Co-op has been a staple of gaming for most of the medium’s lifespan, although its prominence can fluctuate from time to time. While arguably associated more with PvP games, the PC scene is certainly no stranger to cooperative games, particularly ones that are played online. Local co-op options can be a bit harder to find since the feature is not typically prioritized on platforms like Steam, but they also exist, and there are some great titles out there.
When looking for multiplayer games to play with friends, players will likely gravitate either to team-based shooters or MMOs, two genres that have produced more than their fair share of great releases. However, there are plenty of great Steam co-op games that go beyond those categories.
Co-op games that focus on PvP will be largely ignored. Counter-Strike 2 and Rainbow Six Siege X are examples of omitted games, although modes like Wingman can satisfy players looking for PvP co-op.
While the rankings are mostly based on quality, new additions will be mentioned first for visibility’s sake.
Updated August 20, 2025 by Mark Sammut: Free co-op Steam games do not drop daily. Heck, co-op games in general are quite rare nowadays, to free-to-play variants that are occasionally worth playing are incredibly difficult to come by. Still, if you are ready to try out some games that have relatively low review counts on Valve’s site, you might discover some hidden gems. In demonstration of that, Handy Dandy has been added as a recommendation.
1
Wuthering Waves
Steam User Rating: 89%
Wuthering Waves took quite a while to make its Steam debut, but the delay was worth it since the game is nowadays in a much better state. At launch, Kuro’s project garnered a notably mixed response, with the visuals and gameplay being considered decent but nothing too incredible. While the story is still not great, in my opinion, Wuthering Waves arguably offers the best combat in the gacha genre, along with pretty great traversal. Anybody craving a free-to-play open-world action RPG should give this a try, as they have nothing to lose but time.
For its co-op, Wuthering Waves allows up to three players to share a world, with one of them acting as a host. They all control one playable character, and having some allies can be useful for taking out bosses (although the game is not really that difficult). Honestly, Wuthering Waves‘ co-op is not much of a selling point, especially since players need to reach Union Level 22 just to unlock it. That is a lot of time to invest for people specifically looking to play with friends.
2
We Were Here
Steam User Rating: 90%
Following the same thread as innovative puzzle co-op games like Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes, We Were Here sees two players lost in a frozen wasteland and separated. The only form of communication they have is through their handheld radio devices. Both players must have working microphones to communicate as they work together through challenging puzzles to reunite, and they will have a unique gameplay experience.
Seemingly inspired by real-life escape rooms, I was surprised at just how well We Were Here manages to replicate those experiences. The game proved to be a big enough success to produce four sequels, none of which are free. That said, they are all very good and are not that expensive when bought together.
3
Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop
Steam User Rating: 94%
Alien Swarm might just be Valve’s most forgotten game, although the 2010 release is by no means bad. In fact, anyone seeking a twin-stick co-op shooter can certainly do worse than this title; however, they should consider jumping into Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop instead of the original game. For one, Reactive Drop is still being updated despite coming out in 2017, which cannot be said for Alien Swarm. Secondly and more importantly, the expansion does exactly what it advertises: improve the base experience.
While not lacking PvP, Reactive Drop is primarily about co-op. 8 players can take on one of the game’s 10+ campaigns, each consisting of a couple of missions. Naturally, the gameplay loop boils down to players going up against wave after wave of enemies while they try to work toward a level’s endpoint. Straightforward as this concept is, Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop manages to incorporate quite a bit of nuance through its classes and tactics-driven gameplay. This is not one of those forgiving games that allow players to effectively disregard the rest of the team as they live out their Rambo fantasy; no, teamwork is necessary for survival.
4
With You
Steam User Rating: 89%
With You is a wholesome cooperative puzzle-platformer game for two players to enjoy. Together, the couple must collaborate to solve a series of physics and platforming segments through problem-solving, gentle communication, and jumping on each other.
Short and sweet, with its intentionally wonky controls, With You resolves to improve the bonds and intimacy between the two players and (quite literally) bring them closer together. You will probably finish the game pretty quickly, but it is fun while it lasts.
5
Once Human
Steam User Rating: 74%
While hardly flawless, Once Human, an open-world survival game, is nevertheless an outstanding achievement and well worth a download. An alien infestation driven by human corporations has caused corruption to spread across the land, mutating humans, animals, and objects in the process. Meta-humans are in charge of fighting back against this chaos, all the while trying to learn who exactly is behind this apocalyptic situation.
