Online co-op on PS5 means one specific thing here: you and your friends, playing over the internet, working together against AI-controlled content. Not split-screen party rounds, not ranked PvP queues, not games where the co-op is technically available but clearly an afterthought. Every game on this list has a co-op loop that holds up session after session—missions you repeat because they're genuinely fun, campaigns worth finishing together, or endgame systems that keep pulling you back. If that's what you're after, you're in the right place.
This article is part of our guid on the Best Co-Op Games for PS5
How We Ranked These Games
We weighted each game across five criteria, with co-op design carrying the most influence—because a game that just has you running parallel to your friends isn't really co-op at all.
Criterion | Weight | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
Co-op design quality | 30% | How much the game rewards real teamwork—role synergy, coordination moments, things that feel better with friends than solo |
Online experience and stability | 25% | Matchmaking health, connection stability, drop-in/out support, and how painless it is to actually play with your friends |
Content depth and longevity | 20% | Campaign length, replayable endgame, update cadence, and whether the game holds up after the first ten hours |
Accessibility for friend groups | 15% | Onboarding quality, difficulty scaling, and whether mixed-skill groups can enjoy it together from the start |
Value and friction | 10% | Fair monetization, clear edition pricing, and how quickly you get into the actual co-op content after buying |
The Top 10 Best Online Co-Op PS5 Games
These ten games represent the strongest online co-op experiences available on PS5 right now, ranked by how well they actually deliver on the promise of playing together remotely.
“Four distinct classes, zero filler—DRG is the co-op shooter that actually needs your whole team.”
Why We Picked This
Deep Rock Galactic earns the top spot because its four classes aren't just cosmetically different—they're functionally dependent on each other. The Scout lights up dark caves, the Engineer builds platforms nobody else can reach, the Driller tunnels shortcuts mid-mission, and the Gunner lays suppressing fire when everything goes sideways. That's real co-op design, not parallel play with matching outfits. Missions run 20 to 40 minutes, which makes scheduling a session with remote friends genuinely easy. The weekly Deep Dives keep veteran groups engaged without demanding daily login time. No pay-to-win, ever. Best for groups of four who want distinct roles and actual teamwork.
“Chaotic 4-player PvE bug-blasting with real teamwork, friendly-fire stakes, and a living galactic war.”
Why We Picked This
Helldivers 2 is the most chaotic, coordinated, and laugh-out-loud co-op PS5 has right now. Calling in a Stratagem while your teammate accidentally walks into its drop zone is the whole game. Four players, all with different loadouts, navigating objectives under fire while the friendly-fire system keeps everyone honest—it clicks in a way that few games manage. Cross-play means PS5 and PC friends can squad up without issue. The living Galactic War adds a community layer that makes individual missions feel connected to something bigger. The one caveat: server stability had rough patches at launch, and matchmaking can still hiccup during peak hours.
“The definitive Monster Hunter co-op—100+ hours of hunts, crafting, and boss runs for 4 players.”
Why We Picked This
If your group is willing to invest 10 to 15 hours learning the systems, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne pays it back with hundreds of hours of co-op hunting. Fourteen weapon types mean four players can approach every hunt completely differently, and the Iceborne expansion's Master Rank content gives veteran groups a serious endgame to work through together. For groups new to Monster Hunter, World is widely recommended as the better entry point over Rise—the onboarding is more gradual and the quest structure feels more cohesive. Runs via PS4 backward compatibility on PS5. The accessibility score takes a hit because the early hours can feel genuinely overwhelming.
“The deepest campaign co-op on PS5—100+ hours of D&D adventure with friends, no PvP needed.”
Why We Picked This
There's nothing else like Baldur's Gate 3 on this list. A full 100-hour D&D campaign, playable start to finish with up to three friends online, where every decision your group makes together shapes the story. The co-op is built around conversation, turn-based tactics, and the kind of shared storytelling that makes people quote sessions for months afterward. I played through Act 1 with two friends and we spent more time debating one dialogue choice than we did fighting the boss. The honest limitation: save files are tied to the host's campaign, which is real friction for groups with unpredictable schedules. Best for dedicated groups who can commit to consistent sessions.
“Six-player horde survival with real class roles—the underrated co-op gem at a fraction of the price.”
Why We Picked This
Killing Floor 2 keeps showing up on best-value PS5 co-op lists for a reason. Six players, ten perk classes with genuine role identity—Medic keeps people alive, Support hands out ammo and welds doors, Berserker charges the front line—and the horde survival loop that never really gets old when you're playing with friends who know their roles. Online infrastructure has been running stably since 2016. It frequently sells for under $10. No seasonal pressure, no content vault, no battle pass. The trade-off is that the visual style and moment-to-moment gameplay haven't aged as gracefully as the co-op design has. Still, at that price point, it's hard to argue against.
