Best Co-Op Roguelikes (2024)

Like them or loathe them, roguelikes are here to stay. From the smaller, more humble indie experiences to the award-winning all-out triple-A blockbuster, there’s a roguelike game out there for pretty much everyone. What better way to experience repeatedly dying than with a friend by your side?

Due to the high difficulty of most roguelike games, bringing in a buddy to help you take out tough-as-nails bosses and mow down waves of enemies is most definitely welcome. In most cases, you can synergize your builds, gear, and upgrade choices to make delving into the seemingly endless levels just that much easier. With these co-op roguelike games, dying over and over doesn’t have to be a solitary experience.

Updated June 22, 2024 by Jouanna Bondakji: Dying in video games is usually not a fun time, but you come to expect it in roguelikes. In fact, it's usually one of the mechanics. And what better way to experience dying repeatedly than to share it with friends? We've added more entries for you to play with friends.

16 Vampire Survivors

How Long Can You Survive?

Vampire Survivors' secret lies in its simplicity. There are hordes of enemies coming at you, and you have to fend them off for as long as you can. You get a bunch of different weapons that you can upgrade as you level up in a sort of reverse bullet hell situation.

You're destined to die sooner or later, but you still need to survive and power up as much as possible, because the next survivor inherits what you've gathered. You can play with up to three others in local co-op, and you don't all have to be experts at the game to have fun. The run won't end as long as there's at least one survivor, and the respawn time doesn't take too long, making co-op accessible to everyone.

15 Crypt Of The NecroDancer

Rhythm Game Meets Roguelike

Crypt of the NecroDancer blends roguelikes and rhythm game mechanics to make a fantastically unique game. You move to the rhythm in the dungeon, and the concept is kept fresh with the variety of songs and different play styles of your characters. You can even put in your own songs to move and groove to!

There's so much treasure to discover, weapons to upgrade, and undead enemies to defeat while making sure you stick to the groove. There's also DLC involving iconic characters like the queen of the virtual music world herself, Hatsune Miku. Co-op gives you access to some exclusive mechanics, such as team attacks, so it's definitely worth playing if you've got a rhythm-loving buddy.

14 Rogue Star Rescue

Rescue Companions And Defend The Galaxy

If you're looking for a game you can safely invest a lot of time and effort into without it getting dull too quickly, that's one of Rogue Star Rescue's strengths. You're not only protecting yourself, but also your galaxy, and you'll need all sorts of equipment for that. Luckily, aside from weapons, you can also set traps that affect enemies in different ways, and even obtain allies that can join you after you rescue them.

There are different endings based on your decisions too, adding even more replay value. The game offers both local and online co-op, with some multiplayer-exclusive content, so it's definitely worth checking out.

13 Barony

First-Person Roguelike With RPG Elements

Barony is a little different from the typical roguelike in that it's a first-person experience. If you're used to playing first-person games with your friends, this game could be an easier introduction to roguelikes. However, Barony is by no means easy. In fact, its difficulty can be brutal.

In it, you must conquer dungeons to free your fellow people from the tyranny of Baron Herx, though he's not willing to give everything up so easily. The game has some RPG elements, and there are 13 classes to choose from. Make your own party with up to three friends to decimate your enemies with different weapons and spells before they decimate you. Oh, and watch out for the sudden traps, too.

12 The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth

Classic Horror Humor And Powerful Power-Ups

The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is one of those classic games that you see everywhere for a reason. It follows the story of Isaac, who's trying to escape his mother in their basem*nt. Little does he know the gruesome terrors he'll encounter and fight to survive. It's a strange and interesting mix of humor and horror.

You have to utilize his tears to go against the entities in the basem*nt, and in co-op, a friend can play as a baby that helps Isaac deal damage. There are lots of skins to choose from, as well as power-ups you'll find along the way. You can also unlock different characters who work a little differently, so there's a ton of replay value.

11 Ship Of Fools

Set Sail And Battle Sea Monsters

If you're into sailing, you'll have a lot of fun with Ship of Fools. You and a co-captain have to maneuver your ship and fend off sea monsters as you sail towards The Great Lighthouse. There are many tasks to accomplish at once, such as manning the cannons, repairing the ship, and performing combos, so you'll have to work as a team to survive.

And even though you've set a course, the waters can be unpredictable. You must think quickly to determine another course, or possibly risk it all by proceeding into the storm anyway. There's rarely a dull moment in this beautifully hand-drawn game.

10 Roboquest

FPS Roguelite With Evil Robots

More of an FPS Roguelite, Roboquest is an early access title that shares many elements with popular action roguelikes. It features randomly generated levels, a variety of weapons to play with, and a smorgasbord of evil robots to defeat.

The levels have a delightfully colorful comic-book aesthetic, with all the onomatopoeia action exclamations you can handle. The game supports two-player co-op, allowing two wannabe violent androids to master the game’s fluid movement and complement each other’s builds while blasting their way through the challenging robot horde.

9 Heroes Of Hammerwatch

Top-Down Dungeon Crawler

Blurring the lines between a classic top-down dungeon crawler and a frenetic action roguelike, Heroes of Hammerwatch features an impressive amount of content under its hood. Its classic pixel-art medieval setting is a great backdrop for all the sword slashing and spellcasting you’ll be getting up to.

