Best Co-Op Games of 2018
It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at the best co-op games of 2018. Voted on by our editors, these were the games that our team felt were the best experiences for friends and family to play together.
Let’s start with our honorable mentions, before going on to our runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!
Honorable Mention: Sea of Thieves
Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: Look, I’m not gonna mince words, Sea of Thieves was a bit of a mini-disaster at launch. A severe lack of PvE content meant that players were either getting burnt out on fetch quests very quickly or just blowing their way through them, delivering chickens until they got the Pirate Legend achievement. It wasn’t pretty.
However, it’s the exciting PvP situations that you could get into that made Sea of Thieves such a standout effort of 2018. The game allows you to team up with up to three other people as you sail a ship and scour the islands for treasure.
Now, the treasure-hunting part isn’t all that exciting, but just the amount of teamwork that goes into steering your ship is indeed something to commend.
A player would have to sit in the crow’s nest to watch for oncoming ships, one person would man the wheel and keep an eye on the compass, another would check the map to make sure you’re going in the right direction, and the last person would see that your sails were always catching the wind.
And things certainly do get exciting when you meet rival crews on the sea. When two ships clashed, your crew would have to really pull together to make sure you weren’t taking on too much water, while also manning the cannons to keep the pressure on.
Sea of Thieves excels because it’s not always about who has better aim and who can 360 no scope, but rather it’s about which crew can synergize better than the other.
Outside of all-out combat, Sea of Thieves can turn into quite the tense experience as you sneak aboard other players’ ships to steal their treasure. Or, y’know, just dump it all into the sea because you want to be a pirate jerk. Look, the game’s called Sea of Thieves, not Sea of Friends, and the in-depth sailing mechanics help make this one of the best co-op games of 2018.
Best Co-Op Games of 2018
Second Runner-up: Overcooked 2
Associate Editor Tom Hopkins: Just like most other co-op games, Overcooked 2 is all about working together to complete objectives. However, the cooking game sequel will lead to a lot more shouting and arguing than you’d expect from our other best co-op games of 2018.
With more complex dishes to cook, the addition of drastically changing levels, and the option to play online with up to four people, the Overcooked madness is taken to another level in this sequel.
It’s the same idea generally, seeing you chop, throw, and cook under the pressure of the clock, but there’s more to learn and keep an eye on this time.
Sitting alongside a friend or family member and trying to get the best score possible is hilarious fun at times. Yes, your partner will probably throw a piece of lettuce into a river, or put a completed dish in the trash by accident, but the screaming and arguing is all part of the enjoyment.
It’s lighthearted, silly, and more complex than you might expect. You may leave your time with Overcooked 2 having tested your relationship, but you’ll have a great time as you do.
Best Co-Op Games of 2018
First Runner-up: Monster Hunter: World
Contributor Pjeter Juncaj: Monster Hunter: World offers a well thought our co-op experience that’s unlike many others this generation.
Capcom has hit their stride as a publisher again, creating a game that works for the most hardcore or casual players of the Monster Hunter franchise, making it a perfect entry point into the series. Hunts can be as simple or as complicated as players want them to be.
The speed and intensity of gameplay is all up to the players, with the game offering many weapons to explore.
This variety encourages players to find what’s perfect for them; the meta-game encourages the use of the many loadout options, rewarding players for using weapons that are difficult to handle, making them a vital part of co-op play for those looking to have perfect hunts.
Whether you’re coordinating a perfect hunt with your friends, making sure you guys are all equipped with the best weapons and gear for that hunt, or you all just decide to grab hammers and pile on the monster, the co-op experience of Monster Hunter: World is undoubtedly among the best of 2018.
Best Co-Op Games of 2018
Winner: A Way Out
Contributor Andrew McMahon: Starbreeze Studios certainly took a risk when creating A Way Out, deciding to make the game co-op only. This means that it requires two players to be in-game at all times, instead of offering an optional AI companion.
That choice pays off though, as the players come to experience Leo and Vincent’s relationship together, imprinting each character onto the specific gamer playing them.
Not only does this form a bond between the players, their specific character, and the overall story, it also lends to the gameplay. Depending on the situation, the game does a great job in emphasizing the importance of each character’s role, no matter how trivial it may seem.
Be it boosting the other onto a ledge, distracting a guard, or providing covering fire, there is rarely a moment in A Way Out where both players aren’t doing something to help the other out.
While other co-op titles make it so that players usually have the same end goal in mind, it doesn’t necessarily mean they both rely on each other in order to accomplish it. Leo and Vincent literally can’t do this without each other though, hammering home that teamwork and cooperation is essential in A Way Out.
A Way Out exemplifies what it’s like to go on a complete journey with a friend in a video game. This dramatic tale manages to be creative, fun, and involving for both players, all the while immersing them in the prison break tale the entire time.
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