The perfect moment to immerse oneself in the spooky atmosphere and unearth enjoyable horror games for communal play co-op with friends is ever-present. In the past few years, game developers have successfully produced a variety of intriguing cooperative horror encounters, ensuring a diverse selection to suit every player’s preferences.
Whether the aim is to seek survival challenges, engage in intense shoot-em-ups, or partake in strategic construction to thwart adversaries. The top-tier cooperative horror games offer the opportunity to both captivate a small group of friends and evoke feelings of both entertainment and trepidation.
We dug deep into the horror game genre and collected the best titles to play with friends.
The Outlast Trials
When a franchise opts to shift its focus from primarily offering single-player experiences to embracing a multiplayer approach, it runs the risk of potentially estranging its loyal base of fans while attempting to entice a fresh audience. The Outlast Trials adeptly navigates this transition with more finesse compared to many of its counterparts, although it’s worth noting that the early access game bears notable distinctions from the previous entries within the series. While the option for single-player gameplay exists, The Outlast Trials is undeniably designed with a strong emphasis on co-op play.
In contrast to its precursors, this project adopts a structure centered around missions, guiding players through a series of levels as they strive to fulfill various objectives. In essence, the primary objective for players is to elude a facility engaged in conducting human experimentation, all the while evading an array of inventive and unsettling entities.
The Forest
Within The Forest, gamers possess the potential to engage with a virtually unlimited number of individuals due to the availability of dedicated servers. However, it’s suggested to cap the player count at eight for an optimal co-op experience. Plunged into the roles of crash survivors, players are confronted with the mission of constructing a haven and protective measures, all while arming themselves to facilitate the quest for a young child abducted by a faction of primitive cannibal inhabitants inhabiting the vicinity.
Even with the participation of eight players, the endeavor to endure remains arduous. Cannibals lurk, singling out victims, while menacing creatures assault established defenses. Venturing into the shadowy depths of caverns, in search of provisions and the missing child, presents a chilling and nerve-wracking escapade.
Left 4 Dead 2 (Co-Op)
Left 4 Dead 2 stands as a vintage cooperative horror game, and Valve’s first-person shooter has gracefully matured over time. Within the campaign mode, a quartet of players is entrusted with the mission of traversing the urban landscape of New Orleans, seeking refuge and evading the relentless onslaught of transforming zombies.
Meanwhile, in Versus mode, the arena accommodates eight players divided into teams of four. One faction assumes the roles of tenacious humans, engaged in a desperate battle for survival, while the opposing side embraces the roles of voracious special infected, relentlessly striving to incapacitate them. This game boasts a rapid tempo and delivers immense enjoyment, whether one chooses to play as the resilient humans or the formidable special infected.
Phasmophobia
Phasmophobia has established a reputation as one of the notable online horror games suitable for enjoying with companions. A group of up to four players can co-op as ghost investigators, venturing into a haunted location to collect hints about the spectral presence.
What sets it apart is that players are not tasked with expelling, calming, or restraining the ghost. The singular objective is to ascertain its identity while ensuring a safe exit. Diverse categories of ghosts exist, each possessing distinct traits and hazards. There are serene Spirits, Yurei that swiftly erode sanity, elusive Shades that are challenging to detect, nearly noiseless Mylings, and the assertive Demons that relentlessly pursue players throughout the entire map.
Deceit
Deceit revolves around the intricacies of human conduct. In a perplexing setting, six participants find themselves roused, where a quartet of individuals undertakes the challenge of achieving liberation, while the remaining duo harbors infection and seeks to eliminate the unsuspecting allies.
The essence of the game hinges on the art of deceit, where the ostensibly “virtuous” participants endeavor to discern those who are not of human nature and proceed to neutralize those they harbor suspicions about. It’s worth noting that Deceit has garnered a reputation for causing strains in friendships, hence it’s advisable to interject breaks when tensions start to escalate among players.
Demonologist
Drawing inspiration from the successful formula that propelled Phasmophobia to popularity, Demonologist adopts the well-established approach of ghost investigation while infusing additional dangers to maintain a sense of constant alertness. The ultimate objective mirrors that of other ghost-hunting games – identify the disruptive apparition responsible for the chaos and expel them to their alternate realm before they ensnare you in an inescapable grip.
Though it resides within the depths of Early Access, it undergoes consistent updates, has garnered a notable positive reception, and appears to be progressing admirably by adding its own unique twist to the recognizable and widely favored poltergeist-hunting endeavors. An assortment of tools is at your disposal to gain an upper hand against the local spirits, and the ensemble of resident specters showcases a distinctiveness that distinguishes it from similar titles. If you’re in search of a fresh avenue to experience spine-tingling thrills, then venture into the realm of Demonologist.
So grab your keyboards – controllers and invite your friends to get spooked together. Because horror game screams are not good when you’re not sharing them!
If you like horror games, don’t forget to check The best upcoming Horror games for 2023. Spot your favorite games to come.
