Co-Op Horror Games With Revolutionary Mechanics

In most horror games, players are challenged to enter alone, as this is a more efficient way to elicit fear in the player, with no one else to support them through the terrors. But this is not the case with every game, as some horror games offer co-operative play for a second player to enter the horror.

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It Takes Two is one of the best co-op games out there right now, but there are some other great co-op games to turn to after completing it.

Yet these games may still offer terrifying gameplay, or at the very least an enjoyable experience for both players that they can recall years after the credits roll. There are games that go the extra mile for the players by offering unique co-op mechanics for the franchise they are part of or even the genre as a whole.

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The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Hallucinations May Dupe the Players

The first entry into the first season of the Dark Pictures Anthology was Man of Medan, all about a group of friends on a diving trip. Their exciting trip becomes much more exciting than they hope when a group of pirates kidnaps them, and the entire group becomes trapped on the ghost ship SS Ourang Medan, rumored to have Munchurian gold onboard. The gold in question is not treasure, however, but a chemical that induces hallucinations.

Players can choose to brave the game solo or play with another person, who will take control of one of the other characters on the scene. This becomes a very interesting co-op experience, as the hallucinations infect the player characters, and they may view their friend on the scene as an enemy they must fight against, offering a unique co-op horror experience.

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Forewarned

Fallen Allies Return as Mummies

• Platform(s): PC
• Release Date: September 10th, 2021
• Developer(s): Dreambyte Games

The early 2020s saw many multilayer co-op horror games released that normally charged up to four players to delve into a location that housed some kind of paranormal or supernatural entity and to either recover an item held within or simply identify the creature while avoiding falling to its clutches. Forewarned was one such game with an Egyptian twist, as players delve into underground tombs to determine the nature of the haunting.

Of course, such a mission is a dangerous one, and players have very little means of protecting themselves other than making a break for it and hoping they are quicker. There are also numerous traps players need to be prepared for which spell death if triggered. Should players fall victim to any of the dangers, they return as mummies still able to use proximity chat to communicate with the players. They also have the option to be a friend or foe, so players can continue being a team player, or attack the players and add them to the undead legion.

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Deceit

Uncover Who is a Friend and Who is a Foe

• Platform(s): PC
• Release Date: October 7th, 2016
• Developer(s): World Makers

There are multiple betrayal games that allow players to don the innocent face of a co-operative player until the time is right to strike. Deceit manages to do this in a particularly skilled way, as 5 players awaken in an unknown location, goaded by the voice of the self-professed Games Master that has brought them here. Running and gunning are only part of the game, as other players have different directives.

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Infected by a virus that transforms them into blood-thirsty creatures a la Resident Evil, these deceitful players shed their guise and begin their hunt of the uninfected players, resulting in a very chaotic and very refreshing take on co-operative horror games. Predating other betrayal games such as Among Us, it might not be totally wrong to say Deceit could have been one source of inspiration for the dynamic between the imposters and crew mates.

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Resident Evil 5

Introduced Co-Op into the Franchise

The Resident Evil franchise remained faithful to single-player campaigns, that was until the release of the more action-focused Resident Evil 5. Chris is tasked with an investigation that takes him to the slums in Africa where he meets with his partner for this mission, a local by the name of Sheva Alomar. It had less of a focus on the claustrophobic horror players were familiar with, and instead placed an emphasis on action and co-op play.

Though a second player wasn’t needed as there was an AI option for Sheva, it was still certainly designed with two players in mind, as AI Sheva didn’t always make smart decisions. It was nevertheless revolutionary for the franchise, as players never thought they would see a co-op game within the series. Though the reception among fans was lukewarm, it still paved the way for other co-op games such as Resident Evil 6 and Revelations 2.

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Content Warning

Friends Can Make Scary Video Content Together

Another co-operative horror game, Content Warning was one that was as equally unique as it was fun. Up to four players take on the roles of cutesy video creators with faces made up of letters or emojis and then leave their colorful homes to delve down into a monochromatic nightmare to capture videos of any creatures they find without dying, if possible.

One player holds the camera and must capture as much clear footage of the creatures as possible. The game captures this footage, as well as the player’s conversation as it records in-game voice chat, and includes that in the videos that they can then watch when they return home for the day. To goal is to accumulate more subscribers to their channel and get their content more traffic. It’s a unique premise for a game, as co-op is needed not only to survive but to make good videos, which becomes more of a priority.

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Phasmophobia

Being Dead Doesn’t Necessarily Prevent Co-Op Play

Systems

Released

October 29, 2024

Developer(s)

Kinetic Games

Phasmophobia was one of the most terrifying multiplayer games of all time, taking up to 4 players to explore haunted locations such as farmhouses, ordinary family residences, and even abandoned schools and prisons. Using ghost-hunting equipment such as spirit radios and EMF readers, players need to compile evidence and cross-reference it against the list of known spirits to determine the nature of the haunting before becoming the next victim of the ghost.

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Co-op is a big part of the game, as they need to check they aren’t repeating equipment, and share anything they might have learned. Death doesn’t necessarily break up the team either. While players cannot communicate from beyond the grave, they can manipulate non-investigation items to possibly alert the living of the ghost that has come to finish the team off.

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Don’t Starve Together

Fight, Farm, and Survive Together

Don’t Starve was a unique title boasting Burton-like graphics that tasked players with surviving the dangers of a remote island inhabited by strange monsters that would mercilessly attack the players. They also needed to make sure they didn’t starve to death, hence the title.

This emphasis on survival carries over to the multiplayer version of the game, Don’t Starve Together. Fighting, farming, and crafting were still vital mechanics, but a co-op version allowed players to pool their resources together to better their chances of survival. Players could also split chores, as one could take on the responsibilities of defending their camp, another could be the main farmhand, and another could craft. These are just a few of the ways Don’t Starve Together is a stand-out co-operative game.

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Resident Evil: Revelations 2

The Second Player Has Completely Different Gameplay Mechanics

A sequel to the first Revelations game, Revelations 2 reintroduced characters Claire Redfield and Barry Burton while introducing new characters Moira Burton and Natalie Korda as their respective partners for this mission. After a TerraSave Party is gate-crashed by a group of mercenaries, Claire and Moira are kidnapped and awaken in a penal colony, each sporting an electronic bracelet with a green light, which is how they monitor the virus they are infected with. Searching for his daughter, Barry arrives at the island where he meets a young girl called Natalie, who is also infected.

The narrative switches between both duos, allowing co-op players to control one of each member. Claire and Barry both handle the meat of the combat, while Moira and Natalie offer support in their own ways, such as Natalie being able to stun enemies with bricks, and Moira discovering hidden secrets with a flashlight. The wildly different gameplay of each character is something rarely seen among co-op games, as often most are equal in fighting strength.

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Dead by Daylight

Sometimes Strangers Must Learn to Co-operate

Dead by Daylight pits four survivors against one killer. The four survivors must work together to complete the objectives to escape through the exit gates, while the killer must hunt all the survivors down and sacrifice them to the entity. Teamwork is a must for survivors, as there more there are, the better everyone’s chances for survival are.

But a 2v8 game mode has added an extra element of cooperative play into the game, as the two killers must work together to hunt down the 8 survivors. They can trap them in loops and each gets a hit to down them quickly. On the flip side, survivors work together in numerous ways in either game mode by working together on generators, healing one another, or taking teammates down from the hook. As such, DbD might be one of the games where teamwork is more important than in other titles.

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