Highlights

• Not all multiplayer games offer long, story-heavy campaigns or satisfying replay value.
• Recent releases like My Time at Sandrock and Monster Hunter Rise cater to those craving in-depth co-op experiences.
• Co-op play allows for natural stopping points, deep character customization, and shared progress between friends.

There's no denying that there are a ton of active multiplayer games in the market. However, the most popular options tend to involve one-off matches, non-story missions, or gameplay that discourages replays. Finding recent games with long, story-heavy campaigns or replayable stories can be a bit of a challenge.

Luckily, these releases accommodate players who want a nice, long-term campaign with friends or enjoyable replays with something new to unlock in every run. Almost every entry enables cross-play, which means players are not restricted to one platform for their game of choice. Some even allow players to carry over their co-op progress to their solo game and vice versa.

Updated May 13, 2024, by Rie Takumi: Long co-op campaigns may be an easier commitment for friend groups who plan on playing together for the foreseeable future. Lengthy campaigns mean parties have natural stopping points to aim for and side quests to opt into when the grind gets to them. Unlocking secrets and even the ending are also easier for games meant for co-op play.

Building a reliable gameplay loop and finding new ways to adapt to challenges also feel satisfying to gameplay-oriented groups. Constant updates for live service or active games add more challenges and ways to play the game. With new updates every time, it's not uncommon to hear about players sinking years into a single title. This list has been updated to include a few more of the best co-op campaign games with many hours of content.

1 My Time At Sandrock

Rebuild A Town In The Dessert With Up To Three Friends

The indirect sequel to My Time at Portia, My Time at Sandrock, is a little more action-focused than the former. As Builders, players set out to improve the desert community of Sandrock with workshops, machines, crops, and other economic ventures.

Players can invite up to three of their friends to rebuild the town and complete its lengthy main quest. Over 30 NPCs also have lengthy backstories to explore and requests to fulfill. Mini-games and big dungeons also pose long-term challenges for parties.

2 Monster Hunter Rise

Get Together With Friends To Take Down Mythic Beasts

Capcom’s long-running kaiju hunting series still supports up to four players in its latest online and local game. Monster Hunter Rise continues the tradition of excellent co-op through its hub quests. Hub quests comprise the majority of quests in the game and can be set up easily through Senri the Mailman Palico.

The new Switch Skills Swap feature in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak allows players to swap skill sets during hunts without returning to base camp. Trios or duos lacking party members can also recruit NPCs they’ve befriended in hunting hubs to fill their roster.

3 Valheim

Spend Hundreds Of Hours With Up To 10 Players

Valheim has dominated lists about long co-op campaigns for years due to its player capacity and survival aspects. Up to 10 players can hop on a procedurally-generated world inspired by Viking culture and besieged by beasts called the Forsaken Ones.

But to free the land of Valheim, players must first forage for resources, forge strongholds, and hone their skills by slaying lesser beasts. While Valheim has a definite ending, its release is a ways away, and players can continue their worlds for now.

4 F1 24

Dominate The Grid With Your Team

F1 24 promises players a brand new campaign mode that spans Formula 1 and Formula 2. Co-op includes all single-player improvements, including Driver Recognition & Accolades, driver-specific Icon achievements, and scenarios tied to starting a career in F2.

The two-player career mode also features new storylines resulting from individual choices. Contracts can be reworked to the detriment of a teammate, races decided by cooperation or in-fighting, and other secret scenarios that friends can unlock on their own. Icons or current F1 drivers, historic drivers, and custom characters are also usable in the campaign.

5 Dokapon Kingdom: Connect

Party Game Friendship Test With Fun Mega Campaign

Dokapon Kingdom was notorious during the sixth generation of consoles for being a more combative form of Monopoly. Classes, weapons, spells, and items are important for gaining assets, as players need to fight monsters to win towns. Good strategy and a combat advantage could also help players make alliances or fend off foes, even in co-op.

In its current inception, Dokapon Kingdom: Connect preserves this chaotic energy in its new form. Thanks to its online functionality, players can pass character controls to the computer so their friends can continue their co-op campaign. But if players prefer a full party, they can always switch over to other game modes.

