The 22 best online games we rank the best online games that you can play with your friends (or foes) The best online games allow you to explore new worlds, take on new challenges, and collect ultra-rare loot with your friends.
Play games with friends meet up with an old friend for a few virtual explorations, even if you’re thousands of miles apart in person, or make new friends and form your clan without ever leaving your house.
There are many more best multiplayer games than ever before, thanks to faster internet speeds and the rise of live service games, but – whisper it – not all of them are great.
Fortunately for you, we’ve compiled a list of the 22 best online games available right now.
Here’s how we decided: first, we included only genuinely online games, best games to play online which means that online connectivity is a significant feature.
This excludes some single-player games that have excellent multiplayer modes, such as Uncharted 4.
We’re also leaving out the best MMORPGs because that’s a particular genre that deserves its list.
Aside from those two strict rules, everything from shooters to story games was eligible for a spot in the top online games. Please continue reading to find out which games cut, and then check out our list of the best co-op games for even more top games online fun multiplayer games!
Table of Contents
The 22 Best Online Games in 2021
1. Fortnite – Best Online Games
Epic Games is the creator of this best online games.
PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android are the available formats.
It encompasses everything.
It’s a well-known fact.
And for a good reason: it’s a lot of fun.
Yes, it’s a battle royale game complete with 100 players dropped into a large map, an ever-shrinking safe zone, and only one left standing.
But Fortnite online games is also a crafting game, and the best players aren’t just those who can shoot straight, although those who can build mega-structures and fortresses in a matter of seconds.
Its seasonal structure introduces exciting new mechanics every few months, giving players even more reason to return and check things out.
It’s also very accessible, as it’s free to play and available on almost every device.
So, Fortnite is all over the place, including this list.
2. Dead by Daylight – Best Online Games
Behaviour Interactive Developer Platform(s): PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and S, Android, iOS
Back if asymmetrical multiplayer games were all the rage (memorize Evolve? ), a clever developer queried: what if we recreated classic slasher movies with a team of open teens and one unstoppable killer?
As a result, cool online games Dead by Daylight is essentially Friday the 13th:
The Game (as if that wasn’t already a game in and of itself).
Whereas Friday the 13th focuses solely on Jason Voorhees, Dead by Daylight features a diverse cast of killers, including original creations as well as familiar faces like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and the Jigsaw Killer. This one is not for the swoon of heart.
3. PUBG – Best Online Games
Popular games right now Pubg is one of the best online games. PUBG Corporation is the creator of this game.
PC, Xbox One, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Android are the available formats.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or PUBG for short, helped popularise some of the battle royale’s most fundamental rules, such as the shrinking safe zone, giant map, and 100-player setup.
While other battle royale games have adopted a cartoonish aesthetic, PUBG stays true to reality (or at least as practical as a 100-person deathmatch with raging cars and sometimes wonky physics can be).
Bullet drop also one-shot kills are to be required.
4. Tetris 99
Best online games – tetris 99
Arika is the developer, and the format(s) is/are Nintendo Switch.
What in the world is a free-to-play Tetris game doing on this list?
You could ask that, but if you do, you have almost certainly not played Tetris 99, one of the tensest, frantic multiplayer games in recent years.
The concept is brilliant: it’s Tetris Battle Royale, and every two lines you clear are sent to one of your 99 opponents, both at random, those most like to death, players currently attacking you, or those closest to victory.
It’s an entirely new game that i can play take on a game that debuted nearly 40 years ago, and it’s free if you get a Nintendo Online pass (which you should do if only to play the other Switch games on this list).
5. Red Dead Online
Developer: Rockstar Games Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Stadia
Red Dead Online, Best online games the multiplayer part, hasn’t quite captured the same audience as its Grand Theft Auto 5 counterpart (view number 18), but it’s still a hootin’, hollerin’ good time.
You can do everything in the extensive single-player campaign, such as hunting, stopping stagecoaches, and shaving in the back of a place, online game however, multiplayer adds new activities.
There’s a full-fledged story to play, as well as pop-up events, races, and team-based competitive battles.
Gather a group of friends and charge.
6. Counter-Strike:
Counter-Strike: play with friends games Global Offensive is the game in the Counter-Strike series.
Valve, Hidden Path Entertainment Entertainment Format(s): PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (or simply CS:GO for short) is a fast and hyper-lethal depiction of modern military engagements. It’s all about being fast on the draw and an even quicker thinker.
As you set out to eliminate other best multiplayer games players or engage in more objective-focused modes like disarming a bomb, tactics, and teamwork will win the day.
7. Overcooked
Overcooked 2 is one of the best online games. Ghost Town Games is the creator of this game.
PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch are the available formats.
How important are your friends to you?
