5 Best Co-op Games to Play with Friends (And Maybe Lose Friends)

Nobody talks about what it actually feels like to load into a co-op game with your boys. So the real question is, what are the best co-op games to play with friends?

Not the Metacritic score. Not the frame rate analysis. Not the “8.5 out of 10 — solid mechanics.” Nobody talks about the moment your teammate accidentally calls in a 500kg bomb directly on top of you. Or the time someone grabbed the legendary loot drop while your body was still warm on the ground.

That’s what we’re here for.

BB and Minarum sat down and went through the co-op games they’ve actually played together — the ones that went completely sideways, the ones that almost ended friendships, and the ones that somehow keep pulling them back in. No tier lists. No review scores. Just the real experience.

Here are 5 co-op games worth loading up with your crew.

Helldivers 2 — Pure Chaos, Pure Cinema

If you’ve been anywhere near a gaming conversation in the last two years, you already know Helldivers 2 is something special. But knowing about it and actually loading in with your squad are two completely different experiences.

Every mission is a gamble. You never know what you’re walking into. One run you’re breezing through objectives, feeling like an elite soldier. The next run, twenty enemies are pouring down a mountainside directly at your position and you’re screaming at your teammates to hold the line on what BB lovingly calls “King of the Rock.”

It’s pure chaos. And that’s exactly why it works.

What makes Helldivers 2 stand out isn’t just the gameplay — it’s the moments. The missions that go so wrong they become legendary inside your friend group. The ones where you’re fighting for your lives and somehow, against all odds, you make it out. Or you don’t. And that’s somehow even funnier.

Arrowhead has been cooking on this game consistently. New war bonds dropping regularly, constant updates, and now — the Cyber Stannis update has brought the cyborgs back in full force. New enemies, overhauled planets, and visuals that genuinely look cinematic. BB described loading into the new planet and watching cyborg ships firing at your fleet in space like something straight out of Star Wars.

“It is the best co-op game I’ve played in probably my life.”

That’s not hyperbole. That’s someone who has genuinely put in the hours talking.

Why You Should Play It With Friends

Solo Helldivers 2 is fine. With friends, it becomes something else entirely. The communication, the chaos, the accidental friendly fire — it creates moments you’ll be talking about for weeks. If your squad hasn’t jumped in yet, now is the time.

Pro tip from Minarum: Those big Terminator-looking enemies with the missile launchers? Go underneath, shoot the vents on the back, throw a grenade in the exhaust. You’re welcome.

If your squad is ready to jump in, we linked the current deal here.

Dead by Daylight — The Panic Is the Point

Four survivors. One killer. And absolutely zero idea what your teammates are doing at any given moment.

Dead by Daylight is one of those games that sounds simple on paper — repair generators, escape — but the second you’re actually in a match, everything falls apart in the best possible way. You’re trying to coordinate with your friends, figure out where the killer is, and somehow stay calm while Chucky — who is literally a quarter of the size of every other killer — silently sprints past you and you don’t even notice.

Minarum has put in over 200 hours in this game. That’s not a casual player. That’s someone who genuinely loves the chaos of not knowing what’s coming next.

The scariest part of Dead by Daylight isn’t the killer. It’s not knowing what your teammates are doing. Are they on generators? Are they getting chased? Did they just get hooked on the other side of the map while you’re crouched behind a pallet doing absolutely nothing useful?

That uncertainty is what makes it so fun to play with people you actually know.

The One Thing That Kills the Vibe

Campers. You know the type — the killer who hooks someone and then just… stands there. Waiting. Not moving. Just existing next to the hook until the timer runs out. There’s no counter to it. It’s just a choice some people make to ruin everyone’s time.

Outside of that? Fantastic game. The new 8v2 mode is worth checking out too if you want to shake things up.

Dead by Daylight is worth every penny — and if you want to grab it or stack up on some of the DLC chapters, we linked a Green Man Gaming deal here so you’re not paying full price.

Killing Floor 3 — Stop Thinking, Start Reacting

There’s a specific moment in Killing Floor 3 where your brain just shuts off.

You stop strategizing. You stop thinking about positioning or class builds or which enemies to prioritize. You just turn, fire, turn, fire, run, run, run — and somehow that’s the most fun you’ve had all week.

Killing Floor 3 is wave-based survival chaos. Enemies come from everywhere. The waves get harder as you progress, and if you’re playing with more people, the game scales up accordingly. It’s hectic in a way that makes you feel genuinely alive.

