Summary
Open-world multiplayer games are all about the freedom to explore vast environments together, allowing a group of players to decide how they want to play. However, sometimes, the fun can be stifled when matchmaking or party group-up systems aren’t as fluid as they should be. With seamless drop-in and drop-out multiplayer added into the mix, one that doesn’t manage to break the flow of gameplay, it can transform these experiences into spontaneousco-op adventuresthat players will cherish.
Whether building, battling, or just cruising across the map, these games thrive on their ability to let players come and go as they please, utilizing systems that minimize the need for cumbersome menus or interfaces. Here are eight of the best open-world games that embrace this style of multiplayer to significant effect.
A third-person shooter RPG with an expansive mix of campaign gameplay and other modes,Tom Clancy’s The Division 2competently provides an enjoyable, instant experience of looting and shooting alongside players or friends or against them in PvP scenarios. Much likeDestinyin its shared-world format, it’s a game focused on questing and action that can be enjoyed solo but is continuously populated by other players. However, with systems in place that emphasize tactical gameplay, teaming up is highly encouraged, and its online structure ensures that this teamwork is both smooth and enjoyable.
While playing with others requires the use of a menu, it comes in the form of a brilliant in-game onscreen social overlay. With this, inviting friends or matchmaking is greatly simplified and doesn’t take the player directly out of the game. From this social menu, players can invite friends, clan members, or even people nearby if a specific mission proves too tricky. Players can join each other’s sessions mid-game, and once they have joined, any quests can be progressed and completed together.
TheBorderlandsseries, apart from itsbrilliant mindless action, is widely praised for its multiple forms of co-op play, consistently striking the perfect balance between fun, flexibility, and ease of access. Thankfully,Borderlands 3is no different. With its user-friendly network and social features, players can easily choose between open-to-public or friends-only match settings, making it simple to group up with others.
Once either match setting is activated, players can join through matchmaking, or friends can join through their platform’s friends list or the in-game social menu. When a player joins, they’re dropped right into the world and can jump straight into the action — no need for lobbies or reloading. Moreover, with the inclusion of cross-play, teaming up with friends is more flexible, enabling gameplay across consoles and PC. Loot and enemies automatically adjust according to each player’s preference, whether engaging in co-op or friendly competition, and progress can either sync up or remain separate for each player.
There’s no denying that parkour runs, rooftop chases, and navigating an open-world city feel far more exhilarating with allies, especially in acooperative world teeming with zombies. Building on the fantastic foundation of the original,Dying Light 2 Stay Humanbrings some sumptuously good multiplayer that alleviates some of the tension and maximizes the fun. Similarly to its predecessor, when night arrives, more formidable foes emerge and roam the streets. The heightened danger also allows players to secure superior loot, making cooperative gameplay more lucrative.
After completing the game’s introduction (~1–2 hours) and completing the “Markers of Plague” quest, co-op unlocks. Friends can then join a session directly via invites or by changing the game type to friends only. When activated, up to four friends can seamlessly join whenever they wish. They spawn right into the game world without breaking immersion. The levels of enemies will adjust, and quest progress will align with the host’s world, but players who join still earn XP, loot, and contribute to world progress.
Minecrafthas shone for many years now with its ability to build and enjoy communal worlds where only the imagination is the limit. Fortunately, this simple yet infinite game has millions of players, so it’s easy to find people to play with. Thousands of public servers are already out there, which players and their friends can join to play via the server list.
However, for a more seamless approach that allows the shared enjoyment of building a personal world with close friends, LAN orMinecraft"Realms" will do the trick. With either of these options, players can join a persistent world for themselves and themselves only. There is no need for lobby screens once the world is live. Players will appear right where they logged off, and thecozy building funwill seamlessly resume.
The expansive open world ofGTA Onlineaccommodates up to an impressive 30 players on current-gen consoles and PC, enabling each of them to explore an enormous map and engage in multiple game modes through a flexible system of public or invite-only sessions. If the wish is to stop by and enjoy some multiplayer mayhem immediately, the public sessions are the way to go, releasing a player into a free-for-all sandbox to let loose in the city.
WhileGTA Onlineoffers an exciting experience when played with strangers, the antics truly shine when enjoyed with friends. If playing with friends, an invite-only session allows friends and their acquaintances to join effortlessly. No session restart is required — players drop in live, often spawning nearby or at their last location. Friends can also be specifically invitedto jobs, races, orheists, and they’ll get a notification to join immediately.
An open-world multiplayer experience offering high-speed engines rather than high-caliber weaponry,Forza Horizon 5allows players to immerse themselves in a motorhead’s playground filled with all the tools needed to make the occasion the most enjoyable. It’s not solely anopen-world racing simulation; it’s an online party for those who love cars. Here, players enter a live-service interpretation of Mexico to cruise around, compete against friends or others, engage in a variety of tasks and challenges, or simply relax and show off their latest cars.
Fortunately, connecting with friends is a straightforward process. Friends are represented worldwide as “drivatars” and will synchronize in real-time once they join the session. There are no lobbies or restarts to pull the player away from behind the wheel — friends will practically appear. Additionally, players can freely split up and rejoin whenever they want, perfectly embodying the spirit of drop-in/drop-out gameplay.
A game that prioritizes teamwork in an open-world adventure like no other,Sea of Thievesallows for one of the smoothest multiplayer experiences and abrilliant entry point to PvPvEgameplay. With no single-player or offline mode present, the whole game is played on a designated shared server with up to 16 players, with no skill-based matchmaking present and PvP on at all times. By simply choosing the desired crew size, the game assigns a ship and crew, placing everyone on that vessel.
Although this pirate simulation can be played alone or with other matchmakers, it cannot replace the experience of navigating the oceans with a team of close friends, which is the recommended way to enjoy the game. With cross-play functionality, friends can swiftly assemble their crew by accepting an invitation. After a brief stop in the crew setup interface, all players will be placed into the game, allowing them to leave and rejoin the party at their convenience.
With a vast multiplayer universe in need of exploring, the process of entering needs to be simple, and that’s exactly what the multiplayer side ofNo Man’s Skyis. It’s an uncomplicated myriad of adventures with multiplayer woven seamlessly through it. The game is always set to multiplayer, so unless specifically disabled in the network options menu, players will continuously find themselves in a persistent multiplayer affair, where encountering another player, while slim due to the unprecedented size of the galaxies, can occur. For a more connected world, social hub locations known as “The Nexus” are always on hand for players to meet, shop, and pass the time.
While it can be enjoyed solo, this game has elevated into an ambitious cosmic adventure that, like many games on this list, isbest enjoyed with friends. With the option to join a group of up to four with cross-play readily available, players can create a session to invite friends, allowing them to spawn in the exact location as a group member. Alternatively, an open lobby can be made for a more laid-back approach, enabling friends to drop in whenever they wish.