There are plenty of unique classes to try out, which encourages testing new abilities and play styles as you encounter endless hordes of enemies in the game’s rich randomly generated levels. Heroes of Hammerwatch is best experienced with three other players by your side as you all slowly but surely ascend to the top of the Forsaken Spire. It’s also a great entry point for beginners to the genre.

8 Fury Unleashed

Explosive Action And Rewarding Combos

Taking the bombastically explosive action from Contra and the randomly generated methodical platforming from Rogue Legacy, Fury Unleashed forges its own path as a vibrant and fast-paced shooter that packs one hell of a punch.

The game will see you fighting your way through the panels and pages of a comic book from the mind of a prolific author suffering from severe writer’s block. You must blast through the comic panels by utilizing the game’s exciting array of weapons and engaging in its rewarding and satisfying combo system. It’s even more satisfying when you bring in a friend for some frantic co-op action.

7 Streets Of Rogue

Wreak Havoc With Friends

Streets of Rogue impressively blends elements from some of the most beloved genres, which results in an experience of true freedom and player expression. It wears its top-down action roguelike influences on its sleeve, drawing heavily from the likes of Nuclear Throne and The Binding of Isaac. It also draws upon the freedom of the Deus Ex and GTA series, with a particular emphasis on player choice, experimentation, and freedom.

What results is a game where you and up to three others can navigate a large procedurally generated open map, wreaking havoc and accomplishing mission goals in any way you see fit. The map is ever-evolving, with a ridiculous number of items to play with and characters to try out.

6 Children Of Morta

Colorful Family Tale

Children of Morta is like a colorful folk tale come to life. It follows the antics and shared perils of the supremely talented Bergson family as they work together to battle the ever-enclosing corruption. It successfully blurs the lines between a top-down RPG dungeon crawler and an action roguelike, with its fantastic narrative taking center stage.

That’s not to say its gameplay is anything to scoff at - each of the Bergsons brings with them a unique set of traits to take on a sea of encircling enemies and tough bosses. Co-op is particularly satisfying, as it allows both of you to take your Bergson of choice and play off each other's skill sets. The game’s difficulty is fairly accessible, which makes this a good starting point if you want to introduce a friend to the genre.

5 Gunfire Reborn

Looter FPS With Adorable Heroes

Gunfire Reborn’s brilliant blend of a hero shooter, looter FPS, and action roguelike makes for a co-op experience that you will struggle to put down. You and three other players will have to make the very hard choice of playing as one of eight adorably anthropomorphic characters, each with their own set of abilities and perks.

As with most looter shooters - expect plenty of weapon variety as you mow down hordes of enemies within the game's diverse set of procedurally generated locations. Gunfire Reborn is an absolute blast with friends, especially as you experiment with builds and get a better sense of your roles within the team.

4 Spelunky 2

Treasure Hunt In Punishing Caves

Spelunky 2 is a sequel to one of the greatest modern platforming roguelikes ever made. You play as a treasure hunter who traverses a series of procedurally generated caves. Don’t let the game's cutesy colorful aesthetic fool you - Spelunky 2 is brutally punishing and will likely result in many game-over screens before you even reach the second level.

As you explore the vast cave network on your quest for treasure, you must come up against many death-dealing traps and murderous enemies. The game’s co-op features are surprisingly robust, allowing two-player local and online co-op, with the much-welcome feature of cross-platform support for online play. It’ll make all those inevitable deaths a little more palatable.

3 Enter The Gungeon

A Bullet-Filled Gungeon

Dodge Roll’s Enter the Gungeon is one of the most mechanically satisfying and content-complete action roguelikes out there. You are given the inexplicably impossible task of entering the titular “Gungeon” in an effort to reach the bottom and find a weapon that can literally kill the past.

Fly solo or team up in two-player co-op as one player chooses between a variety of charming misfits, all with unique starting weapons and abilities, while the other plays as the Cultist. There is a staggering amount of guns to choose from, as well as a satisfying number of combat mechanics that makes shooting the adorable bullet-themed enemies all the more satisfying.

2 Don’t Starve Together

An expansion to the brilliant Don’t Starve, Don’t Starve Together is a fantastic multiplayer expansion that brings together punishing survival and craft gameplay with roguelike elements. The large procedurally generated open map has a variety of biomes to explore as you head out from the safety of your shared camp. You must avoid powerful monsters in order to gather resources and forage for food.

There are plenty of gameplay mechanics to get stuck into here, including setting up and building a shared base, facing the wilds for a dangerous bit of spelunking, and even a spot of farming for when things get a bit too hectic. It’s a great co-op experience that will see you get better at surviving as you explore and figure things out. Surviving is better, together.

1 Risk Of Rain 2

Survive Chaos In 3D Realms And Conquer Relentless Enemies

The first Risk of Rain was a brilliant 2D sidescrolling action roguelike that threw hordes of enemies at you as you juggled upgrades, power, and speed to get the job done. Risk of Rain 2 takes the beloved formula of the first game to the next level. Now in fully 3D randomly generated open levels, you must survive an intimidating onslaught of enemies as you work to increase your power with random item drops.

This gives it an infectiously compelling gameplay loop that is filled to the brim with chaos and excitement. Much like the first game, Risk of Rain 2 brings back four-player co-op. You can each try out the 14 different characters on offer and the unique builds and mechanics that come with them. Hectic is too tame a word to describe the chaos-inducing excitement that each run brings - it’s something you simply have to experience for yourself.