Best Horror Co-Op Games

It is always a good time to get into the spooky spirit and pull out some fun horror games to play with friends. Fortunately, game developers have done a good job over the last few years pumping out some interesting horror co-op experiences, so there’s something for everyone.

Whether looking for survival experiences, shoot-em-ups, or building to fend off enemies, the best co-op horror games should be able to keep a few friends entertained and scared. The genre comes in so many shapes, sizes, and gameplay styles that there should be something that suits most groups’ preferences, be it a craving for fast-paced gunplay or something a bit more deliberate.

Updated December 23, 2023 by Mark Sammut: 2023 produced several fun horror co-op games, including a new entry in a series that has historically excelled in this area.

17 GTFO

Metascore: 78

This game came out of nowhere and has been steadily gaining a loyal fanbase. GTFO has up to four players descending into a secret research facility swarming with zombie-like monsters. They react to sound, noises, and touch, so players must methodically take them out with hammers without waking everyone up. If they do, they must rely on a variety of guns, turrets, bombs, and other tools to fight the waves.

GTFO feels like a combination of Deadspace and the Last of Us 2. Teamwork is essential as the game is continually tweaked to make solo play impossible. It’s a hybrid of tense stealth and guns-blazing action. The only downside to this title is that the later levels haven’t been finished as it’s in early access, but in the meantime, it’s one of the best horror games to play with friends.

16 Pacify

Steam User Rating: 88%

Pacify is a horror co-op game that has four players working together to subdue and capture a terrifying little girl capable of immense evil. Players need to explore the house, and gather keys, clues, and any tools they can to appease the malevolent evil.

While it can be played solo it’s designed to be one of those scary games to play with friends. This game was created by the developers of Emily Wants To Play which means while it’s simplistic, it’s solid. Few moments are as terrifying as turning a corner only to find an enraged floating little girl.

15 Devour

Steam User Rating: 92%

Released at the beginning of 2021, Devour is a multiplayer game that casts up to four players as cultists trying to reverse a ritual that saw a demon take possession of their leader, Anna. Thrown into one of a few maps, players will need to scour the land in search of items that need to be burdened in order to banish the demon back to where they came from. Unfortunately, this proves to be rather difficult when there are a few dozen demons running around.

Devour is an intense game designed to terrify and panic players, and it generally accomplishes its goal. Friends can create a private server to play together, and this is probably the best way to experience this co-op horror game. That said, there is a single-player option for those who want an extra challenge.

14 The Outlast Trials

Steam User Rating: 94%

Any franchise that decides to shift from predominantly single-player experiences to multiplayer takes the risk of alienating its core fanbase as it tries to attract a new one. The Outlast Trials manages this transition better than many of its peers, although it should be noted that the early access game is not really all that similar to previous entries in the series. While single-player is an option, The Outlast Trials is undoubtedly intended to be played in co-op.

Unlike its predecessors, this project follows a mission-based structure that has players work their way through a few levels as they try to complete objectives. In general, the player’s goal is to escape a facility that is conducting human experimentation, all the while avoiding all sorts of creative and creepy entities.

13 Phasmophobia

Steam User Rating: 96%

Phasmophobia has gained a reputation as one of those great online horror games to play with friends. Up to four players can team up as ghost hunters to enter a haunted area and gather clues as to the nature of the haunting.

It’s unique in that players aren’t meant to banish, pacify, or subdue the ghost. The only goal is to identify what it is and get out alive. There are various types of ghosts with their own characteristics and dangers. There are passive Spirits, Yurei that can damage sanity faster, hard-to-find Shades, nearly silent Mylings, and the aggressive Demons that hunt players anywhere on the map.

12 Dead Rising 2: Off The Record

Metascore: 72

Dead Rising 2, Off the Record, and Dead Rising 3 all support 2-player co-op, and they each should be able to get the job done depending on what somebody is looking for. The latter’s faster-paced combat might be more accessible, but the older games have superior atmosphere, stories, and characters.

Off the Record took Dead Rising 2‘s story and threw Frank West into the mix, which was a net positive at this positive in the franchise. The full campaign can be played in co-op, and there is even a sandbox mode for those who just want to mess around in Capcom’s world.

11 Dead Island 2

Metascore: 76

An argument could be made that none of the Dead Island games qualify as horror since the scariest thing about them is the first title’s cinematic trailer, and even that is not all that terrifying. Still, zombies are synonymous with the genre, even if many undead stories focus more on visceral gore than bone-chilling frights. More importantly, Dead Island is a great franchise in general for co-op. The original game and Riptide are both more fun when played with friends, while the same could be argued for their long-awaited sequel. Just to be clear, Dead Island 2 is a blast solo thanks to its awesome gore system and simple but engaging combat, but the mayhem is enhanced when players bring two friends to the City of Angels.

Supporting only online co-op, Dead Island 2‘s handling of the feature reflects its general attitude: uncomplicated and designed to maximize fun. Other players can jump on board whenever they want once co-op is unlocked roughly 30 minutes into the campaign, and guests retain any progress made while they are not the hosts. Therefore, they can just start where they left off when they switch to single-player.