6 Stranger Of Paradise

Team Ninja-Style Final Fantasy With Co-Op Missions

Stranger of Paradise allows up to three players to team up once the host finishes the prologue. Players take charge of Jack and his fellow "Warriors of Light," Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia. Though set in their background and models, parties can modify their appearance with powerful loot that is distributed evenly to all members.

While players can't trade loot, they can make up for others’ weaknesses. SoP's 28 job classes have different synergies, and players can switch to any of them whenever they want to, provided they are already unlocked.

7 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Explore Pandora With Friends Via Air, Land, Or Water

Like the movies, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a gorgeous romp through Pandora, even on co-op. The co-op campaign is also just right, averaging a modest 20.5 hours. As a standard Ubisoft FPS, controls are nothing special, though its side quests and open map appeal to co-op explorers.

Co-op is unlocked after completing two tasks. Players must first meet Etuwa, then complete ''The Aranahe Clan'' quest in Kinglor Forest. Cross-progression means progress is saved for the host and guest, who can continue their adventure in single-player mode.

8 Dead Island 2

Wacky Zombie Slaying Hijinks In Gory Glory

The return of the silly zombie action RPG brings with it a co-op campaign that can let loose up to three players in a given time. Dead Island 2's Campaign and Quick Play modes are available from the get-go to open up the world for private sessions with friends and public rooms for strangers.

Story-focused players are assured that they won’t be spoiled if they hop into a friend or stranger’s session. Players cannot join hosts who have progressed further along the story than they have. All the EXP and equipment they earn in co-op can also be carried over to solo play.

9 River City Girls 2

Fun Beat-Em-Up Returns With Better 4-Player Action

River City Girls 2 continues the story of Misako and Kyoko as they work together to save the city from organized crime. Up to four players can pick between the girls and returning cast members Kunio, Riki, Provie, and Marian to punch their way through the streets.

The deeper players go into the game, the more combos they unlock. These combos are where the game truly shines, as these inputs define each character’s archetypes and create depth in the initially barebones combat system.

10 Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Drop-In Drop-Out Makes Co-Op Campaign Flexible

As expected of its pedigree, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader delivers unique twists to isometric RPGs. Its unique alignment system allows players to make choices with consequences in its over 80-hour campaign that flesh out their character and relationship with the world.

Dogmatic choices show unshakeable loyalty to the Emperor of Mankind; Heretics embody the logicless mayhem of the Chaos Gods they worship, while Iconoclast-aligned choices provide a middle ground.

Companions have default alignments, but player characters change alignment according to their choices. To compensate for possibly locking players out of certain choices, picking an alignment gives them bonuses. Dogmatic bonuses are defensive, heretical bonuses are attack-related, and iconoclast bonuses provide party support.

11 Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy

Three-Player 2.5D Adventure With Amazing Puzzles

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy allows up to three players to make their way through 2.5D puzzles, platforms, and foes. Amadeus the Wizard, Zoya the Thief, and Pontius the Knight make their return with their stock abilities. Players can use any of the three to navigate 20 levels and defeat multi-phase bosses, which are new to the series.

Local and online multiplayer are supported on all platforms. Four-player co-op is also possible though Switch players will need four pairs of Joy-Cons to play locally. Also, the rest of the franchise's games are all generally great co-op options, with Trine 2 and Trine 4 being particularly highly regarded. Outside of the third entry, players cannot go wrong with this series.

12 Wild Hearts

Defeat Giant Beasts In Japanese-Inspired Landscape

Omega Force's answer to Monster Hunter has feudal Japan styling and a seamless multiplayer experience. Up to three players can team up to take down giant Kemono using ancient Japanese-style weapons and tools called Karakuri. As the main narrative campaign takes over 40 hours to beat, teams have time to get familiar with Kemono.

Wild Hearts' multiplayer session starts by placing down a campfire and selecting "create a session". Closed sessions involve setting up a password for friends, while an open session lets strangers join the host.

13 Borderlands 3

Iconic Looter Shooter Still Fast-Paced & Witty

The Borderlands series is a co-op staple. Combat is frenetic and opens players to a lot of threats, which makes having backup great. Having multiple partners also makes farming for weapons and experience easier, if not enjoyable.

