Best Co-Op Roguelites

The roguelite genre takes heavy inspiration from roguelikes but strips away some of the more classic elements that make them so much like Rogue. Roguelites tend to do this by adding in some form of meta-progression that allows players to progress between runs, or, more often than not, by removing turn-based combat.

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By  Ivan Abadier

Most of these games feature real-time gameplay that makes them ideal for online co-op, though others use turn-based combat to great effect. Together, these games should provide a variety of solid cooperative experiences that make dying repeatedly a little less lonely.

Updated April 10, 2024 by Harry Ted Sprinks: Roguelikes and roguelites have become increasingly popular with mainstream audiences. However, disputed the semantics may sometimes be, the upside to this surge of the genre's popularity has resulted in a bounty of well-crafted roguelite titles.

Games such as Ravenswatch are pushing the boundaries of the action roguelite/roguelike, while the quirkier indie games like Rogue Star Rescue and Bravery And Greed creatively combine the roguelite formula with other genres.

1 Ship Of Fools

Steam User Rating: 80%

• Platform(s): PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch
• Released: 2022
• Developer(s): Fika Productions
• Genre: Adventure, Roguelite

This cooperative roguelite adventure tasks players with sailing across the open sea and defending their ship from a variety of monsters. Ship Of Fools is best played with a friend, as the game is built for cooperative play.

Ship Of Fools is an extremely stylish game, with a fun and distinctive art style, and its unique seafaring theme also helps it to stand out among the crowd. Although its action-roguelite gameplay is fairly standard, Ship Of Fools is elevated by its co-op gameplay.

2 Across The Obelisk

Steam User Rating: 83%

This turn-based, deck-building roguelite has players taking turns playing through hands of cards in parties of up to four players. The game features a hand-drawn aesthetic that utilizes simplistic animations, but the overall visual style is more than palatable.

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Across The Obelisk makes turn-based combat collaborative by allowing players to see each other's hands while playing, encouraging players to discuss and strategize together. However, each player controls their character throughout the game. It's an unusually social twist on the format and one that works very well. Each player's decisions are of equal importance, and each must take into account the others' cards.

3 Bravery And Greed

Steam User Rating: 77%

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox
• Released: 2022
• Developer(s): Rekka Games
• Genre: Beat 'Em Up, Roguelite

This side-scrolling hack-and-slash beat 'em up features crunchy pixel art and online/local co-op with up to four players. Bravery And Greed features four unique classes, several bosses, and options for both PvE and PvP.

Bravery And Greed is a decidedly old-school game, from its hack-and-slash combat and classic fantasy classes to the addition of couch co-op and multiple game modes. While there may be more refined co-op experiences on Steam, Bravery And Greed is a great choice for fans of old-school action.

4 Rogue Star Rescue

Steam User Rating: 93%

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox
• Released: 2021
• Developer(s): Chute Apps
• Genre: Roguelite, Tower Defense

This unique combination of bullet-hell action and tower defense strategy makes for a truly distinctive roguelite experience. Furthermore, Rogue Star Rescue allows players to play in both online and local co-op with up to four players.

Rogue Star Rescue is packed with charm, from its quirky characters and dialogue to its pixel art visuals and colorful enemy designs. A light story, multiple characters to play, and an abundance of guns and items make Rogue Star Rescue a cooperative roguelite with plenty of replay value.

5 Ravenswatch

Steam User Rating: 79%

• Platform(s): PC
• Released: 2023
• Developer(s): Passtech Games
• Genre: Action Roguelite

This top-down, hack-and-slash action roguelite can be played solo, but it's arguably more fun when played in online co-op. In Ravenswatch, fans play as one of several heroes inspired by old folk tales and legends, featuring characters such as Beowulf and the Pied Piper.

In the game, players explore a small open area, completing quests and challenges as they farm currency and experience. After a period of time, the game then transports all players to a climactic boss battle, which they must defeat to progress to the next Act. With several distinct heroes to play as, each with their own skill sets and a variety of passive upgrades to find, Ravenswatch is a surprisingly addictive co-op roguelite.

6 Children Of Morta

Steam User Rating: 89%

This roguelite action RPG tasks players with taking control of a family of adventurers, hacking and slashing through corrupted monsters in varied dungeons as they progress through the game's well-written story.

Although Children Of Morta doesn't feature permanent death (players instead play as a variety of characters in the form of family members, each of which is important to the story), the game is played in runs, with players being sent back to the family's home base upon death. Children Of Morta also features procedural generation that makes retreading dungeons less repetitive, as well as unique boss fights that help to spice up the gameplay.

7 Vagante

Steam User Rating: 90%

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
• Released: 2018
• Developer(s): Nuke Nine
• Genre: Rogue-Lite RPG

This fantasy-themed roguelite features RPG elements and high-lethality gameplay that fans of Spelunky will be no strangers to. Deadly traps, vicious enemies, and platforming gameplay make Vagante an action-packed experience, and like Spelunky 2, Vagante can be played in online co-op.

Vagante also features procedural generation that makes each run feel distinct from the last and keeps the gameplay unpredictable. The game's different classes also help to make Vagante's gameplay varied, especially when adventuring as a party.

8 Inkbound

Steam User Rating: 91%

Inkbound is a stylish cooperative roguelite game from the developers of Monster Train. The title's well-crafted gameplay centers around an innovative twist on turn-based combat that keeps things fresh and fast-paced while remaining strategic.

In Inkbound, players can explore the game's levels in real time and transition into a turn-based style of play when entering combat. Although Inkbound's combat is technically turn-based, players are able to move freely during their turns and take turns simultaneously, resulting in a surprisingly fast-paced experience.

9 Barony

Steam User Rating: 92%

• Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
• Released: 2015
• Developer(s): Turning Wheel LLC
• Genre: RPG

This first-person roguelite RPG features a voxel-based graphical style and gripping dungeon-crawling gameplay. Barony tasks players with rummaging through different biomes, battling enemies, and avoiding traps as they collect loot and level up.

Playing Barony in online co-op almost feels like old-school Dungeons & Dragons; the game features different playable classes, strong RPG systems, and plenty of deadly enemies and traps alike. It may look rather simplistic, but Barony has considerable hidden depth in its action, and there's a good deal of replay value thanks to the various classes.

10 Gunfire Reborn

Steam User Rating: 93%

This cooperative first-person shooter features a simple cartoon art style and looter shooter gameplay that seems to take heavy inspiration from games such as Borderlands. Gunfire Reborn also shares similarities with the aforementioned series with its focus on elemental effects and large-scale boss fights.

Gunfire Reborn doesn't require much strategic thinking, instead focusing on light build management and frantic looter-shooter gameplay. The multiplayer works well, and the abundance of playable characters allows players to strategize over team building to ensure that their choices complement each other well.