“The Left 4 Dead heir—4-player PvE survival with card decks that reward smart team planning.”
Why We Picked This
Back 4 Blood is the spiritual heir to Left 4 Dead that the co-op shooter genre needed, and it earns its place here specifically because of the card deck system. Before each run, your group builds decks that modify how your characters play—and the corruption deck stacks modifiers against you that force your team to adapt on the fly. It's not deep in a spreadsheet way; it's deep in a 'we need to talk about what we're running before this next act' way. Cross-play is supported, which helps with friends across platforms. The game is a finished, complete experience now—no seasonal resets, no live-service churn. Content depth is moderate compared to the games above it, but the runs stay fresh longer than they have any right to.
“Loot-driven ARPG co-op with deep class variety and cross-play—best for dungeon-running friend squads.”
Why We Picked This
Diablo IV sits in the middle of this list because the co-op works well without being exceptional. Dungeon runs with three friends, everyone playing a different class, chasing better loot drops—it's satisfying and the cross-play means your PC friends can join without drama. Where it stumbles is synergy: you're often playing alongside your friends more than genuinely with them, since the PvE encounters rarely demand real coordination. The seasonal character resets are also a genuine pain point for groups with inconsistent schedules. The Vessel of Hatred expansion adds meaningful endgame depth but it's an additional cost. Best for cross-platform friend groups who want a laid-back loot-chase they can dip in and out of.
“Captain a crew across PvE voyages—Sea of Thieves' ship co-op is unlike anything else on PS5.”
Why We Picked This
Sea of Thieves does something no other game on this list does: it makes sailing a ship with three friends feel genuinely tense and hilarious at the same time. Someone navigates, someone manages the sails, someone patches hull damage, and someone is inexplicably already firing the cannons before anyone agreed on a target. The Tall Tales story missions give PvE-focused groups a clear narrative goal, and the Safer Seas mode (added in Season 10) lets you opt into a reduced-threat environment where PvP raids from other players don't interrupt your session. That mode is important to know about—standard servers are a shared world with other players. Cross-play with PC is fully supported. Came to PS5 in April 2024 with all prior content included.
“Aggressive sci-fi co-op with real class synergy—and zero live-service strings attached.”
Why We Picked This
Outriders: Worldslayer makes a case that shouldn't work on paper—an aggressively marketed looter-shooter from 2021 that launched with server problems—but the co-op design genuinely holds up. The four classes have complementary abilities that reward smart grouping: a Devastator locking enemies in place while a Trickster teleports behind them and a Technomancer heals the chaos is a combo that clicks in practice. No live service means no seasonal resets, no FOMO, no content vaulting. The complete edition is inexpensive and includes the Worldslayer endgame, which has enough replayable content to justify the time investment. Cross-play works across PS5, PC, and Xbox. The content ceiling is lower than Diablo IV, but the co-op feel per hour is arguably stronger.
“Three marines vs. endless Xenomorphs—Fireteam Elite nails the tension of Aliens co-op.”
Why We Picked This
Aliens: Fireteam Elite is the most underrated game on this list. Three marines, five class roles, and a four-act campaign built around holding chokepoints against endless Xenomorphs—it nails the tension of the films while giving each player a clear job to do. The Doc keeps the squad alive, the Demolisher handles hordes, the Recon scouts ahead. Challenge Mode cards add replayable modifiers to missions you've already completed, extending the endgame meaningfully. It's a PS5 native release with DualSense support, available at low cost with no predatory monetization. The content ceiling is the honest limitation—once you've cleared everything on high difficulty, there isn't much new to discover. For a focused 20-to-30-hour co-op run with friends, though, it consistently delivers.
Honorable Mentions
These five games came close to cracking the top ten—each has a genuine case for inclusion, but something specific held them back from the main list.
Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter Rise is an excellent hunt-based co-op game that narrowly missed the main list because World: Iceborne edges it out as the recommended starting point for new groups. Rise's Wirebug mechanics and faster hunt pace are genuinely great, but Sunbreak (the expansion required for real endgame depth) is an additional cost, and the hub quest system for co-op can confuse newcomers more than World's structure does. Veteran Monster Hunter groups who prefer Rise's mobility-focused combat over World's heavier feel will find equal hours of content here. Runs via PS4 backward compatibility on PS5.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
Rainbow Six Extraction is the best tactical, slow-burn co-op option that didn't quite make the top ten. Three players moving carefully through alien-infested environments, using operator abilities to breach, scan, and suppress—it rewards patience and communication in a way the action shooters on this list don't. The reason it sits here instead of the main list is that content depth is limited compared to everything ranked above it, and player counts have dropped since launch. The biggest upside: it's included in PS Plus Extra at no additional cost, which dramatically lowers the barrier to trying it with friends.
