There’s nothing quite like sitting down with a friend or two and playing some good RPGs together. MRPGs aren’t very common in this day and age, but you can still find a decent selection of them – provided you know where to look. As it happens, you don’t have to search far, because we have the best MMORPGs for you right here.
It should be noted that this list will not include any MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft or The Elder Scrolls Online. This is a completely different category of role-playing games. The RPGs on this list are primarily single-player games that also support cooperative play.
Updated February 25, 2023 by Jason Muth: Article has been expanded from 10 to 12 entries. It also includes some updated links for relevance.
12 Two Worlds II
This is kind of a curveball, but hear us out. Two Worlds II is a very old game with more than a few problems, and the publisher’s attempt to exploit them so many years after its release didn’t exactly sit well with fans. Having said all that, this is one of the few open-world third-person RPGs that supports co-op without the need for mods, and that alone makes it worth checking out if you’re a fan of the genre.
The cooperative mode in Two Worlds II is quite unique, and that makes it light. It’s basically a pseudo-MMORPG where instead of playing together through the main campaign, you tackle a series of custom missions with up to seven other people. That’s right, eight-player co-op. The number of missions available depends on which version of the game you are all playing. The base version only comes with seven missions, but you can double that number via DLC packs. These missions are designed primarily for experienced players, so it wouldn’t hurt to try out the single player before jumping into co-ops.
11 Boarding
The Ascent is a top-down action RPG that fell a bit under the radar when it came out in 2021. This is definitely a game no one should sleep on. The main selling point of the game is its unique cyberpunk aesthetic, but there are plenty of other things to love, including the setting and the music. The story isn’t too bad either, although it can seem a little complicated at times.
Ascent features four-player online and offline co-op. There is no match in the game, so you can only play with the people on your friends list. Cross-play between certain versions of the game is possible, however, and the experience can be buggy. Ideally, you’ll want to grab a couple of friends and play on the same platform whenever possible. Co-op here works a bit like Diablo in the sense that you can jump into another player’s campaign with an existing character. No need to start from scratch.
10 Genesis Darksiders
Darksiders Genesis is a Darksiders spin-off that looks and plays very differently compared to the previous games in the series. The game serves as a prequel to the original Darksiders game and is the first entry in the series to feature two protagonists. In addition to bringing back the war, Darksiders Genesis also introduces the fourth knight, Strife.
Unlike the main trilogy, Darksiders Genesis is a top-down RPG that focuses more on combat than puzzle-solving. The game can be experienced in single player where you can switch between knights whenever you want. However, it is much more interesting to play it in cooperative mode, along with friends. Darksiders Genesis supports both online and local split screen co-op.
9 flashlight 2
Torchlight 2 is a game with almost endless possibilities that takes place in a steampunk-themed world of magic and machines. It could almost be described as a funnier version of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura in terms of setting.
That aside, another major feature of Torchlight 2 is the fact that almost everything in this game is random. This includes levels, loot, enemies, and more. It’s a bit like a roguelike in that respect, but other than that, it plays just like a typical ARPG. Torchlight 2 has a powerful co-op system that lets you play with friends online or over a LAN while also letting you pair up with random players through matchmaking.
8 Grim down
Grim Dawn is another hack-and-slash action RPG set in a dark fantasy world. The game draws a lot of inspiration from Diablo 2, but calling it a clone would be a huge disservice to it. For example, Grim Dawn features a more interesting progression system which is more reminiscent of Path of Exile than Diablo. The game also feels more creative in terms of world building and storytelling.
Up to four players can embark on an exciting – and often terrifying – journey through the world of Kern in either online co-op or local LAN co-op. If you’re looking for something similar but a bit hotter, you might want to check out Titan Quest, which is developed by many of the same people who worked on Grim Dawn and is a pretty good multiplayer RPG in its own right.
