Best Online Co-Op Games On Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is firmly established as a staple of the gaming landscape. While not the only subscription platform on the market, Game Pass is unquestionably the most popular and, many would argue, the best. The service provides subscribers launch day access to every first-party Xbox game, along with the occasional third-party release.

While that is a crucial selling point for the service, Game Pass’ success can arguably be credited to its diverse lineup of games. From horror single-player titles to online-only PvP projects, there should be something for everyone on Microsoft’s service. Naturally, that includes online cooperative titles, but which are the best co-op games on Game Pass?

Remnant 2

Metascore: 85

Both Remnant games are on Xbox Game Pass, and they are fantastic co-op experiences. The Soulslike genre is no stranger to multiplayer, but it tends to be a fairly small part of the overall package; however, Remnant: From the Ashes and its successor are exceptions. While solo is a viable option in both entries, the games are undeniably designed with co-op in mind, particularly the sequel. Although garnering criticism for some technical issues at launch, especially on PC, Remnant 2 is generally superior to its predecessor, and newcomers can just jump into the 2023 release without worrying too much about feeling lost.

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Remnant 2 is, essentially, a third-person shooter Soulslike, although melee weapons are also available. Still, the gameplay prioritizes ranged combat above everything else, and it is generally weighty and satisfying. At the start of a playthrough, players build a character and pick an archetype, which acts as a class. These options are all designed around specific roles, and most of them are intended to be complementary to each other. The only exception is Handler since that archetype is tailored for solo play.

Using procedural-generation technology and featuring a wide assortment of worlds that each come with unique esthetics, Remnant 2 is ambitious and addictive.

Warhammer 40000: Darktide

Metascore: 74 (PC)

There are roughly a billion Warhammer 40K games, and they not only cover a wide spectrum of genres but also quality. Darktide is among the franchise’s better releases in recent years, and its action-heavy gameplay should also satisfy non-fans who are just looking to shoot and dice their way through hordes of zombie-esque creatures. The game offers four playable classes, each of which feels wildly different to control. They all have their positives, and most players will likely find themselves gravitating to one or two of the characters.

Darktide‘s 4-class setup obviously lends itself to co-op play, to the point of the game not launching with a solo mode. The campaign can get quite punishing at times, so party members will need to work together if they want to survive against the game’s various bosses.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Metascore: 77

Building on the Friday the 13th game, Sumo Nottingham’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has proven to be a great addition to the asymmetrical multiplayer world popularized by Dead by Daylight. Technically, these games are all co-op, although this feature tends to be lopsidedly implemented and not always emphasized. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an exception for one key reason: both sides are teams. Four victims must escape from three family members, a premise that goes against the subgenre’s traditional 4v1 structure.

Consequently, regardless of which group someone joins, communication will play a part in their experience. Beyond the PvP design, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre does a great job of capturing the spirit of its terrifying source material, all the while still being accessible to those who might not be familiar with the 1974 movie.

Minecraft Legends

Metascore: 71

Minecraft Legends lives with a decent but not glowing reputation, but the spin-off is generally a fun time. As RTS projects are not known for their accessibility, linking the genre to the most successful game of all time should introduce a wide batch of new players to the strategy world. Minecraft Legends offers a fairly straightforward experience, and while the game contains RTS fixtures, these elements are presented through a hack and slash filter. The result is an enjoyable but somewhat shallow overall package.

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If someone is bored with solo runs, they can invite a few friends to help them take on the Piglins. Minecraft Legends‘ online co-op feature does not really change the core loop all that much as the game does not tether the party members to each other, encouraging them to co-exist while still doing their own thing. Players can also team up for PvP battles.

Grounded

Metascore: 82

Obsidian’s resume speaks for itself, particularly when it comes to character-driven RPGs. However, Grounded saw the developer step into uncharted territory known as the survival genre. After being shrunk down to miniature size, players find themselves walking beneath a lawn’s leaves and cowering in the face of insects. Along with story-driven exploration with the goal of freedom, players will need to monitor and react to the behavior of the entities that make up this area’s ecosystem.

