The internet is a wonderful thing. It allows for connections to be formed between people who are, geographically, thousands of miles apart. These relationships can be hard to maintain, but the world of online gaming can help.
Whether you’re a parent with a child at college on the other side of the country, have friends who have relocated due to work, or your partner is on the other side of the world, there’s a long list of games you can play together. Even if you see each other regularly, gaming is a particularly good way of spending quality time together.
My fiancé and I live 3,000 miles apart most of the time. When we’re not physically together, gaming together allows us the opportunity to occupy the same virtual space and share experiences. As such, we’ve played a lot of games together.
I’ve thought back on all of our shared gaming adventures and scoured my Steam library, and here are 10 of the best options if you’re looking to bond through shared gaming.
It Takes Two
In It Takes Two, you’re playing as Cody and May, parents of Rose, who is resistant to the change. Think Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves but with the added heartbreak of a marriage on the rocks. Through the game, you need to work together to overcome obstacles which can’t be faced alone, learning the value of open communication and mutual understanding.
While It Takes Two is definitely geared more towards those with a romantic connection, it’s just as heartwarming to play with friends or family, and is sure to get you emotional for a myriad of different reasons.
Ultimate Chicken Horse
From the full spectrum of emotions to pure rage, Ultimate Chicken Horse is one to play if you’re wanting to get competitive and is perfect if you’re wanting an online activity for your friend group.
In Ultimate Chicken Horse, you can place obstacles to cause havoc for your opponents or help each other reach the goal location. The obstacles and traps placed down by each player lead to all sorts of bizarre and hilarious consequences, and you can truly sabotage everyone around you.
On the plus side there’s a whole bunch of new outfits and accessories to unlock for a long list of playable animal characters, but that doesn’t take away from the rage you’re likely to feel while playing.
Human Fall Flat
Co-operative gaming with the most insane rag doll physics, Human Fall Flat is like trying to navigate the world with no muscle control, after a few too many drinks. It’s incredibly easy to get distracted and regardless who you choose to play with, you’re going to need to keep their head in the game as well as your own.
Human Fall Flat can also be played solo, but it only gets so much better when you drag your friends or loved ones along as floppy little playmates. Plus, the character customization only makes everything more hilarious and you need people around to see your bizarre choices in action. And who are you going to throw off the map if you’re alone?
Final Fantasy XIV
I couldn’t write this list without including FFXIV, mainly because I met my fiancé through the game and it’s remained one of our most useful time-together-even-if-we’re-apart tools for the last three years. If you need more convincing that FFXIV is a great way to build or maintain connections or relationships, just take a look at the story of Maidy and the Dad of Light.
Whether you want to go for a father-son fishing trip, take on Eikons, or race on chocobo back, there’s no end to the activities which can be done together in Eorzea. As an MMO, it’s designed for endless numbers of people to play together and with the help of emotes and shared experiences, communication comes easy.
Stardew Valley
Nothing bonds two people together more than running a farm with shared resources and money. Stardew Valley is undoubtedly great as a single player experience, but it also excels as a multiplayer game as well.
Whether you’re starting from scratch to build a new farm together, or you just want your friends to come and visit, Stardew is great. All you need to do is build a Cabin to accommodate your guests, and you’re ready to have visitors. Trips into the mines are far better with friends.
Don’t Starve Together
Don’t Starve, the single player survival challenge with a delightful Tim Burton-esque art style, released way back in 2013. Don’t Starve Together, the multiplayer version, released just a year later and despite its age I think it stands the test of time.
You and up to five friends get dropped into the unforgiving wilderness, and you have to survive against the elements and enemies who surround you. While you’re completely alone in the single player version, having friends around you makes gathering resources and building a base much easier.
Chained Together
I’m usually one to stay a million miles away from rage-baiting games. After my experience with Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, it’s safe to say that rage games are not a friend to me. However, if you throw friends or loved ones into the mix and work through the rage together, it’s actually a remarkably joyous experience.
In Chained Together, you’re trying to find your way out of Hell. Unfortunately, Hell is just an insanely tall jumping puzzle which needs to be navigated – truly my idea of Hell made reality. With moving, spinning, flinging, and rolling parts, Chained Together would arguably be easier even if you weren’t physically chained to the other people playing with you, but at least having someone with you lets you blame them if you fall back to the very beginning.
Biped
Biped is specifically designed for two players to work together. With mechanics reminiscent of Human Fall Flat, such as feet that are controlled individually to facilitate movement and grabbing onto items within the levels, it can actually be pretty challenging to overcome some obstacles.
There are puzzles to solve, and the controls do cause some moments of rage here and there, but these moments are far outnumbered by the sheer joy you can experience together and the elation you feel when you manage to successfully complete a level. Biped is inspired by old-school platformers, and is filled with coins to collect and secrets to unlock.
Escape Simulator
If you’re wanting to get into a discussion and solve some puzzles with friends or loved ones, may I recommend Escape Simulator?
Cheaper than a real-life escape room, but no less difficult to solve, Escape Simulator is perfect if you want to work through a conundrum together. There are multiple themed levels filled with puzzles to solve, and while you can definitely complete these solo, it always helps to have a friend to bounce ideas around with.
Blanc
Another game which requires two players to complete, Blanc will see one person playing as a Fawn while the other plays as a Wolf Cub. In this tale of unlikely friendship, both animals are trying to find their way back to their families and must work together to do so.
Overcoming challenges is just one aspect of this gorgeous work of art. The monochromatic and simplistic art style is beautiful, but the lack of distractions also leaves you free to focus on the story. There’s heartbreak ahead in Blanc, but also moments of joy to share with your second player.
