Your group chat has agreed to play something tonight. That was the easy part. Now someone wants a relaxing adventure, someone wants danger, and someone else just wants an excuse to cause trouble.
The best multiplayer games to play with friends in 2026 depend on what brings your group together. This shortlist highlights S.O.N.A.R. for submarine teamwork, Big Walk for social exploration, and REANIMAL for horror.
Here’s how to choose an adventure that fits your friends, instead of spending the whole evening debating what to install.
S.O.N.A.R.: Online teamwork under pressure
S.O.N.A.R. – Submarine Operators Not Actually Ready puts your group inside a submarine where navigation, sonar, combat, and repairs demand coordination. It is an online co-op experience for 1–6 players, with missions involving hostile vessels, stealth, and treasure recovery. store.steampowered.com
The appeal is having responsibilities that connect. Spotting a threat matters because somebody else needs that information to act. Keeping the submarine operational matters because even a brilliant plan needs a working vessel.
Make your first mission a team effort
Try assigning initial responsibilities before setting off: one person watches for contacts, another focuses on navigation, and another stays ready to handle damage. Treat these as starting jobs, then communicate when priorities change.
For friends who enjoy cooperative PvE challenges but also want competition, it includes both online co-op and online PvP support. That makes S.O.N.A.R. worth investigating when your group wants more than one kind of multiplayer session. store.steampowered.com
Choose it if: your favourite gaming memories involve shared responsibility, hurried decisions, and laughing about who misunderstood the plan.
Big Walk: Co-op for friends who love getting sidetracked
Big Walk, from House House, builds its adventure around exploration and communication. Steam describes an open world filled with puzzles and discoveries, with support for 2–12 players.
Its communication tools are part of the experience. Proximity voice chat responds to distance and surroundings, while gestures and equipment help players stay connected. Sometimes, figuring out how to communicate is itself the challenge. store.steampowered.com
That makes it an appealing choice for the friend who always wanders off to investigate something unusual. There is room to explore together, experiment, and enjoy the company without making every conversation about efficiency.
Let everyone discover something
A useful approach is to rotate who suggests your next destination. Give quieter friends space to point out discoveries, and resist turning every puzzle into a race led by the loudest person in the call.
Choose it if: your ideal online evening includes curiosity, conversation, and the occasional detour that becomes more memorable than the original plan.
REANIMAL: Share the tension with a friend
REANIMAL takes this list into darker territory. Developed by Tarsier Studios, it follows a brother and sister searching for missing friends while trying to escape a terrifying island.
The official description includes exploration by boat and on land, plus solo play, local co-op, and online co-op. A shared, directed camera is designed to intensify the tension. store.steampowered.com
This is the option to discuss when your group’s mood shifts from playful chaos to an unsettling adventure. Its emphasis on atmosphere makes it a different proposition from a casual catch-up accompanied by constant jokes.
Before starting, agree on whether you want to explore carefully and discuss the story or keep moving. Matching expectations can matter as much as choosing the game itself.
Choose it if: you and a friend want to face something frightening together and give the atmosphere room to work.
How to choose your next multiplayer night
Whether you search for “coop,” PvE, or PvP, start with what everyone actually wants from the session:
- Count confirmed players. Choose for the people attending, rather than everyone who might eventually join.
- Agree on the mood. Relaxation, concentration, competition, and horror are different requests.
- Set expectations for mistakes. Decide whether you are learning together or chasing a particular objective.
- Leave room for a second session. Your first evening can be about learning how your group works together.
For a crew ready to turn communication into a shared challenge, start by exploring S.O.N.A.R. Bring a plan, assign responsibilities, and find out how well your friends cooperate when everyone has something useful to do.
