These days, multiplayer gaming means connecting to the internet and playing with friends and strangers worldwide. However, that hasn't always been the case. Multiplayer gaming once meant being squeezed on a couch at your best friend's house, each with a controller in hand, likely for an unreasonable amount of time.
The two types of multiplayer gaming have different names, with the "in real life" style being called co-op gaming, while the newer iteration is knwon as online multiplayer gaming. As more games have relied on online gaming, co-op gaming has been picked up once again by indie studios to create a fun, fulfilling experience.
Last week, a new co-op game was released that has been scoring high with gamers and reviewers, with many saying it could be the best game of the year.
Here, we look at that game and other co-op games worth picking up in 2025 to play with friends and loved ones.
Split Fiction
With its release, Swedish game design studio Hazelight has become the expert on co-op games. Under the guidance of Lebanese-Swedish director Josef Fares, the studio has produced some of the best experiences in the genre. Their latest game, Split Fiction, is about two writers – one penning a sci-fi and the second writing a fantasy – who both get sucked into virtually constructed versions of the stories they wrote.
In Split Fiction, players take control of one of the two characters and attempt to survive as they are flung from one story to another. Each segment of the game is a homage to something from gaming, film or literature, which presents a wonderfully complete experience when brought together.
Many who played the game have praised it, including pop star Abel Tesfaye (formerly known as The Weeknd) who posted on X: “Split Fiction might be game of the year so far".
A Way Out
The first of Hazelight’s successes with co-op gaming was A Way Out, a game in which two inmates must work together to escape their prison sentence. The game requires a level of co-ordination and understanding between the players in order to traverse levels.
The game also features several minigames such as Connect Four, darts, horseshoes, spearfishing, wheelchair wheelies and exercises such as chin-ups, dips, push-ups, sit-ups and bench presses.
While Hazelight and Fares would perfect the formula with their later games, It Takes Two and Split Fiction, A Way Out shows all the many ways they experimented in making the experience as fun as it could be.
It Takes Two
Hazelight’s second success in the genre was the winner of Game of the Year at the 2021 Game Awards. It Takes Two also won Best Family Game and Best Multiplayer Game at the same ceremony, showing just how well received it was.
In the game, two people going through a divorce are transformed into two small beings that must navigate their barn and all the inanimate objects that have suddenly sprung to life, creating obstacles for them to overcome.
It Takes Two was praised for its fantastic and fresh approach to co-op gaming, but more importantly, for its honest way of presenting the difficulties of communication in a relationship. The couple in the game love one another but have experienced issues that made them grow apart. During the game, they speak openly about why they grew apart, allowing insight into what it takes to keep a loving relationship healthy.
Overcooked 2
Running a kitchen between two people is already an arduous task – who cooks, who cleans, who delivers the food to the counter? In Overcooked 2, these responsibilities must be shared and divided smartly.
But it doesn’t end there. The game doesn’t just up the ante with more orders or more complex recipes, it also creates havoc with moving platforms, earthquakes and meteor showers. It can get messy, in more ways than one.
Relationships are tested and stretched when playing Overcooked 2. All you need to imagine is the heated temperament of chef Gordon Ramsay, multiply that by two, and you'll get an idea of the experience playing this game. It's also extremely fun.
Moving Out 2
Less stressful than running a kitchen is the process of moving out of a house ... right? In Moving Out 2, two players run a furniture moving company. Jobs are allotted not only in the local town but also across space and time.
The concept might sound dreary; what’s fun about moving furniture from inside the house to a truck? Well, the furniture could become unruly. The floors could start moving. A large item might need to be catapulted through the window.
There are arguments to be had still, and methods of extracting an item will be ridiculed if not outright refused, but there will be a massive sense of accomplishment once all the furniture is moved out successfully.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2015%20PRO%20MAX
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The White Lotus: Season three
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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Director: Sean Baker
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Four stars
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Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
