Playing video games is a lot of fun, but it's even more fun when you're playing with friends. That's where co-op gaming comes in, which gives players a chance to work in teams to journey through their favorite titles together. Co-op offers a way to play games with others that doesn't include always being in player versus player mode or engaging in a game world where it's a free-for-all, and everyone is out for themselves. In co-op mode, teams share resources, weapons and items, and cover each other when the bullets start flying their way.
The first real co-op game arrived on PC in 1993 with Doom. The title introduced a co-op mode that allowed a team of four players to travel through the game together via LAN. Doom changed the way gamers played and encouraged them to host LAN parties where everyone brought their own computers and connected them to the same network. Since then, co-op has only grown, thanks to an increased interest in team gameplay and better technology.
In recent years, there has been an uptick in the number of games that offer co-op gaming. Players have previously teamed up in some pretty big titles, including Monster Hunter World, Dark Souls, and No Man's Sky, among others. It looks like 2019 will bring even more big co-op titles to players, including games from Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Bethesda, as well as other developers. Co-op gameplay will continue as a trend into the year. Here are some of the most promising games to look forward to in 2019.
Far Cry New Dawn
- RELEASE DATE: February 15
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, PS4
- DEVELOPER: Ubisoft
- PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
Read Screen Rant's Far Cry New Dawn Preview
Ubisoft surprised fans of the Far Cry franchise with the announcement of Far Cry New Dawn at this year's Game Awards. The title will serve as a standalone adventure that will let players return to Hope County but in the role of a new character. Most importantly, though, they will have the ability to play with friends in an improved co-op mode. The new game will make securing outposts a little more challenging, thanks to something it calls "Escalation." Far Cry New Dawn is a title that begs players to play with friends, either in securing outposts or going out on expeditions that take players away from Hope County.
Crackdown 3
- RELEASE DATE: February 15
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One
- DEVELOPER: Sumo Digital
- PUBLISHER: Microsoft
Crackdown 3 will welcome players back to New Providence, where they will need to take down the bosses and Kingpins of the city using a variety of weapons. The new title will introduce a new feature, too, where bosses and Kingpins start taking notice of those players destroying their properties and people throughout the city and retaliate. The game also features a co-op mode that will allow four Xbox Live friends to take out these violent gangs and their empires together. Players can enjoy the violent chaos of destruction that comes with removing the criminal element from the city with their friends.
Anthem
- RELEASE DATE: February 22
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, PS4
- DEVELOPER: BioWare
- PUBLISHER: EA
Read Screen Rant's Anthem Preview
One of the most anticipated games of the year, Anthem, is also the most promising co-op title of the year. In Anthem, players take on the role of a Freelancer in an exosuit called a Javelin to make their way through a shared world that will feature both single-player and co-op gameplay modes. Teams can have a squad of up to four players to explore the science fiction-like landscape of the world that often changes thanks to something called "Shaper Storms." There isn't a lot of information available on the title, but the developer, BioWare, has enough of a fanbase to make this one of the more popular titles of the year.
Tom Clancy's The Division 2
- RELEASE DATE: March 15
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, PS4
- DEVELOPER: Massive Entertainment
- PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
Read Screen Rant's The Division 2 Preview
Tom Clancy's The Division 2 takes place just seven months after the events that occurred in the previous title in the franchise. There is a civil war happening in Washington, D.C. that will pit survivors against gangs of marauders. This means that players will need to cooperate to complete missions and take on these marauders. One of the most fun elements, though, are raids, which will allow teams of up to eight players to come together to achieve their objectives. The game will also feature three episodes of DLC, which Ubisoft will offer to players of the game for free.
Skull & Bones
- RELEASE DATE: 2019
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, PS4
- DEVELOPER: Ubisoft
- PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
What's more fun than hitting the high seas? The answer to that is hitting the high seas with your friends. In Ubisoft's Skull & Bones, that's what players will have a chance to do, becoming pirates and coming together to band against other pirates to determine who gets to control the seas. The game will have players setting sail in a unique environment that will allow captains to use wind speed and direction as an advantage in battle. Players can also collect a variety of ships, as well as participate in Loot Hunts to gain more riches. This one should go over well, particularly with fans of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, which inspired the new title.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood
- RELEASE DATE: 2019
- PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox One, PS4
- DEVELOPER: Machine Games
- PUBLISHER: Bethesda
Welcome back to the franchise that encourages players to beat up Nazis. In Wolfenstein: Youngblood, everyone's favorite Nazi hunter, B.J. Blazkowicz has gone missing 19 years after the liberation of the U.S. from the Nazis. It's up to his daughters, Jessica, and Sophia to find him, so they travel to France to look for their father but to also follow in his footsteps to help defeat the Nazi regime that still resides there. Although the title will allow for single-player, it will also feature a co-op game mode, where players can team up with their friends to take down the Nazis together. And what's more fun than that?