Good multiplayer fun does not have to cost as much as a cinema visit. Steam has plenty of approachable co-op, competitive and puzzle games priced below $10, making them easy choices for an afternoon with friends.
This selection includes online adventures, local communication-based puzzles and one game that works without an internet connection. Prices and availability are based on the supplied game listings.
For more arcade and gaming ideas, explore the RETROCADE Arcade Blog or browse arcade machines for a dedicated multiplayer setup.
1. An Eggstremely Hard Game
Where to play: Windows PC
In An Eggstremely Hard Game, two or four players become “highly qualified goose parents” tasked with getting an egg safely home. The premise recalls the school exercise of carrying an egg as though it were a baby, but the journey quickly becomes much more hazardous.
Dropping the egg or colliding with obstacles causes cracks, while the deliberately awkward controls and unpredictable physics make teamwork essential. Obstacles progress from rocks to swinging wrecking balls that require both players to fly through them in sync. The game costs $5 and supports two or four players. Visit the Steam page for An Eggstremely Hard Game.
2. Lethal Company
Where to play: Windows PC
Entering early access in October 2023, Lethal Company combines survival horror with deliberately irreverent humour. You and up to three friends work for the Company, travelling to abandoned moons to collect scrap from procedurally generated facilities.
Danger comes from creatures such as Snare Fleas, fleshy centipedes that drop from ceilings, as well as the pressure to return to your ship on time. Miss the deadline and the Company leaves you behind; fail to meet its scrap quota and you can be ejected into space. The game costs $9.99 and supports up to four players. Find Lethal Company on Steam Community.
3. Strikers Club
Where to play: Windows PC
Strikers Club offers a multiplayer football simulation for anyone missing the action after the World Cup. Instead of controlling an entire team, each player on the pitch is controlled by a real person, including you.
The game follows the conventions and rules of a real match, with position-specific mechanics adding different responsibilities for each role. It remains in early access and is still working through issues, but it is currently free to play. Online player-versus-player and co-operative modes support matches from 5v5 through to 11v11. See Strikers Club on Steam.
4. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two
Where to play: Android devices, iOS, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC
Tick Tock: A Tale for Two is a two-player puzzle adventure set inside a mysterious clockwork world. After being trapped by a secretive clockmaker, each player receives different clues on their own screen and must communicate to solve increasingly challenging puzzles.
Its hand-drawn environments and story draw on Scandinavian fairy tales, creating an eerie atmosphere. The adventure takes only a few hours to complete and needs no internet connection; players simply need to talk, whether they are together or using different platforms. It costs $5.99 and requires exactly two players. Get Tick Tock: A Tale for Two.
If you are building a dedicated game room, our arcade machine buying guide can help you compare suitable options.
5. Shift at Midnight
Where to play: Windows PC
Shift at Midnight turns a late-night service-station shift into a co-operative detective horror game. Your group must restock shelves, clean blood, sell products and survive the monstrous doppelgangers who visit the station.
Checking customer identification can reveal suspicious details, giving players the chance to deal with a doppelganger before it leaves and transforms. If the team falls behind, the response may be to barricade the shop, hide inside and hope to survive. The game costs $9.99 and supports up to three players. Visit Shift at Midnight.
6. BOKURA
Where to play: Nintendo Switch, with Nintendo Switch Online required, and Windows PC
BOKURA is a side-scrolling puzzle game designed for exactly two players and two separate devices. You play as brothers who run away from home, then wake after fainting beside a dead deer to discover that each of you sees a completely different reality.
One player explores a world of animals while the other sees a world of machines. As with Tick Tock, solving the puzzles depends on clear conversation, either in person or through voice chat. There is no split-screen mode: each player needs their own device. The game costs $5.49. Find BOKURA on Steam.
7. Meccha Chameleon
Where to play: Windows PC
Meccha Chameleon gives hide-and-seek a creative twist. Chameleons paint themselves to blend into their surroundings, while hunters search the environment for players who are trying to disappear in plain sight.
The game sold two million copies in less than a week after launching and went viral during summer. It supports between two and 24 players, although the developer recommends limiting groups to 10. Community maps may be worth approaching cautiously for now. The game costs $5.99. See Meccha Chameleon on Steam.
Choosing a game for your next group session
For a quick online laugh, An Eggstremely Hard Game and Lethal Company focus on physics, panic and shared mishaps. Football fans can choose Strikers Club, while smaller groups looking for communication-heavy puzzles should consider Tick Tock or BOKURA. Shift at Midnight suits co-operative horror fans, and Meccha Chameleon offers the broadest player count.
Those planning a more permanent multiplayer space can also look at compact bartop arcades for smaller rooms, or DIY arcade kits for a custom project.
Leave a Reply