As Once Human supports solo play, an argument could be made that this type of survival experience benefits from the sense of isolation presented by a single-player run. However, Starry Studio has implemented both PvP multiplayer and co-op. The former is a mixed bag that can be largely ignored if someone does not want to engage with it, even if they opt to play with other players. Conversely, co-op generally results in a superior experience, even if Once Human‘s implementation of the feature leaves something to be desired.
Players can set up either a Party, Hive, or Warband, depending on how many friends will be joining the run. While they all have their uses, Hive might be the best option for those who are planning to mostly play together, as it will allow them to effectively run through the campaign as a unit. Once Human can get repetitive at times, an issue that is lessened when a few friends are along for the ride.
6
Muck
Steam User Rating: 93%
Dani’s Muck is just an all-around solid free-to-play sandbox game. While not necessarily pushing the genre forward, it does cover the basics well while providing an enjoyable multiplayer experience. Friends can live together on the same server, seeing how long they can survive on a procedurally generated island as they steadily work towards the campaign’s endpoint (which does exist). Death is permanent in survival mode, so the stakes are fairly high.
Despite its vibrant and simple visuals, Muck does not pull all that many punches, and it even has a couple of challenging boss fights. Multiplayer helps ease the difficulty somewhat, but it does not make the game a walk in the park either.
7
No More Room In Hell
Steam User Rating: 89%
No More Room In Hell is a first-person horror game where players can join forces with up to eight others and try to survive the zombie apocalypse with over 30 weapons at their disposal. There is proximity-based voice communication, so the farther players are from one another, the harder it is for them to communicate.
Taking inspiration from contemporary sources like The Walking Dead, No More Room In Hell is surprisingly fun and guaranteed to provide hours of entertainment. With the zombie virus running rampant, players can become infected and decide to warn their team of impending zombification or stay quiet about their fate.
8
Unsolved Case
Steam User Rating: 89%
Unsolved Case casts players as detectives and puts them on a serial killer case. To catch the Cryptic Killer, the two sleuths will need to solve a series of puzzles, and teamwork is the name of the game. Players need to constantly communicate since they are each shown just a fragment of a room’s overall puzzle, and a solution can only be found by combining each person’s clues.
Lasting approximately an hour, Unsolved Case is an enjoyable brain-teaser. While the free co-op game does not have much replay value, it is designed to act as a sample of what Eleven Puzzles’ future Cryptic Killer games will contain.
9
Sven Co-Op
Steam User Rating: 93%
A blast from the past, Sven Co-Op feels like it has always been around in some form or another, even if it never quite reached the same level of popularity as something like Garry’s Mod. Like all great Steam projects, Sven Co-Op can be traced back to Half-Life; in fact, it started life as a mod for Valve’s game. As suggested by the title, the developers sought to bring co-op to Half-Life, a straightforward promise that does not even begin to capture the sheer amount of content incorporated in this package.
Nowadays, Sven Co-Op is available as a standalone download on Steam, so it is completely free to play and does not even require owning Half-Life. Heck, it has Half-Life within it (along with a bunch of maps for other games like Opposing Force). Sven Co-Op is dated by this point. Everything about it screams “early 2000s,” and that is part of its charm. The mod was a pioneer in the co-op FPS market, and its gameplay is still rock-solid and fun to this day.
10
Handy Dandy
The Most Indie Co-Op Free Steam Game
Let’s make something clear: indie developers are fulfilling Steam’s free co-op games quota almost single-handedly, especially if you are looking for tiny adventures that are not endless multiplayer-style experiences. Valve’s platform is perfect for releases designed to showcase a developer’s capabilities or maybe serve as a proof of concept. Yes, they probably won’t keep you busy for more than an hour or two, and you might not boot them up more than once, but they are the definition of short and sweet.
Handy Dandy is a prime example of an indie co-op game that has been granted some spotlight thanks to Steam. Sure, it has not attracted all that much attention over the last 5 years, but it is one of those projects that, occasionally, two friends will stumble upon and be satisfied for a couple of hours.
The game is named after two cavers who go on a wild interdimensional journey. Handy and Dandy have to work together to solve puzzles, with the screen being split into two dimensions at any given time. It is a cool concept that is made for co-op play.
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