Nothing brings people together better than fear, right? Well, the following best co-op horror games are your opportunity to get together with old friends and new and scream your lungs out in unison.
These 15 titles will have you all cowering together, suffering from racing hearts and sweaty palms as you battle through or hide from unspeakable evils. They’ll leave you laughing nervously as the horrors close in and fighting selfishly for supplies when things get tough.
By the time you’re done, you’ll know who you can trust in a real apocalyptic crisis and who will throw you in the gaping maw of an unholy beast if it meant saving their hide. It’s all in good fun, though, right?
The Best Co-Op Horror Games
25. Inside the Backrooms
Developer: MrFatcat
Publisher: MrFatcat
Back in 2019, clever users took an image of a strange yellowed hallway and developed the concept of the Backrooms. When you “noclip” out of reality, you land in this maze of walls where strange entities await. Inside the Backrooms brings this horrifying concept to life in a co-op multiplayer experience that’s as straightforward as it is unsettling.
Once in the Backrooms, there’s only one thing to do—escape. Unfortunately, six entities and a mess of ever-changing puzzles block your path. You’ll need to work together to move through the maze of walls and dead ends, or else you’ll fall victim to nameless horrors.
Inside the Backrooms is a great depiction of the elaborate creepypasta and an entertaining multiplayer game sure to keep you and your cohorts at the edge of your gaming chair.
24. Labyrinthine
Developer: Valko Game Studios
Publisher: Valko Game Studios
We don’t tend to expect much out of a hedge maze. You get lost for a bit, laugh, and ultimately find your way out. Unfortunately for the hapless victims of Labyrinthine, their experience is quite different. Trapped in a seemingly endless loop of turns and dead ends, these poor souls are literally trying to escape with their lives. For many, they won’t be so lucky.
Tackle the core narrative, following the footsteps of an unfortunate fairground worker of the Happisburg hedge maze, or try your luck in procedurally generated mazes. Both decisions leave you facing puzzles that block your path and monsters looking to feast on your life force.
Labyrinthine is a surprisingly simple concept that offers a ton of depth as you uncover the mysteries within the maze.
23. Bigfoot
Developer: CyberLight Game Studio
Publisher: CyberLight Game Studio
Tired of only seeing grainy videos and photos of Bigfoot? Then jump into a game of Bigfoot and prepare to see the beast in high-def clarity. You’ll immediately regret your decision.
In this “kill or be killed” multiplayer title, players take to a dense redwood forest in search of Bigfoot. Equipped with traps, cameras, firearms, and other gadgets, their goal is to take down the murderous menace. Players that want to do a little killing can step into the role of Bigfoot and absolutely destroy the opposition with massage claws and weaponized objects.
Bigfoot feels like most other asymmetrical multiplayer games, just with bigger, meaner, and more horrifying stakes. Playing as the titular fiend is a delight, but there’s something about the camaraderie in dying together that really drives home the fun.
22. State of Decay 2
Developer: Undead Labs
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
The world has gone to pot and there’s only one way to survive: By working together.
State of Decay 2 poses a delightful way to experience the zombie apocalypse by thrusting you into an already undead world full of communities trying to survive. Yours is among them, and with the persistence of hordes and special zeds, it’s going to need a little help every now and then. While you can go it alone and try to keep things afloat, you’re also free to call in a friend in the game’s co-op multiplayer.
Participating in another player’s community does come with rewards, so it’s not entirely selfless to put your life on the line. Then again, you really need to consider whether going toe-to-toe with a Juggernaut zombie is worth the rewards you may gain. State of Decay 2 forces you to question the decisions you make, even if they’re for the good of another, as they may result in a complete disaster.
21. Back 4 Blood
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
It’s easy to paint Back 4 Blood as a Left 4 Dead clone, especially since Turtle Rock worked on the original zombie multiplayer shooter. However, the developer wanted to separate itself a bit and integrated a card-based mechanic that either provides players with perks or really mucks up their day with gaming-changing corruptions.
Back 4 Blood is the type of game that must be played with others, despite the addition of a single player mode. It simply doesn’t land as well, partially thanks to the poor AI. But there’s nothing quite like maneuvering through a level full of zombie-like Ridden with a few friends by your side.
Survival in Back 4 Blood requires teamwork, and all it takes is one sloppy teammate to alert a horde and completely tank a level. And that’s part of the game’s charm if you know who you’re playing with. If it’s a rando that’s trying to speed through the level, it’s simply just frustration.
20. Don’t Starve Together
Developer: Klei Entertainment
Publisher: Klei Entertainment
If Tim Burton were to develop a video game, we suspect it would be pretty similar to Don’t Starve. At the very least, the aesthetics would be near identical, which is part of the charm of this survival experience. Whereas Don’t Starve thrusts players into the mysterious Constant, where monsters lurk at every corner, Don’t Starve Together lets you bring a friend. And you’ll need them.
