Whether you’re exploring the cosmos or roleplaying as a space wizard, the best space adventures are the friends you make along the way. Whether you’re in the same room playing split-screen or separated by thousands of kilometers, modern video games have you covered, and space co-op games are enjoying a boom in popularity right now.
We could’ve filled this entire article with old classics from the split-screen days of yore, but we’re resisting the urge to sink into a nice warm bath of nostalgia. We’re also focusing on the truly co-operative experiences — space co-op games designed around teamwork rather than single-player games that begrudingly include a co-op option (even if most of them do support solo play).
Need more out-of-this-world gaming lists? We have loads of other genre-specific space rundowns, including the best space settlement and horror games, and there’s also our roundup of space & sci-fi games on Nintendo Switch for gamers on the go. Now, grab your assigned buddy and let’s dive into our list of the 10 best space co-op games out there today.
10. Space Station 13
- Release date: February 15, 2003
- Platform: PC (Windows)
- Developer: Exadv1, Space Station 13 community
Kicking off the list, we have Space Station 13, an ancient niche classic that’s been updated over the years and retained a passionate and dedicated community. Initially developed by Exadv1, it was meant to be an “atmospherics simulator,” but its decompiled codebase gave birth to an online co-op PC game that’s been developed over 22 years. The result is an incredibly deep and engaging top-down, tile-based action role-playing game with a strong emphasis on player roles and teamwork.
By default, Space Station 13 is set on, you guessed it, a far-future space station, but its community-developed nature and the fact that servers are hosted by distinct subcommunities translate into a highly flexible experience in which players can interact with the game world in many ways.
Each round, you’ll be assigned a role from a wide pool, ranging from vital crew like the Captain, Security Officer, or Engineer, all the way down to Chef, Janitor, or Clown. You can choose to do your job and help the crew, or just be a little griefer and sew chaos throughout the station, with win conditions that benefit a variety of playstyles.
Depending on the server you’re playing on and its rules, the goals and length of rounds may vary, so expect the unexpected. Needless to say, its biggest strength is variety, with no two matches being the same; jumping between servers is also highly encouraged for this reason. And the best part? It’s completely free.
9. Pulsar: Lost Colony
- Release date: June 22, 2021
- Platforms: PC (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Developer: Leafy Games
Pulsar: Lost Colony is an open-world co-op space exploration game that tasks players to form a crew and pilot starships while jumping between planets and space stations. You can play it solo or with friends, but given how hectic and complex things can get, we recommend the cooperative option. We shouted out Pulsar: Lost Colony in our space VR experiences list, but you can play it just fine without a VR headset.
Much like in Star Trek: Bridge Crew, players can pick a role from a list that includes Captain, Pilot, Scientist, Weapons Specialist, and Engineer. Pulsar’s influences are quite clear, yet it’s got a visual identity of its own and the trick of procedural generation up its sleeve, which is more than enough to recommend it to eager space explorers and pilots.
8. Astroneer
- Release date: February 6, 2019
- Platforms: PC (Windows), PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Developer: System Era Softworks
Astroneer has been around for years at this point, but its developers continue to update the veteran title despite revealing the follow-up, Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, in early 2025.
And that’s a great thing too, because Astroneer is awesome. It has a chill and relaxing vibe as you explore the universe, while still offering the wonder and excitement needed for a proper adventure, and despite the massive scope, it never feels daunting or overwhelming. That’s a hard balance to nail, but System Era Softworks has cracked it, crafting an enduring open-world space game that’s welcoming first and foremost.
Astroneer has lots to offer solo players, but going co-op ups the fun factor quite a bit, especially when you dive into the base-building and crafting mechanics. If you’re looking for a more focused and darker experience after a while, the Glitchwalkers DLC that was released in late 2024 is a nice way to shake things up a bit, too.