Grounded works beautifully as a single-player adventure, but it also supports online co-op. In fact, Obsidian even allows people to create a Shared World that can be accessed without needing a host to be present. The game features four playable characters who interact with each other during co-op sessions, which enhances the multiplayer’s immersion.

Sea Of Thieves

Metascore: 69

Considering it had a fairly tepid launch, Sea of Thieves has blossomed into a fantastic multiplayer-driven project. Four players can team up to form a pirate crew and head out into the unknown in search of treasure, adventure, and maybe a Kraken. While solo explorers do exist, they will be at a disadvantage since Sea of Thieves is intended with co-op and PvP in mind.

Even though more than five years have passed since the game’s debut, Rare is still regularly producing updates that introduce fresh events and loot. There is almost always something new for a crew to discover in Sea of Thieves​​​​​​.

Payday 3

Metascore: 65

Xbox Game Pass has Payday 2 and its 2023 sequel, Payday 3. In their current states, the former is the better overall game, which is not surprising since it is built upon roughly a decade’s worth of updates. Payday 3 is still very much in its infancy, and it launched with less-than-plentiful content. Consequently, someone who goes from the second game to the third might find themselves growing bored with the latter fairly quickly, especially since the core loop is largely identical between the two releases.

Ultimately, Payday 3 gets the nod because it is the franchise’s future. One has to assume that Overkill will be dedicating the next couple of years to expanding and improving the game, and it will hopefully reach a point where it can effortlessly repeat the success of its predecessor. It is not there yet, and it might not get there for a while longer, but if a few friends are tempted to dive into this heist-focused franchise, they should start with Payday 3. The core gunplay is also better in the newest entry.

Grand Theft Auto Online

Metascore: 80 (Xbox 360)

In an unexpected surprise, Grand Theft Auto 5 was randomly added back to Xbox Game Pass in 2023, automatically planting Rockstar’s eternal open-world game as one of the service’s best offerings. Obviously, the single-player campaign is fantastic and should readily keep someone entertained for a couple of weeks; however, people specifically looking for multiplayer will need to check out GTA Online. GTA 5‘s companion mode has dominated most of Rockstar’s attention over the last decade, with the developer consistently adding new content or cycling through events. There is always something to do in GTA Online, and it is up to players to decide whether they want to ride solo or as part of a crew.

Although fun alone, Los Santos really comes alive when a few people are working together (or against each other since competitive multiplayer is also a big part of GTA Online). Players can team up to take on a wide range of contracts, heists, and missions as a unit, and the game allows up to 30 players to exist within the same universe. While perhaps not as co-op centric as titles like It Takes Two, GTA Online can probably keep players engaged longer than any other game on Game Pass.

Deep Rock Galactic

Metascore: 83

Hoxxes IV holds many riches and even more hazards. Working for the eponymous corporation, players are charged with diving into the alien planet’s underground caverns to dig for resources, a process that tends to attract the attention of the aggressive and buggy locales. Thankfully, the playable dwarves are more than capable of defending themselves through an array of weapons and even a few skills. Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op treat that can be played almost endlessly thanks to its procedurally generated levels, and the game offers one of the best demonstrations of that technology’s potential.

Before heading out into the depths, players can pick from Deep Rock Galactic‘s four classes, all of whom serve specific roles that set them apart from their companions. As each dwarf can be leveled up independently, the game encourages users to swap them around as needed until they find a class they unquestionably prefer. While enjoyable in single-player, Deep Rock Galactic improves immensely when experienced alongside a few friends. This goes beyond the idea that “multiplayer makes everything better” since the gameplay is obviously intended to be played in co-op. The classes work well in solo runs, but their full potential can only be unlocked by linking up with their fellow dwarves.

