Co-op RPGs as Good as Baldur's Gate 3 That Offer Totally Different Experiences

So you've played Baldur's Gate 3 and think it's the end-all all be-all when it comes to RPG games. Especially regarding playing RPGs with a friend. You might think there is nothing else out there at that level of co-op greatness, but fear not, as there are plenty of co-op RPG fish in the sea.

While nothing is quite the same as Baldur's Gate 3, some games have co-op with many different kinds of experiences that are just as good and in some cases, even better than the one you get with Larian's behemoth title.

We're going to check out a bunch of RPGs that are great to play in co-op, but offer a different experience when compared to Baldur's Gate 3.

The X-Men RPG

X-Men: Legends is arguably the best X-Men video game of all time. As a co-op RPG, it's a certified classic, and even though it came out in 2004, it still stands up today. It's a much different kind of RPG than Baldur's Gate 3, as the path is generally linear and mission-based rather than exploration-based.

That doesn't mean it's not an RPG, though, because it very much is. You get a bunch of characters to play, and you get to build their stats any way you want, from emphasizing strength to health or your various superpowers. You also get to explore the X Mansion, which adds a good bit of immersion. You and up to 3 other players can play at once, which is excellent and works incredibly well together.

There are combo attacks that can only be pulled off with a friend or two, and the high-octane battles are almost made for multiple people to play through them. It's got a pretty good story, too, incorporating tons of classic villains and cameos from other characters within the Marvel universe. It's far simpler than Baldur's Gate 3, but a whole other kind of fun.

6 Lords of the Fallen

The Bloody Journey for Two

Lords of the Fallen is a tribute to the Dark Souls series, but in the process, it does something very different in that it allows a co-op partner along for the entire ride.

It's a terrifying world you'll be exploring as the lamp bearer, and you'll be traversing both the real world and the horrific Umbral realm as you make your way through this lengthy and dark tale.

The co-op here is terrific, and the combat works perfectly with a partner, allowing you to synergize strategies during battle to take out some of the toughest bosses the RPG genre has ever seen. It's far more action-oriented than Baldur's Gate 3, but there is still plenty of player agency in terms of the way you want the story to go, although here, those alternate paths are far less obvious than you'd expect.

It's got an awesome progression system as well, and your character builds are incredibly flexible here, allowing you to specialize in both melee and ranged combat or, if you prefer, become a sorcerer powerhouse with one of the best magic systems around.

5 Outward

Into the Wild

Outward is a game where handholding is non-existent; all common threads in modern games, such as objective markers, are pretty much absent, and your direction in the game is steered by you and you alone. It's not all dour since you can bring a friend along for the ride, whether online or in local co-op, which is something rarer and rarer these days and something both it and Baldur's Gate 3 are praised for.

This is not a turn-based game, though, but a real-time action adventure game with plenty of combat and magic, and exploration to keep you playing for hours on end. The story can take a variety of paths depending on who you choose to follow in terms of the various factions, and there are tons of secrets to find in the game, as even the magic system is optional unless you follow a specific quest line.

It's a brutal experience that requires tons of cooperation with you and a friend if you're going to get through any of it alive, and it has one of the more punishing systems in terms of your characters dying during your playthrough. Ultimately, it offers a unique experience. It isn't like any other game that I can think of, and for that reason alone, it's a must-play for RPG fans, especially ones with a friend.

4 Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader

Conquering the Final Frontier

Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader is one of my favorite RPGs in the past 10 years, and a big reason is because of how great the co-op is. At any time, a friend can hop in and join one of the darkest, most mature CRPG experiences around. It may look similar to Baldur's Gate 3, but this is a top-down, deadly serious sci-fi adventure where, instead of listening to characters, you'll be reading, and reading a lot. Luckily, the writing here is utterly fantastic.

Another big difference is the gameplay. Instead of swords, shields, and magic, you'll be dealing with guns, space magic, and grenades. It's a wild mix in combat. The cover system adds a layer of complexity not seen in Baldur's Gate 3, as your positioning is more paramount than ever here and can mean the difference between life and death.

I think the huge difference is the emphasis on the story with Rogue Trader. Baldur's Gate 3 is a bit of a wild goose chase for a good portion of the game, and here, it's far more focused and guided. So if you don't mind a more linear story that will last you just as long, if not longer, than Baldur's Gate 3, and you've got a friend who is down for just as much, this is an excellent choice.

3 Wasteland 3

Fighting Through the Post-Apocalypse Together

Wasteland 3 is an epic, lengthy CRPG set in the post-apocalypse, and it's a fantastic entry in one of gaming's oldest franchises. You can play co-op from start to finish here, with everything accessible to both players, and it's a far different type of CRPG than Baldur's Gate 3 is. You're playing in an isometric view here, but the focus is on guns and some crude-looking melee combat instead of your classic fantasy trappings.

Your path through the story here is totally up to you, and the tone is dark sci-fi. The freedom is similar to Baldur's Gate 3, but the feel is completely different. It has its own unique progression system, tons of companions to find and recruit, and some incredible atmosphere to boot.

It's not quite as content-packed as Baldur's Gate 3, but few games are, so that's not a knock. The combat is also way different, sharing more in common with X-Com than Baldur's Gate 3. It's cover-based and requires a lot of studying the battlefield for good lines of sight to the enemy, and overall, it's just a much different approach. It's just as good in many aspects, though, from the excellent writing to the incredible variation in gameplay styles.

2 Remnant 2

Roaming the Multiverse

Remnant 2 is the forgotten child from the absolutely scorching hot video game year that was 2023. It came out around the same time as Baldur's Gate 3, and unfortunately, it got swallowed up in that void. It's too bad because it's a damn good RPG with some of the best co-op action around.

It may not seem like an RPG in the opening hours, but it quickly opens up into a wild journey across multiple worlds with tons of archetype classes to unlock that give you different abilities and stats. It's got some of the best boss battles in any genre out there, and the action is all real-time and incredibly intense.

You get a mix of guns and melee weapons here, and the enemies come fast and ferociously, and there are countless secrets to explore and discover along the way. It's also somewhat of a roguelike, giving you the ability to re-roll worlds, adding to the replay value in the process. It's far different than the slower and more cerebral nature of Baldur's Gate 3, but it's an equally great game, and for those who like RPGs a bit more in your face, Remnant 2 is cocked and loaded for you.

1 Divinity: Original Sin 2

The Origin Story

Yes, it's Larian again, and you might think that makes the games similar, but you'd be wrong. Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a game that plays by its own rules in a way that Baldur's Gate 3 wasn't able to due to its DnD trappings. This game is fully co-op from start to finish, and off-the-wall bonkers in the best way possible. The world here is just so truly bizarre that you can't help but fall for it from the game's start.

You're on a mission to become a god, essentially, and you've got various companions along for the ride who are after the same goal. It's a crazy trip, with everything from Lovecraftian horror to scarecrows that will immolate you on sight. There are some truly weird and disturbing parts to the game, too, but those are up to you to find out; however, not one moment of this journey left me bored. With a friend or 3, the story gets all the more fun, because they can be working against you throughout the game and ultimately stand in your way when the moment of truth arrives.

It's not a shock that Larian is returning to their own fantasy world after conquering the world with Baldur's Gate 3, and it's because of the freedom this world gives them to play around in. Strange races, amazingly complex lore, and one of the more unique battle systems for a CRPG are all here aplenty and should only improve with the upcoming game in the series. It's the other side of the Baldur's Gate 3 fantasy coin. It offers something special and unique in a way that single-handedly revived the genre in 2017.