It is always a good time to get into the spooky spirit and pull out some fun horror games to play with friends. Fortunately, game developers have done a good job over the last few years pumping out some interesting horror co-op experiences, so there’s something for everyone.
Whether looking for survival experiences, shoot-em-ups, or building to fend off enemies, thebest co-op horror gamesshould be able to keep a few friends entertained and scared. The genre comes in so many shapes, sizes, and gameplay styles that there should be something that suits most groups' preferences, be it a craving for fast-paced gunplay or something a bit more deliberate.
Updated Aug 07, 2025 by Mark Sammut:While scary games have been somewhat hard to come by so far, 2025 produced a greathorror co-op gamein February.R.E.P.O. has been a huge successand, consequently, has been added to the full discussion, along with a section dedicated to upcoming titles that are expected to launch by the end of the year.
Upcoming Co-Op Horror Games
While not so common to be a weekly occurrence, a few notableco-op horror gamestend to debut every year, and their arrivals are frequently met with screams of excitement. 2025 has produced one great and scary online co-op game already, and it is far from done. The following titles are expected to drop during the current year:
After a couple of months in early access,Spectral Screammade its full debut to an OK reception but not too much fanfare. Unfortunately, the game did not blow up like, for example,Content WarningorPhasmophobia, and it is currently struggling to surpass100 average players on Steam, which does not make it a great option if somebody is looking to play with strangers. However, like mostco-op horror games,Spectral Screamis best experienced with friends who are ready and willing to communicate, be it to ask for help or to lambaste their partners' failings (in a playful manner, rather than angry outbursts).
Supporting standard and VR play,Spectral Screamis not the most original game on Steam, and its core loop is fairly similar to something likeLethal Company. Basically, players need to explore an area in search of the items required to move to the next zone of Purgatory, all the while avoiding a myriad of enemies that cover a fairly wide range of designs and monster types. Most of these entities can be temporarily banished, but they will return sooner or later, creating a constant sense of tension as there is always a sense of danger.
Spectral Screamis fairly difficult, but that’s part of the fun. While perhaps not the biggest release ever, this is a decent option as long as somebody knows they will have a friend to play with. That said, solo play is viable.
Steam is not exactly lacking in early access horror games that have been stuck in an incomplete state for years, most of which are seemingly doomed never to reach that glorious 1.0 release. Debuting at the beginning of 2017 and still in early access,BIGFOOTcould be dismissed as another half-baked idea with no growth; however, the game is the real deal and still receives updates semi-regularly.
The premise is simple: hunt Bigfoot. Players must explore a wooden area, prep equipment, and lay traps to capture the surprisingly intimidating beast while trying to avoid a quick and painful death.BIGFOOTis pretty hard, with the eponymous monster being aggressive and (mostly) smart. Along with players vs CPU, the game also supportsasymmetrical multiplayer.
GTFOhas up to four players descending into a secret research facility swarmingwith zombie-like monsters. They react to sound, noises, and touch, so players must methodically take them out with hammers without waking everyone up. If they do, they must rely on a variety of guns, turrets, bombs, and other tools to fight the waves.
GTFOfeels like a combination ofDeadspaceandThe Last of Us 2. Teamwork is essential, as the game is continually tweaked to make solo play impossible. It’s a hybrid of tense stealth and guns-blazing action. The only downside to this title is that the later levels haven’t been finished as it’s in early access, but in the meantime, it’s one of thebest horror games to play with friends.
25Obscure & Obscure 2 (Or The Aftermath)
(Relatively) Obscure Co-Op Horror Games That Emphasize Two Players
With a prophetic title and a lot of charming jank, theObscuregames are fun old-school survival horror romps that take very obvious inspiration fromResident Evil. Both projects follow a group of students as they run around either a high school or college (with a few other smaller areas) as they try to unravel grim mysteries involving human experimentation. Although hardly masterpieces, these projects have a few strong positives in their favor, including championing co-op.
While the campaigns can be played solo, they are designed with two users in mind, to the point that single players will have to contend with AI partners. As the latter are usually frustrating in combat scenarios, the games are way more enjoyable when humans are controlling both sides.Obscureand its sequel also have multiple playable characters (5 and 6 respectively), and they all need to be used at one point or another during the stories.
