Best Games For Exploring An Open-World With Friends

Hanging out with friends is always a great time, but in-person meetups are not always ideal or possible. There could be weather concerns, an unmanageable distance between parties, or even just a lack of motivation. That doesn't mean you have to spend your day alone, however, as open-world multiplayer games provide a great space for pals to join in on some fun together.

Open-world games continue to make waves in multiplayer spaces, with multiple huge releases landing just this year and others seeing continued updates that alter or improve on an already exciting base. If you’re looking for a sandbox to play in with some friends, these eight games are a great place to hang out.

Valheim

Prepare for the Halls of Valhalla

This third-person survival title sees players gathering resources through foraging, hunting, mining, and farming, which can then be used to build shelters, make equipment, and forge weaponry to deal with the threats players face in the wilds. As the point is to prove yourself ready for Valhalla, the world of Valheim is appropriately deadly with skeletons and vicious bosses around to stop you.

Valheim’s sandbox is perfect for multiplayer squads. With your Viking friends in tow, gathering resources is much quicker, and subsequently, building your base up is much faster. The cooperation can also ease the difficulty of some missions or fights, with players being able to take on larger groups, like wolf raids, or handle escort quests much more easily than when they play alone.

If you want to take a more roleplay-heavy approach, having multiple people also makes specializing that much easier. One character can focus on handling the cooking while another levels up their smithing, allowing players to focus on specific aspects rather than spending time becoming an all-rounder.

Palworld

Things Are More Fun With Pals

In Palworld, the action mostly centers around catching new pals, which can then be used for base building, traversal, and combat. The Pals can really cover a lot of bases for the player, allowing for the assignment of tasks and resource gathering without direct player intervention.

That said, playing with friends is a great way to play, as it not only becomes easier and more efficient to build out your base, but it also helps form a community for shared advancement. Maybe your friend has some items you need, but can't get with your Pals, or you need assistance in taking down some foes—multiplayer is a great way to tackle any challenge. If you work together, you can make some really incredible things!

Pals can also be traded between friends, so if your team member has a pal you really want and they don't need, swapping with one of your own pals can be done quite easily. And don't be afraid of a little competition; the arena allows friends to battle with their Pals to see who comes out on top.

Grounded 2

Cutting Bugs Down to Size

The miniature teens of Grounded 2 face the same plight as they did in the first game, Grounded—they must survive the environment and combat giant insects and other creatures to stay alive. Much like many other games on this list, playing with a dedicated party makes survival that much simpler.

Having a party allows players to focus on their role in the group, honing in on being the best combatant or gatherer as needed. There’s also safety in numbers, with ants and mites posing less of a threat when you’re working together. Plus, perhaps most importantly of all, it’s just kind of cool to ride on ants together as a posse.

Far Far West

Big Sky, Bigger Problems

Speaking of posses, if you’re looking for something a little more wild west-themed, early access title Far Far West is a great bet, garnering rave reviews upon release. Players will take on the role of a robot cowboy to navigate endless deserts, fight reanimated skeletons, and take down aliens. Taking on bounties as a group is also possible, meaning everyone reaps the rewards when the work is done.

Far Far West’s more leisurely approach to quest length is also a bonus for busy groups, as the shorter mission structure allows players to pop in and out as needed, rather than spending hours on a single task that not everyone may see benefit from. Working together with your posse to face down foes, find loot, and relax at the saloon is a hoot.

Windrose

Take Your Crew and Find Some Treasure

Cowboys and pirates seem to go hand-in-hand in popular culture, though they are from distinct locales. If a seafaring adventure is one you seek, look no further than the early access game Windrose. Sail the high seas together to engage in ship-to-ship battles, melee combat, and base building.

One of the more interesting aspects of Windrose’s multiplayer is how the game handles its loot. Each chest has a different set of loot for each player, meaning that the items you get from a point of interest may be different than the goods your friend obtains. This can be very useful in learning crafting recipes, as they are learned when you get a new item, no matter the source.

You can also benefit from a friend’s reputation with different factions when you visit their map. If you’ve already got high standing with one group, but your friend is better aligned with a different group, you can still buy the materials or items from your friend’s preferred faction. Whatever your approach, sailing the high seas with your pirate crew is a raucous time.

Elden Ring

The Lands Between Are a Bit Less Daunting With a Friend

The world of Elden Ring is one of the deepest and most interesting in all of gaming, with secrets around every corner and new stories to unfurl across the vast landscape of The Lands Between. Exploring the land and taking on the bosses as a party is a great time, both for those familiar with the game already and new players alike.

Whether you’re just helping a friend get through a tough area or bringing down a boss together, jolly co-operation allows for shared growth, with each player getting items and runes for the trouble.

The unfortunate part of playing Elden Ring with friends is that it’s not possible to play through the entire thing as a squad, unless you’ve got a mod for it. Multiplayer is restricted to specific areas and bosses, and progress doesn't carry over to the summoned player’s world. Still, working together in the service of discovery remains a great time, as Elden Ring is one of the most lauded games in history for good reason.

Satisfactory

Building a Better Future, One Assembly Line at a Time

Satisfactory is a PvE-only game where players work together to construct increasingly complex factories on an alien planet. After building the space elevator, players will unlock additional technologies that assist in improving the manufacturing process. As there is no finite end to each run, players can fine-tune their factories for maximum efficiency to their heart’s content.

While it can be played solo, Satisfactory supports up to 8 players simultaneously, working together to make the most productive facility possible. One benefit to playing together is that all players will share the unlocks for the HUB, MAM, AWESOME shop, and Space Elevator. The ease with which players can jump in and the variability of the co-op experience combine to make Satisfactory one of the best open-world simulation games out there.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Fight As One

Ubisoft’s video game tie-in to the Avatar universe, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, is a sight to behold. Traversing Pandora on the back of your Ikran is wondrous, and the game’s first-person perspective helps immerse you in the lush forests and blue skies you set your sights on. Thankfully, this type of experience can be shared with one other player at a time, allowing players to take down RDA outposts together.

Co-op is only available after a few hours of playtime, but once unlocked, players can join a world to play in or invite a friend to theirs. Completed quests done in co-op are tracked as progress for both players, with the guest player having the possibility to skip completed quests they have already finished with a friend, so there’s no need to double-dip.

Additionally, guest players will be able to keep any rewards they collect or any rewards from completed quests, such as ammunition, crafting materials, cosmetic items, gear, weapons, purchased items, and upgraded items. Given that the game is all about embracing community, it seems appropriate that the co-op is such a rewarding way to play.