The Best Dark Fantasy Co-Op Games, Ranked

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Dark fantasy games – filled with creepy creatures, eerie settings, challenging bosses, and frightening stories – are incredibly popular, partly because there aren’t many of them. It’s even harder to find these games that you can play with friends. However, the best dark fantasy co-op games are truly exceptional, offering diverse experiences from intense, skill-based combat to strategic turn-based battles and fast-paced action.

If you and your friends enjoy dark, challenging games with oppressive atmospheres and powerful villains, here’s a list of top dark fantasy titles to play together. We’ll focus on newer games that really deliver on this theme.

We are focusing on games that have come out in the last 10 years or so.

10. Nioh 3

Max Players: 3

We picked Nioh 3 due to recency bias, but Nioh 2 is just as valid an option.

Team Ninja has perfected the gameplay style established in the Nioh series, and these games are arguably their best work. While Nioh 2 remains a high point for many, Nioh 3 improves on it in certain ways, though some of the changes are controversial. The move from straightforward levels to more open areas was handled surprisingly well; these areas are compact and detailed enough to feel just as rewarding to explore. The game encourages – and almost requires – players to constantly switch between Samurai and Ninja combat styles, although restricting weapon choices to specific types wasn’t universally appreciated.

Nioh 3’s co-op mode is generally well done, but it has a few drawbacks. It’s not easy to begin a full campaign with friends, as visiting players have limited actions during those expeditions. However, you can call on others for help with individual missions or boss battles, so you don’t need to play the entire game together. Think of co-op as just another helpful option to use when you need it.

9. V Rising

Max Players: 10

In V Rising, you play as a vampire who has just awakened. It’s a survival game where you build a base and explore a dangerous world, gathering resources to become more powerful. You’ll need to regularly drink blood to stay alive and avoid sunlight!

This game offers a lot of ways to play, with servers focused on player-versus-player combat (PvP) or cooperative gameplay against the environment (PvE). You can join forces with other vampires to hunt, either on public servers with other players or by creating a private game. If you just want to play with friends without dealing with strangers, PvE servers are best. Private games let up to 10 people join in the fun.

8. Elden Ring Nightreign

Max Players: 3

FromSoftware has often included cooperative gameplay in its games, but Elden Ring Nightreign is its first game designed entirely around the experience. This spin-off focuses completely on co-op, featuring ongoing team sessions, coordinated boss fights, and shared progress. Even if you prefer to play alone, co-op is central to the game’s replayability. Nightreign is a dark fantasy game with a deeply unsettling atmosphere, filled with cosmic horror, disturbing boss creatures, and a sense of impending doom. The challenging gameplay perfectly complements this dark and oppressive world.

What you should choose really depends on what you’re looking for. If you want a classic FromSoftware game, either Dark Souls 3 or Elden Ring are great choices, but playing with friends can sometimes be tricky in those games. Despite its problems, Nightreign is the developer’s best game when it comes to multiplayer.

Look, games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring are definitely contenders, but we decided to focus on just one FromSoftware title for this list. We didn’t want to overload things with too many games from the same developer!

7. Path Of Exile

Max Players: 6

Often seen as the modern take on Diablo 2, Path of Exile is a free online game set in a grim and fantastical world. It lets players design characters in countless ways, offering a huge variety of gameplay options. You can also team up with up to four other players to battle the game’s monsters together.

The game takes place in the shattered world of Wraeclast, where you’ll journey through dangerous dungeons and vast landscapes, fighting diverse enemies. You can choose from seven unique classes and team up with friends, each bringing different skills and strengths to the adventure.

I’m really excited about Path of Exile 2, it looks like another awesome dark fantasy game you can play with friends. But for now, we decided to stick with the original Path of Exile because the sequel is still being developed and isn’t fully released yet.

6. Diablo 4

Max Players: 4

The latest Diablo game returns players to its well-known dark fantasy world. You can team up with others to explore old dungeons, battle demons, and collect powerful items. The game features five different character classes, each with a variety of skills to unlock and upgrade.

Playing Diablo 4 is most enjoyable with friends. It’s designed for groups of up to four players, offering a classic dark fantasy adventure together. If you prefer a more challenging and deliberate pace, Diablo 2: Resurrected is another excellent choice for cooperative play.

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5. Vermintide 2

Max Players: 4

Vermintide 2 takes place in the world of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. Players battle relentless armies of Skaven and the terrifying followers of Nurgle, the chaos god of decay. It’s an enjoyable action game with levels to explore, and you can improve your character with upgrades and collect various items.

Vermintide 2 is a tough game that really requires teamwork, especially on higher difficulty levels. Getting swarmed by enemies is common, but successfully fighting them off is a major part of what makes it enjoyable. The game offers plenty of different abilities and weapons, encouraging players to cooperate and providing a lot of intense, satisfying gameplay.

4. Valheim

Max Players: 10

Valheim is a survival game best enjoyed with friends. You and your group will build a base and explore a vast, ever-changing world inspired by Viking mythology. To earn your place in Valhalla, you’ll need to overcome six powerful bosses hidden throughout the land.

In the game, players can build structures, grow crops, gather resources, and hunt. They also improve their equipment and characters as they team up. Valheim is great for playing with friends, embarking on adventures, or just relaxing together.

3. Remnant 2

Max Players 3

This dark fantasy action game swaps swords for guns and takes place in a ruined, post-apocalyptic world. Players must fight to stop a force called The Root from collapsing the entire multiverse. Expect challenging, randomly generated enemies and powerful bosses, inspired by the gameplay of Soulslike titles.

Remnant 2 can be played alone or with up to three friends in co-op mode. The game features 11 different classes, and players choose two – a main class and a secondary one – offering diverse playstyles. While it’s possible to play solo, the game is really designed for teams of three, and some classes work better than others when playing alone. Co-op lets you build varied team compositions and try out different strategies.

2. Grim Dawn

Max Players: 4

Co-op games, particularly fantasy ones, often work best with four players, and Grim Dawn fits that pattern. The game takes place in a world facing total destruction, where humanity is nearly wiped out. With iron becoming the primary form of currency, trust is scarce in this bleak and dangerous setting, filled with untrustworthy individuals.

Grim Dawn plunges players into a bleak and unforgiving world where survival depends on adapting and growing stronger. While the world is dangerous, teaming up with up to three friends offers a glimmer of hope, allowing players to face the darkness and overcome challenges together in this epic dark fantasy action RPG.

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

Max Players: 4

Look, I know D&D is usually thought of as high fantasy, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is seriously dark – honestly, darker than anything else I’ve played recently. But what really sets it apart is the co-op. If you’ve got a group of friends and you’re looking for a long, epic adventure in the Forgotten Realms, this might just be the best way to spend a ton of hours gaming together in years.

You can play through the entire campaign with up to four players online, or with two players locally via split-screen – making it great for partners, siblings, or friends. Each player controls their own unique character and makes choices that shape the story. The game excels at making every character feel significant, allowing them to disagree, turn on each other, or even go their separate ways. Be warned: this game delves into mature and disturbing themes, including body horror, moral decay, and psychological trauma, so it’s definitely a dark fantasy experience.

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2026-02-22 16:38