with a few restrictions, but players can also jump into PvE multiplayer servers with 39 other survivors too.

Shadow Warrior 2

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior trilogy is all over the place. Gameplay-wise, the series is fairly consistent, offering a fun mix of gunplay and first-person melee combat; however, the games themselves strike different rhythms. Long and linear, the first entry threatens to overstay its welcome, but it is generally a fun single-player package. Conversely, the third game is very short and offers little in the way of replay value, although the actual content is enjoyable.

Finally, there is Shadow Warrior 2, a sequel so different that it almost comes across as a spin-off. This time, players are dropped in a hub area where they can take on main and optional missions set within far more open areas than the other games’ levels. The sequel also focuses on loot and weapon upgrades, granting players quite a bit of customization and build options.

Last but not least, Shadow Warrior 2 is the only entry of the trilogy to include co-op. Four players can team up to take on the entire campaign, and the game largely nails this feature. Due to the open design of the stages, the action does not get too chaotic by adding more players. Co-op also increases the difficulty levels to ensure battles remain reasonably challenging, especially since friends can coordinate to ensure their party has all their build bases covered.

Far Cry New Dawn

Even though Ubisoft’s Far Cry is primarily marketed as a single-player franchise, most of the recent games support co-op, and they are all fairly similar. In New Dawn, two players can team up for the entire campaign, although only the host’s story progression will be saved. The second player will not leave empty-handed since they retain stuff like inventory items and perks, but they would need to essentially explore the map all over again if they play their version of the game.

Far Cry‘s take on co-op is rather basic, in the sense that the experience is largely identical to a solo run, just with another player acting as backup rather than a companion. Still, co-op makes New Dawn more fun to play through, especially for people who have already completed Far Cry 5. The spin-off uses the same map as the numbered entry, and even though it changes quite a few things, the game can be a slog due to its similarities. Co-op should help in this regard, although players can also try Far Cry 5 or 6 if they prefer those games.

Zombie Army 4: Dead War

Another zombie shooter akin to something like Left 4 Dead or Back 4 Blood, Zombie Army 4: Dead War is for those people who prefer a third-person perspective. Even though the game does not quite have the same name recognition as either of those projects, it is a respectable entry in the subgenre. As is always the case, four players can join forces to blast their way through fairly self-contained levels filled with a colorful and grotesque assortment of flesh-eaters.

Zombie Army 4 shakes things up by being set after World War 2 and granting a Nazi coat of paint to its armies of the walking dead. This setting is the element that distinguishes the game the most from its peers, and the campaign makes good use of the premise. Zombie Army 4 guides players through an over-the-top and entertaining story that is long enough to feel substantial without overstaying its welcome. Along with a decent selection of weapons, Dead War uses a rewarding perk system that adds some flavor to combat.

Darksiders Genesis

Darksiders has led such a strange existence. Each entry tackles a different subgenre of action-adventure games, with some even venturing into RPG territory. Darksiders Genesis marks the franchise’s biggest departure to date, as the spin-off is a top-down hack and slash akin to something like Victor Vran. The game is also clearly meant to be experienced in co-op since it features two playable Horsemen: Strife and War. Solo players can swap between the two at will, which generally means they pick War when melee combat is the focus and then switch to Strife for ranged damage.

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In local or online co-op, two players take charge of either Strife or War, allowing the powerful Horsemen to rain havoc simultaneously. Although they do not sync up all that much, Darksiders Genesis‘ characters are both fairly deep and offer a good range of loadout options to keep things interesting throughout the campaign. Since couch co-op utilizes a restrictive split-screen, online multiplayer is the better option in this case.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince

Frozenbyte’s Trine is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for co-op-driven action-platformer games. All the franchise’s titles are worth seeking out, however, PS Plus subscribers will need to settle for Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince. Despite the number in its title, this entry can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of its predecessors, so newcomers can start here.

Trine 4 follows three heroes (a mage, thief, and knight) as they go on an epic fantasy-laden adventure that tests their might and teamwork. While not devoid of combat, the campaign focuses on puzzles and platforming, with the former requiring creative use of the characters’ abilities. In solo runs, players can switch between the characters with the click of a button; in co-op, each user takes charge of one hero. Trine 4 features two modes: Classic and Unlimited. The former ties three players to specific heroes, while the latter allows four users to swap to any character whenever they want.

Sniper Elite 5

Rebellion’s Sniper Elite has been on an upward trajectory since its debut, resulting in a 2022 release that is comfortably the franchise’s most polished entry to date. As with its predecessors, Sniper Elite 5 takes place during World War 2 and follows Karl Fairburne as he infiltrates an array of well-guarded locations. Even though stealth is the name of the game since detection typically leads to death, Karl is not defenseless in a firefight either, so players who prefer to take a more explosive approach can try their luck.