The class system gives you something to work toward — upgrade your weapons, customize your loadout, spend your kill money on gear between waves. It’s got that same loop as Call of Duty Zombies but cranked up with more variety and some genuinely terrifying jump scares.

The one frustrating thing? The final boss is random. You can pick your level, but you have no idea what you’re walking into at the end. BB ran into the same boss three times in a row on stream and was not happy about it.

Perfect for a Quick Session

This is one of those games you can jump into with 20 minutes to spare. Do a match or two, see how far you get, log off. No commitment required. That’s rare in co-op gaming and genuinely underrated as a feature.

Killing Floor 3 is one of those games worth grabbing before your whole friend group moves on to something else. We linked the current deal here if you want to lock it in.

Borderlands 2 — The One That Tests Friendships

Let’s talk about loot.

Specifically, let’s talk about what happens when a legendary weapon drops and your teammate — your friend, someone you’ve known for years — sprints past your dead body and picks it up before you can respawn.

That’s Borderlands 2. And it’s phenomenal.

The first Borderlands was a solid looter shooter — fun, chaotic, lovable characters, but not much of a story. Borderlands 2 took everything that worked and multiplied it. The story is genuinely great. The one-liners are hilarious. And Handsome Jack might be one of the best villains in gaming history. He’s not just a villain you hate — he’s a villain you love to hate, which is a completely different thing.

Playing this four-player with your crew is an experience. The cooperation, the chaos, the constant negotiation over who gets which weapon — it creates a dynamic that you just don’t get in solo play.

BB played through the full story with his brothers and it got competitive over loot in the best possible way. Minarum’s experience playing with BB and Ash was apparently a completely different vibe — more cooperative, more “here, you take it, I’m good.” Two completely different ways to play the same game, both equally valid, both equally fun.

A Word on the Rest of the Series

The Borderlands Pre-Sequel? Both BB and Minarum agree — boring. Not the same. Skip it.

Borderlands 3 got some criticism but is still worth picking up in the bargain bin. Borderlands 4 is on the radar but hasn’t hit that sweet spot yet. The series has its ups and downs, but Borderlands 2 remains the peak.

You can usually find Borderlands 2 with all DLC for dirt cheap — genuinely one of the best value buys in gaming.

Terminull Brigade — The Hidden Gem You Need to Know About

You might not have heard of this one. That’s kind of the point.

Terminull Brigade is a three-player looter shooter with a roguelite mode that changes every single run. You start a run, you never know what you’re going to get, and you push toward the final boss while picking up powers and upgrades along the way. Some runs are smooth. Some runs are so rough you’re questioning every decision you’ve ever made.

Minarum not only played this — he platinumed it. And then kept it on his system specifically so he could help other people get their trophies. That’s the kind of game that earns that kind of loyalty.

The character variety is solid, the gameplay is quick and satisfying, and like Killing Floor 3, it’s perfect for short sessions. Jump in, do a few rounds, log off. No 40-hour commitment required.

The Muted Stream Moment

If you want to see Minarum at his most chaotic, check out the Terminull Brigade stream. He was muted for 34 minutes. Talking the whole time. Promoting the game, hyping up the channel, going completely dry-mouthed — and nobody could hear a single word. His nephew eventually saved him.

It is, genuinely, one of the funniest things to come out of the ESE Files streams. Go watch it.

It’s worth the price of entry — especially if you’ve got two friends to drag into it.

The good news — Terminull Brigade is free to play on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam so there’s zero excuse not to download it tonight. If you want to grab a gift card to pick up some in-game content or stack credit for your next purchase, we got you right here.

The Real Point of All of This

Here’s the thing about co-op gaming that nobody in the review space ever really talks about: the game is almost secondary to the people you’re playing with.

Helldivers 2 is incredible on its own. But it becomes a story when you’re playing with your crew and everything goes wrong in the most spectacular way possible. Dead by Daylight is tense solo. With friends, it’s a comedy of errors. Borderlands 2 has a great story, but the real story is the loot drama happening between you and your teammates.

The best co-op games aren’t the ones with the highest review scores. They’re the ones that create moments you’re still talking about three years later.

That’s what this list is really about.

Quick Reference — The best co-op games to play with friends

Game	Vibe	Best For	Session Length
Helldivers 2	Cinematic chaos	Squad missions	30–90 min
Dead by Daylight	Tense coordination	Friend groups	20–45 min
Killing Floor 3	Pure reaction mode	Quick sessions	20–40 min
Borderlands 2	Story + loot drama	Long sessions	2–4 hours
Terminull Brigade	Roguelite chaos	Short bursts	20–45 min