Turn-based video games and cooperative play between friends rarely go together, but Larian Studios has managed to create entertaining turn-based gameplay that co-op partners can enjoy in the recent early access of Baldur's Gate 3. There are a few other tactical RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 that also buck the notion turn-based games make for boring co-op, thanks to gameplay that draws from mechanics used in tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons to minimize turn delays and promote collaboration between players.

Many games, ranging from video games and board games to sports like golf or pool, are interesting to play and not to watch. Many turn-based computer RPGs, like the traditional Final Fantasy titles, fall into the latter category, due their emphasis on tactical decision-making, enemy analysis, and long-term thinking. When half of the action happens inside the player's head, outside observers won't be able to glimpse the full experience of the game, and co-op partners will find themselves twiddling their thumbs in frustration as they wait for their partners to make a move.

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The following turn-based computer roleplaying games, like Baldur's Gate 3, have co-operative modes that overcome these design challenges in two ways. First, they try to streamline and clarify the options each co-op player has during their turn, minimizing the time they need to make decisions. Second, they borrow a page from Dungeons & Dragons by introducing mechanics that encourage co-op players to support each other and plan out their next moves together.

Games Like Baldur's Gate 3 - Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity Original Sin 2 Definitive Edition

Before Baldur's Gate 3, there was the Divinity: Original Sin series, the CRPG franchise that put Larian Studios on the map. Besides having a gripping story that responded to player choices, tactically rewarding turn-based gameplay, and lots of opportunities for character customization, Divinity: Original Sin 2 also had a co-op mode that didn't clash with the game's turn-based combat, thanks to co-op players being free to roam around in their host's world and engage with NPCs on their own. Furthermore, every character class in the game had abilities that could be used to synergistically boost the power of their friends (0r prank them in hilariously disastrous ways).

Games Like Baldur's Gate 3 - For The King

For the King Co-Op Gameplay

IronOak Games' 2019 strategy RPG, For The King, blends elements of turn-based strategy like Civilization with the turn-based battle systems of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, with the traditional dungeon-crawling of roguelike games and early-edition D&D thrown in for good measure. In For The King, players take on the roll of volunteer adventurers who set out to save their beleaguered kingdom, either taking part in a single-player campaign or enlisting the help of friends in online/local co-op. In a co-op campaign, a party of players will explore a procedurally generated landscape of territories divided into hex-grid spaces, either tackling each threat together or splitting up to cover more ground.

Games Like Baldur's Gate 3 - Haven

Haven RPG Main Cover

The upcoming science-fantasy RPG Haven, set to be released in December, has been described by its developer, Emeric Thoa, as a "chill co-op" adventure like a "gentle breeze." In other words, Haven is an RPG where the gameplay, story, and mood are designed to be co-op-friendly. Gameplay-wise, Haven streamlines the complexity and fiddly details of traditional RPG concepts such as leveling up, crafting items, or selecting equipment. The turn-based battle system rewards timing and coordination between co-op partners as they chain their attacks together in the right sequence. Haven's story and visuals also blend nicely with two-person co-op, focusing on the growing relationship of two fugitive lovers as they explore a colorful alien world.

Related: How To Level Up Fast in Ghost Of Tsushima's Co-Op Mode

Games Like Baldur's Gate 3 - Wasteland 3

Wasteland 3 Three Person Team No Logo

Gamers who want a co-op turn-based experience like Baldur's Gate 3 with a more post-apocalyptic feel should check out Wasteland 3, the latest installment in a decades-old CRPG franchise. In the base campaign, a single player takes control of a six-person squad of Desert Rangers, law-keepers and explorers of post-apocalypse America, who find themselves accepting a devil's bargain from the enigmatic Patriarch of Colorado in order to rebuild their damaged organization. In the two-person online co-op mode, the guest player can take control of characters from the host's fireteam, working with them to outflank enemies, find good cover and accomplish mission objectives. Developers at inXile entertainment went through a lot of effort to integrate co-op mechanics into Wasteland 3, making it possible for one player to interact with NPCs in real time, then wander off to the other player's unit and enter the turn-based battle.

Next: Everything Baldur's Gate 3 Needs To Refine Before An Official Release