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Solo games with insane stories meant for a single player have always had a soft spot in our hearts. This is pretty awesome for players who enjoy the solitude of a good game and a shut-off from the rest of society. However, for those of us that enjoy gaming with friends and experiencing new games together, a good co-op game is just a bit necessary, don’t you think? Luckily, this year was full of them. Here are our top 5 multiplayer and co-op experiences of 2023.
Honorable Mention: Return to Moria
Freelance Writer Jordan Moyer: Return to Moria was easily one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences I had throughout 2023. Don’t get me wrong, singing mining songs while you empty out that first iron vein you come across by yourself is pretty great, but imagine a whole group of friends all mining and singing together. What a bonding experience, right? It really doesn’t get much better than that.
Return to Moria was made for you and much more than the usual three friends. It allows you to bring a ton of friends along, making the game that much more enjoyable and immersive for you and all your buddies. While the damage definitely scales to your party size, the game is much more multiplayer-friendly than any others I’ve seen this year, and it definitely deserved the honorable mention it got.
Fourth Place: Sons of the Forest
Managing Editor Alex Gibson: Sons of the Forest might still be in Early Access, but even when it launched in a fairly rocky state, it instantly became one of our favorite multiplayer titles of the past few years. Building on the foundations of the first brilliant game, Sons of the Forest delivers a superb sandbox survival experience that is oh so fun to play with friends. Exploring, crafting, base building, and trying to piece together the mysterious intrigue of the spooky island and its bizarre inhabitants is immensely entertaining.
Sure, it was lacking polish when it released back in February. Actually, that’s an understatement — there were entire plot arcs missing from its story that made cutscenes feel wildy out of place. The whole story was nonsensical, basically. Even its gameplay mechanics and systems had features that were very obviously absent. Somehow, though, none of that really took away our enjoyment. From accidentally feeding allies, hungry cannibals and unearthing secrets in underground bunkers, Sons of the Forest is a blast with friends. I’ll definitely be returning to the island for its full launch and starting from scratch to experience the whole strange saga once again.
Third Place: Lethal Company
Freelance Writer Julio LaPine: Let’s be frank. This year was one of the best years for multiplayer games, as many companies released great titles. But nothing compares to the impact Lethal Company had on the internet, and best of all, it was made by one person. This game, which at the beginning doesn’t seem to be a big deal, is one of the best of the year, and it’s just starting. And, to the advantage of many, it offers many hours of fun without emptying our wallet.
What we like most about this title is the immersion one experiences with his team. The proximity voice system is one of the best and adds terror to every game you play with friends. Nothing is more fun than listening to your buddy talk normally and then realizing that his voice is muffled because an alien is wrapped around his face.
Of all the games out there, one that we keep playing is Lethal Company because of the randomness that exists. Every game is different, and every map has new dangers. We still can’t believe that a concept as simple as collecting space junk is one of the most entertaining things we’ve played this year.
Runner-up: Remnant 2
Freelance Writer Amir Naseri: Remnant 2 is a game that’s been developed for a Co-Op experience from the ground up. It’s more like the game is designed to be played with friends online for the full enjoying experience, but you there’s also a solo option. This is where even if you want to do upgrades on your gear and powers, you need to consider your teammates as the effects mostly apply to them as well. Also if you tackle the main bosses like the Mother Mind or Magister Dullian, you’ll realize that they can fight three targets at once, dealing with you and your friends with no pressure!
As for the story, you get to start the game in a random world from one of the few options. However, later you get to join forces with your friends, travel to other worlds, and discover the mysteries. There are lots of dungeons and puzzles like the Wind Tower Puzzle that you can only complete with your friends, as you have to work as a team to earn the rewards.
Remnant 2 has too much content to be discovered by a single run, adding to the replayability of the game. Every world you travel, and every dungeon you seek might end up giving you random rewards for unlocking items. You and your friends can play different archetypes, and after you max them out by playing hours, switch to another archetype to enjoy the different abilities.
Winner: Baldur’s Gate 3
Freelance Writer Jordan Moyer: Baldur’s Gate 3 was a fantastic game, let’s face it. Between all the options available, and even how greatly the choices you make impact your gameplay, it truly was an amazing game. Though, Baldur’s Gate 3 definitely has something that most other games fail to include: an amazing multiplayer experience.
In my experience, most games that are amazing for a single player seem to be lacking when you add friends into the mix. Though, that definitely isn’t the case with Baldur’s Gate 3. If anything, the addition of multiplayer and co-op capabilities only added to the overall experience and created a whole lot more fun. You see, the game is fantastic as a single player, it really is, but add in a couple friends to the mix while you’re making your way through the goblin village, and now you’ve really got a party. Will someone accidentally say the wrong thing and aggro 32 goblins on your party? Who knows? That’s the fun of it.
It’s no surprise these titles made it to our top 5 multiplayer and co-op experiences this year. We can only hope that next year will have such amazing games.
