The Best Multiplayer Games That Reward Creativity

Modern multiplayer games are a staple of practically every genre under the sun, from thrilling survival to bone-chilling horror to high-stakes grand strategies. Players are no longer limited to a handful of titles and sharing the same sofa. Whether it’s PC, mobile, or console, multiplayer games are available anywhere and anytime. There’s always the opportunity to delve into a game with friends or make new ones along the way.

Most games require some level of creativity, but not all actively reward it. Those that do are often the most fulfilling to play, encouraging players to explore the full breadth of items, skills, and mechanics available to them.

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The following games are ranked based on how important creativity is to gameplay and how much a game rewards creativity. The quality and longevity of these games’ multiplayer experiences will also be taken into consideration.

6

Terraria

Creativity Enhances Gameplay

• Survival crafting game set in a dangerous fantastical world.
• Creativity makes for many varied and enjoyable experiences.
• Players are rewarded with new items, bosses, and a sense of achievement.

Terraria is a survival crafting game that thrusts players straight into the action in a foreign fantastical world. Survival is only half the battle here, as players team up to explore varied biomes and collect unique resources to face off against a roster of increasingly deadly bosses.

Creativity may not be essential to progressing through the game, but it will undoubtedly make it easier and more enjoyable. Every boss and biome is different, sporting unique dangers and challenges for players to overcome. Strategy and experimentation is the name of the game here, and will be rewarded with stronger items, special crafting materials, and access to new and terrifying bosses.

Players who are more interested in building and exploring than boss fights will already know how important creativity is for making enjoyable and emotionally rewarding experiences. Terraria is no different. Whether designing and building a home with friends, pushing the limits of the game’s mechanics, or testing new (albeit probably stupid) ideas on each other, creativity is a must-have.

5

Ultimate Chicken Horse

With Creativity Comes Success

• A competitive 2D obstacle course building platformer.
• Creativity is essential for beating dangerous courses.
• Success awards players points and bragging rights.

Nothing says chaos quite like a game of Ultimate Chicken Horse. All bets are off in this 2D platformer party game, where players work to build an obstacle course deadly enough to kill everyone but themselves. It’s a delicate balancing act, to say the least; one filled with rage, terror, and triumph!

Creativity is the name of the game here, as players have a selection of items to add to the obstacle course each round that they can place anywhere on the map. The course can change rapidly, from simple success to a horrifying death trap. All it takes is one trap placed in the right, or rather wrong, place. Creativity is also vital for traversing the hazards of these courses, as players must adapt constantly to an ever-changing map.

Players that survive these gauntlets will be rewarded with points and ultimately a win should they prove their skills enough times.

4

The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth

Creativity Equals Power

• Repentance+ adds multiplayer to this roguelike shooter.
• Optimizing character strength requires a lot of creativity.
• Success sees players unlock new items.

In this horror-themed roguelike shooter, players must navigate through the depths of the world, clearing rooms of enemies, collecting items, and defeating bosses to progress through the game. With the release of Repentance+, players can enjoy the thrills and terrors of this game with friends.

With countless items to choose from, characters to play as, and bosses to encounter, creativity is the difference between death and godhood. This game leaves players to explore the limits of its item mechanics, from powerful item synergies to game-ending drawbacks. Players must experiment to find the best combinations possible in any given run. They are also given free rein to navigate floors as they see fit, exploring or ignoring as many rooms as they want.

Players who take a creative and adaptive approach will be rewarded with anything from pickups and trinkets to new item unlocks, making for stronger characters and more satisfying gameplay.

3

Crusader Kings Series

Crush Your Enemies, Creatively

Systems

Released

September 1, 2020

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

• Medieval strategy game of conquest and domination.
• Tactical use of political intrigue requires significant creativity and flexibility.
• Players are rewarded with greater power and more land.

Conquest is the name of the game in this medieval strategy game. Whether through military prowess or political expertise, players must grow their empire, securing it and its ruling dynasty as the greatest powers in the known world.

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Creativity is key when it comes to political intrigue; a vitally important mechanic for ensuring a nation’s safety. There are nearly endless ways for a player to secure political power for their dynasty, ranging from marriage all the way to assassination. Be warned – more radical approaches can be disastrous if discovered. Every action has its place though, from a powerful alliance sealed by marriage to subtly murdering the leader of a rebellion. It’s all about how, when, and why players choose to enact their plans.

As for the rewards, these come in the form of glory, power, and land, often without the need for money-intensive warfare.

2

Risk Of Rain 2

Creativity Maximizes Power

• High-intensity third-person roguelike set in alien worlds.
• Creativity is vital for optimizing character strength.
• Item unlocks are one of many rewards players can get.

In this action-packed third-person roguelike, players fight through alien planets infested with hostile lifeforms, fighting bosses and collecting powerful items along the way. This game is a brutal battle for survival that pushes players to their limits. A single decision can be the difference between dying or becoming an unstoppable, godlike being.

Creativity is a hugely important skill for succeeding in this game. Players must find creative solutions for choosing what items to buy, optimizing money spending, and discovering item synergies, especially since every game is different. Adaptation is key here. In this fast-paced game, players must constantly think of new ways to avoid danger, navigate different maps, and defeat different bosses.

The rewards for creative gameplay are significant, from a well-optimized character to new item unlocks. When paired with a nice helping of luck, players can make quite literally game-breakingly powerful characters.

1

Portal 2

Creativity At Its Core

• Cooperative sci-fi puzzle game.
• Gameplay is all about experimenting with the game’s mechanics.
• Solving puzzles is the only way to progress through the game.

Few multiplayer games reward players for their creativity quite like Portal 2. Creativity lies at the heart of this co-op sci-fi puzzle game, as players must work together to solve increasingly more complex puzzles using portal-generating guns. Progressing through the game is tied directly to solving these puzzles.

Experimenting with and finding creative ways to utilize Portal 2‘s mechanics is essential for completing puzzles, and ultimately the game. While the game demonstrates many of the portals’ uses, opening the players’ minds to the near-unlimited possibilities, it’s up to players to build on that thinking, working together to overcome Portal 2‘s many challenges. Those unwilling to think up and test new ideas will quickly find themselves stuck.

Every puzzle solved sees players take one step closer to beating the game and unraveling its intriguing story.

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