Scary Cooperation: The most frightening and interesting cooperative games

Developers have long discovered the golden formula of cooperative games — it's more fun to be scared in a company. Successful novelties of the "cooperative horror" subgenre regularly appear, which become hits, despite the modest schedule and early access status, which sometimes lasts for years. Just recently, a new R.E.P.O. cooperative about robot looters was released. Izvestia's material includes this and other projects with a similar atmosphere and gameplay.

R.E.P.O.

Screenshot from the game R.E.P.O.

Photo: semiwork

Release year: 2025 (early access)
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 6

R.E.P.O. is one of those games that amaze even its own creators. This low-budget survival horror from Swedish indie studio Semiwork became a real hit just a few days after its Early Access release. The novelty was released on Steam on February 26, but in four weeks almost 36 thousand users played it, 96% of whom were delighted.

This is a cooperative multiplayer game with a touch of humor, designed for a team of up to six people. A group of robots travels to dangerous monster-infested locations in search of artifacts from a vanished human civilization. To describe the gameplay in a simple way, you need to get everything valuable out of houses, mansions and secret laboratories without falling into the clutches of the insane monsters that have taken over the world.

The enemies are original: a clown shooting a laser from his eyes, an evil toddler, gnome thieves and a ghost sending vomit. One of the main features is that teammates can only talk in real mode inside the game. The further you get away from your friends in search of treasures, the worse you can hear them.

Lethal Company

Screenshot from the game Lethal Company

Photo: Zeekerss

Release year: 2023
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 6

This game has a similar plot and mechanics. Here you have to try on the role of employees of a dubious corporation who are tasked with taking valuable items from haunted locations.

The unpredictable behavior of the ghosts makes the process chaotic and extremely funny. Cooperation is vital: someone is watching surveillance cameras, someone is exploring the territory. Procedurally generated maps provide endless replayability.

Phasmophobia

Screenshot from the game Phasmophobia

Photo: Kinetic Games

Release year: 2020 (Early Access)
What to play on: PC (with VR support), Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
Number of players: up to 4

Phasmophobia also has a lot in common with R.E.P.O. — cooperative gameplay, exploring abandoned places inhabited by monsters, and searching for key items.

In this game, users act as a team of ghostbusters investigating paranormal phenomena in various locations. Unfortunately, most entities are hostile and unpredictable, so you should always be on your guard. The monsters react to the players' voices. There are ominous places full of mysteries and unexpected surprises.

Content Warning

Screenshot from the Content Warning game

Photo: Skog

Release year: 2024
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 4

Another indie cooperative game that quickly received high ratings on Steam. Players will appear as content creators who travel to dangerous, monster-infested locations to make frightening videos for the local "paranormal" video service SpookTube. The characters are practically defenseless, but they are ready to do anything for viral content.

You will have to shoot otherworldly forces, dodging attacks — all this with a limited supply of oxygen and battery power on the equipment. In order to make a masterpiece and get millions of views, it will take well-coordinated teamwork. Gear and equipment can be improved during the game.

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No More Room in Hell

Screenshot from the game No More Room in Hel

Photo: No More Room in Hell Team

Release year: 2011
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 8

This game is already 14 years old, it started as a mod for Half-Life 2, but over time it turned into a full-fledged project. In No More Room in Hell, players find themselves in a zombie—infested world, and the main goal is to survive. The gameplay is built around collecting vital resources, fighting the dead, and completing random tasks that require teamwork. The developers were inspired by the films of the Dawn of the Dead series and other classic zombie horror films.

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Dead Ends

Screenshot from the game Dead Ends

Photo: KeyQuest Studio

Release year: 2025 (early access)
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 4

Another zombie is the "survivor", which will soon appear in early access. Players will explore gloomy locations, collect resources to maintain their strength and work closely as a team. A unique feature of Dead Ends is the ability to restore human civilization. The visual style of the project is reminiscent of early XCOM games. The developers promise a huge arsenal of weapons, tools and combat mechanics, as well as many missions and quests.

Devour

Screenshot from the Devour game

Photo: Straight Back Games

Release year: 2024
What to play on: PC
Number of players: up to 4

In Devour, you have to play as former cult members who are trying to stop their possessed leader from opening the gates to hell. The task is to collect ritual items and at the same time avoid the crazy head cultist and his henchmen. Up to four players team up to perform rituals and banish the villain. Users are armed only with a flashlight with an ultraviolet mode, which helps to temporarily deter enemies, but does not provide full protection. The difficulty of the game increases as the rituals are performed: the enemies become more aggressive, and the number of opponents increases. The gameplay is intense, there are several maps with unique challenges.

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Evil Dead: The Game

Screenshot from the game Evil Dead: The Game

Photo: Saber Interactive

Release year: 2023
What to play on: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Number of players: 4 against 1

Based on the cult horror series Evil Dead: The Game confronts players with demonic forces in asymmetric multiplayer, brilliantly combining horror and black humor. Teams of up to four survivors collaborate to complete quests and battle demons controlled by other players or AI. Each survivor has unique abilities, and this helps to create a well-thought-out strategy. Among the undoubted advantages are authentic characters and locations from the Evil Dead universe, diverse and interesting enemies, dynamic weather conditions and changing time of day, affecting tactics and gameplay.