Best Free Multiplayer PC Games

While there might be tons of great games to play on your own on PC, you might be looking for some games that you can play with a friend (or a few). Luckily, there are just as many great co-op games for you and your friends to play without ever having to pay a cent (unless you really, really want to).

These days, most free-to-play games are massive MMORPGs that allow you to make purchases in-game, but the good thing is that there is a surprising amount of variety to be found among those games. If you know where to look, you’ll find there are lots of great co-op games on PC.

Updated On October 08, 2024, by Sanyam Jain: Many co-op games in the market allow you to have a delightful experience with your friends for a limited time, but very few are the ones that let you play for as long as you want. Valorant is at the top among these games, rightfully having a spot on this list.

15

Path Of Exile

Metacritic Score: 86

The dungeon-crawling formula established and refined by the Diablo series has seeped into a lot of different genres these days. If you want a free variant of it to try out with friends, then look no further than Path of Exile. The game wears the Diablo influence on its sleeve, especially the more complex elements taken from Diablo 2.

It was a saving grace for a lot of fans who were less than pleased with the direction Diablo 3 went, which no doubt led to Path of Exile’s rise in popularity upon release. It may be free, but it can be hard to get into due to a surprisingly high skill ceiling. This can be a plus or a minus, depending on what type of gamer you are.

14

Trove

Metacritic Score: 65

Trove isn’t as complex as other MMOs, but that’s part of its appeal. You don’t need to spend a lot of time tinkering around with the systems. Attacking is simple, and there are only three abilities you can use in battle for any given class. The art style is also a little more welcoming with a voxel-based approach.

Even though the game is free-to-play, there are opportunities to spend more money with microtransactions. Admittedly, ignoring all of these makes some elements of the game big grinds, but if you are with friends, it is just the mindless fun you might need when hanging out with them through gaming.

13

Once Human

Metacritic Score: 71

While there are already plenty of zombie-shooter co-op games in the market, Once Human holds quite a special place among all of them. This game took to the skies on its release due to its massive open-world waiting for you to explore. Each area has something unique about it, and there are plenty of puzzles for you to piece together.

As you try to get various chests, you’ll also be fighting a bunch of zombies, with some having their own unique skill set. However, if you’re someone who likes to stay away from conflict, you can also focus on building a home for your co-op friends while they go outside and get the loot.

12

No More Room In Hell

Metacritic User Score: 7.5

• Release Date: October 31, 2013
• Developer: Matt “Maxx” Kazan
• Platforms: PC

Left 4 Dead is the big zombie game from Valve, but No More Room In Hell was an independently developed mod for Half-Life 2 that takes a more grounded approach to a first-person game in a zombie apocalypse.

The gameplay aims for realism and forces you to ration resources and make tough choices on when to fight and when to run. The standalone title is also free, much like the mod, allowing eight players to join and try to survive together.

There was no critic score available for No More Room in Hell, so we used the user score instead.

11

Valorant

Metacritic Score: 80

While there might be many games where you can group up with your friends to challenge various enemies, most of them put you against bots that have some predetermined controls. However, the true adrenaline of battle from video games comes when you’re up against real players on the other side.

Valorant is the perfect game to have this feeling as you can make a team of five people and queue up against another group with the same number. While there are multiple game modes, you essentially have to plant or diffuse the Spike in the most common one, but you can always win the round by just defeating all your enemies.

10

Dauntless

Metacritic Score: 78

There seems to be a trend among free-to-play games offering a free variant to a popular video game that costs money. Dauntless, for example, feels a lot like Monster Hunter.

It is built on the loop of defeating a monster whose loot helps you build stronger equipment to take on even more powerful monsters. Going into these hunts with friends is a great way to spend some time gaming. The main difference between it and Monster Hunter World is the more cartoonish graphics.

9

Alien Swarm

Metacritic Score: 77

• Release Date: July 19, 2010
• Developer: Valve
• Platforms: PC

Alien Swarm is for those who love hectic top-down shooters. In this one, you can go through the campaign with three other friends. Team composition is important to survival, so be sure to pick the right class and use the right equipment to complement the other players in your party.