10 Barotrauma

Metascore: 81

A 2D survival horror game is unlikely to deliver the same visceral scares as, for example, Resident Evil 7 or Dead Space, but that does not mean they cannot be terrifying in their own right. Barotrauma casts players as the crew of a submarine tasked with investigating an alien world’s largely unexplored ocean, and these waters are anything but safe or welcoming.

Allowing for up to 16 participants at a time, players are assigned specific roles within the sub, and they need to complete their tasks if they want to have any chance of a successful mission. Along with just managing the vehicle’s many mechanics, the crew must keep an eye out for the ocean’s inhabitants, which come in many shapes, sizes, and nightmares.

9 7 Days To Die

Steam User Rating: 88%

7 Days To Die is a horror experience where up to eight players have seven days to build a base, gather weapons, establish defenses, hoard food, and then fend off a never-ending wave of the undead that comes for the player on the seventh day. It requires a good deal of teamwork, strategy, and planning to have a strong enough base to survive as long as possible.

The graphics and gameplay are a bit dated, but the game still holds up to be an enjoyable experience. Players can really flex their creativity and innovation skills in this interesting survival/building game.

8 Dying Light & Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Metascore: 74 (Dying Light)

Both Dying Light games have great online co-op, although an argument could be made that the first entry is superior in this respect. Both titles allow up to four players to take on the zombie apocalypse as a unit; however, Dying Light 2 restricts progress to just the host, so the other three players are essentially guests who get to visit another world for a brief time. Conversely, Dying Light allows all four players to save progress made during a co-op session.

This change slightly hurts the appeal of Dying Light 2‘s co-op feature, at least in terms of story and progression. That said, the zombie game is still a blast to play with friends since most of the fun comes from exploring this beautifully realized world. Non-host players also gain experience and items, so their time in co-op is not completely fruitless.

7 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3 (Zombies)

Metascore: 81

Call of Duty is, obviously, not horror, but the franchise’s Zombies at least assumes some of the genre’s iconography. This mode is also an awesome co-op experience that is fun in both local and online multiplayer. For the uninitiated, Zombies is effectively a horde mode with objectives.

Players have to work together to resist an undead army while steadily earning points to unlock weapons, benefits, and progress through a map. This mode even has a storyline. Most of the modern entries have decent-to-good Zombies modes, but if forced to highlight one example, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 would have to be it.

6 Left 4 Dead 2

Metascore: 89

Left 4 Dead 2 is one of the older co-op horror games, and Valve’s first-person shooter has aged beautifully. In campaign mode, up to four players are tasked with navigating the city of New Orleans to find safety and escape the hordes of mutating zombies.

In Versus mode, eight players can go head-to-head in teams of four, with one side playing the humans struggling to survive and the other playing the ravenous special infected trying to take them down. This game is fast-paced and loads of fun both as humans and special infected.

5 Resident Evil 5

Metascore: 86

A lot of players have mixed feelings about Resident Evil 5, but the two-player co-op experience is a lot of fun. Two friends can fight through the campaign together or jump into a short Mercenaries Mode that functions like horde mode but on a timer.

If a player can get over an annoying inventory management system, they will find that RE5 has a lot to offer for those who want to shoot through hordes of the undead and experience a decent story while doing it. The Mercenaries Mode is also nice if someone only has a few minutes to play.

4 Killing Floor 2

Metascore: 79

If a group of friends wants to get together and play a horror game then Killing Floor 2 should be in contention. It supports up to six players and tasks them with eradicating the undead, a process that entails meeting objectives and pumping lead into the enemy.

Killing Floor 2 also has a Versus mode that supports a whopping 12 players going head-to-head in teams of six with survivors versus zeds. This is a great party co-op horror game and versus is way too fun for its own good.

3 Dead Space 3

Metascore: 78

Dead Space 3 received a lot of flak for being more action-oriented than horror, but its multiplayer has certainly made up for it. Two players can join forces to bring down the Necromorphs on Tau Volantis, and the co-op campaign follows the same story as the solo version. It also has an ingenious game mechanic that causes one player to see things that aren’t there for the other player.

If players want to see their friend freak out and shoot at empty air or question why their partner can’t see the blood-soaked walls too, then Dead Space 3 is a great game to play this Halloween.

2 World War Z

Metascore: 73

World War Z flew under the radar when it came out, but it’s a fun and engaging experience if players don’t mind the lack of a decent story. Four players can join forces to bring down a swarm of zombies. Just like the 2013 movie, the game’s zombies will clamber on top of each other to surmount obstacles and overwhelm any humans they find.

If a group of friends are looking to gun down as many zombies as possible in a run-and-gun style of play then absolutely grab a copy of World War Z.

1 The Forest

Metascore: 83

In The Forest, players can theoretically play with as many people as they want thanks to dedicated servers, but eight is the recommended max. As survivors of a plane crash, players are tasked with establishing a shelter and defenses, while also gathering weapons to help them find the small child that was kidnaped by a group of primitive cannibals living in the area.

Even with eight players, people will find it a struggle to survive as cannibals will pick off survivors, monsters will bash through defenses, and diving into the dark caverns for supplies and to look for the kid is a harrowing experience.

Sons of the Forest is also in early access and a great horror co-op game.

MORE: Horror Games To Play This Halloween