Catch up on the essentials
- Solo players who care about story or who dread the late-game grind will have a much tougher time.
- If your group has been craving a no-frills base-building RTS to queue into together, Tempest Rising is an easy pickup at half price.
- A strong pick at 50% off ($29.99 from $59.99) for friend groups who want a tight, brutal action RPG to share, though solo players should brace for steep difficulty and grind friction.
Selected from this article · 2026-09-30
Read on for the full picture01Borderlands 3: best-in-series gunplay and co-op loot grind if friends are along for the ride
STEAM DEAL · 85% OFF
Borderlands 3
Borderlands 3 still delivers the smoothest combat in the franchise and a flood of guns, making it an easy pickup for a co-op group at this heavy discount. Solo players who care about story or who dread the late-game grind will have a much tougher time.
Game highlights
Vault Hunters built for co-op chaos
Four playable Vault Hunters each ship with distinct skill trees, customizable abilities, and personality-driven action verbs, so different roles emerge naturally in a group. Official descriptions position them as the franchise's deepest set yet, and reviewer evidence repeatedly frames the character gameplay as the smoothest in the Borderlands series, with movement and gun feel that click immediately.
Bazillions of guns is not an exaggeration
The official pitch leans hard on weapon variety, calling out rifles that summon volcanoes and gunned-down firearms that chase enemies while hurling insults. Reviewers who praise the game almost always point to the loot as the reason to keep playing, describing it as the series' standout feature even when everything else under-delivers.
Drop-in co-op without level friction
Steam categories confirm online co-op, LAN co-op, cross-platform multiplayer, and full controller support, so a group can mix platforms without breaking the experience. Official wording states you can play with anyone at any time regardless of level or mission progress, and player accounts consistently describe co-op sessions as the way the campaign sings.
Multiple planets and campaigns beyond Pandora
Borderlands 3 leaves Pandora behind with new desert, city, and bayou biomes to clear out, plus four paid campaign expansions listed in the Season Pass content. The broader map gives groups more room to roam, though the hub ship design and backtracking have drawn steady complaints from returning fans.
Quality-of-life changes and Mayhem mode
Reviewers highlight concrete QoL upgrades over earlier entries, including sliding, mantling, and Mayhem mode letting characters scale to the right level for one full playthrough rather than multiple runs. This reduces grind friction for groups who want to stay together without juggling alt characters.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Gunplay, sliding, and movement are repeatedly called the smoothest in the Borderlands series, especially compared with Borderlands 2.
- Co-op with friends is the most common reason players recommend the game, with drop-in play regardless of level working as advertised.
- Weapon variety and the constant stream of new loot keep long sessions feeling fresh.
- Mayhem mode and one-playthrough leveling remove a lot of the older series' grind pain.
Where the friction shows
- The story, villains, and humor are described as the weakest in the series, with several reviewers using words like cringe and toddler-level writing.
- Several mission and DLC bugs can softlock progress, and players mention needing save editors to unblock themselves.
- The Sanctuary hub ship is widely disliked because of forced walking and backtracking between zones.
- Late-game progression loops into repetitive grinding and farming rather than fresh content.
Is it worth buying?
At $11.99 against a $79.99 regular price, this is the kind of sale that makes sense for groups already planning to play together, especially anyone who missed the franchise's most polished moment-to-moment combat. Solo players without nostalgia or a friend group on standby should wait for a deeper discount or a friend to join, since the campaign length and grind only pay off when shared.
Price checked 2026-09-30：$11.99，down from $79.99（85% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Co-op groups who want drop-in play across PC and console friends without level juggling.
- Loot shooter fans who treat gun variety and build tinkering as the main reward.
- Players returning to Borderlands for QoL upgrades such as sliding, mantling, and Mayhem mode scaling.
- Anyone who wants one long playthrough with friends rather than repeating the campaign on alts.
Probably not for you
- Solo players who primarily want a tight, well-written story to follow.
- Anyone frustrated by unskippable dialogue scenes and lengthy NPC exposition.
- Players who dislike repeating zones or farming the same encounters for late-game progression.
- Gamers put off by reported softlock bugs in the base game and DLC missions.
