The Best Horror Games for 4-Player Co-op, Ranked

It’s often thought that being alone makes things scarier, and while that may be true, video games have shown that facing horrible obstacles is a lot of fun with friends. There’s a special alchemy that happens when a horror game delivers a good scare that sends deafening screams through voice chat.

Whether launching a ghost hunting operation with your friends or exploring gruesome mazes full of beasts best left unseen, these games rely on the fun and terror of 4-player co-op to deliver truly unforgettable experiences.

8

phasmophobia

Built-in ghost hunters

As one of the first games to launch the current trend of cooperative horror games that are part comedy and part horror, phasmophobia is a modern classic for PC gamers around the world. Taking the role of ghost hunters located in a series of sinister locations, players must determine what type of horrible ghost they are dealing with before the ghost catches them.

Although the premise is quite simple, the game thrives on an immersive atmosphere and with novel mechanics such as temperature drop detection or localized voice chat (which has become a staple of the subgenre). phasmophobia It’s incredibly fun for horror veterans and scares alike.

7

Dead by daylight

Become the victims of the Slasher

What started as a relatively humble asymmetrical multiplayer game, where one player is the killer and the others are the survivors, has become one of the most popular multiplayer games to this day. Featuring a whole horde of new killers and characters taken from all horror media (and surely many more iconic characters to come), Dead by daylight It has somehow managed to become the multiversal home for all things horror.

Whether you want to play as one of the game’s many assassins and have fun stalking survivors, or you want to outwit a monster with nothing more than your skill and experience, Dead by daylight offers a surprisingly deep narrative to boot.

6

Labyrinthine

A maze of monsters

Everyone knows the feeling of getting lost in a maze. The first feeling is panic and the second is not knowing if it will ever be possible to escape. Labyrinthine It takes that feeling and injects it with weapons-grade steroids.

Playing with a group of friends, players must navigate through a maze that, on the surface, seems safe, until one of the game’s many unique horrific monsters arrives. Armed with little more than wits and a strong sense of direction, players must escape before the monster stalking the hallways decides it’s time to leave the maze for good.

5

Kill floor 2

Mop the bloody floors

Killer floor 2 is the ultimate zombie horde shooter, to the point that it has effectively become the de facto horde mode game. Taking on the role of several experienced zombie hunters, players are immersed in a carefully rendered map where hordes of zombies will soon swarm and wreak havoc.

Taking the zombie variety of people like Left 4 Dead and combining it with the cooperative map-based thrills of the Zombies mode of the Obligations games, Kill floor 2 It hits a sweet spot that few other games achieve and becomes one of the best shooters available in the process. Players looking for blood-soaked mayhem should look no further.

4

children of the forest

Cooperative cannibalism

one of the many things children of the forest What it does brilliantly are moments of organic horror. There are no big shocks or musical stings. When the island’s strange cannibals and mutants find a player’s friend, the only clue will be his scream. So it is best to stock up on those important items, because there is no security on the island.

With incredibly deep AI systems and some truly terrifying moments, children of the forest It takes everything that made its predecessor great and turns it up to 11. With friends, perhaps the player has a chance against the ever-growing hordes of cannibals who like the player’s jib cut.

3

Lethal company

OSHA would like a word

As one of the prime examples of the new cooperative horror comedy subgenre, Lethal company Take everything that games like. phasmophobia and Labyrinthine do and turns it into sci-fi shenanigans with friends.

Tasked by a corporate overlord to investigate a series of terrifying moons (and even more fantastical moons with mods) in search of any items left unclaimed, players must coordinate and keep an eye on each other, because with localized voice chat , if a comrade disappears, the only clue that something went wrong is his silence. It’s a strangely terrifying and fun experience that has to be played to be believed.

2

4 dead left 2

4 hunters, 4 times more fun

Where Left 4 Dead laid the foundation for one of the best zombie horror games of all time, 4 dead left 2 perfected the formula. Ideally played with four friends, the game sees the player take on the role of a seasoned zombie survivor as they make their way through terrifying levels filled with fearsome zombies waiting in the wings to attack when you least expect it.

The sheer replayability of Valve’s original campaign, plus the plethora of custom levels and hordes of mods, make 4 dead left 2 a firm favorite more than a decade after its release. Their gunplay is satisfying, the team dynamic is hilarious, and there’s no feeling like arriving in the safe room with a tank bearing down on your group.

1

barotrauma

deep sea fever

In films where experts in their field descend into the unknown, they tend to be highly competent and up for any challenge. So what if a game allowed a group of fools to plumb the depths of a horrible ocean planet where eldritch abominations await? Nothing good. Get into: barotrauma.

Four or more players must find a way to work cohesively as a team, embodying their individual and essential roles, to carry a heavy submarine through the depths of the ocean. Good communication is key, but let’s be honest, when things go to hell as they inevitably will, the panic and domino effect of one catastrophe after another make adventures into the digital depths some of the most fun horror games you’ll ever play. they can offer.