The best co-op roguelikes are the ones that allow you and your friends to jump into a game endlessly, and always experience something a bit different. It’s about finding the gameplay loops that you all like, and then just jumping into them as often as you want and having fun.
Of course, the best co-op roguelikes also tend to be tough, but that’s part of the appeal too. Overcoming a challenge on your own is great, but managing to gather your friends together to beat that final tricky boss is an unparralleled joy. So, to help you find your next favourite game, we’ve gone ahead and made a list of the best co-op roguelikes for you.
The Best Co-op Roguelikes
Now, the best co-op roguelikes are infinitely replayable, and both easy to pick up and play, but also have a fair bit of depth to them. It’s a tall order, and as such, I’ve only found a few games that fit the bill. As it stands, these are those games, I think you can have a lot of fun with all of them.
Tribes of Midgard
Something that many co-op games are hampered by is a limit on how many friends you can play with. However, Tribes of Midgard is a game that naturally has support for up to ten players, that’s not the only thing that’s good about it, obviously, but it’s definitely relevant if you’ve been looking for something bigger. Tribes of Midgard has you playing an an Einherjar who’s been tasked with trying to save a village. At the centre of this village is a World Tree, and it’s being constantly attacked by both dark sources and massive Jötunn. Despite it playing like a survival game, with things like resource management, crafting, and tempratures to manage, it’s also a roguelike, where you’ll unlock new things the more you play, and doing so with friends is amazingly good fun.
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Risk of Rain 2
Risk of Rain 2 was always going to be on this list. Risk of Rain is also a good choice, but as good as it is, it doesn’t hold a candle to the newer entry. This is especially true as we approach the full release of Risk of Rain 2. The artifacts update a few months ago added in the chance to change things up even more, which makes it the gift that just keeps on giving.
Heroes of Hammerwatch
Everyone loves a bit of high-fantasy. Fireballs, paladins, evil to slay, it’s a classic formula that has gifted us with a huge variety of extraordinary games to play. Well,Heroes of Hammerwatch is a high-fantasy roguelike, one where you have to venture into dungeons to try and defeat evil. As you make your way through the game, you’ll have to send money and ore back to the town. When you die, you can use whatever you sent back to upgrade the town itself, or your character. It’s a really cool game, and despite being incredibly hard, is a lot of fun to play with friends too… even if they’re idiots.
Streets of Rogue
Streets of Rogue is a game I’ve owned for years. It might be one of the first PC games I ever bought, but I never really gave it a fair shot until recently. Having actually played it properly now, I’m happy to report that this incredibly strange roguelike immersive sim is regularly laugh-out-loud funny. You’ve got a vast array of ways to tackle every single objective, and despite what you might think, sometimes telling a bad joke can lead to you becoming the new mayor.
Gunfire Reborn
Gunfire Reborn is a first-person shooter. It plays out a bit like a dungeon crawler, but one where you end up dying a lot and starting again a lot too. Obviously, it’s a roguelike, but it’s one that’s very much in Early Access. That’s in no way a bad thing, it plays brilliantly, and feels incredibly polished, it’s more than I expect there to be a constant stream of new content in as it gets closer and closer to release. It’s a lot of fun, has some brilliant sound design, and you get to play as a cat or a dog.
Remnant: From the Ashes
Now, Remnant: From the Ashes is a weird pick here, and I understand that, but hear me out. While the main game of Remnant only has some mild roguelike elements, namely the procedural generation of its worlds, some random quests that may or may not appear, and the ability to play it forever, it actually has a survival mode thanks to the Swamps of Corsus DLC. This is a full roguelike mode, and you can play it with friends. It’s also incredible, and trying to get as far as you can when you only start off with a pair of pants and a knife is a lot of fun, hence it being on a list of the best co-op roguelikes.
