Best Strategy Games For Both PvP And Co-Op

Strategy games excel at delivering fantastic narratives and gameplay through novel mechanics and storytelling means - it's a genre that has been around for decades and has continued to evolve and thrive within a variety of sub-genres throughout the years. No matter what kind of strategy title players are looking for, whether it's something tactical and complicated or story-focused and expansive, there will be a game to scratch that itch.

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But one staple of the strategy genre that continues to this day from among the best titles is the ability to play with other people. Sometimes this means going head to head with another player, strategizing and planning around their armies to deliver a swift defeat to them. Other times, this means allying with a friend to face an alliance of similarly unified enemies. These games excel at delivering both PvP and co-op experiences to players.

1 Age Of Wonders 4

Ally Or Attack Players In One Setting

There are multiple paths to victory in Age of Wonders 4, but all of them can be shared if two or more powers are in an alliance together. This leads to some incredibly interesting developments in a multiplayer game where no alliances have been set before play. Players might end up allying with one another to create larger factions working toward a singular goal, or early discoveries of each other's civilizations on the map could lead to some lethal early game wars.

Toward late game when players are close to finalizing an end-game goal, such as the expansion or magic victory, where enemies can begin attacking the placed beacons or golden wonders that are essential to these more peaceable victories, having allies to defend these spots is essential, and a combination of PvP and co-op in the same playthrough is an incredibly fun RP-heavy experience.

2 Stellaris

Navigate Galactic Politics With Friends

With each empire having such a huge variety of origins and civics to pick from, each game of Stellaris feels like its own unique space opera. Perhaps in one game, players might end up forging through the galaxy with peaceful diplomatic empires that only want to expand and grow their settlements in harmony. Other games might be filled with colossal warmongers, so hostile and influential that the galactic community doesn't even get formed.

It all goes out the window when playing with friends. Will you and your fellow players forge a galactic alliance to aid in preserving peace? Or will the galaxy be host to wars on a scale never before seen? Both options are available at any time in Stellaris' multiplayer experience, so players should always be prepared.

3 Mechabellum

PvP Is The Game's Focus, But There's An Excellent Co-Op Mode

Mechabellum is a highly complex, highly tactical real-time strategy game that does not hold players' hands beyond the tutorial. Every unit has a counter, every army has a weakness, and it's up to the player to come up with novel ways to defeat their opponents unless they want to be crushed by an opposing army. Upgrading units is an exercise in risk management; is it worth upgrading a lower tier unit or purchasing a base level higher tier one?

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But for players who want to take a break from the PvP, there's an incredibly fun PvE mode that can be played in "duos," with two players fighting against AI or other humans in similar pairs. Synergizing with a partner while countering not just one, but two strategies (or maybe one kind of mega strategy from both players at once) is a hard but incredibly satisfying way to experience this game's co-op.

4 Stormgate

A Fresh And Exciting RTS

Following an extended amount of hype, Stormgate stands today as a great early access RTS, free to play with both 1v1 PvP formats and 3-player co-op modes, with more multiplayer formats available as development continues. This is a fantastic title with a lot going for it even in early access, giving players access to fantasy strategy goodness, for free, on a scale rarely seen.

Players choosing PvP or the co-op modes will have their work cut out for them, as the game is not the easiest to pick up straight away, but it is an incredibly satisfying experience nonetheless and one that any strategy fan should be on the lookout for, especially as the game continues to grow and develop.

5 Victoria 3

An Excellent Multiplayer Experience For Roleplaying And Strategy

There are many economic mechanics in Victoria 3 that work to make it one of the most well-realized and in-depth grand strategy titles of all time. Players can take and shape their nation through one of the most tumultuous periods in human history, and they can do it while understanding how their political and economic management is shaping the lives their citizens lead.

The roleplaying potential in this title is limitless in multiplayer, with larger nations and smaller ones forming customs unions, going to war against each other, or negotiating beneficial deals with one another. It's an excellent game for allowing PvP and co-op in equal measure.