7. No Man’s Sky
- Release date: August 9, 2016
- Platforms: PC (Windows, macOS), iOS, PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1/2
- Developer: Hello Games
We can’t stop recommending No Man’s Sky here at Space.com, but can you blame us? It’s an amazing and varied sci-fi video game that only gets better (and more complex) every year. Saying its launch in 2016 was a bit of a mess is a bit of an understatement, but we’re glad Hello Games stuck with it and continued to add new fixes, improvements, and tons of (completely free) content. As far as we know, the devs are far from done with it, especially after a remarkable Switch 2 port.
On paper, its procedurally-generated universe promised to be revolutionary, but it fell flat when the game first launched. Nowadays, it’s a mind-bending technological achievement that’s also incredibly fun to play, whether you’re a pilot, mercenary, bounty hunter, or just a simple trader. The content on offer is staggering, and the freedom it gives players is unmatched.
More importantly for this list, you can link up with other space explorers across other platforms* and get lost in a virtually endless universe together.
*Except the original Nintendo Switch. Sorry.
6. Void Crew
- Release dates: November 25, 2024
- Platform: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Hutlihut Games
There has been a slew of excellent co-op games recently, with Peak, Lethal Company, and Split Fiction injecting new life into the genre. For sci-fi fans, though, it’s all about Void Crew.
Void Crew sees teams of up to six players (solo play is possible but not advised) embark on adventures aboard advanced spacecrafts, with each player taking on a role on the ship (pilot, weapons, engineer, etc).
In deep space, you must battle hostile aliens, brave environmental hazards like asteroid storms & solar flares, and survive your teammates’ inevitable screw-ups. The role system is flexible and the gameplay loop never gets too complicated, so we have few complaints beyond the lack of a bigger community. Don’t count on joining random crews in this one — this is one where you need to assemble your crew.
It’s chaotic, fast, and smartly adds roguelite elements into the mix. Moreover, it’s getting updates constantly and has received extra game modes since its late 2024 launch.
5. Destiny 2
- Release date: September 6, 2017
- Platforms: PC (Windows), PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
- Developer: Bungie
Destiny 2 isn’t the easiest sci-fi MMO to get into in 2025. Its lore is as layered and dense as a neutron star, onboarding for new players is a bit of a nightmare, and some of the original content has been removed from the game by updates.
With all that said, it’s still an amazing game with some of the best moment-to-moment combat out there. Developed by Bungie (of Halo fame), the gunplay and worldbuilding are exquisite, and if you like leveling up characters and unlocking sick new armor and weapons, you’ll feel at home.
Destiny offers an expansive sci-fi fantasy universe built on top of our own solar system. Guardians are this universe’s Jedi Knights, but they prefer guns to swords (they can also use huge swords, don’t worry) and have magic-ish powers instead of the Force. Alliances with other alien species are developed as universe-ending threats rise, and the ambitious narrative unravels over the course of expansions and seasons. The Edge of Fate has just come out, and the Star Wars-themed Renegades expansion will shake things up later this year.
Of course, Destiny is at its best with friends and when tackling huge raids, but you’ll be able to make good progress solo and with random players too. Plus, you can engage in player-versus-player modes if you’re feeling unfriendly or need a break from the grind.
4. Borderlands (series)
- Release date: October 20, 2009 (Borderlands 1)
- Platforms: PC (Windows, macOS), PS3/4/5, Xbox 360/One/Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1/2
- Developer: Gearbox Software, 2K Australia
Looking for another ‘looter shooter’ but don’t want to deal with pesky MMO elements? You’ll be happy to learn that the long-running Borderlands series, which has four big entries before you even get into spinoffs, is exactly that. The Borderlands universe is bloody, chaotic, comedic, and colorful in ways few video game series are. There are plenty of sci-fi shooters out there, but Gearbox’s enduring franchise has a style all of its own.
Whether with friends, family, or a partner, you can’t go wrong as long as you enjoy shooting alien monsters and psychos in the face while listening to raunchy jokes and making things (and living beings) go boom. If you were wondering, yes, these games are perfectly beatable solo, but they really come to life in co-op.
