The multiplayer games category is always a bit harder to assess for a very simple reason: your online experience may vary greatly from that of your fellow gamer due to many factors, such as connection, random matchmaking, and even your choice of friends.
With that caveat out of the way, there’s another useful meter to gauge how any multiplayer game is doing – the healthiness of its community. As such, we have picked some of the most popular cooperative and competitive games released in 2024.
Previously on Wccftech’s Best Games of 2024: Shooters, RPGs, Indies, Fighting, Horror, Action, DLC/Expansion, Adventure, Platformer
Palworld
PocketPair’s game easily wins the crown of the most surprising debut of 2024. The first game developed by the Japanese studio broke several records when it launched last January. By combining survival, monster taming, and the Pokémon-like Pals, Palworld created a new mix that proved irresistible for so many players around the world. Last we heard, the game had surpassed 25 million units sold, and that was before its launch on PlayStation 5.
Like with Helldivers 2, the game experienced a drop in popularity as the developers were simply unequipped with the amount of new content requested by a large and voracious fanbase. However, the new update appears to have renewed interest in Palworld. PocketPair still has a massive issue to deal with, though: the lawsuit with Nintendo, which threatens to undo everything for the studio.
Helldivers II (6/10)
The first Helldivers game was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but no one, not even Arrowhead itself, could have predicted the popularity attained by Helldivers II. Moving from top-down to full-fledged 3D was a gamble that paid off in spades, turning this sequel into the fastest-selling new game ever published by PlayStation (it sold twelve million units in the first twelve weeks on the market), an achievement that speaks for itself. Granted, there were a few ups and downs during the live service phase, as a few patches were not well received by fans. However, Arrowhead managed to bounce back with the September update, and they continued picking up steam.
If you’re into liberating the galaxy and destroying aliens at any cost (even killing your own friends as ‘collateral damage’), there’s no better game.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (10/10)
FromSoftware did not make any specific changes to Elden Ring’s online component with Shadow of the Erdtree. However, there is at least one very pressing incentive to seek help more often than in the base game: the expansion is far more challenging. As such, having friends to back you up can prove simply invaluable when going through Shadow of the Erdtree.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (8.8/10)
Activision has had the multiplayer games market in its pocket for years with Call of Duty. Sure, there were the survival and Battle Royale waves, but the shooter franchise largely maintained its position. However, Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III lost ground, and Activision simply could not afford a third consecutive disappointing release. Thankfully, Treyarch’s Black Ops 6 was a resounding success both with fans and the market, becoming the biggest Call of Duty launch ever in terms of played matches and hours spent in-game. Kai Tatsumoto wrote:
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 represents a proper return to form, with Treyarch taking the helm in development once more. This is probably as definitive a Call of Duty title has been in years, with a package that executes well across all three pillars of Campaign, Multiplayer, and Zombies.
Marvel Rivals
It wasn’t a great year for new free-to-play releases or hero shooters. However, right at the tail end of 2024, NetEase buckled the trend with Marvel Rivals. Many (including us) have been tempted to dismiss it as an Overwatch clone ahead of its December release, assuming we might be in for another live service failure after Concord, but that wasn’t the case at all. Marvel Rivals quickly found its user base and a very large one, to boot, having already been played by over 20 million users and securing a spot in the US’s top three most played games across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S|X in the week ahead of Christmas.
That’s just the beginning. NetEase has no doubt a lot more content on the way, starting with the Fantastic Four joining the playable cast, according to the latest leak.
Community Poll
Vote for your favorite title in Wccftech’s 2024 multiplayer games shortlist!
Honorable Mentions
There were several more noteworthy multiplayer games released this year. Here’s five more you should absolutely consider playing, if you haven’t already.
