Competitive multiplayer games have been a key part of gaming since its inception. Gamers have been using games to compete since the days of Pong in the 70s through the era of split-screen with GoldenEye 007 to the online battles of mega FPS franchises like Halo and Call of Duty. Competitive multiplayer remains a key selling point for many games today, and a fresh batch of new PvP titles are released every year.
Of course, not every PvP game delivers on its promises. There are some competitive multiplayer games that take the market by storm and become mainstays, but there are others that come and go without much fanfare. Some competitive multiplayer games start out hot but fizzle out, while others are played for years to come.
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The 10 Best Co-Op Games of 2024
All kinds of great co-op games were released in 2024, with these 10 standing out as the absolute best the year had to offer.
For anyone looking for a newer competitive multiplayer experience, these games are the best 2024 had to offer. Keep in mind that we only included brand-new releases, so live-service games like Fortnite and Overwatch 2 weren’t eligible. It’s also worth keeping in mind that this list is presented in alphabetical order.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Read Game Rant’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Review
Call of Duty has featured PvP modes since the very first game released in 2003, but the franchise’s competitive offerings didn’t really take off in a massive way until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Call of Duty 4 completely changed the face of competitive multiplayer and drafted the blueprint that the franchise still follows to this day. Due to their annual release schedule and adherence to the established formula, many Call of Duty games feel a little “samey,” and while that’s true for Black Ops 6, the latest game in the long-running franchise also features some significant new features that help shake things up quite a bit. The biggest example is Black Ops 6‘s omnimovement feature, which adds an exciting new dynamic to multiplayer encounters.
Black Ops 6 gives competitive multiplayer fans significant bang for their buck, with plenty of new content on the way. Fans can enjoy the standard Call of Duty multiplayer modes in Black Ops 6, plus the return of the beloved 2v2 Gunfight mode. Since Black Ops 6 is a live-service game, fans can expect plenty more new modes, maps, weapons, and more in the months leading up to the 2025 Call of Duty game, whatever it may be.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
Read Game Rant’s Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Review
Many fighting games are built entirely around the concept of balanced competition, and while that can’t be said for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the game’s PvP is still a blast. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero‘s overpowered characters and design choices have kept the game from being taken seriously on the tournament stage, but those looking to simply have fun with their friends can’t go wrong. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero features a massive roster of characters pulled from all corners of the Dragon Ball franchise, ridiculous over-the-top moves that are fun to pull off, and though it’s limited in its features, an offline split-screen mode for those that want to relive the Budokai Tenkaichi days.
College football fans have been waiting over a decade for a new game, and EA Sports finally delivered with 2024’s EA Sports College Football 25. With record-breaking sales and largely positive reviews, it’s safe to say that EA Sports College Football 25 has blown away all expectations. One reason for its success is its PvP multiplayer, which lets players compete in local or online games. College Football 25 is quite easily the best football game on the market, and so football fans with a competitive itch really can’t go wrong with it. It’s certainly a step up from the recent Madden offerings, if nothing else.
EA Sports FC 25
EA’s soccer franchise has consistently delivered some of the most hard-to-put-down multiplayer experiences there are, and EA Sports FC 25 is no exception to the rule. The award-winning EA Sports FC 25 features both offline and online PvP options typical of EA’s sports games, and it even introduces a new competitive multiplayer mode to the mix. EA Sports FC 25‘s new 5v5 Rush Mode makes for an exciting addition to the game’s already comprehensive competitive multiplayer options, giving players even more reason to pick up the latest entry in the annual sports series.
Marvel Rivals
Read Game Rant’s Marvel Rivals Review
Even though Marvel Rivals just launched a couple of weeks ago, it’s already one of my most-played competitive multiplayer games of the year. Marvel Rivals‘ concept is simple, but genius. It’s essentially a third-person Overwatch with Marvel characters instead of Blizzard’s original heroes. Marvel Rivals launched with 33 heroes on its roster and eight multiplayer maps spread across four different game modes, with plenty more content in the pipeline. Since Marvel Rivals is a live-service game, it will receive regular updates that address balance issues as well as add new playable characters and maps.
In fact, Marvel Rivals has launched its first post-launch event. The Marvel Rivals Winter Celebration introduces a limited-time game mode starring breakout character Jeff the Land Shark, and it also gives players the chance to add some holiday-themed cosmetics to their collection. Marvel Rivals fans can expect many more special events in the future.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
Mario Party has been a local multiplayer mainstay for decades now, but Super Mario Party Jamboree may be the best game in the series to date. Super Mario Party Jamboree is easily the most fully-featured Mario Party game ever made, with a nice selection of new and returning game modes, a huge number of mini-games, and the largest roster in series history. Super Mario Party Jamboree‘s main draw is the chaotic fun that players can have with their friends in local multiplayer, but the game also offers extensive online multiplayer options as well. Not only is Super Mario Party Jamboree one of the best new competitive multiplayer games of 2024, but it’s also one of the best games that released on the Switch this year as well.
Tekken 8
Read Game Rant’s Tekken 8 Review
Tekken 8 dominated the fighting game scene this year, and for good reason. A revamped fighting system combined with a shift to Unreal Engine 5 helped Tekken 8 deliver some of the most hard-hitting and visually-stunning action in series history, reflected by the fact that the game is one of the highest-rated new releases of the year. While Tekken 8 represents significant leaps forward for the franchise, it also holds true to its long-running traditions, offering a suite of offline and online competitive multiplayer modes for fighting game fans to lose themselves in. Tekken 8 takes its online multiplayer options to the next level by introducing crossplay support, making it easier than ever before for players to battle their friends.
Top Spin 2K25
There aren’t many tennis game options on modern consoles, which helped make Top Spin 2K25 that much more exciting. Before Top Spin 2K25, the last Top Spin game from 2K was 2011’s Top Spin 4, so tennis fans have been waiting ages for a new entry. Luckily, Top Spin 2K25 managed to exceed expectations, releasing to mostly positive reviews and even securing itself a nomination for Best Sports/Racing Game at The Game Awards 2024. Top Spin 2K25 features multiple online multiplayer modes for players to enjoy, and it also has offline multiplayer support as well, ensuring that it offers a truly well-rounded PvP experience.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Read Game Rant’s Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 Review
Coming 13 years after the release of the first Space Marine game, many expected Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to be good, but it’s safe to say it was even better than many anticipated. Whereas many games nowadays tend to focus on one thing or another, Space Marine 2 offers a truly complete package. It boasts an action-packed co-op campaign, dedicated bonus co-op modes, and a PvP mode that feels like a throwback to the glory days of the Xbox 360 in the best ways. Space Marine 2‘s PvP may not be the game’s main selling point, but it is still a ton of fun and offers fantastic cosmetic customization options to boot.
WWE 2K24
Read Game Rant’s WWE 2K24 Review
TopSpin 2K25 wasn’t the only remarkable sports game that 2K published in 2024. WWE 2K24 is arguably the best WWE video game since the series was “rebooted” with WWE 2K22, building on what came before with major new features and vast improvements to existing game modes, including the General Manager mode. WWE 2K24 retains all the online multiplayer and local multiplayer modes from the previous games in the series, ensuring countless hours of exciting in-ring action for WWE fans. In terms of pure fun factor, it’s still hard to beat the chaos of WWE 2K24‘s local multiplayer brawls.
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