Borderlands 4 just dropped, but we’d recommend you play through at least the central trilogy (Pre-Sequel is good but skippable) first. That’s a lot of game to get through; ideal if you’re looking for a game series to ‘binge’ through the fall/winter months.
3. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
- Release date: September 9, 2024
- Platforms: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Saber Interactive
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 was one of our favorite video game releases of last year — no doubt about it — and it has firmly established itself as one of the best Warhammer 40K games of all time, too. Moreover, it was built specifically with co-op play in mind.
The main story campaign is 100% playable in single-player, but it supports up to three players in co-op. This also extends into the Operations mode, an extremely replayable PvE mode that tells a different side of the same story — it’s basically a second campaign. Last but not least, the ‘endless horde’ mode Siege throws a squad of space marines into a bloody onslaught, which only ends when you fall.
While it is a direct sequel to 2011’s first Space Marine, Space Marine 2 does an excellent job of introducing new players to the grim darkness of the far-future setting of Warhammer 40K. It’s relentless, dark, epic, and hard-hitting. All of that is also felt through the fittingly heavy controls of the titular characters and the excessive weaponry that you’ll use with extreme prejudice against xenos and the forces of Chaos.
Those who love the Gears of War series should totally check this one out, but even if you only have a passing interest in the WH40K universe and/or third-person shooters, you should round up some buddies and give this one a go.
2. Deep Rock Galactic
- Release date: May 13, 2020
- Platforms: PC (Windows), PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X/S
- Developer: Ghost Ship Games
Can I get a rock and stone?
What could be better than fighting off hordes of alien monstrosities? Fighting off hordes of alien monstrosities AND digging for rare minerals in outer space as a crew of beer-swilling, ass kicking space dwarves? If this sounds like the biggest ‘dudes rock’ game ever made, it’s because it’s certainly up there. With up to four-player co-op, unique classes, fully destructible environments, deep procedurally generated cave systems, and more aliens that you can burn with a flamethrower, this one’s a blast everyone can enjoy.
Yes, it’s a first-person shooter, but the focus isn’t put on the shooting (though you’ll have to shoot quite a bit). It’s all about the loot. Get in, don’t get lost, grab the minerals, and get out.
It may sound simple, but all the aforementioned complications pile up and mix together to create utter chaos. There are plenty of excellent online co-op games, but few can spawn as many great anecdotes as Deep Rock Galactic. Just make sure to bring the right tools into each mission, and don’t miss the drop pod as it leaves.
1. Helldivers 2
- Release date: February 8, 2024
- Platforms: PC (Windows), PS5, Xbox Series X/S
- Developer: Arrowhead Game Studios
The first Helldivers was an excellent top-down co-op shooter that never really broke into the mainstream. Helldivers 2, however, made an enormous splash in early 2024 and has been riding that wave of success ever since. In fact, it was so popular that Sony set plans for a movie into motion. How will it differentiate itself from Starship Troopers? It probably won’t, but that’s a discussion for another day. What we can confirm is Helldivers 2 knew exactly how to captivate both casual and veteran players alike thanks to its blend of Verhoeven-esque violence (and satire), satisfying third-person gunplay, and random slapstick comedy worthy of the best Looney Tunes episodes.
On the surface, Helldivers 2 is all about big-damn heroes blowing bugs, robots, and other alien forces off the face of the galaxy, but the big twist is that the ‘passionate’ (let’s just call them that) soldiers Super Earth is sending to the frontlines are just as expendable and short-lived as the bugs.
Helldivers 2 might be the only sci-fi shooter where you die due to accidents and friendly fire more often than at the claws of bloodthirsty bugs. ‘Managed democracy’ (the kind that’s spread with superior firepower) comes at a cost, and that cost is laughing until your sides hurt as you get splattered by a friendly airstrike for the fifth time this mission.
Though published by PlayStation, Helldivers 2 made its way to Xbox Series X/S consoles in August, so now almost everyone can play together regardless of where they game. Nintendo Switch 2 port when?
