Horror games that are better with friends, and why co-op changes the scare
Phasmophobia, Lethal Company and The Outlast Trials turn fear into a group activity. Here is what each one does differently, and how to choose.
Horror is usually a solitary pleasure. You turn the lights down, put headphones on and let a game isolate you. Co-operative horror does the opposite: it makes fear social, and that changes what the fear is about. You are no longer afraid of what is in the house. You are afraid of what your friends will do when they see it.
The last few years have produced a wave of games built around that idea. They are not interchangeable, and the right one depends on whether you want tension, comedy, investigation or outright panic. These are the ones worth starting with, and what each asks of a group.
Phasmophobia: the investigation
Kinetic Games' Phasmophobia arrived in early access in 2020 and became the template for the modern ghost-hunting game. One to four investigators enter a haunted site with cameras, thermometers, spirit boxes, writing books and crucifixes, and the job is to identify the ghost and leave. The ghost reacts to voices, to equipment and to being alone, which makes communication a mechanic rather than a chat feature.
The best sessions are not the loudest ones. They are the ones where someone is in the van watching cameras, someone is in the basement, and the team slowly realises the evidence does not match the ghost type they assumed. The game's early-access history means systems have changed repeatedly, so check the current build before relying on an old guide.
Best for: groups that like procedure, deduction and being quietly terrified. Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, with VR support.
Lethal Company: the comedy of incompetence
Zeekerss' Lethal Company is a four-player game about scavenging scrap from abandoned moons to meet a corporate quota. It is also one of the funniest horror games ever made, largely because of proximity chat: you hear your friends until you do not, and the moment a voice cuts out is usually the moment something has gone wrong.
The game's monsters are varied and often absurd, but the real engine is the group's declining competence. Someone takes the wrong turn. Someone buys a flashlight instead of a shovel. Someone insists the mansion is safe. The quota rises, the risks increase, and the comedy gets darker. It is still in early access, so expect changes between sessions.
Best for: groups who enjoy chaos, improv and laughing at failure. Platforms: PC.
The Outlast Trials: the pressure cooker
Red Barrels' The Outlast Trials takes the studio's found-footage horror and turns it into a trials-based co-op game for up to four players. You are a test subject in a Cold War facility, completing objectives while avoiding enemies that are much stronger than you. There is no combat in the traditional sense; you run, hide, distract and heal.
It is the most intense game on this list. The trials are long, the objectives are deliberately unpleasant, and the game is designed to produce panic. Playing with friends helps, but it does not make it comfortable. The 1.0 release arrived in March 2024, with console versions following.
Best for: groups who want sustained pressure and do not mind gore. Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S.
Dead by Daylight: the asymmetric option
Behaviour Interactive's Dead by Daylight is not a co-op game in the same sense: one player is the killer and four are survivors. But it belongs here because it is the most popular social horror game in the world, and because it turns horror into a competition of reads and bluffs. Survivors repair generators, heal, unhook each other and try to escape; the killer patrols, chases and applies pressure.
It is less about atmosphere than the other games on this list, and its learning curve is steep. But the social dynamics are unique: the friend who always loops the killer, the friend who hides in a locker too early, the friend who insists they can save you. For a group that wants competition rather than co-operation, it is the obvious starting point.
Best for: competitive groups and horror fans who like mind games. Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and mobile.
How to choose
If your group wants to investigate, play Phasmophobia. If you want to laugh until someone screams, play Lethal Company. If you want to be genuinely stressed, play The Outlast Trials. If you want to compete, play Dead by Daylight.
Two practical notes. First, voice chat is not optional in most of these games; the social channel is part of the design. Second, check content warnings before you start. Co-op horror is often gorier and more intense than single-player horror, and the group setting can make it harder to stop.
None of these games replaces the solitary kind of horror. They are a different pleasure: the shared story, the bad decision, the retelling afterwards. That is why they keep being made, and why they work.
