Topic: Which online co-op games are you playing to stay in touch with distant chums?

Hello everyone!

Been a while since I last posted on here, but I didn't really have much to say other than "did you know I've been playing Valheim a lot" and "have you heard of this game called Story of Seasons".

But today, I have a question. More of a request, really. See, me and my various chums - none of whom live in the same city as me - want to play some online co-op games, and I was wondering what y'all would recommend.

So far, we've played a ton of Valheim, a bit of Deep Rock Galactic, loads of Minecraft, Astroneer, Sea of Thieves, Divinity Original Sin 2, and Stardew Valley. We've even played Man of Medan together, which is one of those "choose-your-own-adventure" narrative games where you can die in ten thousand ways.

We want to play something new that grabs us in the way Valheim and Minecraft did, but with more goals, maybe a lil bit of story, but not as much as Divinity. Building something together was really fun, as was going out to new, scary places and exploring (and dying). I recommended Astroneer SEVERAL times, believe me, but no one seems to want to go to space. Sigh.

I hope I don't get banned for soliciting recommendations, because I'm not just on here to ask a question and run away! Let's chat about how you're all staying in touch with far-off friends through games!

Also, this isn't going to be turned into an article, don't worry - we're looking for games on Steam, Game Pass, and the like. 😊

I don't play online much but games I do play Smash with one friend in particular from time to time. I'm atrocious so it's not a very fun fight for him.

I started racing online in Gran Turismo Sport a few weeks ago and I've raced against some friends there. The competition's quite stiff so winning is extremely satisfying, especially if you don't make mistakes.

I've been playing Borderlands with friends at the moment and I'm eyeing up It Takes Two which looks fudging great, I just need a friend who wants to play it before I get it myself.

Editted to say people are making a fuss over Balan being pish but It Takes Two which came out literally the same day is what a modern day platformer should be.

A lot of my family bought Switches and have played Animal Crossing together for the last year - my mam got locked in Cyprus so it has allowed her, my wife and my sisters to all keep in touch and have "beach parties" using messenger to chat.

As for Gamepass I'm absolutely loving Outriders, it's got the perfect blend of Gears, Destiny and Doom and is a blast to play with 2 other people as the powers blend well together.

Not to be a total party-pooper but I'm not sure my group is super excited by shooters

I know a lot of the good co-op games are shooters, though, so that does narrow it down significantly. The thing we liked most about Valheim was building things together, and most games don't really have that, so I know it's a tall order. I wish there was a game like Stardew or Animal Crossing, but more co-operative - tending to an island or building a farm from scratch with friends would be awesome.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for but my wife and I have been playing Super Mario 3D World with one of my best friends and his wife. We have a zoom call running at the same time.

I personally haven't played it, but another good friend plays No Man's Sky online with family.

@KateGray Rust is coming to console next month and I doubt it will be as toxic as the PC can get.
It will be interesting to see if we can set up private servers on console

My brother's across town and usually he's so busy with life that he rarely jumps online. Over the past few years we drove deep into Dauntless, Monster Hunter World, Zombie Army Trilogy, EDF 4.1, etc. More recently we began playing Dragon's Crown Pro and Remnant: From the Ashes. At least...when he's not playing Diablo III or Animal Crossing with his wife.

@Magician Monster Hunter Rise was suggested!! But considering that the last MH game I played ruined my wrists, I'm not sure I'm keen to go back 😅

@KateGray Considering you've enjoyed Minecraft, have you tried similar games like Starbound, Terraria, or even Dragon Quest Builders 2? Out of those, Starbound probably has the most structure multiplayer-wise, since the campaign quests can be done in co-op.

Maybe something like Don't Starve would also be a good one to try, it would certainly check the "building on an island from scratch" box, although not really for the same goal as Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley.

I haven't tried The Survivalists yet, but that also seems like a pretty fun island building game for co-op. I've been meaning to check it out for a while, but have been waiting for a sale since some of the reviews put me off for a bit. New content has been added since then though, like the farming update:

Maybe not quite what you're looking for, but I'd also highly recommend It Takes Two if you're at all interested in puzzle platformers. You'd only be able to play with one of your friends, and it's not a sandbox game so it won't grab you for 100s of hours or anything, but after playing it with my partner I'd say it's a strong contender for my GoTY so I had to recommend it anyway.

@KateGray Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles might be worth a shot. I've not tried it, so not sure how good the online is. The trine series is also pretty good.

Probably not what you're looking for but Killer Queen Black is a lot of fun online with some friends.

@Cynas Starbound actually came up a few times when I was researching co-op games, so maybe we should give it a look! And Don't Starve is a pretty good idea, I feel like an idiot for not thinking of it

My partner and I are VERY BAD at co-op games. Our playstyles are like... completely opposite. He likes to read, understand, and take his time; I like to go in guns blazing and steal everything that isn't nailed down. I guess It Takes Two doesn't really let you steal, though?

Heave Ho is a pretty great puzzle-solving co-op game. It only can have 4 people though, so depends on how many people are in your group. That’s the best co-op game I can think of but it’s pretty good for it’s price.

@BabyYoda71 I have that one!! But I only ever played it once, since, you know, it's hard to grab friends right now. But I've never tried it in online mode!

@KateGray Have you guys tried Elder Scrolls Online, it's on Gamepass and there is alot to do there.

I also have been playing alot of Stardew Valley with my son and it's a fantastic game playing co-op.

There's also

Portal Knights
Spiritfarer

Exactly how many people are you planning to play with??

@Tasuki three people! We thought about ESO, but one of my chums had played it already and wasn't keen! Also, they all refuse to play Stardew with me, because I am an inventory management monster

@KateGray Lol I know what you mean I get accused of the same thing from my son.

Ok so disregarded Spiritfarer. I know it got a bad rap but what about Fallout 76. Yes it has guns but you can do melee builds and you can build a settlement together plus it is on Gamepass.

tetris ultimate 3ds

Just had to say that my wife and I just finished It Takes Two and it’s a definite recommend for two player co-op. It’s not a big game but much bigger than I expected it to be and a great range of ideas throughout the whole campaign.
Not sure about online games with friends but seems as though I’m obsessed with it, what about Bloodborne. It’s not building things well except your tolerance to failure...