Multiplayer Co-Op Games Have Gotten Out of Hand for One Key Reason

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A major trend in gaming lately is the rise of “friendslop” – online multiplayer games built around strong teamwork and creating funny, memorable moments with friends. Games like YAPYAP, Lethal Company, R.E.P.O., and Peak have become popular over the last few years, each offering unique gameplay. However, despite their initial success, these games all suffer from a common problem that might prevent them from maintaining a dedicated player base long-term.

Lots of online games where you play with friends have similar ideas – they use randomly created levels or mix things up each time you play to keep the experience new. Games like Lethal Company and R.E.P.O. do this by changing the locations players visit, picking from a set of areas and filling them with different enemies. This approach is great for smaller, independent games because it adds a lot of replay value on top of the fun that already comes from playing with others.

Online Co-op Multiplayer Games Have Been On The Rise Due To Some Standout Hits

Online multiplayer games became very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve become even more so recently. Since the success of games like Among Us, many new cooperative games have quickly become hits, attracting large player bases in just a few days. This often happens because these games offer something new and exciting, while also letting players connect and play together in engaging ways.

Some of the most popular “friendslop” games in recent memory include:

  • Abiotic Factor
  • R.E.P.O.
  • Lethal Company
  • Content Warning
  • Phasmophobia
  • Peak
  • RV There Yet?
  • Big Walk
  • Supermarket Together
  • Yapyap

Many of these games let four or more players team up, and they handle voice chat in interesting ways to create a more immersive experience. For instance, games like Lethal Company and R.E.P.O. only let you hear other players when you’re close to each other, which makes the conversations feel more realistic. Hearing distant shouts or screams in a co-op horror game can build suspense and lead to really exciting interactions with your friends.

Many online co-op games create a similar sense of connection, which is why talking to nearby players through proximity chat has become common. This can heighten the suspense or help players work together more effectively, depending on the game. Some games, like Yapyap, even make voice chat essential – in Yapyap, the game uses your spoken words as magical spells, so you have to pronounce them correctly to cast magic.

Repetitive Patterns In Some Of These Games Make Them Hardly Worth Playing Multiple Times

Playing online with others is usually a fresh experience, particularly when you first encounter unexpected moments. Like discovering you can turn another player into a fish in Yapyap – that’s always funny! Or the initial fear of being hunted by a gunman in R.E.P.O. But in some cooperative online games, once you’ve explored everything they offer, the fun doesn’t always last very long.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that a lot of online multiplayer games don’t really have much random variety when it comes to worlds or maps, and I think it’s because making those games is just huge. Some of the cool co-op indie games out there are fun, but they don’t always have a ton of complex stuff to do. They rely more on things being unpredictable to keep you playing. That’s great for a few hours, maybe 8-10, but it doesn’t give you that same long-term satisfaction you get from a really deep roguelike that takes 20-30 hours to finish, or a massive RPG you can sink 50+ hours into.

Co-op games online aren’t usually meant to be played for long periods, and often they become repetitive after just a couple of hours. Many of these games use similar design elements, with systems that have limited ways to be used. This can make gameplay feel restrictive, leading to predictable and ultimately unrewarding experiences when playing with friends repeatedly.

More Opportunities For Improvement & Progression Could Give These Games A Satisfying Endpoint

These cooperative games often stand out because they make playing with friends genuinely fun and rewarding. However, they often fall short in the long run due to gameplay that can feel repetitive and doesn’t offer much sense of progression. While there are goals to achieve, players usually don’t have many opportunities to improve or feel like they’re growing throughout the game.

Peak stands out because its ultimate goal is clearly established by the game’s title. This cooperative multiplayer game received award nominations in 2025 largely because that goal was presented as something players steadily work towards. This design choice helped the game’s repetitive nature feel engaging, while also ensuring teamwork was both necessary and fun.

Lots of online co-op games are enjoyable, but they often lack enough long-term content to keep players engaged. Fortunately, this is a simple problem to solve – developers can either add more things to do or improve the game’s core mechanics, letting players and their friends collaborate in new and meaningful ways.

What are your thoughts on the “friendslop” trend and its problems? Share your opinion in the comments or discuss it on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-03-29 20:16