Best Co-Op Games to Play With Friends (2026): 9 Late-Night Picks

Last updated: October 21, 2026

It's 10:47 p.m. Work's done, the group chat is alive, and somebody types the five most dangerous words in gaming: "what do you guys want to play?" Forty minutes of scrolling later, half the squad is asleep. Not tonight.

This is the 2nd Shift list of the best co-op games to play with friends right now: games that are easy to jump into after a long day, hold up across dozens of sessions, and actually make you laugh, scream, or high-five your headset. Prices are approximate US list prices on Steam at the time of writing, and sales move them around constantly.

Quick picks

• Best for two players: Split Fiction
• Best squad shooter: Helldivers 2
• Best "one more mission" grind: Deep Rock Galactic
• Best cheap chaos: PEAK, R.E.P.O., Lethal Company
• Best for big groups: Valheim (up to 10)
• Best chill session: Stardew Valley
• Best for spooky season: Phasmophobia

1. Split Fiction (2 players)

Hazelight's follow-up to It Takes Two is still the gold standard for duo co-op. Two writers get trapped inside their own sci-fi and fantasy stories, and the game throws a new mechanic at you every few minutes so it never gets stale. It's built strictly for two, local split-screen or online.

• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2
• Price: around $50. The free Friend's Pass lets your partner play with you without buying it.
• Why it's great late at night: clear chapters you can finish in a session, zero grind.

Check Split Fiction prices on Amazon

2. Helldivers 2 (up to 4)

Squads of up to four drop onto alien planets to spread "managed democracy," and friendly fire is always on. Calling in an orbital strike on your own buddy by accident is half the fun. Arrowhead keeps running a live galactic war, so there's usually a new reason to log in.

• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S (crossplay)
• Price: around $40

Check Helldivers 2 prices on Amazon

3. Deep Rock Galactic (1-4)

Space dwarves, destructible caves, and a bug horde every few minutes. Each class (Scout, Driller, Engineer, Gunner) matters, missions run around 20-40 minutes, and the community is famously friendly. Rock and Stone.

• Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
• Price: around $30

4. PEAK (1-4)

A climbing game where you and up to three friends haul yourselves up a mountain that changes every day, managing stamina, food, and each other's terrible decisions. Proximity chat makes it hilarious. Big news: PEAK hits PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2 on October 22, 2026, with full crossplay.

• Platforms: PC now; consoles from October 22
• Price: around $8 on Steam, about $7 on console

5. R.E.P.O. (up to 6)

You and up to five friends play wobbly robots hauling valuables out of haunted locations, with physics that make every vase a liability and monsters that make every hallway a gamble. It's horror, but mostly it's screaming-laughing.

• Platforms: PC (Early Access)
• Price: around $10

6. Lethal Company (up to 4)

The game that kicked off the "cheap co-op horror" wave. Scavenge scrap from abandoned moons to hit the Company's quota, and pray the guy on the ship terminal is paying attention. Still one of the best pure friend-group games out there.

• Platforms: PC (Early Access)
• Price: around $10

7. Phasmophobia (up to 4)

Ghost hunting with real equipment, voice recognition, and the slow dread of realizing the ghost heard you say its name. It's October, so this one is mandatory. It's still in Early Access; the 1.0 launch has been promised, but treat any specific date as unconfirmed until Kinetic Games announces it.

• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S (crossplay, VR supported)
• Price: around $20 (it was on sale for about $14 on Steam when we checked)

8. Valheim (1-10)

The best pick for a big crew. Up to 10 Vikings build a base, sail, and fight bosses across a procedurally generated afterlife. Valheim finally left Early Access with its 1.0 launch on September 9, 2026, so if your group bounced off it years ago, now's the time to start a fresh world.

• Platforms: PC (Windows, Mac, Linux), Xbox, with more consoles announced around 1.0
• Price: around $30

9. Stardew Valley (up to 8 on PC)

For the nights when nobody has the energy to sweat. Share a farm, split chores, fish, and decorate. On PC the farm supports up to 8 players online. It's cozy co-op that somehow eats four hours without you noticing.

• Platforms: basically everything (PC, consoles, mobile)
• Price: around $15

Check Stardew Valley prices on Amazon

Free option: Roblox with the crew

If somebody in the group doesn't want to buy anything, Roblox is the zero-cost move. Shameless plug: our own Grow a Monster is built for exactly this, quick sessions with friends between bigger games.

How to pick the right co-op game for your group

• Count heads first. Two players? Split Fiction. Five or six? R.E.P.O. Ten? Valheim.
• Check platforms. Mixed PC and console group? Helldivers 2, Phasmophobia, and PEAK (from October 22) all support crossplay.
• Match the energy. Sweaty nights want Helldivers or DRG. Tired nights want Stardew or PEAK.
• Get organized. A Discord server with a "LFG tonight" channel fixes most scheduling drama. Our best Discord bots for gaming servers guide shows what we run.

Planning the next big group buy? Our November 2026 game releases list has every date worth circling.

Co-op lives and dies by voice chat. If your mic sounds like a tin can, see our best gaming headsets guide for picks from about $50.

FAQ

What is the best co-op game to play with friends right now?

For two players, Split Fiction. For a squad of four, Helldivers 2 or Deep Rock Galactic are the safest picks with the most staying power.

What are the best cheap co-op games?

PEAK (around $8), R.E.P.O. (around $10), and Lethal Company (around $10) all deliver huge laughs for under $10 each on Steam.

What co-op games support crossplay between PC and console?

Helldivers 2, Phasmophobia, and Split Fiction support crossplay, and PEAK adds full crossplay with its October 22, 2026 console launch.

What is the best co-op game for a big group?

Valheim supports up to 10 players, Stardew Valley supports up to 8 on PC, and R.E.P.O. handles up to 6.

Can I play Split Fiction with a friend who doesn't own it?

Yes. Split Fiction's free Friend's Pass lets one owner invite a friend to play the full game together online.

Is PEAK coming to PS5 and Xbox?

Yes. PEAK launches on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on October 22, 2026, with a physical PS5 edition planned for December.

The 2nd Shift take

If your crew can only buy one game this month, make it Helldivers 2 for squads or Split Fiction for duos. But the real cheat code for late nights is the under-$10 tier: PEAK, R.E.P.O., and Lethal Company are easy to sell to the group chat, quick to load, and guaranteed to produce at least one clip worth posting. Want people to play with on a regular schedule? That's what the Night Shift Crew is for.

Need a squad tonight? Jump into the 2nd Shift Discord: discord.gg/SbzeqKvGVA

Sources: Split Fiction on Steam, Helldivers 2 on Steam, Deep Rock Galactic on Steam, PEAK on Steam, R.E.P.O. on Steam, Lethal Company on Steam, Phasmophobia on Steam, Valheim on Steam, Stardew Valley on Steam, AltChar (PEAK console launch), Gematsu (Phasmophobia roadmap).