The game started its life as a mod for Unreal Tournament 2004 before the developers were hired by Valve, and a standalone version came out in 2010. The standalone version is still free and runs on the source engine as opposed to the Unreal Engine.

8

Team Fortress 2

Metacritic Score: 92

It’s impossible to talk about this topic and not mention one of the most famous free-to-play games of all time, Team Fortress 2. A staple of Steam since the day it was available on the store, Team Fortress 2 is a great option to play with friends, or against friends.

It primarily serves as a first-person shooter with a variety of objective-based modes where you and some friends can work on the same team to decimate your enemies. The PVP may be over a decade old at this point, but the fact that it’s still relevant speaks to how much fun it is.

7

With You

No Metacritic Score Available

• Release Date: March 7, 2022
• Developer: Carol Mertz
• Platforms: PC

With You is a surprisingly charming little game for you to play with a close friend. Communication is key in this game, as you’ll have to work with your friend in order to overcome the various challenges that are thrown your way.

It’s far from the trickiest game around, but it is a fun way to spend time with a friend or even a loved one who may not be as into gaming as you. It’s worth a try, especially if you enjoy unique puzzle games that don’t go overboard with the difficulty.

6

Warframe

Metacritic Score: 64

A free game that lets you play as ancient and yet still futuristic warriors with your friends is always a great option, and that’s what you get with Warframe. Rather than getting a relatively simple experience, Warframe gives you a lot of options to choose from and gameplay to explore.

The best part is that the game isn’t a massive pay-to-win event. Instead, if you and your friends find yourself enjoying the game, you can just put in the effort to earn most things you want. It has RPG and third-person combat mechanics, keeping each play session fresh.

5

We Were Here

Metacritic Score: 63

If you and a friend are looking for a fun challenge that asks the two of you to put your communication skills to the test, We Were Here is just waiting to be played. You and a friend are stuck in a castle, and it falls onto the two of you to figure out how to get out.

Don’t go thinking that the game will be simple, as even many veteran puzzle game players find themselves stumped at times. The key is being able to communicate effectively. Otherwise, you may seriously struggle to get past even the simplest of tasks.

4

Apex Legends

Metacritic Score: 89

If you enjoy hero-based games, Apex Legends is probably already on your radar. Luckily, you can start the hero-shooter for free on Steam and make it a habit to play with your friends as often as possible in this fun little battle royale game.

It might be a struggle for you and a few friends to succeed as soon as you dive into the game, thanks to all the heavily skilled players, but don’t let that deter you from trying it. The simple controls and easy-to-grasp hero abilities make things fair for everyone who plays.

3

Destiny 2

Metacritic Score: 85

While it was a pay-to-play game at one point, Destiny 2 has since become a free-to-play experience and a solid one to choose for you and a few friends to play. There is just so much to experience in this game that you had better be prepared for all the time you’ll sink into it.

It’s a first-person shooter that offers a variety of modes to keep the game interesting. Luckily, it is a seriously fun cooperative experience, especially when you and your friends are constantly comparing gear loadouts and finding new ways to improve.

2

Goose Goose Duck

Metacritic User Score: 7.5

If you like the concept of Among Us but don’t feel like paying for the game (or can’t talk your friends into buying it), you might want to consider Goose Goose Duck. It’s basically the same experience, but with ducks to replace the crew members.

The game has gained a lot of notoriety thanks to major celebrities giving it a try, meaning that the game is incredibly accessible for casual gamers. It’s a quick experience, easy to grasp, and will result in plenty of laughs no matter who’s playing.

There is no critic score available, so we used the user score.

1

Halo Infinite

Metacritic Score: 87

While it has gotten plenty of flack, Halo Infinite is still a fun experience to give a try, especially since you can play it for free. If you’ve played a Halo game, you know what you’re in for, though the game does its best to keep things fresh when possible.

If you find yourself enjoying the game with your friends and want some lore, you may be interested in giving the campaign a try, though, unfortunately, that will cost you quite a bit. If you want to stick to a fun and easy multiplayer experience, it’s hard to go wrong with Halo Infinite.

Though the co-op campaign costs extra money, or at least a Game Pass subscription, the firefight mode is a solid alternative for those who want some PVE action.