One of the greatest miracles of the gaming industry happened during the first HD generation. Thanks to networks like Xbox Live and PSN, it became easier than ever before to play with friends online, and the connectivity has only gotten better. Also, the number of multiplayer games has increased, and there are so many good ones on the way.
Most Important Co-Op Games
Without these titles, the world of co-op gaming may not have evolved in the right direction.
That said, sometimes, multiplayer experiences are better when they are played solo. They may be harder alone, but there are numerous benefits to single-player experiences without others around. Here are five of the greatest multiplayer games around today, so let’s see the benefits of playing alone could be good.
Borderlands 4
Explore At Your Leisure
Borderlands 4
- Released
- September 12, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Gearbox Software
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
Borderlands 4 is the latest entry in the series, and more so than any other Borderlands entry, this is the one that feels the best without others around. First off, players can play the entire game with three others, and in some instances, there is even splitscreen co-op, which is nice to see appear in games still. First and foremost, Borderlands 4 is a loot-based game, and enemies will drop a lot, from guns to shields. This means players may spend a lot of time in menus and equipping gear, backing out to the world, testing the gun, and then popping back into the menu. It can be fiddly, but looter fans live for this type of min-maxing.
If players are gaming with others, they may feel anxious to force others to wait on them as they go through gear. Others may become annoyed to have to wait on others who perhaps spend too much time in menus, or just keep disappearing from the game because of outside issues. Beyond messing with loot, Borderlands 4 is also the first entry with a fully open-world design. When it comes to open-world games, players may want to just go out and explore, and not have to worry about what others want to do. Overall, the open-world design is better to get lost in alone, and the constant appearance of loot is more relaxing alone when it comes to menu surfing.
Elden Ring
The Challenge Is You
Elden Ring
- Released
- February 25, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Elden Ring is another open-world example, but it is a vastly different game from Borderlands 4. It is the first open-world game that FromSoftware has developed as part of their Soulslike band of games. Players can create their character, choose a class, and then head out into the world without much guidance. This is a similar starting design to most FromSoftware games, from Demon’s Souls to Bloodborne. That said, players can find plenty of NPCs to talk to, enemy camps to raid and look for gear, and of course, bosses. Before a boss, players can summon two friends to help them online, and once the boss is vanquished, the friends will disappear.
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Players can also summon friends to explore the world with them. Like the Borderlands 4 example, exploring an open-world game alone is more immersive. The difference in Elden Ring is that it is a brutally challenging game, and having friends along for the ride will make it easier. On the other hand, completing the game alone will award players more bragging rights as they can say they finished Elden Ring solo. Also, even beyond the realm of it being an open-world game, Elden Ring is a horror game through and through, and there’s something that gets lost in translation when another person is along for the journey. It lessens the horror and dampens the atmosphere, in other words.
Diablo 4
Focus On Skills
Diablo 4
- Released
- June 5, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Blizzard
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Hack and Slash
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
Diablo 4 is yet another open-world example, a first for the Diablo series, but unlike the others, it is from a top-down perspective. There are plenty of towns, side areas, and enemy hives to uncover, but it’s not an immersive world to explore, unlike something in 3D. Playing with others online to explore this world is actually a more positive experience, as the mobs of enemies can get overwhelming alone. Overall, Diablo 4 is more enjoyable away from friends because of the menu factor. First, the Diablo series created the idea of loot-based RPGs, and there is no franchise that does it better.
Players will find loot for themselves along with loot for other characters that they can then hide away in storage areas to access later if players decide to make a new character. That’s another aspect worth mentioning, as Diablo 4 has a great set of skill trees for each character that branch out. A Rogue, for example, may decide they want to focus on traps while another may prefer poison or ranged attacks. Between accessing loot and going over these skill trees, Diablo 4 is a better solo experience as players can focus on creating the perfect build without having others wait on them or input advice. It’s also worth mentioning that players can decide their difficulty level and go at their own pace, whether that’s on something easy or hard.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Forget Friends, Choose AI
Monster Hunter Wilds
- Released
- February 28, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Capcom
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
Before the Soulslike genre was born, the Monster Hunter series was well-known for being challenging. They were practically made to group up four players online to hunt monsters on the PS2, PSP, 3DS, and so on. Even after the quality of life improvements implemented in Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter Rise, they were still mostly impossible games without others online. That all changed with Monster Hunter Wilds, the latest addition to the series, which is also the first to go fully open-world. Since the game is more mission-based, the open-world design has nothing to do with whether or not the game is better alone or with friends. When players make their character, they can also make a Palico companion, who will only appear if players play either alone on missions or are only accompanied by one other person.
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If more players are added, the Palicos will disappear. Getting to battle with the Palicos is one good reason to play alone, as it’s the only way they can level up, and they are cute. Beyond Palicos, this game added an AI assistance feature with human comrades. Named characters from camp can accompany players on missions, and their programming is pretty good. Players will notice it may take longer with a full squad of AI partners to take a monster down, rather than if they were playing with live comrades, but the AI partners have a better consistent skill level to rely on. Monster Hunter fans know the feeling of getting stuck with a poor player who keeps dying on a mission, who brings the whole team down. With AI partners, there is less stress on failure, and in a world where time is precious, that is very important.
Destiny 2
Go Full Halo
Destiny 2
- Released
- August 28, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Destiny 2, like its predecessor, feels more like a single-player game in some aspects that just so happens to also have a multiplayer mode. The game was designed by Bungie, who made a big name for themselves with the Halo franchise, with its epic story and tight gameplay. Their Halo campaigns could be played in co-op, but as a power fantasy to become Master Chief, it was a more immersive experience to play alone. While players don’t inhabit a character as cool as Master Chief in Destiny 2, they can certainly customize them to make them appear like a badass.
Going through the campaign feels like a solo experience because the cutscenes only address players, making it weird if players happen to stumble upon others on patrols. In most cases, there are many missions with solo gameplay in mind. In contrast, the Strikes and Raids are designed around multiplayer and should be fully embraced to be co-op experiences. Beyond the immersion of single-player, there is also the loot aspect of checking out new weapons and also going back to home base to check in on quests, which is all the more freeing alone. Overall, Destiny 2 is like the best of both worlds as players can engage with the campaign and embrace the power fantasy while diving into multiplayer as a side activity.
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Hide the fine dishes, because they may get broken over squabbling about these couch co-op games.