Coordinating builds and action skills adds an extra layer of cooperation. Synergizing party builds clear mobs faster and makes tough bosses less of a pain to deal with. Playing the game a different way, or with other characters, also offers a refreshing new take on familiar experiences.

14 Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty

Historical Drop-In & Drop-Out Action Co-Op

While it shares the Team Ninja pedigree as Stranger of Paradise and Nioh 2, Wo Long's three-person multiplayer mode has a distinguishing feature. Whereas SoP and Nioh 2 only have pre-made characters for co-op partners, Wo Long allows players to make their own characters in solo play before joining their friends.

The game’s co-op mode allows players to create a secure lobby and specify missions they would like to play together. Players can stay in a session even after they are defeated and may move on to another mission with their party in this mode.

15 Remnant 2

Soulslike-Inspired Co-Op Begins After Tutorial

Remnant 2 may not offer cross-play, but it does offer multiple ways to set up a session. Multiplayer session type can also be set per character, making it easier for players to distinguish which character is for co-op campaigns only.

However, multiplayer is only accessible after the tutorial. Players need only touch the World Stone after the tutorial concludes to unlock co-op. They can invite up to two players to experience the full Story campaign or try out the Adventure mode. Multiplayer sessions are jump-in and jump-out, and players keep whatever loot they find. Host progress determines where the party ends up, though host lag also affects other players.

16 Gloomhaven

Play With Up To Three Friends In Adventure Or Campaign

Adopted from the tabletop game, Gloomhaven allows up to four players to explore dungeons and the original game's campaign scenarios. Navigating these scenarios means taking on the game's card- and turn-based tactical combat.

Unlike in single-player mode, the co-op host assigns one of four mercenaries to each player; however, the mercenary assignments are not changeable unless the party is playing Guildmaster mode. Gold is shared by the party unless the rule is changed at the start of the campaign. Campaigns are drop-in and drop-out, so the player group can continue campaigns even when missing a party member.

17 Roots Of Pacha

Help The Clan Thrive With Friends

Other than de-prioritizing combat, Roots of Pacha immediately stands out from other cozy farming sims because of its prehistoric setting. Set in the Stone Age, players help the Pachan Clan rebuild after their big move. Players need only share their Cave ID with friends to share their world.

Roots of Pacha's community-based gameplay means players are incentivized to set a chore roster. Cooking, farming, fishing, gathering, crafting, mining, ranching, trading, and trapping all play crucial parts in advancing the story and the clan's quality of life.

18 Cassette Beasts

Unlock Co-Op In 15 Minutes & Double Battle With Friends

With a bit of progress in the single-game mode, players can play the rest of Cassette Beast's campaign in co-op. Once they unlock co-op, players can explore the world together and help each other out in battles. Co-op partners have full control of their beasts in any fight, and can even swap out their beasts like in solo play.

Cassette Beast’s co-op mode is local-only by default and on Xbox and Switch. However, Steam’s Remote Play option and the desktop capturing app Parsec allow for online play.

19 Diablo 4

Dungeon Crawl On Any Platform With Your Party

Diablo 4, the sequel to the almost 30-year-old series, allows players to couch co-op or form multiplayer parties by inviting friends through their BattleTag. Cross-play and cross-progression are fully supported in all versions of the game, which means players can use their hard-trained character in a friend’s session.

Newcomers or players with limited time can appreciate this feature, as their experienced friends can help them catch up more easily. They may also appreciate the ability to storm Capstone Dungeons with their friends. Clearing Capstone Dungeons is necessary to unlock higher World Tiers and better endgame loot.

20 Astral Ascent

Crush Enemies In Co-Op Platforming Roguelike

Astral Ascent features a two-player co-op mode. Though exclusive to local co-op, Steam's Remote Play Together and Parsec can help online-only players connect. Either way, players must look out for each other once they're on the quest to escape the Garden and the Zodiacs.

A pair of players team up to platform through gorgeous 2D environments using two of four available heroes. Dozens of spells are available for all heroes who have unique abilities. Learning how to wield these skills is critical to defeating the 12 Zodiacs and finishing a run.