Most multiplayer video game experiences are premised upon shared high-speed competition, cooperation or coordination, and some strategy. Indeed, however, not all multiplayer experiences are thus; some go much further than just headshots and leaderboard rankings and weave elaborate stories that draw in players into their world. As a gamer, you probably appreciate a good story as much as the next person—so why not combine the two? Here are seven multiplayer games with amazing storylines. You have to be part of them.
1. Destiny 2
| Field | Platform | Plotted | Multifield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destiny 2 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | High | Cooperative, Raids, PvP |
Why it’s a must-play: You know what you are getting, and this game delivers it in spades.
Destiny 2 by Bungie is a first-person shooter with one of the most beautiful mixes of speed and action, set in a mesmerizing sci-fi universe. The story in this game has grown through several expansions, telling stories of ancient gods, alien races, and Guardians who hold great power. The multiplayer experience is great in both cooperative play and competitive with gigantic raids that take to the extreme in teamwork and bring huge story payoffs.
Best story moments:
- The Red War Campaign: Surviving the fight against a Dominion of immense power.
- The Witch Queen: A villain so haunting, it will take you into the mystery of Savathûn.
Multiplayer Spice:
Raids in Destiny 2 feel like story-driven adventures. Imagine informing that every small mission you undertake whenever is part of a whole grand story being unfolded in real-time. And it involves killing some baddies with your over-the-top armored character!
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2. Ghost of Tsushima: Legends
| Game | Platform | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost of Tsushima: Legends | PS4, PS5 | Moderate | Cooperative |
Why it’s a must-play:
If you enjoyed the single-player campaign in Ghost of Tsushima, then consider Legends the icing on your cake. It brings a new mythic dimension into the game and lets you and up to three players explore some creepy folklore missions. The story of four heroes combating dark, supernatural forces within feudal Japan is certainly a unique twist.
Best story moments:
- Nightmare Story Missions: Cooperative missions together that are challenging and also bring about eerie myths.
- Raids: They’re multi-stage quests that need teamwork and bring some of the most intense story-driven moments in the game.
Multiplayer Spice:
Any class in Legends feels different and brings new ways to approach missions, while cooperative play means you’re not just grinding. It’s a living, breathing story experience.
3. The Division 2
| Game | Available On | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Division 2 | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | Moderate | Cooperative, PvP |
Why it is a must-play:
The Division 2 presents an enthralling post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C., whereby players come together to restore order after a national pandemic. The story is strong in a very dystopic-meets-tactical-shooter kind of way. Multiplayer elements (like the Dark Zones, which collide PvP with PvE) lend themselves well to some very fun sessions with friends.
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Most Memorable Story Moments:
- Endgame Campaign: It really opens up after you hit max level and new factions and missions are revealed.
- Dark Zone Missions: High-risk, high-reward multiplayer interaction helping gamers engross deeper in the lore.
Multiplayer Spice:
The Division’s unique Dark Zones really bring an unpredictable Player vs Player aspect to the story in which you never know whether another player is a friend or a foe. It is really that uncertainty combined with the overarching narrative that keeps players coming back for more.
4. Sea of Thieves
| Game | Platform | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea of Thieves | PC, Xbox Series X/S | High | Cooperative, PvP |
Why it’s a must-play:
A pirate’s life for you? Every journey here is emergent multiplayer chaos-meets-storytelling. With rich lore and the Tall Tales story missions, you will explore the mysteries of the deep—battling skeleton hordes, ancient gods, and other pirate crews.
Biggest story moments:
- The Tall Tales: Story-driven missions with cinematic experiences and deep lore, such as “The Shroudbreaker” or “The Fate of the Morningstar.”
- A Pirate’s Life Expansion: A Pirates of the Caribbean crossover, delivering well-loved characters into Sea of Thieves.
Multiplayer Spice:
Cooperative gameplay is paramount in Sea of Thieves. You have to trust your crew for sailing, fighting, and looking for treasures, while the PvP gives this game another portion of uncertainty—is that ship on the horizon going to team up with you or attack you?
5. Warframe
| Game | Available | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warframe | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch | High | Cooperative, PvP mode |
Why it is a must-play:
No multiplayer game has invested in such a deep, expansive story as Warframe. The space-ninja adventure has bloomed into a huge universe packed with rich lore and unexpected twists, story-driven expansions. Multiplayer’s all about slick, fast-paced action; these storylines infuse some emotional depth.
Best story moments:
- The Second Dream: A twist that redefines everything you thought you knew about your character.
- The War Within: Further expands the universe with major revelations.
Multiplayer Spice:
As you form squads to take on missions because of the story itself, your desire to work together gets fueled, making the universe feel even more connected and alive.
6. Left 4 Dead 2
| Game | Platform | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left 4 Dead 2 | PC, Xbox 360, Backward Compatible | Moderate | Cooperative, PvP |
Why it’s a must-play:
Not many games manage to get the formula of ‘story-driven chaos’ versus multiplayer action quite like Left 4 Dead 2. You and three teammates battle your way through hordes of zombies while a story dynamically develops around your fight for survival. It’s always entertaining, with innumerable conversations between the characters in this post-apocalyptic world.
Best story moments:
- The Parish Finale: Dash across a bridge in the big last stand while infected pour in from every direction.
- The Passing: A wistful crossover event that connects with the original Left 4 Dead characters themselves.
Multiplayer Spice:
Events are random due to the game’s AI Director, changing enemy spawns and changing events. This gives the feeling to players of each playthrough telling its own story, even when playing with friends repeatedly.
7. Apex Legends
| Game | Platform | Story Depth | Multiplayer Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apex Legends | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S | High | Competitive, Cooperative |
Why it’s a must-play:
Though fast-paced battle royale action is what Apex Legends is best known for, it also provides extra layers to its characters through a rich backstory for each Legend, with detailed lore and cinematic shorts. It is through these dynamic storylines (that change from season to season) and in-game events that provide a competitive game of this nature with the necessary shot in the arm, narratively speaking.
Best story moments:
- Seasonal Storylines: Every season’s worth of dirt on the Legends, served up with in-game events that push the over-arching narrative forward.
- The Quest Story Mode: Available as either single-player or co-op PvE, it gives much more insight into the Legends’ pasts.
Multiplayer Spice:
With gameplay that is character-centric, you will have strategically driven combat. Getting familiar with the lore of each Legend starts fostering a connection with them: adding an emotional layer to the action-packed multiplayer.
For gamers who are into competitions and at the same time love storylines, the following 7 multiplayer games are quite ideal in offering the perfect balance between immersive narratives and adrenaline-pumping gameplay. From working as a team to bring down a space-god’s menace to sailing in search of cursed treasure, these games prove that multiplayer experiences can tell great stories.
Choose your next adventure and hop into worlds where the story is just as important as the score!