Feral beasts are only half the threat as hunger and sanity work against you every step of the way. Can you build a base and forage for food quickly enough to avoid succumbing to the elements? Probably not, but half the fun is trying.
You’ll need to coordinate your efforts, gather supplies, and make use of the in-game build mechanic to survive the horrors and perils of the Constant.
19. Deceit
Developer: Baseline
Publisher: Baseline
Few co-op experiences require you to consider whether or not you can trust your teammates. Deceit breaks the mold and thrusts players into uncertainty by infecting a fraction of them with a virus. Those that aren’t infected must work together to escape to safety, all while the infected work to impede progress, drink from blood bags, and remain undetected.
If they make it to the end of a zone without being exposed, the infected players mutate into deadly monstrosities and pursue their former colleagues. With no need for deception, the game becomes frantic as the innocent survivors struggle to avoid the grasp of their former companions.
Deceit is a game of trust and finding ways to impede your fellow players without turning them on to the fact that you’re infected.
18. The Blackout Club
Developer: Question
Publisher: Question
Remember when you and your friends gathered in a treehouse to talk about your town’s deepest, darkest conspiracies? In The Blackout Club, you won’t just discuss them. You’ll act out on the oddities brewing beneath the streets.
Up to four players join forces in this co-op experience to stop the evils that have been taking children. Using an array of gadgets and your wits, you’ll need to outsmart the adults that have the town under their thumb.
Together, you’ll accomplish missions to uncover the secrets haunting the quaint town all while escaping its deadly inhabitants and the unseen, supernatural Shape. Choose your path across each night and experiment with different solutions to find the one that exposes the truth haunting The Blackout Club.
17. Resident Evil Revelations 2
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
What if how you handled fear was what separated you from the survivors and those that succumbed? Breaking away from the franchise’s typical viruses, Resident Evil Revelations 2 infects fan-favorite Claire Redfield and newcomer Moira Burton with a strain that reacts to how afraid they are. Those that let their fear consume them become one of the “Afflicted.”
In Revelations 2, players can team up as Claire and Moira in their escape from the clutches of the Overseer. The two-part narrative often shifts focus to Barry Burton, who returns to the series to save his daughter. He’s joined by Natalia, a young girl with strange powers.
The two sides of the narrative offer two very different experiences. As Claire and Moira, players will have to use their wits to evade the Afflicted. With Natalia’s help, Barry can combat the island’s monstrosities. It’s the survival horror co-op experience fans have wanted from the series since Resident Evil 5 shifted the series into the realm of action.
16. Dead Space 3
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Many would claim this is where the Dead Space series went off the rails, but it’s really not bad at all. Its shift from a strict horror experience to something more akin to an action title helped integrate a co-op mode that saw series’ protagonist Isaac Clarke teaming up with Sergeant John Carver.
The game introduces human enemies to amp up the action, but there is no shortage of Necromorphs to dismember. Dead Space 3 has players work together to battle the scourge and swarms of religious fanatics seeking salvation from the Markers.
Yes, Dead Space 3 was a clear departure from its predecessors, but it’s not a game worth writing off. Quite the contrary, actually, as it offers something new that you and a friend can enjoy together.
15. Pacify
Developer: Shawn Hitchock
Publisher: SKH Apps
Never enter a haunted house alone. That’s one thing I’ve learned from countless hours of horror movies. Pacify sends you and up to four friends into a mysterious house on the search for evidence of the paranormal. As a member of Paranormal Activity Helpers Incorporated, you take what equipment you have to uncover the truth behind the home’s spectral inhabitants.
It doesn’t take long for the evil’s brewing beneath the floorboards to emerge, sending you on a frantic quest for survival. You and your friends will have to scour the house in search of items to pacify the spirit of the young girl. All you can do is hope that what you’ve found is enough to keep her from dragging you into the afterlife.
14. Hunt: Showdown
Developer: Crytek
Publisher: Crytek
Go on the hunt of a lifetime with a friend armed and ready to help you take down your prey in Hunt: Showdown. There’s a world of supernatural horrors waiting to meet the business end of your arsenal. Some may fall easily, giving you a false sense of power. Then you’ll meet the true horror that serves as your primary target.
Hunt: Showdown is a period piece that pits you against grisly monstrosities. Use your wits and an assortment of firearms and gadgets to bring down even the most brutish game. You and your partner aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Other humans armed to the teeth will stand in your way and soak up the bullets intended for the beasts that stalk the world of Hunt: Showdown.
