Summary
- Co-op PvE games can offer relaxed multiplayer FPS experiences, great for friendly gaming sessions.
- Roboquest, Payday 2, and Deep Rock Galactic are great co-op FPS games that PS5 players can check out.
- Destiny 2, Borderlands 3, and Back 4 Blood provide fun co-op experiences with varied gameplay.
When it comes to multiplayer FPS games, PvP shooters dominate the landscape, and PvPvE games are growing in popularity. Alongside these options, Co-op FPS games are often overlooked. Yet, there's often little better feeling than getting together with friends online or even on the sofa and mowing down hordes of enemies together.
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Co-op PvE games offer a slightly more relaxed form of multiplayer FPS experience without the pressure of competing against other teams, and that's perfect for some friendly co-op gaming sessions. The PS5 has a number of co-op FPS options, and there's a good mix of classic, modern, AAA, and indie offerings for co-op partners to jump into. For those curious, here are some of the most fun FPS games to play in co-op on PS5.
8 Roboquest
Looter Shooter Lite
Roboquest
- Released
- November 7, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Roguelite, FPS
With its comic book art style and gameplay centered around hundreds of combinations of weapons, abilities, and upgrades, Roboquest has drawn comparisons to the Borderlands series. While that's certainly valid in broad terms, Roboquest goes its own way with a roguelite loop of in-run level ups and meta-progression upgrades. The gunplay and movement feel great, the weapons and characters are varied, and so too are the enemies and bosses players will face.
Things only get more hectic in co-op, with two players being able to synergize their builds and enemies that are scaled up to provide more challenge. The game is surprisingly robust for an indie roguelite and can keep two co-op partners entertained for countless hours.
7 Payday 2
Heist Together
Payday 2
- Released
- August 13, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Overkill Software
- Publisher(s)
- 505 Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
While Payday 3 certainly has more to offer now than when it launched, Payday 2 still remains the classic co-op game of the two in many players' eyes. There's more content and variety, and co-op heisters who have the choice might still prefer to go back to those classic maps.
For those who are still unfamiliar, Payday 2 is an FPS with a twist. Here, players work together to extract as much cash or valuables as they can from a map, so rounds will often start out quietly, with the FPS part happening once the alarms go off. There are plenty of maps in Payday 2 that deviate from this basic formula in a number of ways, too, which is one of the reasons that even modern co-op partners looking for a new FPS could do a lot worse than checking out Payday 2.
6 Deep Rock Galactic
We Are The Dwarves
Deep Rock Galactic
- Released
- May 13, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen due to Blood, Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Ghost Ship Games
- Publisher(s)
- Coffee Stain Publishing
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Deep Rock Galactic takes co-op fun seriously. Everything about the game is designed with co-op in mind, from the synergies between different character classes to the social options in the game's hub. The game really shines with four players working together, but it works for any co-op team of at least two. It can technically be played in single player, but that does feel like missing out on a lot of the fun.
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Deep Rock Galactic tasks players with fending off alien creatures while mining malleable maps that can be traversed and terraformed in various ways. This feeds into the co-op gameplay, with characters having different ways of traversing and interacting with the environment. The FPS part of the game is often hectic, and playing with friends makes this much more fun and elevates the title a great deal.
5 Back 4 Blood
Back 2 Left 4 Dead
Back 4 Blood
- Released
- October 12, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Turtle Rock Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Warner Bros. Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
When it comes to zombie horde shooters, there have been many games that tried to emulate the success of Valve's Left 4 Dead series. While some would say that it doesn't quite live up to those classics, Back 4 Blood is the closest thing to a modern version of the co-op horde FPS king.
It's an absolute blast to play in a group, with players trying to co-ordinate their characters and weapon selections in order to navigate the zombie hordes and other hazards. For co-op players who love to mow down waves of undead enemies, Back 4 Blood offers up an impressive onslaught of foes and often gives players creative ways to deal with them.
4 Far Cry 6
Co-Op Liberation
Far Cry 6
- Released
- October 6, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
Far Cry 6 doesn't do a lot to innovate on previous Far Cry games, but for fans of the series, it's got all the gameplay of its predecessor and a few new bells and whistles to aid in combat and traversal. The entirety of the game's open world campaign can be played in two-player co-op, and it's one of the most expansive FPS campaigns that two co-op partners can take on.
With players able to bring along animal companions and rebel NPCs getting involved in firefights, the FPS combat in Far Cry 6 can get chaotic fast. Especially as the game gets progressively harder, with better-equipped enemies, it can feel a lot better to have a co-op partner along for the ride.
3 Dead Island 2
Escaping L.A.
Dead Island 2
- Released
- April 21, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Dambuster Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Dead Island 2 combines first-person melee and first-person shooting gameplay with its creative weapon crafting system to provide a co-op game with endless entertainment for players who love some zombie gore. After completing the first few missions, players get the option to open their game to online co-op either with friends or through matchmaking. The game supports up to three players with shared story and quest progression.
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Unlike the first Dead Island, guns are plentiful enough in the sequel that they feel like a true part of the gameplay, and they can be crafted with additional elements and effects, just like the melee weapons. The dynamic dismemberment system and reactive environments make for some memorable co-op gameplay moments, too.
2 Destiny 2
Raid Team
Destiny 2
- Released
- August 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
When it comes to a fun online co-op FPS experience, Destiny 2's raids and dungeons are up there with the best experiences a group of friends can have. The game has gone through many overhauls and expansions, and most of what constituted the original story campaign is no longer present, but there's still plenty of shooting and looting to do across Destiny 2's maps.
The focus now is on the aforementioned challenging multiplayer PvE content and the expansion campaigns, so new players might get a little lost approaching the game now. But, for a group of co-op friends, even the experience of grinding item power levels can be a fun one due to the large amount of variety for both loot and enemies.
1 Borderlands 3
Badass Buddies
Borderlands 3
- Released
- September 13, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Publisher(s)
- 2K Games
Borderlands 3's story campaign certainly didn't come up to the standards of its predecessor, but for a fun co-op FPS game, it's hard to beat the chaotic feeling of high-level Borderlands 3 gameplay. The extensive character-building options via skill trees and gear and the synergies between characters in co-op can lead to screen-clearing combos and chaotic brawls. The co-op gameplay further elevates this looter shooter FPS, and it's also one of those rare games that lets players co-op from the couch as well as just online.
As the game evolved after its release, the endgame was expanded with Raid-like dungeons such as the Maliwan and Guardian Takedowns, and there's plenty to chase in terms of legendary items and weapons as players push up the difficulty scale. While fans eagerly await the release of Borderlands 4 later this year, Borderlands 3 is well worth revisiting for any co-op squads who might have skipped it.
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