That’s the question you want to ask yourself before you start playing Overcooked two because this game will put your teamwork to the test.
As in the first friend game, you and many other players are chefs in some of the most unlikely kitchens ever imagined.
Do you believe you can cook on an iceberg?
What about while you’re driving down the highway?
To make your customers happy, you’ll need to be fast, accurate, and coordinated with your teammates, so don’t lose your cool.
8. Diablo 3
Developer: Blizzard Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
The Diablo series is responsible for so many games, from Torchlight to Path of Exile. Also, the grandfather of the hack-and-slash genre is yet very much alive and kicking.
Even though Diablo 3 is eight years old, its crunchy, flashy combat still feels as responsive as anything else we’ve played.
It’s addictive in singleplayer, though it’s even better when you play in a party of online adventurers with complementary skills. Each player receives their loot drops, eliminating the need to compete for legendary items, but you can share everything you collect with your friends, making it easier than ever to build screen-wiping builds. Its seven classes each have entirely new mechanics to learn, and it’s worth playing through the campaign with each of them.
Just make sure to increase the difficulty from what you’d use solo because you and your team will soon be tearing through demons at an alarming rate.
9. Phasmaphobia
Phasmaphobia is a fear of phantoms
Kinetic Games is the creator of this game. It is available in the following format(s): PC.
There are numerous horror games available, but only a few of them can genuinely elicit a sense of dread when played with others online funny best games.
Phasmophobia takes a straightforward approach to the genre, with a group of up to four people investigating paranormal activities in homes, schools, and even a prison.
Your sole goal is to observe and document what is going on, following a checklist of tasks that will pay you more money while using various tools to get the job done.
But it’s extremely tense.
Ghosts can be just as frightening when you can see them as when they are hiding in plain sight, flickering with light switches, tossing objects into the air, or even sneaking up on you and knocking you out for the rest of the session. This terrifying encounter has the potential to creep up on you even after you think you’ve seen everything, and the fact that it’s still in Early Access means it’ll only get better from here on out.
10. Portal 2
Best online multiplayer games Valve is the developer, and the format(s) is/are PC.
If Portal was the perfect bite-sized puzzle game, Portal 2 is the complete, delectable meal.
In an online co-op, you and a friend use portals to solve mind-bending puzzles while laughing along to narration from GLaDOS, the Portal’s eternal foe.
Valve had to make the challenges more difficult than usual with four portals between you, and trust us when we say they’re tricky.
The game is divided into themed areas, each of which flips the formula differently.
It’s a marvel of a co-op game that works flawlessly online 21.
11. Risk of Rain
Hopoo Games is the developer. Format(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch
You may have dropped the first online games to play with friends Risk of Rain if it was released in 2013, but the sequel is more significant and flashier while retaining what made the first so unique, in a literal sense. The transition from 2D to complete 3D perspective was unexpected, but it perfectly captures the frantic action of the unusual roguelike.
Up to four (or just one) players can team up to defeat wave after wave of enemies by selecting from a roster of distinct characters, each with their own set of weapons and abilities.
In advance levels, you get currency to exchange for items, where Risk of Rain 2’s magic comes into play.
12. League of Legends
Riot Games Format(s): PC
Once the best popular game globally, games to play with friends online League of Legends helped kick off the MOBA craze and continues to excel by continually testing and exploring new ideas.
In addition to the standard 5v5, three-lane map, there is a two-lane 3v3 map, a single-lane map wherever players are randomly assigned champions, and exceptional limited-time experiences that throw up surprises. A large amount of characters (over 130!) assures that you’ll find one that suits your playstyle.
And if you get tired of one, try a different one.
13. GTA Online
Gta online is one of the best online games.
Developer: Rockstar Games Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One
GTA Online is technically a mode in GTA 5 rather than a different game, but it deserves to be recognized as its beast. It’s an illegal playground where you can live out your fantasies of being a supercriminal.
You could be a mild-mannered accountant, teacher, fast food worker, or doctor in real life. Still, GTA Online allows you to carry out dangerous heists, illegal operations, and expensive (and ill-gotten) luxuries. Everything that would land you in jail in the real world.
14. Spellbreaker
Game to play Breaking the spell
Developer: Digital Extremes Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch (November 20)
Warframe began as a simple online hack-‘n’-slasher but has since evolved into a galaxy-spanning action-adventure with an embarrassment of riches for players to explore, all for free.
You play while a Tenno – a space-ninja-wizard, or something halfway between Guyver and a Jedi if you prefer – and your mission is to rid the universe of an oppressive regime of bad guys.
While that doesn’t sound particularly novel, it’s the smooth-as-butter combat, fluid movement, and exciting visual flourishes that set Warframe apart.