Gunfire Reborn

Metascore: 75

A roguelike shooter that started on PC before making its way to mobile devices and eventually Xbox, Gunfire Reborn is an addictive game that can be difficult to put down once it sinks its claws in a player. Runs revolve around clearing a series of levels, with the focus being on just wiping everyone in a room. Levels are procedurally generated, including the enemies and bosses held within, so Gunfire Reborn offers quite a bit of replayability. During runs, players collect coins that can be used to upgrade weapons and their chosen character.

The FPS allows for up to four people to join in the fan, and co-op elevates an already good game to greatness. While every Gunfire Reborn player starts with a cool cat prince character, they will eventually unlock new heroes, all of whom can be leveled up and come with unique abilities and skill trees. The latter serves as the driving force behind repeat runs, although the core gunplay is also rock-solid.

Monster Hunter Rise

Metascore: 87

Monster Hunter has become a staple of not only single-player content but also co-op ones. Rise is no exception, offering up to four players the opportunity to form a party and go on hunts together. Obviously, this comes with a spike in difficulty for the battles, although the game is still among the easier entries in the franchise. Now, complete newcomers might want to start with the single-player village quests just to get a hand of things and learn the basic mechanics; while this content does not support multiplayer, it should take less than 10 hours to complete and essentially acts as a glorified tutorial. More importantly, all the quests in the hub can be played in co-op, and these missions are the real meat of the package.

Monster Hunter Rise is all about fine-tuning builds to cater to a specific monster, and the incorporation of multiple party members provides more room for experimentation. In solo runs, targeting multiple monsters per expedition can be too time-consuming, but this is more feasible when a few hunters are working together.

Valheim

Metascore: N/A

Regardless of whether it is played solo or alongside a few other Vikings, Valheim is a great in-development project that is an easy recommendation for fans of open-world or survival games. If players decide to go with co-op, they have the option to create a public or private server that supports up to 10 active participants at a time. The game’s focus is on PvE and cooperative multiplayer, although two players can engage in PvP if they both decide to go down that path.

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Valheim drops players in a procedurally generated world and tasks them with setting up a base, exploring various biomes, and taking on a few bosses (along with a myriad of smaller enemies). In single-player, Valheim plays out like a traditional survival experience with a few RPG elements, and the game can get rather difficult. In comparison, co-op adds a sense of community that is naturally absent from solo runs, and this feature arguably leads to a more unique and satisfying overall adventure.

Back 4 Blood

Metascore: 74

Back 4 Blood has a weird reputation. Despite launching to a relatively decent reception, the game generally struggled to step out of Left 4 Dead‘s shadow, a fate that has befallen quite a few projects that have tried to replicate the success of Valve’s duology. Although not completely dead by this point, Back 4 Blood has lost a lot of momentum since Turtle Rock stopped supporting it in February 2023. Consequently, it is difficult to unabashedly recommend the 2021 release in this day and age; or, at least, that would be the case if the title was not available on Game Pass.

For all its flaws, Back 4 Blood is a fun zombie shooter with a decently lengthy campaign. A polarizing but interesting card system adds quite a bit of replayability to the package since it provides each class with a range of build options. However, even if players have no intention of sticking with Back 4 Blood in the long run, they can at least enjoy a couple of days’ worth of action. Even if it does not reach the level of Left 4 Dead, this game is still a very good attempt at replicating that style.

Halo Infinite

Metascore: 87

Halo and co-op are synonymous, which made the fact that Halo Infinite launched without the feature inexcusable. Eventually, 343 added online co-op support to the campaign, although the developer also made the controversial decision to nix local co-op. Due to everything that has happened since its launch, Halo Infinite cannot be described as an unbridled success for Xbox, but the game’s triumphs should not be dismissed either.

The campaign is ambitious, expansive, and, a blast to play through. Sure, it has some pacing issues and a rather rough ending, but the positives outweigh the negatives. The same can be also said for Halo Infinite‘s online co-op, which has a few frustrating moments but is largely fantastic. Co-op works better during the campaign’s linear missions than its open-world, but the latter is still enjoyable provided players stick relatively close to each other.

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