Summary
REPOmade a sweeping entrance into the co-op horror genre upon its arrival in 2025, undergoing a meteoric rise akin to 2023’s breakout indie horror,Lethal Company. InREPO, players play as Semibots as they aim to claim expensive loot — although haunted specimens roam the maps, hoping to inflict terrors on those who wish to recover such luxuries.
Along with various spooky and well-developed monsters,REPOhas excelled through its co-op fun, delivering an experience unlike any horror game this year. For thoselooking for more horror co-op gamesthat encapsulateREPO’sgameplay mechanics and frightening enemies and are eager to bring their friends along for the ride, plenty of choices exist in the marketplace for players to sink their teeth into.
An underrated game within the multiplayer horror genre comes in the form ofPanicore, a survival game thatmakes noise an integral factorin its gameplay. In a thrilling co-op experience, players must try to escape dark and derelict maps that have many mysteries and objectives to complete, all while being hunted down by a ferocious monster that picks up on the slightest bit of noise, such as in-game voice communication, with future co-op horrors such asREPOadopting the feature through its Huntsman entity.
Panicore’snoise mechanic and detailed scavenger hunt progression system give the game a survivalist feel, delivering a tense and petrifying experience unlike any other in the space.
The immersive psychological gameThe Outlast Trialsreleased too much anticipation as the third entry in theOutlastfranchise, revolutionizing the series through itsspine-chillingly dark and demonicthemes that enhance the co-op experience. BesidesThe Outlast Trials' stunning visuals and decrepit maps, the game thrives in its objective-based progression, such as finding keys or filling up generators. At the same time, an obsessed monster commands a murderous intent for players.
Utilizing items and perks that boost stamina, speed, or health recovery, similar toREPO,The Outlast Trialsgives players variance in playstyles, offering tremendous replay value.
In terms ofpairing the horror and comedy genres,Content WarningandREPOare two of the most innovative in that regard, with the group cohesion and chemistry enhanced by their gameplay, providing plenty of laughs and shocks.Content Warningsees a group begin their journey in a pleasant land where they are gifted a camera, which players take to a lower level where monsters and creepy crawlies reside in a black and white wasteland where players have to record events they encounter.
Upon completing challenges and returning to the surface, teams can watch back the recorded escapades, prompting hilarity amidst the chaos players endure, makingContent Warninga free co-op gem.
For players eager to perform paranormal investigations,Phasmophobiais a fleshed-out horror game that sees players engage in the hunt tosolve the mysteries of ghostshaunting select houses using paranormal tools that help determine the spirit’s identity.
Among its roguelike qualities akin to games likeREPO,Phasmophobia, as a ghost horror, stands at the forefront of the genre, teeming with plenty of variety and replayability to keep groups coming back for more methodical but intense action that continues to be relevant years after its initial early access.
For decades,Left 4 Dead 2has survived the tests of time, continuing to have a respectable and loyal player base that has only added to the game’s lifespan. Featuring four playable human characters who must advance along a multisectioned map while swarms of zombies and infected monsters attempt to take players down,Left 4 Dead 2’sgameplay loop and its variation through weapons,enemies, fun and distinct maps, and multiplayer modes have made the game one of Valve’s crowning achievements.
Over the last decade,L4D2has amassed a significant modding community that has been integral to the game still thriving in the modern era of gaming that has seenREPOandLethal Companydominate, giving one of the horror co-op genres' most notorious games unlimited life on Steam.
In terms of pure horror and jumpscares,Devourranks as one of the scariest co-op games in recent years, withits ritualistic premise being a thrilling concept. Through a myriad of different maps that each have their own distinct style and setting, a group of players must complete a number of ritual sacrifices before being killed by a devastatingly frightening enemy that roams the map, increasing in difficulty as players progress on the number of sacrifices they complete.
What makesDevourshine is its terrifying monsters that gallivant across each map in the hunt for prey, with their impressive designs matching up to the variety of monsters inREPO.
Over the last couple of years, no indie game has struck a chord within the gaming community more thanLethal Company, a co-op horror with a simple yet terrifying premise that has had tens of thousands of friend groups running for their lives. Ordered to collect valuable objects from abandoned facilities on various moons for The Company, players must enter randomly generated facilities where an assortment of monsters with differing mechanics threaten to eliminate players — a gameplay loop that inspiredREPO.
With a shop being available to exchange loot for items varying from flashlights to boomboxes,Lethal Companybrings continuous fun and laughs among its horror aspects, with the game beingenhanced by the implementation of modsbuilt off of many ofLethal Company’sforward-thinking gameplay mechanisms.