Developer Digital Extremes is also very fine at communicating with its fans, which has resulted in a loyal player base. It would help if you got to be one of them.
15. Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 play with friends games
Grinding Gear Games Format(s): PS4, PC, Xbox One
Path of Exile is the best game, games to play online for you if you’ve been looking for the best alternative to Diablo 3 or the Torchlight series, or if you’re looking for a new, ever-expanding experience that’s also free to play.
It’s unusual to see ARPGs, particularly live-service ones, last for so long, and developer Grinding Gear Games has been serving into its online ecosystem with many updates since launch.
There is no shortage of quality with the option of playing standard and taking your time with the game or diving into the seasonal updates called Leagues to tackle challenges.
If you’re working for a more serious playthrough, we suggest watching for builds ahead of time, but if not, simply jumping in and participating in events with people online will set you on the right path.
16. Forza Horizon 4
Playground Games is the creator of this game. It is available for PC and Xbox One.
If we had to recommend just one racing game to play right now, it would be the vibrant, extravagant Forza Horizon 4. It can be played offline, but it’s primarily an online racer, and you’ll see other players zoom around the map in supercharged motors. A racing year is distributed into seasons, affecting track conditions and casting a stunning new light on the British countryside landscapes.
We recommend completing the first year as soon as possible because, after that, the online play opens up, with races and challenges strewn across the map. Outside of the events, you can join impromptu convoys with friends or strangers, and half the fun is skidding around tight corners.
18. Minecraft
Mojang and Microsoft Studios are the developers.
PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android are the available formats.
All this death and killing – wouldn’t it be nice if there was a game that encouraged constructive and creative thinking while also fostering a sense of community and cooperation?
That is, after all, what Minecraft is. Don’t be fooled by the simple graphics:
Minecraft is a complicated beast of a survival game in which you must gather resources to tame the wilderness and make a home. Or, enter the accessible build mode and build whatever you can think of; players have already created everything from King’s Landing to working computers.
17. Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the fifteenth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Nintendo is the creator of the Nintendo Switch.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate feels like the best of a legendary series’ greatest hits.
It breathes new life into old levels and characters with snappy animations and better visuals.
Online, you can create a private room with your friends to settle decades-long debates about who is the better Smash player, or you can test your skills against strangers, building your Global Smash Power (a great name) and facing off against all comers.
It’s the most polished Smash version available, and with over 70 characters to choose from, there’s a hero for every playstyle.
19. Divinity 2: Original Sin
Capcom is the developer, and the format(s) are PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the best RPG of all time, and it’s even better with friends.
Larian’s fantastic writing and fantasy storytelling are layered on top of a simple, tactical battle system.
Fights are turn-based, with coordination being crucial.
You can outwit your opponent and create fight-winning combos by combining abilities, weapons, spells, and elements. Interesting multi-part quests can be found behind every door and around every corner, amazing online games and the world of Rivellon is teeming with memorable characters.
20. Call of Duty: Warzone
Infinity Ward is the developer.
PC, PS4, and Xbox One are the available formats.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was a solid if unspectacular entry into the series in 2019, but it has been surpassed in popularity by the more recent Call of Duty: Warzone, a standalone battle royale mode.
First, then centering solely on killing players for loot, you can complete objective-based contracts scattered throughout the map, which net you cash to spend on better gear.
In our favorite feature, your first death sends you to the Gulag, where you can win a 1v1 gunfight also parachute back to Earth. Warzone has a slower, sneakier solo mode and a three-player team mode, both fantastic.
21. Rocket League – Best Online Games
Rocket League is a video game that was released in 2012.
Psyonix is the developer, and the game is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Nobody could have predicted how popular Rocket League would become – after all, RC cars playing football (soccer, if you insist) isn’t the most enticing hook.
However, once you pick up the controller and launch yourself through the air at a giant ball while other toy cars zip around you, you’ll understand why so many fans are obsessed.
Matches are fast, and the rewards are plentiful, making it easy to lose hours while telling yourself, “Just one more match.”
22. Animal Crossing – Best Online Games
Animal Crossing: Best Online Games New Horizon is the eleventh installment in the Animal Crossing franchise. Animal crossing new horizons are one of the best online games. Nintendo is the creator of the Nintendo Switch.
Animal Crossing: play four game online New Horizons has provided many players hope and joy during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a sweet, charming life simulation in which you catch butterflies, trade turnips, and decorate your house. You can play the complete game by yourself, but you’ll be missing out.
You can visit friends’ islands to browse their shops, fish their ponds, and mingle with their visitors, and walking around a new island to see how your friends have laid out their new hometown is endlessly relaxing. If you need other players to get the most out of your island, online games to play with friends on different computers make them your “best friends.”