Despite being largely regarded as a single-player series, Sniper Elite also tries to cater to multiplayer fans, especially the fifth entry. The campaign can be played in two-player co-op, allowing friends to take on the 9 main missions as a unit. Naturally, this comes with both benefits and challenges since doubling the sniper count means doubling the opportunities to trigger an alarm. Alongside the campaign, Sniper Elite 5 also has a Survival four-player option that is essentially a horde mode. Difficult and fun, Survival serves as an enjoyable way to enhance the game’s replayability.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

They might not come around as often as they once did, but it is always an exciting day when a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game launches. And, in a nice change of pace from most of the franchise’s post-2000s efforts, Shredder’s Revenge is also great. Looking to recapture the Turtles’ beat ’em up glory days, Tribute Games basically created a game ripped right out of the ’90s, albeit with enough modern touches for it to come across as a loving homage rather than just an antiquated throwback. Up to six players can join forces to take on the Foot Clan, and they are free to pick from the Turtles, Master Splinter, April, and Casey Jones. Even at face value, that is a more than solid selection for this type of game, and that is before taking into account each character’s unique traits. All the playable figures bring something fresh to the table, so even solo players can enjoy replaying the campaign by switching between the characters.

Gameplay-wise, Shredder’s Revenge sticks fairly close to the standard beat ’em up formula. The characters have a limited but satisfying moveset, and the levels pack a considerable punch. The boss fights are quite difficult and require mastery of the combat system’s mechanics to overcome. The stages are overflowing with references to TMNT‘s past, and the nods cover many of the franchise’s sides rather than just its gaming history.

Demon’s Souls (2020)

FromSoftware’s Souls games incorporate a unique form of multiplayer that enables players to visit each other’s worlds, and the Demon’s Souls remake is no exception. Depending on the item used, players can either invade and engage in PvP or be summoned to provide a helping hand. While the former tends to get more attention, the latter is also a common practice.

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Up to four players can convene to take on the game’s plethora of challenging fights, with the helpers being sent back to their universes if they die or take down a boss. It should be noted that while co-op is ongoing, two invaders can also show up to add a PvP twist to the tale, so players should always be on their toes.

Bloodborne also supports 3-player online co-op, and many might argue the PS4 game represents FromSoftware at its best.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

The Division 2 builds on its predecessor’s solid foundations. The action RPG tries to be both a single-player third-person shooter and a live-service always-online experience, and, for the most part, it does an impressive job.

The main story will keep players engaged for a good 30 hours, and this section can be largely enjoyed solo. Alternatively, most of the campaign can be experienced in co-op, which unlocks after the story’s intro is completed. In comparison, the endgame content revolves heavily around PvP and online co-op. Four players can combine to create squads and take on missions, while that number is doubled for raids.

Ghost Recon Wildlands and Breakpoint are also on PS Plus Extra and support online co-op, with both titles allowing up to four players to play together.

Killing Floor 2

PS Plus Extra has a few co-op games capable of scratching someone’s “blast zombies in the face” itch, and Killing Floor 2 compares favorably with any of its peers. Despite being fairly old by this point, the 2016 release holds up well thanks to its enjoyably over-the-top core gameplay loop along with a surprisingly addictive progression system. The campaign guides teams through a series of levels filled with wave after wave of enemies.

Killing Floor 2‘s gameplay loop is not complicated, and it is arguably simpler than games like Left 4 Dead; however, it is complemented by Perks that essentially serve as classes. Coming with unique abilities and weapons, each Perk can be leveled up, which adds a lot of replayability to the package. Killing Floor 2 supports up to 6 players simultaneously, and this is one of those games that simply needs to be experienced in co-op. Technically, single-player is an option, and while not unplayable, it is not great either.

Sticking to Tom Clancy for the moment, Extraction came out at the beginning of 2022 and garnered a decent reception, albeit with some fairly vocal criticisms. Essentially, this spin-off takes Rainbow Six Siege‘s tactical combat and places it in a purely PvE co-op setting. This time around, operators find themselves taking on an alien threat, with missions consisting of clearing out a series of maps that have randomly generated objectives.

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While repetitive, this structure works well enough since Extraction‘s core gameplay loop is solid. The endgame content is a bit lacking, but players can get quite a bit of mileage out of the package by trying out different operators as they look to upgrade them to level 10. Compared to Siege, Extraction is a more accessible and relaxed experience that is less likely to consume all of someone’s free time.

Payday 2: Crimewave Edition

In 2023, Payday 2 will celebrate its 10-year anniversary, and the co-op shooter is still as popular as ever. The game has a simple but brilliant premise: team up with friends to pull off heists. It is possible to take on missions solo, but Payday 2 is really intended to be experienced with a consistent group of friends.

The progression system revolves around unlocking better gear and skills, both of which play significant roles in enhancing a crew’s professionalism. Consequently, players genuinely feel like they are improving with each new heist as their crew gradually morphs into a well-oiled machine.

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