Cooperative Horde Shooters to Scratch Your Left 4 Dead Itch

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Summary

  • Left 4 Dead‘s influence spawned a subgenre of PvE FPS games.
  • Remnant 2 offers a Soulslike looter shooter experience with cooperative gameplay.
  • GTFO provides a slower-paced cooperative stealth horror experience.

The classic game “Left 4 Dead” is widely recognized as one of the most impactful cooperative first-person shooter games ever made, giving birth to a distinct category of games and serving as the foundation for numerous other PvE shooters. From “Destiny” to “Overwatch’s” PvE events, the essence of “Left 4 Dead” is evident across the cooperative shooter genre.

Due to the immense success of the original and its follow-up, coupled with the break in the franchise, numerous games are striving to occupy that vacant spot. Although there are various adaptations within this genre, this compilation encompasses both highly-rated and widely-played efforts aiming to replicate the essence of Left 4 Dead.

7. Remnant 2

But With a Souls-like Twist

From the Ashes,” maintaining its fast-paced gameplay style. It’s a mix between a Soulslike game and a shooter where you gather loot, dealing with countless enemies. Unlike “Left 4 Dead,” it offers long-term progression. However, the core gameplay experience is similar: you enter a map with a team, aiming to reach the end without getting killed while facing off against the bosses and mini-bosses that appear during your journey.

The levels in this game are dynamically created using predesigned elements, offering a higher degree of replay value compared to most Left 4 Dead games. It’s worth mentioning that the game demands dedication to its progression mechanisms, as the difficulty increases steadily as players advance. Luckily, cooperative play is effortless to engage in, and there’s even a specialized healing role for those who enjoy teamwork the most.

6. Deep Rock Galactic

Rock and Stone!

In my opinion, playing Deep Rock Galactic feels like merging the intense, cooperative action of Left 4 Dead with the fun and chaos of a party game. One moment you’re blasting away at swarms of bugs scaling the caverns above us, the next you’re booting barrels into targets or sipping beer. What makes this game truly unique is that, aside from essential mission objectives, the entire world is ripe for destruction!

This system ensures both mining and explosive jobs are not just swiftly reactive but also thoughtfully calculated, operating seamlessly in a 3D environment to complete tasks. It’s incredibly friendly and boasts one of the best online communities available right now. If you enjoyed the social dynamics of Sea of Thieves, I highly recommend giving it a try.

5. GTFO

Plain Scary

In simpler terms, the game titled GTFO adapts the formula from Left 4 Dead, intensifying the fear factor while also slowing down the pace. Essentially, it is primarily a cooperative stealth game where resources like health and ammunition are scarce. Each confrontation brings players closer to running out of these essentials, making silent takedowns crucial for victory.

This game is exceptionally unsettling and definitely not for the sensitive; it’s like playing a more subtly terrifying version of Dead Space from a first-person perspective. The game is engaging, but it’s crucial to mention that it’s one of the tougher games on this list and isn’t generally recommended for solo play. For gamers with friends, though, it becomes an incredibly immersive horror experience in multiplayer mode and is definitely worth checking out.

4. Back 4 Blood

Deceptively Similar

In simpler terms, “Back 4 Blood” resembles the fundamental gameplay of “Left 4 Dead“, but it’s a title that has sparked debate. This is because the game features steep difficulty increases and a campaign structure that can be harsh, which makes it less inviting for casual drop-in, drop-out cooperative play.

Among all the games listed, this one is undeniably the most challenging and arguably the least balanced, but it offers an unparalleled depth in its building mechanics. This complexity manifests through a roguelike Card system, which grants players persistent advantages during their gaming sessions. These cards can drastically alter gameplay dynamics, enabling players to specialize in various playstyles such as melee combat, use of explosives, or healing.

3. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Far Future Zombies

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the next installment in the series that follows Vermintide from Games Workshop (which we’ll discuss further), blending their mastered close-combat style with an abundance of weapons from the Warhammer 40k universe. It’s a more complex game compared to its predecessors, boasting numerous underlying systems, which can be both advantageous and challenging.

The game boasts a significant visual upgrade compared to its predecessors, making it resemble the high-quality graphics seen in contemporary Star Wars: Battlefront games beneath Tertium. For enthusiasts of this universe, it’s captivating to explore so much of it in detail, and it’s an effortless recommendation based on that aspect alone.

2. World War Z: Aftermath

Casual Fun

World War Z: Aftermath is a revamped version of the initial World War Z, making it the most relaxed game on this list. The zombies in World War Z are modeled after the movie, being swift and cunning; they can climb walls together like ants and breach barricades as a group.

In this game, similar to ‘Left 4 Dead’, there are unique zombies and key scene events, but it predominantly focuses on the large groups of zombies known as the common horde. This game is able to display a high number of zombies without any issues and frequently utilizes this feature for striking visual effects.

1. Warhammer: Vermintide 2

The Closest in Quality

This game shares a similar essence and straightforward design reminiscent of the classic “Left 4 Dead”. Just as you’d expect from a fantasy spinoff, it offers an enhanced melee system, magic elements, and weapons from the 14th century.

The game incorporates role-playing game (RPG) features such as equipment levels and weapons with bonus abilities, primarily serving as barriers for tougher modes rather than shaping the overall gameplay. While it’s enjoyable to dive into, it becomes quite challenging – yet incredibly rewarding – on higher settings, offering some of the toughest and most gratifying cooperative first-person shooter (FPS) experiences in PvE.

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2025-02-06 00:54