Not too long ago, many publishers went all-in on multiplayer games (also called live service games in most cases), believing it would be the future of gaming.
While single player is thankfully going nowhere, the pull of multiplayer gaming remains undeniably strong, even at a time when the success of a new live service title is far from guaranteed.
Also in Wccftech’s Best Games of 2023 lists: Shooter, Fighting, RPG, Action, Indie, Adventure, Horror, Sports & Racing, Platform, Expansion/DLC
Diablo IV (8.5)
While not an MMO (unlike Diablo Immortal), Diablo IV was designed from the get-go as a shared world experience where adventurers would seamlessly meet up during exploration to defeat epic foes like world bosses and conquer various dynamic events.
The experiment was largely successful, even if the role mechanics could use more refining. At any rate, playing Diablo IV with your friends (possibly even against them in the PvP zones called Fields of Hatred) is simply a blast and can only get better as Blizzard releases more updates and expansions.
Street Fighter 6 (10)
CAPCOM surpassed itself with Street Fighter 6 in every way, beginning with the online experience, which now supports the long-awaited rollback netcode feature. Francesco De Meo wrote in his review:
The rollback netcode of the game is, simply put, some sort of magic. In my 70 hours, the only matches that weren’t perfect were those played against opponents very far away, though that wasn’t always the case, as I managed to play a few almost perfect games with opponents on the East Coast, and I’m in Italy. I even managed to get a somewhat playable match against a player living in Japan, which was completely unexpected. Matches with European and North African players, on the other hand, were flawless, so much so that it was easy to forget that those were online matches.
Remnant 2 (6.5)
The third-person shooter/Soulslike hybrid from Gunfire Games becomes a whole other game when played with two friends. It can be quite frustrating alone, owing to its Dark Souls inspiration. However, the online cooperative experience transformed into one of the most engaging multiplayer games released this year. Even Nathan Birch, who wasn’t that fond of the solo game, had this to say:
Playing co-op with friends is the best way to experience Remnant 2. I’m certain there will be folks who get more hooked on Remnant II’s combination of co-op and procedurally generated worlds than I did. Those who do find themselves drawn in will find plenty to keep them busy. A single playthrough of the campaign will take 25 hours and those dedicated to experiencing every last remnant of content will be playing for a very long time.
The Outlast Trials
This year was marked by the successful launches of several cooperative horror games. Chronologically, the first was The Outlast Trials. It was Canadian developer Red Barrels’ first foray into multiplayer games after the two acclaimed single-player installments.
In this game, players are essentially guinea pigs at the mercy of the Murkoff Corporation. They’ll have to complete a series of trials or so-called ‘therapies’ in order to earn their freedom. The core gameplay is based around avoiding enemies with stealth and other tools provided by Murkoff. The result is a highly tense experience that’s best enjoyed with a group of friends.
Lethal Company
Whereas the previous game was based on a known franchise and developed by a sizable team, Lethal Company seemingly came out of nowhere and took Steam by storm when it landed right ahead of Halloween. In this sci-fi cooperative horror game, made by 21-year-old solo developer Zeekerss, players work for the ‘Company’. They are tasked with collecting scrap from abandoned moons which are, however, fraught with all sorts of dangers, especially at night. It’ll take the collaboration of the whole team to make it off these godforsaken moons.
Honorable Mentions
Of course, this is but a small sliver of all the fun multiplayer games that were released throughout 2023. A few other noteworthy titles follow below.
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Counter-Strike 2
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Dead Island 2
- Sons of the Forest
