10 Co-op Games That Will Ruin Friendships


Key Takeaways

  • Co-op gaming can strain friendships with intense games like Death Squared and Spelunky 2.
  • Patience is tested in Destiny 2 Raids and Payday 2 heists.
  • Moving Out and Chained Together test teamwork and communication under fun but frustrating circumstances.

Like many hobbies, gaming is often better with friends, and there’s nothing better than working with your best buds to pursue a common goal.

That may be the case in an ideal world, but emotions can run high when things go wrong, and you all know it wasn’t your fault. If you want to play some games where you might need an apology letter afterward, here are a few to put your friendships through the wringer.

10

Escape from Tarkov

“Our” Loot

Escape from Tarkov is best known as an intense PvPvE Extraction Shooter with unique survival mechanics. It also has a fleshed-out PvE mode, which you can play entirely co-op.

Co-op Tarkov is a ton of fun, but you’re sorely mistaken if you think you’re in for an easy ride. There’s friendly fire, and you can instantly kill your friends if they wander in front of you, or you don’t recognize them.

There’s no respawning, so if you kill your teammate, they are forced to wait in the lobby until you extract. The best part is, when you lose your life in Tarkov, you lose all of your gear and loot as well!

There’s an insurance system that can soften the blow, but dying hurts, and it stings so much more when your buddy pulls the trigger.

9

Death Squared

High-Stress Puzzle Solving

Death Squared gameplay from Steam

Death Squared is a brilliant but fiendish co-op puzzler where every player must bring their A-game.

Each Death Squared map is an intricate maze of moving parts and obstacles. Many puzzles require coordination and strict timing, and it’s pretty clear from the first level that Death Squared isn’t your typical friendly neighborhood puzzler.

There’s no time limit, but it will take your team a while even to figure out how to navigate later levels. Dead weight on the squad makes the game much harder, and the stage complexity can feel overbearing.

I have a soft spot for Death Squared, as it offers a refreshing take on the co-op puzzle genre. I recommend it for any groups seeking a challenge, but if you hear disgruntled huffs and sighs, it may be time to play something else.

8

Sea of Thieves

A Pirates Life For Me

Sea of Thieves gameplay from Steam

Sea of Thieves is unforgettable with a crew of friends, but if other players don’t steal your loot, greed and silly mistakes will.

I’ve had many unforgettable sessions on Sea of Thieves, from the highest highs to the lowest lows. Most of those lows are self-inflicted, and while my crew is experienced and super chill, it would be nightmarish with the wrong group.

Loot in Sea of Thieves is never yours until you cash it in. An inexperienced helmsman can easily destroy the ship, and those Athena Kegs may sell for a decent amount but can blow your vessel to smithereens.

Even if you play carefully, bloodthirsty pirates can challenge you for your hard-earned spoils, creating a high-stress environment despite the stunning vistas.

Sea of Thieves is great fun when you don’t care about loot, but it can cause some nasty infighting until you get to that point.

If you’re with a relaxed group, Sea of Thieves is one of the most accessible games around, and it has something for everyone.

7

Destiny 2

Even Your Ghost Hates You

Destiny 2 gameplay from Steam

Destiny 2 Raids and Dungeons are some of the most creative environments you can tackle in a first-person shooter. They are also the ultimate test of patience, depending on your group.

Most mechanics in Destiny 2 Raids require several Guardians to perform different tasks simultaneously. These tasks can be pretty tricky, from holding hordes of enemies at bay to solving fiendish puzzles.

Raid mechanics will usually wipe out the team if you screw up, and tensions can run high if you’ve been trying the same activity for multiple hours.

Raids can be particularly hellish with random players, and while it’s better with people you know, it can be miserable when the team just wants to finish the session and go to bed.

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6

Spelunky 2

Derek!!!!

Spelunky 2 Volcana image from Steam

Spelunky 2 is an unforgiving Roguelike where the most innocent mistake can end your run and send you straight back to the first level in The Dwelling.

You can tackle Spelunky 2 with a friend, and co-op does have advantages, as you can respawn your buddies. The problem is that adding another player adds a ton of randomness, and events can spiral out of control.

There is friendly fire, and you can easily kill your chances of winning with a misplaced bomb or shotgun blast. Spelunky 2 often feels like you’re in a giant Rube Goldberg machine, and one false step can trigger a chain of events to doom your teammates.

It’s cruel, but Spelunky 2 has a reputation to keep, and we absolutely love it.

5

Payday 2

But We’re A Crime Family!

Payday 2 heist gameplay from Steam

Payday 2 is arguably the best heist game on the market that rewards teamwork with mountains of cash.

Few things are as satisfying in gaming as a professionally executed Payday mission. The issue is there are many moving parts in the perfect heist. For example, you must figure out if you’re going loud or trying a stealth operation.

If you’re trying to be sneaky, all it takes is a single pedestrian to spot one of your team to ruin everything, prompting the cops to swarm the area.

You can lose a ton of progress for the entire team, even if you try your best. It sucks to be the player to force a restart, and tensions can run uncomfortably high.

4

Cuphead

A Brutal Masterpiece

Cuphead boss gameplay from Steam

Cuphead is an unforgiving 2D adventure with Boss Rush mechanics and a beautiful art style reminiscent of 1920s and 1930s animation.

You die fast in Cuphead, so surely a helping hand would be a net positive, right? Well, sometimes.

Co-op in Cuphead has some advantages, like reviving, but the downsides can be catastrophic. When you play Cuphead with a friend, it doubles the boss’s health pools. If your buddy dies early, you have double the work to beat the stage.

Cuphead co-op is fun, but it’s arguably the toughest way to get into the game, as you have to play flawlessly against the most formidable opponents for much longer.

3

Overcooked

Food Fight!

Overcooked gameplay from Steam

Overcooked is a legendary co-op cooking game that separates the cooks from the master chefs. It can also be a savage lesson in patience.

You and your friends manage a busy kitchen where each player must be responsible for their station. Communication is vital, and gameplay can get pretty stressful despite the cutesy graphics.

The real challenge for any group is dealing with problems, as things can go south quickly in the kitchen. Fires are an ever-present threat, as are burnt ingredients. If you’re not careful, it’s even possible to throw a perfectly decent meal away if you press a button near a bin.

Silly mistakes can cost the game in Overcooked, and while it’s not a problem in a comfy group, that finger-pointing can start to add up.

I guess what they say is true: Kitchens ARE stressful workplaces!

2

Chained Together

You’ve Got To Stick Together! Chained Together image from Steam

Only Up was an indie phenomenon that tasked a solo player to climb a massive tower of furniture miles into the sky. Chained Together is functionally identical but for multiple players.

As the name implies, you’re attached to your friends in Chained Together. You must traverse a wide selection of random clutter, and while movement is clumsy, it’s oddly addictive.

There’s also a massive emphasis on timing and teamwork, which can quickly become grating if your friends aren’t into it. One lousy jump can send you back a long way, and it’s easy for the blame game to start.

1

Moving Out

It’s Not This Fun In Real Life

Moving Out Gameplay

Moving Out is a superb co-op party game where you and your friends helm a furniture removal service.

You always have two tasks in Moving Out. Grab all required furniture from a building and cram it into a delivery van. The issue is many large objects are too heavy to move alone, requiring timing and coordination from multiple players.

Seriously, you can lose a mission if someone leaves a sofa obstructing a doorway, and while it’s usually hilarious, it can be irritating.

Even if your group nails the removal, it still needs to be neatly stacked in the van, or else it won’t fit.

Many things can go wrong in Moving Out, and while I firmly believe that’s part of the fun, it can be frustrating if you’re going for those top scores.

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