7 Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is a farming simulation game that doubles as an RPG with some complex mechanics. On paper, growing virtual crops and going digital seems more stressful than fun, but in reality, it’s quite the opposite. The game gives you complete freedom to transform your farm into anything you want. It’s up to you to decide if you want to keep things small and cozy or become a big, hardworking landlord.
Stardew Valley is easily one of the best games out there to unwind after a hard day’s work… by doing extra, yet more fun, work in a virtual world. The best part is that you can invite friends to check out your farm at any time and work in the fields alongside them. Or you can help them expand their farms. It’s not a typical multiplayer RPG experience, but that’s exactly what makes it so fun.
6 the outside
Outward is a unique open-world RPG reminiscent of the games of the past where there was no hand-holding, and you had to figure everything out on your own. It’s a challenging and frustrating game at times, not to mention time-consuming, but it’s clearly not one of the best RPGs seen in years.
It’s unusual for a co-op open-world RPG to offer, but Outward backs it up. You can play the entire game with a friend in online co-op or even split screen. Currently, the game only supports two-player co-op, but this may change a lot in the future.
5 wasteland 3
Fallout 4 didn’t end up getting a proper co-op mod, but thankfully, we have the next best thing: Wasteland 3. Wasteland is a long-running series of post-apocalyptic RPGs that still gets a new release once in a blue moon, and even Now, they were all great. An entry in the series made some significant changes to the traditional formula, including the introduction of a cooperative mode.
Wasteland 3 is a squad-based RPG with turn-based combat and co-op with drop/drop similar to Diablo 3, meaning you can join or leave an existing session at any time without affecting the host’s progress. Co-op gameplay in Wasteland 3 is a bit more limited than it is in other multiplayer RPGs since it only supports two people, and you can only play online.
4 Elden ring
Elden Ring continues FromSoftware’s longstanding tradition of making great games with weird and complex multiplayer. Instead of just inviting a player from your friends list to join you, you need to leave summon marks on the ground that can’t be seen unless the other player uses a certain item. It’s all a little silly, but at least it’s tradition-friendly.
If you’re willing to go through the hassle, playing Elden Ring with a few friends is definitely worth it. You can join up with up to two other players to try to take down some of the toughest Elden Ring bosses or just wander around The Lands Between and take in the beautiful scenery. Watch out for invaders, because not everyone who joins your session is necessarily friendly.
3 Diablo 2: Resurrected
Diablo 2 is one of the oldest multiplayer RPGs out there, and while the original has since been discontinued, you can still play co-op in Resurrected. Unlike Warcraft 3: Reforged, the remastered version of Diablo 2 is very powerful and faithful to the original. Diablo 3 co-op isn’t half bad either, but the game is generally inferior to its predecessor, which is why it’s not on this list.
Diablo 2 lets you play co-op with up to seven other people and uses the drop in/out system. A bit of a catch here is that you have to choose to have your character “online” when you create it. If you choose to make it “Offline”, you will not be able to play co-op with that character, and you will need to create another character.
2 Monster Hunter: World
Games about giant monsters are always exciting, but they usually have more to do with the single player. Fortunately, there are some exceptions. Monster Hunter: World and Monster Hunter: Rise both support four-player co-op. Games have an annoying habit of forcing you to watch drawn-out cutscenes before you can progress through the story, but other than that, the multiplayer is pretty solid.
If you decide to take some friends along on monster-slaying adventures, you’ll need to keep in mind that doing so will make the game a little more difficult. Monsters are twice as healthy as usual in multiplayer, and they’re more resistant to status effects as well.
1 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best RPGs of all time. It is rare to find a game with this level of depth in terms of both gameplay and storytelling, and it is rare to be able to experience such a game with others.
You can play Divinity: Original Sin 2 with up to three other players in local or online co-op. The game also has a system that allows two people to play locally to create a party with two other people playing online. Plus, there’s a Game Master mode that lets you create D&D-style campaigns for up to four players just as you would in a traditional tabletop RPG.
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