Unless someone is a die-hard fan of 2000s-erahorror co-op games, they probably do not need to rush to pick up theObscurecollection; however, it is available on Steam and can occasionally be found for a steal.
OK, technically,Robloxis not a horror game, but the tool contains plenty of scary stories that are just waiting to be discovered by users. Designed to grant players a platform to create unique projects,Robloxis both incredibly popular and very divisive, garnering a fairly mixed reputation. Still, if a group of friends are just looking for some short and (usually) free experiences they can cycle through, they should consider downloading this platform.
Robloxhas a lot of horror options that cover a respectable spectrum of styles and preferences, even if most tend to fall under the “first-person walking sim with jump scares” subgenre. Along with plenty of single-player games, the service is absolutely stuffed with titles that support multiplayer, be it co-op, asymmetrical, or PvP.
Steam is flooded withco-op horror gamesthat, ultimately, boil down to the same general experience. For the most part, they challenge players to enter a haunted building that usually contains one evil entity, with the goal being to either collect evidence or exorcise the demon/ghost/etc. The concept is not particularly original, but its success and popularity make sense. The premise is very easy to understand, while the basic gameplay loop complements both intense single-player runs and fun cooperative sessions.
Pacifyis one of the better examples of this type of project, and it has been around for more than 5 years. Along with being relatively cheap, the game has more than enough content to keep a group of players engaged for a couple of hours, and that is just if they want to play through each of the four maps once. Putting aside the Headquarters map, which contains all the ghosts/villains and plays out quite differently,Pacifyasks players to explore either a house, woods, or farm in search of items that can weaken or defeat a chosen entity, which is generally a female spirit. While repeat playthroughs naturally neuter the fear factor,Pacifyis pretty scary, even in co-op.
Devouris a multiplayer game that casts up to four players as cultists trying to reverse a ritual that saw a demon take possession of their leader, Anna. Thrown into one of a few maps, players will need to scour the land in search of items that need to be burdened in order to banish the demon back to where they came from. Unfortunately, this proves to be rather difficult when a few dozen demons are running around.
Devourknows how to terrify and panic players. Friends can create a private server to play together, and this is probably the best way to experience thisco-op horror game. That said, there is a single-player option for those who want an extra challenge.
Dead by Daylightis among the most popular multiplayer horror games of all time. The title’sfrequent updateshave helped cultivate a very active community, and the accessible core gameplay loop has enough depth and nuance to reward committed players without putting off newcomers.
For the most part, the game is known for its online portion; however,Dead by Daylightalso supports custom games that allow friends to indulge in private matches. Except for (obviously) paid characters, this mode removes most restrictions, and these matches do not count towards a player’s rank.
Dead Rising 2,Off the Record, andDead Rising 3all support 2-player co-op, and they each should be able to get the job done depending on what somebody is looking for. The latter’s faster-paced combat might be more accessible, but the older games have superior atmosphere, stories, and characters.
Off the RecordtookDead Rising 2’s story and threw Frank West into the mix, which was a net positive at this positive in the franchise. The full campaign can be played in co-op, and there is even a sandbox mode for those who just want to mess around in Capcom’s world.
An argument could be made that none of theDead Islandgames qualify as horror since the scariest thing about them is the first title’s cinematic trailer, and even that is not all that terrifying. Still, zombies are synonymous with the genre, even if many undead stories focus more on visceral gore than bone-chilling frights. More importantly,Dead Islandis a great franchise in general for co-op. The original game andRiptideare both more fun when played with friends, while the same could be argued for their long-awaited sequel. Just to be clear,Dead Island 2is a blast solo thanks to its awesome gore system and simple but engaging combat, but the mayhem is enhanced when players bring two friends to the City of Angels.
Supporting only online co-op,Dead Island 2’s handling of the featurereflects its general attitude: uncomplicated and designed to maximize fun. Other players can jump on board whenever they want once co-op is unlocked roughly 30 minutes into the campaign, and guests retain any progress made while they are not the hosts. Therefore, they can just start where they left off when they switch to single-player.