13. Friday the 13th: The Video Game
Developer: IllFonic
Publisher: Gun Media
Could you survive the clutches of the infamous Jason Voorhees? Let’s face it, probably not, but Friday the 13th: The Video Game gives you a chance to find out. The asymmetrical multiplayer horror title teams you up with three other players in a fight for survival against Camp Crystal Lake’s most dubious camper.
Set in the middle of memorable locations from the film series, Friday the 13th charges players with trying to escape, either by waiting out the clock, calling the police, or fixing a car or boat. Every step of the way, Jason is one step behind you and your companions, ready to split you in two or jam a machete through your back.
In Friday the 13th, working together means working quickly and, at times, separately to find the necessary supplies needed for survival. It’s not your average co-op experience when playing as a counselor, but one that deserves your time.
12. Dead Island
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver
Slow-moving zombies aren’t so much of a nuisance that you can’t take them on by yourself, right? Maybe if this were a Romero movie, but the lumbering beasts of Dead Island will swarm you, leaving you to wish you had a gun-toting companion at your side.
Techland’s Dead Island delivers on a zombie game that stands out among the rest. Its slower pace lends to an experience that’s tense and fits well within the horror genre. Take on the hordes of the undead on the island of Banoi and assist survivors as you all just try to survive the spreading infection.
Dead Island is bloody and beautiful and the kind of game worth experiencing with another person.
11. Last Year: The Nightmare
Developer: Elastic Games
Publisher: Elastic Games
Asymmetrical horror follows you to school in this six-player multiplayer experience. You and four others must work together in order to escape the clutches of a deadly fiend. If you don’t team up against the ever-changing killer, you’ll find yourself facing a grisly death on the grounds of your school. No one should have to go out like that.
Last Year: The Nightmare launches you into a never-ending nightmare, spawned by playing an occult card game. Can you escape the clutches of the Fiend? Or will you and your fellow classmates become a supernatural fixture roaming the streets of your hometown? It will take plenty of coordination and teamwork to outsmart the Fiend and avoid becoming its latest prey.
10. Obscure
Developer: Hydravision Entertainment
Publisher: DreamCatcher Interactive
You’re going to have to dig a little into the annals of gaming to find anything about Obscure. The aptly titled survival horror game came and went on the PS2, Xbox, and PC, but it left behind a little hope for co-op horror titles. Styled in an old-school third-person view, Obscure pulls plenty of inspiration from the pioneers of survival horror – but it’s a little brave in its execution.
While you can play the game alone and explore the monster-infested school as one of several students, the co-op play is really where the game shines. It’s surprisingly dark and rather spooky, making it the perfect kind of game to have someone screaming alongside you.
Obscure features permadeath for each of the five playable students and was a surprisingly good example of how a game like Resident Evil: Outbreak could have featured side-by-side co-op over the clunky network features.
9. Devour
Developer: Straight Back Games
Publisher: Straight Back Games
It doesn’t pay to be part of a cult. Don’t believe us? Just ask the poor shleps of Devour. As your fellow cultists fall victim to the supernatural threat they summoned, it’s up to you and three friends to find a way to send the evil back from whence it came.
As you explore spooky, dimly lit locations in search of goats to sacrifice, a bounty of horrors pursue you and your friends. With no weapons at your disposal, the only defense you have is a UV flashlight that can tame the possessed cultists. Beyond that, you’ll need to run, hide, and hope your friends attract the fiend’s attention.
There are many surprises waiting for you on your quest for salvation. And unfortunately, all of them want to see you dead.
8. SCP: Secret Laboratory
Developer: Northwood Studios
Publisher: Northwood Studios
You’ve heard the stories of the SCP Foundation. Now, explore the underbelly of its laboratory in SCP: Secret Laboratory. While many players will opt to control one of the deadly SCP entities, others will want to take control of foundation scientists or test subjects fighting to survive this subterranean nightmare.
Deep within the underbelly of the SCP lab, you’ll need to work with other D-Class personnel or scientists to escape the monstrosities that have escaped their holding cells. Humans battle against humans as the Foundation’s lab rats rise up against the scientists that kept them locked in with the mysterious SCPs.
Choose your role and work with others like you to survive the horrors waiting within the SCP labs.
7. Cry of Fear
Developer: Team Psykskallar
Publisher: Team Psykskallar
With a friend at your side, can you survive a deserted town full of living nightmares in Cry of Fear? A full-length co-op campaign allows you to team up with three other players and battle through hordes of horrendous monsters.
Cry of Fear will keep you on your feet and will make it impossible to feel comfortable, even with friends battling alongside you. The atmospheric experience toys with your mind, leaving you to wonder if you can even trust those fighting with you.
Originally built from a Half-Life mod, Cry of Fear evolved into a delightfully frightening game that you can enjoy with friends and family.
6. Dying Light 2
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Techland
If you thought crushing zombie skulls with an electrified baseball bat was fun, imagine doing it with up to three friends cheering you on. If your imagination isn’t that good, take our word for it – it’s much more fun.
