The best online games give you a space to experience new worlds, new challenges, and ultra-rare loot, and to do it all with friends. Meet up with an old friend for some virtual exploration even when you're miles apart in person, or make new pals and start your own clan without ever having to step outside your door. Thanks to better internet speeds and the rise of live service games, there are more multiplayer games than ever before, but - whisper it - not all of them are great. Luckily for you, we've compiled a countdown of the 30 absolute best online games that you can play right now.
Here's how we chose: first, we decided to only include truly online games, meaning that online connectivity is a major feature. This excludes some single-player games with great multiplayer modes, like Uncharted 4. We're also not including the best MMORPGs because that's a very specific genre that deserves a list all of its own. Beyond those two strict regulations, everything else from shooters to story games were eligible for a slot in the 30 best online games. Keep reading to find out which games made it, and then check out our list of best co-op games for more online fun, but working together!
30. Dead by Daylight
Developer: Behaviour Interactive
Format(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS
Back when asymmetrical multiplayer games were all the rage (remember Evolve?), a smart developer wondered: what if we recreated classic slasher films, with a team of defenseless teens and one, unstoppable killer? The result is Dead by Daylight, which is basically Friday the 13th: The Game (if, you know, that wasn't also its own game already). But where Friday the 13th focuses solely on Jason Voorhees, Dead by Daylight has a wide variety of murderers, ranging from original creations to familiar foes such as Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and the Jigsaw Killer. Not for the faint of heart, this one.
29. PUBG
Developer: PUBG Corporation
Format(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, iOS, Android
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, helped kickstart the battle royale craze, popularizing some of its most foundational rules such as the shrinking safe zone, large map, and 100-player setup. While other battle royale games have gone for a cartoonish aesthetic, PUBG remains grounded in realism (or at least as realistic as a 100-person deathmatch with exploding cars and sometimes-wonky physics can be). Expect bullet drop and one-shot kills.
28. Tetris 99
Developer: Arika
Format(s): Nintendo Switch
What in the name of all that tessellates is a free-to-play Tetris game doing on this list? You may well ask that – but if you do, you almost certainly haven’t played Tetris 99, one of the most tense, frantic multiplayer games of recent years. The concept is genius: it’s basically Tetris Battle Royale, and every two lines you clear are sent to one of your 99 competitors, either at random, to those closest to death, to players currently attacking you or to those nearest to victory. It’s a completely original take on a game that first debuted nearly 40 years ago, and it’s free if you buy a Nintendo Online pass (which you should definitely do, if only to play the other Switch games on this list).
27. Red Dead Online
Developer: Rockstar Games
Format(s): PS4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Red Dead Redemption 2 is a masterpiece. Its multiplayer portion, Red Dead Online, hasn’t quite captured the same audience as its Grand Theft Auto 5 equivalent (see number 18), but it’s still a hootin’, hollerin’ good time. You can do everything you can in the expansive singleplayer campaign, such as hunting, holding up stagecoaches and getting a shave in the back of a saloon, but multiplayer brings with it unique activities. There’s a fully-fledged story to play through, pop-up events, races and team-based competitive showdowns. Round up some friends and gallop in.
26. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Developer: Valve, Hidden Path Entertainment
Format(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3
There's a reason Counter-Strike has stuck around for as long as it has. A fast and hyper-lethal portrayal of modern military engagements, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or just CS:GO for short) is all about being quick on the draw and an even quicker thinker. Tactics and teamwork will win the day here, as you set forth to eliminate other players or engage in more objective-focused modes such as disarming a bomb.
25. Overcooked 2
Developer: Ghost Town Games
Format(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
How much do you value your friends? That's the question you need to ask yourself before you fire up Overcooked 2, because this game will absolutely test the limits of your camaraderie. As in the first game, you and several other players take on the role of chef in some of the least plausible kitchens ever concocted. Think you can cook on an iceberg? How about while speeding down the highway? You'll need to be fast, accurate, and coordinated with your teammates to make your customers happy, so try not to lose your head.
24. Diablo 3
Developer: Blizzard
Format(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
So many games, from Torchlight to Path of Exile, owe their existence to the Diablo series, and the grandfather of the hack-and-slash genre is still very much alive and kicking. Diablo 3 is eight years old, but its crunchy, flashy combat still feels as responsive as anything else we’ve played. It’s addictive in singleplayer, but even better when you play in a party of online adventurers with complementary skills. Each player gets their own loot drops so you don’t have to fight over legendary items, but you can share everything you pick up between your friends, which makes it easier than ever to build up screen-wiping builds. Its seven classes offer completely new mechanics to master, and it’s worth playing through the campaign with every one of them. Just make sure you bump up the difficulty from what you’d use solo, because you and your crew will soon be tearing through demons at a frightening pace.
23. Phasmaphobia
Developer: Kinetic Games
Format(s): PC
There are many horror games out there, but very few of them can truly capture a sense of dread when playing with others online. Phasmophobia approaches the genre with simplicity: a group of up to four people head to houses, schools, and even a prison to investigate paranormal activities. Your sole objective is to observe and document on what’s happening, following a checklist of tasks that reward you with more money whilst employing a variety of tools to get the job done.
But it’s incredibly tense. Ghosts can be as scary when you can see them as when they’re hiding in plain sight, flickering with light switches, throwing objects to the air, or even sneaking up on you to leave you out of commission for the rest of the session. This terrifying experience has the potential to creep on you even after you think you’ve seen it all, and the fact that it’s still in Early Access means it will only become better from now on.
22. Portal 2
Developer: Valve
Format(s): PC
If Portal was the perfect bitesize puzzle game, Portal 2 is the full, delicious meal. In online co-op, you and a friend solve mind-bending puzzles using portals while chuckling along to narration from GLaDOS, the eternal Portal frenemy. Having four portals between you means Valve had to make the challenges harder than usual, and trust us, they’re tricky. You’ll really have to rack your brains and coordinate timings as you hit switches, leap off edges, and bounce off brightly-coloured strips of gel. The game is split into themed areas, each flipping the formula in a fresh way. It’s a marvel of a co-op game, and works perfectly online
21. Risk of Rain 2
Developer: Hopoo Games
Format(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
You might have skipped on the first Risk of Rain when it came out back in 2013, but the sequel is bigger and flashier, whilst retaining what made the original so special, in quite the literal way. The change from 2D to a full 3D perspective was surprising, but translates the frantic action of the very peculiar roguelike perfectly. Up to four (or just solo) players can band together to defeat wave after wave of enemies by choosing from a set of unique characters, each with their own weapons and abilities. As you progress through the levels you gain currency to exchange for items, and that’s where the magic of Risk of Rain 2.
If you ever wondered what it would feel to be a hybrid between a plant and a robot that can crawl on the floor with its roots as it shoots seeds simultaneously, or a rather standard commando who progressively becomes faster and more agile with the right items, then this is the game for you. Thanks to its procedurally generated nature and engaging “one more game” nature, it’s a must to have at hand for long co-op nights with friends online.
Turn to page three for the rest of our best online games...