02Tempest Rising: a classic Command & Conquer-inspired RTS for friends who want faction wars together
STEAM DEAL · 50% OFF
Tempest Rising
If your group has been craving a no-frills base-building RTS to queue into together, Tempest Rising is an easy pickup at half price. Solo players get a meaty campaign, but the multiplayer lobbies are where the faction design earns its keep.
Game highlights
Three distinct factions with different economies
The game ships with three rosters: the Global Defense Force, the Tempest Dynasty, and the Veti for multiplayer and skirmish. Each faction has its own approach to combat and economy, and two superweapons complement each playstyle, so groups can experiment with asymmetric matchups instead of mirror armies.
Two full campaigns plus a paid third
The base game includes two 11-mission campaigns for the GDF and Tempest Dynasty, each with voiced briefings and per-mission army customization. A third Veti campaign is sold separately as DLC, so buyers should not assume all three factions have a single-player story out of the box.
Multiplayer modes that fit a friend group
Official matchmaking covers 1v1, 2v2, and ranked play using the Glicko-2 rating system, while custom lobbies support versus AI and solo skirmish with up to 500 units per team. Steam categories confirm online PvP, Steam Achievements, Trading Cards, Workshop, Cloud, and Family Sharing, so organizing a regular group is straightforward.
Modern visuals on a classic RTS skeleton
The developer leans on classic base-building, fast and hard-hitting combat, and a modern alt-history Earth ravaged by nuclear war and overgrown with Tempest vines. Reviewers consistently call out the soundtrack, FMV-style cutscenes, and unit design as nostalgic without feeling dated.
Price cuts and platform scope
On Steam the title is currently $19.99, a 50% discount off the $39.99 regular price at the snapshot date. It is Windows-only, with no native macOS or Linux builds, so check your setup before queuing with friends on other systems.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Reviewers who came from Command & Conquer or StarCraft describe the game as the closest modern alternative, often playable without touching the tutorial.
- The soundtrack, voice lines, and unit/structure visuals earn repeated praise as a strong nostalgic package.
- The campaign is widely called solid and a good value for solo time between group nights.
- Matchmaking with friends in 2v2 and versus-AI custom lobbies is a recurring highlight for groups looking for low-friction sessions.
Where the friction shows
- Several players say the optimal strategy collapses into one or two unit types, making matches feel repetitive once you know the meta.
- Defenses and base-building are called underpowered, with turtling punished in favor of wide, aggressive expansion and constant resource grabbing.
- Faction balance is described as uneven, with some units feeling essential and others like dead weight, the unit Var leading to snowballing if you secure early resources, the resource loop
- The Veti campaign being paid DLC rather than included is a recurring complaint from launch-day buyers.
Is it worth buying?
At $19.99, down 50% from $39.99, this is a reasonable price for a friend group that will actually queue together and split the value across sessions. Solo-only buyers may want to weigh whether two 11-mission campaigns plus paid Veti DLC justify the cost given the repetitive late-game feedback, but co-op and 2v2 nights stretch the price further per play session.
Price checked 2026-09-30：$19.99，down from $39.99（50% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friends who queue for 1v1 or 2v2 matches and want a familiar RTS to ladder or casual-play together.
- Groups that like assigning each player a different faction to learn asymmetric matchups.
- Solo players who want a chunky campaign with voiced briefings between multiplayer nights.
- Returning C&C or StarCraft fans who skipped tutorials and want a nostalgia hit with modern visuals.
- Players planning regular versus-AI nights in custom lobbies while learning the meta together.
Probably not for you
- Players who want every faction to ship with a full single-player campaign included.
- Anyone who prefers slow, defensive turtling strategies or long tech tiers with experimental late-game units.
- Buyers who need native macOS or Linux support, as only Windows builds are available.
- Players sensitive to aggressive meta-game balance issues, as multiple reviewers report the same optimal rush that trivializes other units.
03DARK SOULS™ III: streamlined third entry ideal for co-op runs and unforgettable boss memories together
STEAM DEAL · 50% OFF
DARK SOULS™ III
A strong pick at 50% off ($29.99 from $59.99) for friend groups who want a tight, brutal action RPG to share, though solo players should brace for steep difficulty and grind friction. Best bought on sale rather than full price given its age.
