Games offer up magic in lots of different guises, but working with a friend to achieve a goal is, arguably, where they really shine. This is what makes Co-Op games stand out from the rest of the genres.
In this article, Gurugamer is going to showcase the top 5 best co-op games to play in 2022.
1. Among Us
The best thing about Among Us is its simplicity. I have friends, who haven’t played this game before until recently, and quickly pick up on the nuances of the gameplay after a couple of tries. The minigames you’ll need to complete for survival are varied, easy to figure out, and fun. Among Us wasn’t designed to frustrate you with the details, but to simply provide you with enough distractions so that you’ll have a harder and more enjoyable time figuring out who the imposters/saboteurs are.
Among Us can be played on your PC and on your mobile devices. It supports crossplay for Steam, itch.io, iOS and Android. This means practically everyone around the world can play together regardless of their preference in gaming platforms. Online games, including private matches, are simple to set up. Everything about Among Us is about accessibility and quickly getting you to the fun part.
Depending on who you play with, Among Us is really about the moments. It’s about you and your friends trying to figure out who the culprits are, covering your tracks and lying to avoid getting caught, everybody ganging up on the suspects, feeling relieved when you rid of the correct imposter, feeling guilty when you didn’t, feeling relieved when you survived the menace, and feeling triumphant when you succeed as the imposter/saboteur. It’s these moments when you feel you’re connected to the people you’re playing with.
2. Monster Hunter Rise
If you're looking for a MONSTER HUNTER game that can be played in Co-Op from the get-go, then you've hit the jackpot! Aside from a couple of urgent Village quests, most of the game resides in the Hub area, which is available right from the start. There is no asinine quest join restrictions like in World, where you had to see a cutscene before other players could join. Now the party organizing is made more simple and fast via the Hunter Connect system. Joining mid-quest is not problematic either!
Quality of life improvements have been inherited from Monster Hunter World and are expanded upon. The game is leaning toward the convenience of gameplay rather than the tediousness of surviving in harsh lands. There is no sudden realization that you forgot to pack your essentials or picked the wrong gear, radial menus from World give immediate access to any item at your fingertips and the inventory space doesn't need to be cluttered with pickaxes or nets. No need to guess what kind of mission objectives you're after, as now they're simply marked on the map. The real focus now is on the combat experience and exploration.
When it comes to area design, RISE goes for quality over quantity. Within the first couple of hours, you'll likely see most of the maps the game has to offer, but so far these are the most vertical locales I've seen in an MH game. The new wirebug system enables seamless wall climbing and quick jumping across large gaps. If it's not the edge of the map or an immediate hazard, then chances are you'll be able to climb it and explore it! The first area of the game demonstrates this well by having steep cliffs right in the center of the map. On top of that, great wirebugs can be placed in preset locations as a way of faster ascension or travel.
3. Sea of Thieves
Sea of Thieves has you being a pirate on the ocean with other players, sailing from island to island, fighting skeletons, ghost ships, digging up treasure, solving riddles, delivering cargo, and fighting sea monsters. And you never quite know what's going to happen next on your adventure. There's plenty of things to chase, and you'll never be without a task for long if you care to pick one up from one of the vendors.
One important design choice that you should be aware of before jumping into this game is that every session is a fresh start. You spawn in with your ship and bare bone supplies, there's no progression between sessions aside from cosmetics you unlock. (Which is also the only thing you unlock, more on that below). While this can be a bit of a bummer, it's actually quite freeing. Every time you launch the game you're given a new ship, new supplies, and an ocean full of treasure to explore. Truly, you have nothing to lose. Until you find treasure, that is. Then you have something to lose. The game is simply fantastic at giving you a unique adventure every time you sail, solo or with friends. And it's shockingly easy to play solo if you desire, the smallest ship, the Sloop, is very solo player friendly if you wish to be an asocial pirate.
The only progression in this game is cosmetics. Anything else you get exists solely to get you, you guessed it, more cosmetics. This makes the cash shop a little weird. But hey, the upside is that nobody is going to beat you because they have a better sword, ship, or guns.
4. Overcooked 2
Overcooked 2 is an amazingly chaotic management game for up to 4 players, chop the ingredients and cook them as fast as possible for a nice tip, There are a ton of recipes and surprising kitchens.
The game is mostly focused on multiplayer, Every single game mode can be played with up to 4 players, Online, Local but also a mix of the 2. You also can play it solo, But you will control 2 chefs and have to switch between them to manage the kitchen. it is still the same game, A very chaotic experience, Coordinating with yourself is harder than it sounds.
The gameplay is extremely hectic, Raw ingredients need to be chopped, Cooked, Baked, Blended, Steamed. Grilled, and mostly they need multiple steps to prepare, Then you need to combine all the prepared ingredients on a plate and deliver it as fast as possible. There are more recipes than I can count, It starts easy, But things get complex pretty fast. Good teamwork is essential for getting all the stars.
Next to the obvious cooking you also have to wash the plates, make sure nothing burns, deliver the orders on time and make sure you don't mess up the ingredients. If you mess up a recipe you can throw it away, If it burns you have to grab the fire extinguisher and put out the fire before it spreads.
5. Valheim
Basically, Valheim is some sort of cross between Survival Craft, Adventure and Sandbox set in an open world.
The (pretty huge) map is comprised of several different biomes you'll have to explore in order to find crafting and building materials, fight monsters and eventually face bosses. It is procedurally generated at world creation, which means that no two maps will look the same, thus contributing to a unique experience.
Progression is based on the improvement of your gear through crafting, which requires materials you'll get from various sources in the world; some of which you'll only have access to after defeating bosses.
Recipes are unlocked either by putting said materials into your inventory or interacting with crafting stations for the first time. This means that if you join a world in which the other players have already defeated bosses and stored materials, breaking into their homes and rummaging through the crap they've been hoarding like a real Viking should allow you to catch up on their progression without having to do the exploring and fighting yourself (and possibly ruin your experience in the process, as well as earning yourself the title of Lazy Bastard).
To help you achieve your goals, you have a system of "skills" which are improved through pure practice. For example, the more you sprint, the higher your sprinting skill value gets, which progressively allows you to sprint longer while using less stamina.
In other words: practice leads to efficiency.
>>> Read more: Top 4 Real-Time Strategy Games To Play On PC In 2022
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