Top 12: Best Cooperative Horrors (2021-2023)

Not every gamer likes to be left alone with a game — especially when it comes to horrors (which, by the way, have been around for over 40 years). Therefore, cooperative horrors are quite a popular genre, although not all projects manage to make it to the top lists. Today, we have prepared for you a top list of the scariest games for two, where you can have a great time with your friends.

The first game on our list tells the story of faceless prisoners who, at the beginning of their journey, see the serene sky, and then, as punishment for some misdemeanors, are sent into the deep abyss. Overall, there are several locations in the game, but each of them is dark and full of horrors. The monsters in the game are practically blind but have good hearing, which suggests a «stealth» approach to progression. The grim atmosphere, the need to be as quiet as a ninja, and the necessity for precise collaborative actions — all this creates enough tension to enjoy the game.

The process is diversified by mandatory action, when it is necessary to quickly set up turrets, scatter mines, and defend the door from waves of enemies, and in the very end, to run to the exit point with all might. The game plays beautifully, and this opinion is shared by the majority of Steam users. The only things missing are fresh content and proper matchmaking, so you can fight not only with friends.

In FOREWARNED, players, acting as archaeologists, go to explore ancient Egyptian ruins, but they have no idea that a sheer nightmare awaits them there. An ancient evil has awakened and craves human souls. Gamers will need to find a way to prevent the powerful supernatural beings from escaping and unleashing an apocalypse.

The game uses procedural level generation, so each new session promises to bring something new during the exploration of locations. Moreover, there is support for virtual reality for an even deeper immersion into the gameplay.

The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes is the third chapter in the collection of cooperative horror games by Supermassive Games (incidentally, the same team recently released a trailer for their new game). This time, the setting is Iraq in the year 2003.

The main characters are a small squad of American soldiers along with CIA agent Rachel King and Iraqi sergeant Salim Othman. During a clash between two opposing forces, an earthquake occurs, and the warring sides fall underground — that's where their terrifying adventures begin.

All the gameplay features from the previous chapters remain in place: a branching storyline, QTE elements that determine whether your character or their companions live or die, and a slight sense of the unknown. This part cannot exactly be called bone-chilling, but it will manage to scare you a couple or three times.

Lunch Lady is a cooperative horror game about high school students. It can be played solo or with up to four players.

The story is about teenagers who, in light of the upcoming final exams, decided to steal the answers to the tests from school guides. But it turns out not to be so simple: it's discovered that the school is ruled by the Lunch Lady at night, and executing the plan quickly isn't going to happen.

Players need to find 10 pages of test answers and keys to locked doors. In the end, they must escape the school without getting caught by the lurking lady. She, by the way, is immortal, so the only option is to hide from her. And from the kitchen utensils and axes she throws at your back.

The game features three difficulty modes, several maps, and unlockable characters that are available as players gain experience, though they differ only in appearance.

In Devour, players will take on the roles of cultists. Their goal is to conduct a ritual and expel a demonic force, whose backstory is kindly explained before the start of each match.

The task list is roughly the same across all maps: find a certain number of ritual items (or animals), desecrate or purify them at specific locations on the map, and then destroy them. So, players will find themselves catching goats, collecting eggs and keys, while running away from the possessed, spiders, ghosts, and a pursuing monster. They must fend off the bloodthirsty bestiary with a UV flashlight: it destroys regular mobs but only slows down the boss of the location. Moreover, in the last phases of the match, the flashlight becomes useless.

The game also features various perks that can be chosen directly before the match — not all of them are useful, but some are indeed helpful. Players can try the nightmare difficulty level — where even the famed flashlight is taken away from the heroes. For the most daring, there is a single-player mode.

In Hellcoming (which can be played by up to four people), the players' goal is to banish a demon by destroying a special artifact that binds it to our world. This is no easy task: the artifact is on an altar, and the altar is in the demon's lair, which can only be accessed through a portal.