Game highlights
Tight, linear action-RPG structure
FromSoftware's latest ambitious chapter in the genre-defining series delivers faster, more intense combat than its predecessors, with colossal enemies and a world steeped in epic atmosphere. The streamlined, less branching layout keeps players focused on fights rather than wandering for random loot, which several recent arrivals from Elden Ring actually preferred. It also means sessions in co-op move briskly from bonfire to bonfire without long downtime.
Co-op and multiplayer baked in
Official Steam categories list multiplayer, co-op, and Steam Trading Cards alongside the single-player campaign, and the friend-first fit is reinforced by recurring reviewer mentions of summoning help. That makes it straightforward to pair up for boss attempts or run through tough zones together rather than going in alone. It is built primarily around short, repeatable co-op sessions rather than sprawling open zones.
Tools and pacing reward persistence
Reviewers repeatedly note that the game gives you everything you need from the start without forced grinding or artificial leveling, so progress comes from clearing areas and learning enemy patterns. Several newcomers credit the title with teaching perseverance, surviving the opening hours, and pushing through repeated deaths to finally down a boss. That loop of learning, dying, and retrying is the core engagement.
Memorable boss and world design
Players consistently highlight boss fights and environmental storytelling as the standout moments, with ruined kingdoms, swamps, and abandoned castles selling the sense of arriving too late to save anything. The atmosphere of a dying world tied to strong boss design is the single most-mentioned reason the game sticks with people well past launch. Many describe specific encounters as the kind they want to experience fresh again.
Mature, accessibility-friendly feature set
Official categories confirm Steam Achievements, full controller support, save-anywhere, custom volume controls, camera comfort, and Remote Play on phone, tablet, and TV. Playable-without-timed-input means accessibility-minded players can take encounters at their own pace. These small conveniences make couch or living-room co-op easier than older Souls entries.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Boss fights and overall world atmosphere are repeatedly called unforgettable, with many players wishing they could erase their memory to replay them fresh.
- Newcomers credit the game with teaching perseverance, pushing through repeated deaths, and feeling a real sense of accomplishment after tough stretches.
- The streamlined, more focused level layout over open-world Souls titles is appreciated by players who want fights rather than aimless wandering.
- Multiplayer summons and co-op runs are mentioned often as a way to make brutal sections manageable and more fun with friends.
Where the friction shows
- Bandai Namco's pricing draws heavy criticism: a 50% discount on a 10-year-old game is seen as stingy compared with historical 75% sales, and DLC costs remain high.
- Reviewers flag the repetitive resource and progression grind as a real friction point for players who dislike farming.
- Several long-time fans say the game runs less efficiently now than at launch, with one player reporting it would not start at all after five hours of troubleshooting.
- Online summon quality is inconsistent, with complaints about high-ping phantoms teleporting around during co-op fights.
Is it worth buying?
At $29.99 with the regular $59.99 price (50% off) on Steam as of the snapshot, it is a fair price for a friend group splitting the cost, but multiple reviewers urge against paying full price and wish for deeper cuts. If your group already owns Elden Ring and wants a tighter, more co-op-friendly follow-up, this discount is reasonable. Solo players averse to grind should wait for a deeper sale, since the current cut is the publisher's floor and not an all-time low.
Price checked 2026-09-30：$29.99，down from $59.99（50% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friend groups of two to four who want short, repeatable co-op boss attempts over a tight campaign.
- Newcomers to the Souls genre willing to learn patterns through repeated deaths, especially those guided by a more experienced friend.
- Players who prefer linear, focused level design over open-world exploration between fights.
- Action-RPG fans who want strong atmosphere and memorable boss encounters more than deep build crafting.
- Groups who already own Elden Ring and want a shorter, more co-op-oriented follow-up experience.
Probably not for you
- Solo players without a patient friend group, since the steep difficulty curve and reliance on summons will feel punishing.
- Players who dislike resource grinding and repetition, which multiple reviews flag as a recurring friction point.
- Anyone unwilling to pay anything close to full price, given repeated criticism that the 50% discount on a decade-old title is stingy.
- Players on macOS or Linux, since official platform support is Windows only.
- Those sensitive to inconsistent online performance, since reviewers report laggy summon experiences during co-op.
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