Destiny 2
Destiny 2's raids are the best co-op PvE encounters available on PS5. Six players, intricate mechanics that require every person to understand their role, and encounters designed around genuine communication—nothing else here competes at that level of coordinated teamwork. The reason it's here rather than the main list comes down to friction: the content vault has removed content players previously paid for, the new-player story context is genuinely confusing, and accessing the activities that make it worth recommending requires purchasing current expansions. Cross-play is fully supported. If your group already plays Destiny 2 or has a veteran willing to guide newcomers, it belongs much higher.
Warframe
Warframe is free, cross-play capable, and has more PvE content than most games on this list combined. So why is it an honorable mention? The new-player experience is genuinely rough—the progression systems are layered in ways that take weeks to understand, and without a veteran player in your group to explain what you should actually be doing, the early hours feel directionless. Late-game content also trends toward solo play. That said, for a group with at least one experienced Warframe player, the co-op missions and endless progression loop offer hundreds of hours at zero cost. Hard to dismiss entirely.
Remnant II
Remnant II is a soulslike third-person shooter for up to three players, and the boss encounters are genuinely better with friends. Randomized world seeds mean two co-op runs through the same area can play out completely differently, which keeps sessions from feeling repetitive. The archetype system gives each player flexible build options rather than strict class lanes. It misses the main list partly because the three-player cap limits its group appeal, and partly because the host-tied world structure means joining a friend's campaign may affect your own progression. For trios who enjoy challenging boss fights with shooter mechanics, though, it's well worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to the questions we hear most often from PS5 players trying to find their next co-op obsession.
Do all of these games require PS Plus to play online co-op?
Most of them do require PS Plus for online multiplayer, since Sony gates online play behind a subscription for the majority of PS5 titles. The main exception is free-to-play games like Warframe, which allow online co-op without a PS Plus subscription. If you're not sure about a specific title, check the PlayStation Store page—it clearly marks whether PS Plus is required.
Which of these games work well for just two players?
Baldur's Gate 3 is arguably the best two-player co-op experience on this entire list—it was clearly designed with a duo in mind, and the shared decision-making feels genuinely intimate at that scale. Deep Rock Galactic and Back 4 Blood both scale well to two players too, though you lose some of the role variety. Outriders: Worldslayer is another solid duo pick, capping at three players anyway.
Which games on this list support cross-play with PC or Xbox players?
Helldivers 2, Back 4 Blood, Diablo IV, Sea of Thieves, Outriders: Worldslayer, Warframe, Remnant II, Rainbow Six Extraction, and Destiny 2 all support cross-play in some form. Deep Rock Galactic, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Baldur's Gate 3, Killing Floor 2, and Aliens: Fireteam Elite are PS4/PS5 only for multiplayer. Cross-play is noted in each entry above where it's relevant.
Are any of these games free to play on PS5?
Warframe is the only fully free-to-play title on the main list, with no pay-to-win elements and premium currency you can earn in-game. Destiny 2 has a free base version, but accessing the co-op content that makes it worth recommending—raids, dungeons, and current-season activities—requires paid expansions. Everything else on this list requires a purchase, though several regularly drop to under $10 on sale.
What's the best option for a group of friends with very different skill levels?
Deep Rock Galactic handles mixed-skill groups better than almost anything else here. The roles are distinct enough that a newer player on Scout can contribute meaningfully while a veteran Gunner does the heavy lifting. Back 4 Blood and Diablo IV are also forgiving in this regard. The ones to approach carefully with mixed-skill groups are Baldur's Gate 3 (decision fatigue can overwhelm newcomers) and Killing Floor 2 at higher difficulties.
I only have an hour or two to play at a time. Which games suit shorter sessions?
Deep Rock Galactic and Killing Floor 2 are purpose-built for this. Missions run 20 to 40 minutes, there's no required pre-mission setup ritual, and you can drop in or out with minimal friction. Back 4 Blood and Aliens: Fireteam Elite work similarly. Baldur's Gate 3 and Monster Hunter World are better saved for longer evenings—both reward sustained attention over time.
Conclusion
For quick sessions with high replayability, Deep Rock Galactic and Killing Floor 2 are where I'd point most groups first. For a dedicated two-player campaign night, nothing on PS5 touches Baldur's Gate 3. Four-player squads who want coordinated chaos should start with Helldivers 2, while long-term loot chasers will get the most mileage from Monster Hunter World: Iceborne or Diablo IV. If you're after something genuinely different, Sea of Thieves earns its place. Want to explore more PS5 co-op options beyond this list? Ready for more tailored picks? Try our Recommendations Engine for suggestions that match your play style.
