Whether you're sitting beside your friend on a couch, or talking to them over voice chat, playing video games with someone else can be incredibly fun. This isn't to say that single-player games aren't enjoyable, but gaming with others is something everyone can appreciate once in a while.
Last year had plenty of exciting games to play with your friends, but what does 2023 have to offer? From triple-A to indie, and across a multitude of genres, you should be able to find at least one game from this list that you and your friend, or group of friends, agree to try out.
10 Wild Hearts
Expected Release Date - 17 February 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Wild Hearts is EA's take on the beloved Monster Hunter series. In this upcoming action RPG, your job is to fight fantasy monsters with ancient technology, either alone or with a few friends. There seems to be a unique mix of magic, crafting, and hopefully a compelling narrative. The exciting combat and beautiful world design should create an amazing co-op experience.
Defeating these beasts can be done in a variety of ways, such as using the power of nature or the craftiness of your traps. It would be smart to figure out who is willing to play this with you, so you and your friends can jump right into the game with a balanced team of beast fighters.
9 Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe
Expected Release Date - 24 February 2023, on Nintendo Switch.
If you're waiting for a more light-hearted co-op entry, this is the game for you. Nintendo is releasing a remake of the original Wii game Kirby's Return to Dream Land, known for its adorable platforming and unique abilities to copy.
Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe allows you to play with one player as Kirby and three players as Kirby's allies. The original side-scrolling adventure came out in 2011, making this a surprise remake for Kirby fans.
8 Sons Of The Forest
Expected Early Access Release Date - February 2023, on PC.
From the creators of the unique and terrifying The Forest comes a surprising sequel. Sons Of The Forest is a survival horror game where you find yourself on a remote island, but not entirely deserted. What makes this series so special is the frightening cannibals, the heavy survival elements and the unique crafting you can learn to survive amongst your creepy neighbours.
You don't have to face the cannibals alone. The Forest and its sequel lets you play with your friends and create a survival base together to fight off the hordes of monsters lurking beyond the trees.
7 Dead Island 2
Expected Release Date - 28 April 28 2023, on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.
The long-awaited sequel to Dead Island is finally arriving this year. If you're a fan of killing zombies with your friends, this is the perfect co-op game for you. Dead Island 2 is an action RPG with a cinematic adventure taking place in Los Angeles. Fans of the original 2011 game have been waiting over ten years for this exciting zombie-crushing experience.
Dead Island 2 promises a cool cast of characters and thrilling quests across the City of Angels. They're also bringing back the dark humour and brutal combat you loved from the original. Even if this is your first jump into the franchise, you're guaranteed a thrilling ride.
6 Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League
Expected Release Date - 26 May 2023, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
If you're a fan of superhero (or super villain) movies and comics, this game sounds perfect for you. Developed by the esteemed Rocksteady Games, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League has you doing exactly as the title says. You play as the infamous DC Comics super villain squad, getting to play as Harley Quinn, King Shark, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang.
While Rocksteady's newest game allows you to play on your own, four player co-op is also available. You and three of your friends should place dibs soon on who you're planning to play as!
5 Lightyear Frontier
Expected Release Date - Spring 2023, on PC and Xbox Game Pass.
If you enjoy farming simulators, this is something to look our for. Lightyear Frontier is an open-world farming game with peaceful planet exploration. Instead of farming on Earth, you find yourself on a distant planet growing alien crops and gathering resources.
You don't have to be alone on this planet. You and some of your friends can create a home base filled with strange crops and mechanical constructions to pilot. This is the kind of utopian farming simulator anyone can enjoy.
4 Street Fighter 6
Expected Release Date - 2 June 2023, on Playstation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Street Fighter is a highly respected franchise, and hopefully its sixth entry will deliver just as its predecessors have. Street Fighter 6 is a 1v1 fighting game developed by Capcom, but there are a few different game modes to choose from. The Fighting Ground is for battling others locally or online, The Battle Hub lets you gather and meet other players from around the world, and World Tour is the single player story experience.
If you've ever played Mortal Kombat or Tekken, Street Fighter 6 should definitely go on your wishlist. This new entry seems to differ from the others with its new and colourful open hub, letting you interact with players in an open space, unlike the past games.
3 Diablo 4
Expected Release Date - 6 June 2023, on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC.
What a year for franchises. The beloved Diablo series releases its fourth entry in 2023, developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo 4 is an action RPG with thorough character customization, procedurally generated dungeon crawling and a sprawling open world. Just like its predecessors, Diablo 4 can be even more fun with friends.
The series is known for its enticing loot system and gradual character leveling, making you more and more stronger the further you progress through the dungeons. There are five different classes to choose from, which are barbarian, druid, necromancer, rogue and sorcerer.
2 Nightingale
Expected Release Date - Coming To Early Access in the first half of 2023 on PC.
This next entry is distinctively delightful and very much anticipated for anyone who enjoys survival and crafting games. Nightingale is an adventure game set in a fantasy world filled with outlandish monsters and arcane technologies. Developed by a Canadian studio called Inflexion Games, Nightingale looks to be a wild first project.
As you may have guessed, Nightingale lets you tackle the Fae Realms with friends as well. Alongside crafting, there is an intricate building system that lets you create a community to live and rest in before heading out into dangerous ruins and portals.
1 Baldur's Gate 3
Expected Release Date - August 2023, on PC.
Any fan of Dungeons & Dragons is sure to enjoy this game. This upcoming RPG is the third installment in the cherished Baldur's Gate series, based in the world and mechanics of the phenomenal Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game.
From creating your character, to meeting other characters of different classes, and solving mysterious quests, Baldur's Gate 3 is sure to be a success once it leaves early access in the summer. What's even more compelling is the fact that you and your friends' characters can party up and play through all the quests together.