Co-op games are seemingly few and far between, but they’re a vital part of the gaming ecosystem. Games that players can tackle together with their friends are always popular. Co-op titles are generally perceived as being laid back and relaxed. They typically involve teamwork, fun, and a little problem-solving intuition. However, this perception has slowly changed over the years.
With the recent surge of co-op games, a lot of them have focused on their difficulty. Co-op games nowadays are challenging, meant to test players (and perhaps their friendships). With that in mind, it’s the perfect time go over the most difficult, soul-crushing, rage inducing co-op games ever made. These are the co-op modes that gamers play with the squad when they’re looking for a little extra flavor, and just a hint of pain.
7Hunt: Showdown
Hunt: Showdownis a competitive first-person shooter with a bounty system. It features PvP and PvE elements. Players choose theirpick of huntersand are placed in an 18/19th century inspired, nightmarish setting.
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The game blends the PvP and PvE elements perfectly, and offers a unique taste of the survival horror genre. It also offers a more objective-based, defeat-the boss-dynamic that’s rarely seen in modern survival FPS games. It’s a challenge that friends can tackle together.
6Warhammer: Vermintide 2
Vermintide 2is one of the most solid, fun, and enticing co-op games to come out in decades. The game follows agroup of four heroeson their quest to save the world from vermin scum. Players fight through hordes upon hordes of varied enemies and bosses, and will only get through each dungeon after hours of intense gameplay.
Vermintide 2features customizationto make it feel unique for every player. Each member of the party can have their own role, whether it be spellcaster, tank, or a jack of all trades. This game isn’t exceptionally hard on its first two difficulty settings, but the next four, particularly Legend and Cataclysm, are so unnecessarily brutal that players will want to leave their teammates and Alt+F4.
5Overcooked 2
Overcooked 2is one of the most fun andchaotic co-op gamescurrently available to play. As the name suggests, at its core it’s a cooking game. But as the orders ramp up and the recipes get harder, madness ensues. Players won’t be shocked if they find themselves struggling and hitting a wall on certain levels, turning to their partners confused and annoyed.
Most find themselves befuddled at the idea of being bested by a cooking game. Regardless,Overcooked 2is really fun. It encourages teamwork and a plan of action like most games never do. Players absolutely need to work together to stand any chance of clearing the later levels.
4Dark Souls
Players who like a challenge are no stranger to FromSoft games, and the firstDark Soulsgame still holds up as one of the harder games in the series. More importantly, it has one of the most comprehensive co-op systems in the series.
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Dark Souls 1,is hard and playing through it with a friend or two makes the game even harder. In co-op, the game scales up the enemies and the bosses and leaves the player vulnerable to invasions. The game, as hard as it gets, isdefinitely much more funwith friends. Wild co-op antics make passing the fog gate and facing the Four Kings for the tenth time an easier pill to swallow.
3Don’t Starve Together
As a standalone multiplayer expansion of the originalDon’t Starve,Don’t Starve Togetheris as challenging as it is rewarding. The game features some of the harshest survival and resource gathering elements seen in modern gaming.
And it istruly an even more difficult taskto manage everything with a companion. Of course, the game still keeps its unique gameplay quirks and art style. It’s a good game for any group of friends looking for a challenge.
2Cuphead
This 1930s-inspired cartoony platformertook the world by storm at its release. Even now, this game is agonizingly difficult, and at times can be borderline frustrating, making it the perfect combination to have a partner on board
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Cuphead is a very well-made, captivating game. The two cup-head characters must fight their way through hordes of bosses and monsters to defeat the devil. This game is, however, as hard as the premise is simple. To top it off, it is executed extremely well.
1Remnant: From the Ashes
Falling into the Soulslike genre of games,Remnant: From the Ashesis a third-person survival shooter game which can be played almost entirely in co-op. The game features tons of loot, upgrades and customizability. Players will need all it offers as this is as hard a game as it gets.
The bosses and enemies scale with the number of players. At some point, gamers might find themselves considering ditching their squad and playing through it alone for a slightly easier run. However, players can also craft strategies and juggle aggro for a more rewarding playthrough.
