Indie Co-Op Games That Created A New Genre

Over the years, indie games have gone from being an underground, unappreciated genre, to internationally recognized masterpieces – and even trend among gaming YouTubers – with many winning prestigious awards (including Game Of The Year). This shows that the gaming industry has evolved into a much more democratic place, giving gamers new, unique, and even experimental options.

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Are you and your friend looking for free-to-play co-op fun? Then, try out the following fantastic games on Steam.

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By  Mark Sammut

Some of these Indie games that focus on Co-Op have taken risky chances, either launching or starting out as mods and becoming their own game later on, and have become fun and interesting games that kickstarted a new genre or now represent it as a staple in the gaming world. Be it due to unique dynamics, mechanics, themes, or worlds, these games are sure to be a fun and (mostly) inexpensive play with friends for the next gaming night.

8 Last Train Outta' Wormtown

Combining The Worm From Dune And Marco Polo

• Price: $7.99 (Steam)

A cute, friendly, and truly hilarious platforming game, Last Train Outta Wormtown's success is due to its unusual mash-up. Play as the sandworm, trying to hunt down prey through vibrations. Or, play as the poor cowboy trying to desperately escape the worm-infested town. In this mixed co-op game, one player will play the shark (or, the worm) and the others are the prey, working together to build the train and start it.

While this game is very simple, its dynamic makes for a unique play. It evokes the old Marco Polo or Shark swimming pool games, all with a cowboy-versus-aliens type of esthetic and easy-to-learn controls.

7 Among Us

An Endlessly Fun Little Traitor Classic

• Price: $3.99 to $4.99 on Console and PC, Free-To-Play (App)

This one is a classic for a reason. The developer claims to have been inspired from an old Mafia-like game and the movie The Thing. After all, this game does give a similar vibe: Impostors have to collaborate (or act on their own, depending on the number of players) to keep their lives going and eliminate all the innocents while sabotaging the ship. The success of this game has been so enormous it's also getting its own animated series. This game has been a pioneer in multiplayer online social deduction games; no other game of this type has gotten this amount of international fame.

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The toughest role to play in Among Us is the Impostor, but a few handy tips can see any player through a successful match.

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In the game, players are sorted into different roles, and they will have to survive based on their characteristics — no matter if they have good or bad intentions — all while trying to escape the final judgment, which will be decided through a majority player vote and/or voice discussion. Also, since Among Us is a cross-platform game, this makes it even easier for friends on different devices to play together.

6 Phasmophobia

Interacting With The Ghost In The Machine

• Price: $13.99 (Steam)

Can ghost games get even spookier? Phasmophobia shows that they indeed can, but not through the use of more advanced graphics or scarier monsters. This was the first game of its type to include ghost interaction by the players. The small detail of having to speak with a ghost might seem subtle, but it has opened up a new dynamic in horror games that had never been explored previously. While some games frequently use motion controls to help immerse their players, Phasmophobia has introduced the concept of true horror game interaction, and done so in a way that can be expanded in the future by other games, too.

With a good array of different ghosts, players will become true expert ghost hunters and learn how to deal with, interact with, and sort out all types of paranormal infestations. Eerie and goosebump-worthy, this game also released a VR version for those players who want to take their chills a step further. Plus, this game has some seriously good mods to enhance anyone's ghost-hunting experience.

5 Lethal Company

Pleasing The Company... Or Else

• Price: $9.99 (Steam)

A survival horror game filled with many monsters and creatures hidden in the depths of labyrinth-like buildings where players are ordered to go and collect trinkets to sell... All for the sake of the company. Assemble a team of friends to manage the ship and determine landings, divide profits and necessary expenses, and to take over the role of shipmaster, for everyone's sake.

Lethal Company was the first game of its kind to introduce the idea of a survival horror game with a collect-and-sell extraction dynamic, more akin to an extraction shooter than a horror title, combining the two for a truly unique, fun, and customizable game (yes, there are mods available). In fact, this has inspired some spin-offs, like Pilgrim, but none has reached the fame of Lethal Company as of yet. Plus, this game has gotten plenty of interesting updates since its launch.

4 Escape The Backrooms

Dive Into A Terrifying Alternate Dimension

• Price: $9.99 (Steam)

While this is not the first game to follow the urban lore of the Backrooms dimension, the Early Access title Escape The Backrooms has been perhaps the most famous of them all. Equipped with basically nothing (except some courage), players will have to try and find their way out of a terrifying alternate dimension, filled with horrors, puzzles, and interesting level dynamics, all made to be unsettling.

Inspired by the concept of liminal spaces, the idea of the Backrooms has been populating the internet for quite a while, similar to all the Creepypasta lore found in online forums. These have created a new genre of horror games dedicated to liminal spaces once this urban myth subject became involved in the games industry. Escape The Backrooms thoroughly encapsulates the concept, following much of the original internet lore, making for a truly unique, haunting, and unforgettable game that combines more traditional survival horror gameplay with co-op elements.

3 Rubber Bandits

Endless Laughter And Gummy Dummies

• Price: $9.99 (Steam)

Rubber Bandits is the way to go for all the players looking for an endlessly fun and silly game. Featuring many gummy and bouncy customizable characters, with nonsensical and exhilarating clothing items, this game is loaded with mini-games where players will try to defeat each other or cooperate in teams to win (here are some tips).

Inspired by the popularity of Fall Guys, Rubber Bandits managed to ride on the wave of its fame all while creating a completely new type of game and dynamic, keeping the silly and lighthearted vibe and adding a gummy twist. Rubber Bandits inspired a new genre of party games, with games like Party Animals that followed. Its style is characterized by the type of graphics (much like Overwatch did before Valorant and Fortnite) and the player dynamic. Instead of a race-like game like Fall Guys, Rubber Bandits brought minigames typical of some Nintendo games like Mario Party to the Fall Guys concept, fusing two great co-op genres together.

2 Project Zomboid

Survival Realism In A Zombie Apocalypse

• Price: $19.99 (Steam)

While this game is older than the others on the list, it deserves a place due to its endlessly-replayable nature. Perfect for a slower gaming evening and for players who like gameplay realism, Project Zomboid has a good reputation among Rust fans for being both challenging and realistic. The reason this game sets itself apart from any other survival games is for two reasons: The level of survival realism, and the use of simple graphics, different from most survival games of its kind, like Dying Light, which make use of more advanced graphics and a first-person perspective.

With plenty of different mods available, this base-building game continues to be a fan-favorite in its genre, and led the way for many more games of its type during the years that followed. Dive into a world where players have to build, craft, store, drive, survive and conserve their resources (including electricity), all while trying to survive and fight back against the raging zombie apocalypse.

1 Abiotic Factor

Researchers Stuck In A Monster Research Facility

• Price: $24.99 (Steam)

Highly complex and overflowing with crafting dynamics, Abiotic Factor has won the hearts of many survival horror fans due to its unique setting. Players will have to survive the depths of a gigantic research facility, filled with both monsters and secrets, including a mysterious alternate dimension. In a way, this game feels a bit like if Half-Life and Minecraft had a baby.

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By  Lindsay Black

Throughout the campaign, players will have to learn how to expertly manage their resources, invent and craft items, avoid getting sick (a refrigerator can also help, but not for radiation), and find out how to deal with the creatures lurking around. Sticking together to survive the game's many monsters is essential.