Summary
There’s no denying that there are a ton of active multiplayer games in the market. However, the most popular options tend to involve one-off matches, non-story missions, or gameplay that discourages replays. Finding recent games with long, story-heavy campaigns or replayable stories can be a bit of a challenge.
Luckily, these releases accommodate players who want a nice, long-term campaign with friends or enjoyable replays with something new to unlock in every run. Almost every entry enables cross-play, which means players are not restricted to one platform for their game of choice. Some even allow players to carry over their co-op progress to their solo game and vice versa.
Updated July 15, 2025, by Rie Takumi: Adult gamers often have an hour or two to game every or every other day because of life commitments. Co-op gaming is trickier to set aside time for, as groups have to line up their schedules for decently paced sessions. However, having a multiplayer game with long co-op campaigns helps groups set down regular play sessions.
Luckily for gamers, long co-op games have multiple modes that can facilitate their sessions. Parties who live close together can game on the couch, while those who can’t travel can pop in online. Drop-in and drop-out campaigns are also a plus, as parties can catch up anytime.
It Takes Twotakes a couple of sessions to finish, partly thanks to its meaty co-op action, and partially due to its surprisingly weighty story. Although the game’s reasonably long campaign is mostly whimsical, divorce and its effect on children still hold weight and are reasonably discussed.
The game is also a true co-op experience, where communication and trust are key to getting through puzzles and platforming sections. Hazelight’s improvement of their co-op formula led to a brief resurgence inlong-form, true co-op games, and bodes well for their next title,Split Fiction.
Wayfinderallows up to three players to stop the Gloom from spreading on Evenor. The three-person party can choosefrom eight characterswith different specialties to loot-shoot their way across the open world. Every character and weapon has dozens of customization options for parties to play with, meaning players can have co-op and single-player builds at the ready.
Its main campaign allows for a full-co-op experience, from the main story to side quests, and has players progress at the same pace. Thanks to its shift away from a live service experience, parties can have a complete experience without waiting for updates.
The indirect sequel toMy Time at Portia,My Time at Sandrock, is a little more action-focused than the former. As Builders, players set out to improve the desert community of Sandrock with workshops, machines, crops, and other economic ventures.
Players can invite up to three of their friends to rebuild the town and complete its lengthy main quest. Over 30 NPCs also have lengthy backstories to explore and requests to fulfill. Mini-games and big dungeons also pose long-term challenges for parties.
Capcom’s long-running kaiju hunting series still supports up to four players in its latest online and local game.Monster Hunter Risecontinues the tradition of excellent co-op through its hub quests. Hub quests comprise the majority of quests in the game and can be set up easily through Senri the Mailman Palico.
The new Switch Skills Swap feature inMonster Hunter Rise: Sunbreakallows players toswap skill setsduring hunts without returning to base camp. Trios or duos lacking party members can also recruit NPCs they’ve befriended in hunting hubs to fill their roster.
Valheimhas dominated lists about long co-op campaigns for years due to its player capacity and survival aspects. Up to 10 players can hop on a procedurally-generated world inspired by Viking culture and besieged by beasts called the Forsaken Ones.
But to free the land of Valheim,players must firstforage for resources, forge strongholds, and hone their skills by slaying lesser beasts. WhileValheimhas a definite ending, its release is a ways away, and players can continue their worlds for now.
F1 24promises players a brand new campaign mode that spans Formula 1 and Formula 2. Co-op includes all single-player improvements, including Driver Recognition & Accolades, driver-specific Icon achievements, and scenarios tied to starting a career in F2.
The two-player career mode also features new storylines resulting from individual choices. Contracts can be reworked to the detriment of a teammate, races decided by cooperation or in-fighting, and other secret scenarios that friends can unlock on their own. Icons or current F1 drivers, historic drivers, and custom characters are also usable in the campaign.
Dokapon Kingdomwas notorious during the sixth generation of consoles for being a more combative form of Monopoly. Classes, weapons, spells, and items are important for gaining assets, as players need to fight monsters to win towns. Good strategy and a combat advantage could also help players make alliances or fend off foes, even in co-op.
Inits current inception,Dokapon Kingdom: Connectpreserves this chaotic energy in its new form. Thanks to its online functionality, players can pass character controls to the computer so their friends can continue their co-op campaign. But if players prefer a full party, they can always switch over to other game modes.
Stranger of Paradiseallows up to three players to team up once the host finishes the prologue. Players take charge of Jack and his fellow “Warriors of Light,” Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia. Though set in their background and models, parties can modify their appearance with powerful loot that is distributed evenly to all members.
While players can’t trade loot, they can make up for others’ weaknesses.SoP’s 28 job classeshave different synergies, and players can switch to any of them whenever they want to, provided they are already unlocked.
Like the movies,Avatar: Frontiers of Pandorais a gorgeousromp through Pandora, even on co-op. The co-op campaign is also just right, averaging a modest 20.5 hours. As a standard Ubisoft FPS, controls are nothing special, though its side quests and open map appeal to co-op explorers.
Co-op is unlocked after completing two tasks. Players must first meet Etuwa, then complete ‘‘The Aranahe Clan’’ quest in Kinglor Forest. Cross-progression means progress is saved for the host and guest, who can continue their adventure in single-player mode.
The return of the silly zombie action RPG brings with it aco-op campaignthat can let loose up to three players in a given time.Dead Island 2’sCampaign and Quick Play modes are available from the get-go to open up the world for private sessions with friends and public rooms for strangers.
Story-focused players are assured that they won’t be spoiled if they hop into a friend or stranger’s session. Players cannot join hosts who have progressed further along the story than they have. All the EXP and equipment they earn in co-op can also be carried over to solo play.
