Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 drops four of you onto a hostile planet with a list of objectives, a strict time limit and a set of stratagems: air strikes, turrets, supply drops and heavy weapons, each called down by tapping a short code on the controller. The enemies come in numbers that would be absurd in any other game. Your only real defence is coordination, and your most reliable enemy is a friend who called an orbital strike a little too close.

That is the point, and the reason it scores so highly on “Better together”. The game is designed so that four people who talk to each other are far stronger than four people who do not. Someone holds the flank, someone runs the objective, someone keeps the group in ammunition, and everyone shouts when the code for a reinforcement goes in. Failure is funny; success is loud. There is no ranked mode and no scoreboard that matters, so the group competes only with the mission.

Arrowhead has kept the galaxy moving since launch with a live war that the whole player base fights together, new enemies, new stratagems and regular Warbonds, which are themed unlock tracks that never expire and can be bought with a currency you also find on the map. The Xbox release in August 2025 completed the platform set, and cross-play between all three is on by default. Missions take twenty to forty minutes and an operation of three missions is a satisfying evening.

Two things to know before inviting the group. The game is rated 18 and earns it, with a lot of gore and some pointed satire. And there is no cross-progression: a friend who owns it on PlayStation and buys it on PC starts from zero. On higher difficulties the game also expects a full four and a plan, so keep the newcomer on the lower tiers for a week. None of that dents the recommendation for a regular group of four.