Gaming with friends is one of the best ways to unwind, create memories, and challenge your skills. As 2025 unfolds, Steam’s library is bursting with fantastic multiplayer games that cater to a wide range of tastes, from competitive shooters to creative sandboxes and immersive RPGs. Here’s a list of the best multiplayer games on Steam to play with friends this year, guaranteed to offer hours of fun.
1. Deep Rock Galactic
Genre: Cooperative FPS | Survival
Team up with your friends and dive deep into alien-infested caves as space dwarves in Deep Rock Galactic. With its unique blend of resource gathering, exploration, and intense combat, this game is all about cooperation. Whether you’re mining rare minerals or fighting off waves of enemies, communication and teamwork are key. Each class offers unique abilities, making every role in your squad vital to success.
2. Phasmophobia
Genre: Horror | Cooperative
Hunting ghosts has never been more thrilling—or terrifying. Phasmophobia continues to evolve, with its recent updates bringing new maps, equipment, and even more chilling paranormal activities. Gather your friends, assign roles, and investigate haunted locations. The game’s VR compatibility adds an extra layer of immersion for those brave enough to try it.
3. Valheim
Genre: Survival | Exploration
Explore a vast Norse-inspired world in Valheim, a survival game that blends crafting, exploration, and combat. You and your friends can build massive Viking settlements, sail across dangerous seas, and take on powerful bosses. Its cooperative gameplay ensures that every task, whether it’s building defenses or gathering resources, feels rewarding and collaborative.
4. Counter-Strike 2
Genre: Tactical FPS
The legendary Counter-Strike franchise returned stronger than ever with Counter-Strike 2. Featuring updated visuals, improved physics, and classic tactical gameplay, it’s the perfect game for teams looking to test their coordination and reflexes. Whether you’re defusing bombs or holding strategic positions, Counter-Strike 2 offers endless adrenaline-filled matches with friends.
5. PlateUp!
Genre: Cooking | Management
Love chaos in the kitchen? PlateUp! is a hilarious cooperative cooking and restaurant management game where you and your friends work to run a bustling eatery. From cooking meals to serving customers and cleaning up, it’s a frantic race against time. With randomized challenges and opportunities to upgrade your restaurant, every session feels fresh and exciting.
6. Stardew Valley
Genre: Simulation | Cooperative
If you’re looking for a relaxing multiplayer experience, Stardew Valley is a timeless choice. Join your friends to build a thriving farm, explore caves, and take part in village festivals. The multiplayer mode allows for shared progress, meaning you can collaborate on crops, livestock, and upgrading your farmstead. It’s perfect for players who want a mix of laid-back gameplay and occasional adventures.
7. Risk of Rain 2
Genre: Roguelike | Action
This fast-paced roguelike shooter challenges players to survive waves of increasingly difficult enemies. Risk of Rain 2 is best enjoyed with friends, as coordinating abilities and tactics can make or break a run. With its randomized levels, unlockable characters, and diverse loot system, every session feels unique and rewarding.
8. The Forest
Genre: Survival | Horror
For those who enjoy a blend of survival mechanics and horror, The Forest offers an unforgettable multiplayer experience. Stranded on an island filled with terrifying mutants, you and your friends must scavenge for resources, build shelters, and uncover the island’s dark secrets. Its immersive gameplay and atmospheric tension make it a standout choice for cooperative survival fans.
9. Among Us
Genre: Social Deduction
Sometimes, all you need is a little deception to spice things up. Among Us remains a multiplayer favorite, pitting players against one another as crewmates and impostors. Whether you’re sabotaging tasks or deducing who the impostor is, the game is a fantastic mix of strategy and chaos. Updates in 2025 have introduced new maps, tasks, and customization options to keep the fun alive.
10. Don’t Starve Together
Genre: Survival | Cooperative
Don’t Starve Together is a beautifully macabre survival game where you and your friends must navigate a hauntingly dark world filled with dangers. From managing food supplies to battling strange creatures, survival depends on working as a team. The game’s unique art style and challenging mechanics make every session an unforgettable experience.
11. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Genre: Party | Battle Royale
Bring the party to your gaming sessions with Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. This colorful battle royale pits players against one another in absurd obstacle courses and challenges. With friends, it’s even more chaotic and fun as you compete, sabotage, and cheer each other on in the race to claim the crown.
12. Terraria
Genre: Sandbox | Adventure
Explore, build, and battle in Terraria, a 2D sandbox game packed with endless possibilities. Multiplayer adds an extra layer of fun, as you and your friends can team up to take on bosses, build sprawling bases, or discover hidden treasures. The game’s extensive content and updates continue to keep it fresh and engaging.
13. Grounded
Genre: Survival | Adventure
In Grounded, you and your friends are shrunken to the size of insects and must survive in a backyard filled with giant bugs and environmental hazards. Building shelters, crafting weapons, and exploring the miniaturized world together creates a unique and immersive experience. It’s a fresh take on survival games that’s perfect for multiplayer fun.
14. Project Zomboid
Genre: Survival | Zombie
Project Zomboid challenges players to survive a zombie apocalypse in a harsh and unforgiving world. With deep survival mechanics like hunger, fatigue, and crafting, it’s a highly immersive game that thrives in multiplayer. Coordinate with friends to build defenses, scavenge for supplies, and fend off the relentless undead.
15. Garry’s Mod
Genre: Sandbox | Creativity
For players who love creativity and chaos, Garry’s Mod offers endless possibilities. Create custom game modes, explore community-made maps, or just mess around with physics and tools. With friends, the fun is amplified as you can experiment, compete, or collaborate in ways limited only by your imagination.
Conclusion
From competitive shooters to cooperative survival games, the multiplayer scene on Steam in 2025 is brimming with options. Whether you’re looking for high-stakes action or relaxed farming, these games promise unforgettable experiences with friends. So gather your squad, pick your favorites, and dive into these incredible adventures!