Dying Light 2 enables players to jump into one another’s game to either enjoy some side-by-side slaying action or to work through the story with. Everything great about Dying Light 2 is still available in the online co-op mode, though it’s worth noting only character progression follows the joining players.
There are quite a few zombie-themed co-op games you can really sink your teeth into, but Dying Light 2’s open world and weapon creation really make it one of the easiest to spend the most time in. Seriously, you may start by tackling the story, but an hour or two in and you’ll be trying to impress one another with your fancy zombie kills and parkour skills.
5. GTFO
Developer: 10 Chambers Collective
Publisher: 10 Chambers Collective
Do you trust anyone enough to submerge yourself into a subterranean world of outlandish horrors? The correct answer is always “no,” but GTFO forces your hand with a co-op mode that’s equal parts hilarious and surprisingly tense. As you navigate the crater left by the asteroid responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, you’ll weave in and out of sleeping monsters.
There’s a stealth element to GTFO so you can avoid alerting the sleepers, but you can bet someone in your time will misstep or take off running, setting you up for a very bad run. When you work together to remain hidden, though, completing the various tasks bestowed upon you by the mysterious Warden is a breeze.
But, of course, it doesn’t stay that way, and no matter how you play it, the monsters will come barreling down on you. Coordinate your defense, work together, and you may just have the opportunity to GTFO.
4. Dead by Daylight
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Publisher: Starbreeze Studios
It’s a fight to the finish between killers and their prey in this asymmetrical multiplayer experience. In order to survive, the four human players will need to work together to escape the realm of the Entity, an overseer with a thirst for souls.
While on the run from their deadly stalkers, the survivors must boot up a scattering of generators to reveal their exit. It’s not a goal any one person can achieve on their own, so it will take teamwork to outsmart the supernatural forces and familiar slayers working for the Entity.
Dead by Daylight features recognizable characters like Laurie Strode, Ghostface, Michael Myers, Ash Williams, and Freddy Krueger, who join a cast of original horrors sure to make your heart skip a beat. Only with others will you survive the unspeakable terror that is Dead by Daylight.
3. Phasmophobia
Developer: Kinetic Games
Publisher: Kinetic Games
Have you and your friends ever gone exploring in a desolate asylum, equipped with nothing but flashlights and bad decisions? Typically, you escape the night with only exaggerated stories, right? Well, take those harmless adventures and imagine actually encountering a spirit that’s none-to-pleased with your presence.
That’s Phasmophobia.
Kinetic Games took all of those harmless ghost hunts and crafted a multiplayer experience that captures the initial awe of entering a supposedly haunted location. Then the horror kicks in. As you and your friends attempt to identify the spirit for a hefty payday – using tools of the trade like an EMF meter, voice recorder, infrared sensors, and more – the specter gets more active and agitated.
Survive the night, gather enough clues to identify the spirit, and earn money to improve your ghost hunting equipment in this clever supernatural multiplayer title.
2. The Forest
Developer: Endnight Games
Publisher: Endnight Games
When you awake from the plane crash that isolates you in the middle of a haunting forest, your son is pulled from the wreckage by a mysterious figure. Alone and with no supplies, you’re left to scour the forest and nearby beaches for the tools needed to survive. Unfortunately, it’s not just the elements you’ll need to battle.
The Forest pits you and one other player against cannibalistic mutants that have overtaken the peninsula. From the nothing you start with, you have to build an encampment, fashion weapons out of sticks and rocks, and improve your defenses. Otherwise, you’ll succumb to the horrors that emerge come nightfall.
The Forest is a tense survival experience sure to toy with your nerves. Even as you upgrade your basic weapons and structures, the deadly cannibals come at you with even more terrifying mutations that will haunt your nightmares and prevent you from finding your missing son.
1. Left 4 Dead 2
Developer: Valve
Publisher: Valve
Is it safe to say that Left 4 Dead 2 is the ultimate horror co-op experience? Some may cry foul and claim it’s not a horror game, but you try saying that with a straight face when the Witch’s cries and haunting score fill your speakers. Or when a Tank plows through your teammates with ease and a Jockey takes control of movements.
In case you’ve been out of the loop, Left 4 Dead 2 pits four players against a horde of the undead. Along with basic infected, expansive, detailed maps are filled with special zombies like the Licker, Spitter, or Hunter, all of which can make your life a living hell.
It’s a rush to the safe house as you blast through countless waves of zombies together. There is no working alone as the ravenous fiends attack mercilessly, forcing you to provide cover to one another at all times. It’s one of the best bonding experiences you’ll ever have in a video game.
READ NEXT: 20 Best Free Horror Games of All Time
Originally published October 2019.
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