Summary
- Curated third-person co-op shooters that balance fun, challenge, and clever mechanics.
- From chaotic Helldivers 2 horde battles to soulslike Remnant 2 and roguelite Risk of Rain 2.
- Great for long coop sessions: buildcraft, procedural maps, raids, and friendly communities.
Good Co-op Third-Person Shooters to play with friends are hard to come by. Some titles have the perfect combination of fun, challenge, and mechanics to turn endless gameplay sessions into the best kind of experience to enjoy with your besties. But there are other titles that, despite being great premises, simply don't mix these three factors too well.
However, the titles on this list are guaranteed fun for folks who want to enjoy third-person action with a crew of their inseparable gamer buddies. From a game that challenges players to become beacons of Democracy all across the Galaxy, to one of the best cooperative action games based on the acclaimed author Tom Clancy's works.
Helldivers 2
Thousands Of Hours Of Fun, Slaying The Enemies Of Democracy
Helldivers 2
- Released
- February 8, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Extraction Shooter, Action, Science Fiction
The acclaimed cooperative shooter by Arrowhead Studios is an ode to joy for those who love Spaceship Troopers, and Horde-slaying games that pin down players against endless armies of vicious enemies. It's a fun game to play with friends, though it can be considered 'dumb fun' for many reasons.
This doesn't bring down the quality of Helldivers 2 by any means. On the contrary, the fact that players can just sit down and disconnect for hours and even enjoy failing when inputting the commands while deploying Stratagems is an obvious sign of this game doing all things right in terms of cooperative fun. It can get a little bit heavier on the higher tiers of difficulty (Super Helldive is a nightmare), but the more hardcore it gets, the funnier the fails!
Remnant 2
If Resident Evil And Dark Souls Had A Love Child
Remnant 2
- Released
- July 25, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Soulslike, Third-Person Shooter
Remnant 2 is, hands down, one of the best cooperative action third-person shooters players will be able to play with their friends. It's challenging, has a lot of room for buildcraft, and its procedural map generation ensures every playthrough is a surprise for those trying to beat its challenging scenarios.
Plus, its story is enthralling, seamlessly mixing magic, technology, and dystopian apocalyptic realms in a game where players incarnate planes walking slayers of gods, looking to destroy the corrupting entity known as The Root. It's simply one of the best games to try with friends, if they are up for the challenge, and enjoy the idea of trying a soulslike with guns and wicked powers. From the dark corners of a World, about to be swallowed by a singularity, to the Court of the Once and Future King, Remnant 2 is a voyage through the most dangerous realms of science fiction and sword and sorcery.
Warframe
Bring Your Friends, Ninjas Play For Free
Warframe
- Released
- March 25, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter
Warframe is not just any third-person shooter you can play with friends: It's a way of life. The Warframe community is one of the most welcoming and non-toxic, with a level of cooperation that is truly endearing. So, it's no wonder that this game has been going on strong for a decade and a half, enthralling players with its curious mixture of Sci-fi and Fantasy.
Players have dozens of Warframes to try, and everyone plays with their favorite, since there's a lot of room for buildcraft and even a system that allows players to share their builds with their friends. With tons of game modes, worlds to explore, and procedurally generated maps, as well as open-world scenarios such as the Duviri Paradox, Orb Vallis, and the enormous Plains of Eidolon.
Risk Of Rain 2
A Punishing Cooperative Roguelite
Risk of Rain 2
- Released
- September 11, 2020
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Drug Reference, Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Third-Person Shooter, Roguelike
Dive into action-packed procedurally generated worlds where enemies will swarm players mercilessly, and cooperation is the only way to survive long enough to make it out alive. Risk of Rain 2 is a sequel to one of the most awesome roguelites ever made, with a mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, characters with cool weaponry and abilities that ensure tons of hours of fun.
Players trying to reach the Obelisk to teleport back to base need to go through actual hell and beyond, while acquiring 'boons' or 'blessings' to empower their weapons, mobility, health, and abilities. It's a cool game, and offers tons of hours to enjoy with friends.
Gears of War: Reloaded
The Return of A Classic
Gears of War: Reloaded
- Released
- August 26, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Genre(s)
- Action, Third-Person Shooter, War & Military
Brought back from oblivion by The Coalition, Gears of War: Reloaded is the highly anticipated comeback of this legendary franchise that has offered thousands of hours of cooperative third-person shooting fun to millions of fans across the globe. There's no true action shooter fan who hasn't heard at least once of Gears of War, and this new reversion of the game was absolutely worth every second of longing.
Gears of War: Reloaded is a chance for new generations to know the story of Marcus Phoenix and Dominic Santiago, two brothers in arms who will have to fight back the vicious Locust invasion armed with an arsenal of powerful weapons and all the grit they can muster. Players trying the co-op campaign for the first time (or those coming back to the franchise) are up for a real treat.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
An Intriguing Urban Survival With Tons Of Room For Co-op Action
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
- Released
- March 15, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
The Division 2 is a decent multiplayer action shooter, with a post-apocalyptic scenario as its central conflict. Dormant agents, hidden among the regular citizens, are put into action once everything else fails. Players will need to band together to bring back order in the chaotic worst-possible scenario, where North America has been taken over by hostile internal forces and Rogue Agents trying to establish a new order.
It's a decent game, with tons of action, cool weapons, room for buildcraft, and even 'Raids' to challenge the most skilled Agents. Over the years, the game has received steady updates, and it's still going on hard despite all, and it has recently added lots of content drops that make the game even more interesting. Ubisoft has plans to bring back the game to its former glory, so now's the best time to reconnect with the game and bring back the squad to raid the Dark Zone together.