Besides, the demon's demise is protected by magical seals with various impurities — and it's with their cleansing that the heroes must begin. Meanwhile, the locations are large, the demon will be active, as will a variety of otherworldly creatures spawning everywhere to prevent the world's salvation.

Players have various auxiliary devices such as a vacuum cleaner capable of collecting any liquids, a detector to help find demonic beings, and a brush to clean all types of dirt. The difficulty gradually increases as characters progress, as does the number of enemies eager to decapitate them. The project is quite atmospheric, but its replayability leaves something to be desired.

In Silence is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game from a first-person perspective, released in 2021 after a year of early access. The gameplay is straightforward: a group of five people needs to find parts and fix a car to escape from the monster, or solve a simple puzzle and obtain weapons to hunt the beast in return. After death, a character doesn't leave the map but turns into a mouse (yes, a mouse) to help their teammates find the necessary items.

The game's main feature is highlighted in its title — players must try to make no noise. The monster has very poor vision but excellent hearing and reacts to every rustle, so constantly talking with friends is not an option. When the monster catches a character, a flashlight's flash can fend it off — if it has enough charge.

There's also a more challenging mode with a minimum of necessary items on the map, and a single-player game where the AI controls the monster.

Propnight is another asymmetrical multiplayer horror game, this time from the Russian team FNTASTIC. The game borrows the concept from Dead by Daylight: four teenage heroes must start 5 generators and avoid being caught by the monster, then open the gates and escape the map.

This domestic game differs with a brighter palette (some even compare its style to Fortnite), a fixed time for escape (which increases with some successful actions), and consumable items scattered across locations.

But the main feature of Propnight is the ability to transform into various objects to hide from the boss of the location. Finally, there is character customization.

Eronoctosis: Put Yourself Together is a free cooperative horror game for two players in a unique style. The goal is to piece together a person's consciousness by navigating through the mazes of a mind plagued by nightmares.

There is a division of roles: one character picks up a flashlight to light the way for the heroes, revealing hidden monsters; the other is armed with a camera, which can be used to destroy the monsters. Actions must be coordinated: the camera can only take down illuminated enemies. But if the creatures get too close, the hero dies, and the game restarts from the beginning.

The game is short, with a playthrough fitting within an hour. However, it features genitalia exposure and is rated 18+. Well, if that appeals to anyone.

Another project from Supermassive Games, known for creating entertaining interactive horror cinema, has made it to the top. This project is The Quarry, which has local co-op support for up to eight players, where each can take control of a specific character and follow their fate.

The main action unfolds in the summer camp «Hackett's Quarry,» where the counselors decide to throw a party one night. However, things don't go as planned, resulting in the characters facing real horrors that their lives depend on.

In the game, almost any character can die. As in previous projects, everything depends on the actions and choices made by the player. Thus, gamers can expect many endings, some of which are quite unexpected.

The famous Outlast horror series is back, and this time it features a cooperative mode that allows gamers to experience new sensations while interacting with each other.

The plot of The Outlast Trials tells the story of test subjects undergoing horrific experiments in a mysterious complex during the Cold War era. To survive, the characters must face real-life nightmares. They will also encounter other prisoners who can instill terror.

The cooperative mode supports up to four players, each controlling a test subject. The main goal is to pass the trials prepared for them by the scientists.

Especially for those who love the theme of ghost horror, developers from the independent studio Renderise have created the horror game Ghost Watchers, in which players explore abandoned houses in search of the supernatural.

During the exploration of locations, players need to interact with various objects to determine the type of ghost, its age, and mood. The spirits are divided into several types, including former suicides and even real demons.

Developers actively introduce innovations into the game, including new ghosts and additional locations.

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That's our collection. However, if you and your friends are not inspired by the prospect of seeking adrenaline in various horror games, check out our top list of the best cooperative projects that can be enjoyed even by those with less powerful computers. Additionally, we've made a similar selection for titles on PS4 and PS5. Enjoy your gaming!