Picking the best games to play with friends usually comes down to two boring questions that nobody wants to ask out loud: who has to buy it, and how much. A great night in falls apart fast when one person owns the game, two are on the wrong platform, and somebody just spent their last twenty bucks. So this guide sorts the genres I cover (action, horror, party, battle royale, co-op survival) by how cheaply you can all get into the same lobby, with real prices from real stores.
Start free: the zero-risk group games
If you have not picked a game yet and just want everyone online tonight, start with the free options. Nobody has to commit money before they know the group actually likes it.
Fortnite lets you create and play with friends for free, across Battle Royale, Zero Build, Creative, and live events. It runs on basically everything (PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile), so cross-platform squads are easy, and you only pay if you want cosmetics like the Fortnite Psycho Bundle. Skins do nothing for your aim, so treat them as optional flair.
PUBG is the other no-cost entry. PUBG: Battlegrounds is a 100-player battle royale where you outplay everyone to be the lone survivor, and it is free to play. It is slower and more tactical than Fortnite, which suits friends who like to creep through buildings and call out angles. One heads-up for console players: support for Xbox One and PS4 ends on November 13, 2025, with native Xbox Series X/S and PS5 versions taking over. If your group is on newer hardware you are fine. Optional extras like the PUBG Starter Package are cosmetic, not pay-to-win.
Cheap co-op that punches way above its price
This is my favorite category, because the best laughs per dollar in gaming live here. You do not need a $70 box to have a great night.
The standout is Lethal Company, a co-op scavenging horror game that turned into a phenomenon for one simple reason: it is dirt cheap and chaotic. Lethal Company is a co-op horror game about scavenging abandoned moons to sell scrap, and it costs $10 on Steam. On sale it drops further. It has gone as low as $6.49, a price the co-op horror game had never hit before. For a four-person crew, that is the easiest yes in this whole guide. If your group leans scary, my full horror hub has more picks in the same spirit.
Want something with more structure and a bigger spectacle? Helldivers 2 is the squad shooter that ate 2024 and is still going. Helldivers 2 costs $39.99 on Steam as a standalone game. It is a four-player PvE third-person shooter where friendly fire is on and chaos is the point. It costs more than the cheap stuff, so I would wait for a sale or split the mood between this and a freebie.
- Lethal Company: hilarious, cheap, instant group buy-in
- Helldivers 2: deep, satisfying, looks fantastic in a squad
- Both reward communication and reward chaos equally
- Lethal Company gets repetitive if you grind it nightly
- Helldivers 2 is a real money commitment at full price
- Neither has true offline couch play, you all need your own copy
Couch and party nights
Not every "with friends" night is online. Sometimes everyone is on one sofa, and that changes the math.
On Switch, Luigi's Mansion 3 is a brilliant pick for mixed-skill groups because its ScareScraper mode is genuinely co-op and low-stress. The base game carries the experience, and the cosmetic Luigi's Mansion 3 Multiplayer Pack adds costumes and floor themes if you want more variety. That multiplayer pack runs about $9.99. Buy the pack only if your crew already loves the base game.
For pure party silliness on PC, ABRACA - Imagic Games is a quick fairy-tale brawler built for people who do not normally game. It will not hold a hardcore group all month, but it does one thing well: chaotic short rounds anyone can pick up in seconds. If you want a free team-based twin-stick option instead, Games of Glory leans into 5v5 arena fights.
Free-to-play vs paid: which should your group pick?
| Factor | Free-to-play (Fortnite, PUBG) | Paid co-op (Lethal Company, Helldivers 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $0 for everyone | $10 to $40 per person |
| Time to first match | Minutes | After everyone buys and installs |
| Best for | Big or unsure groups | A committed core crew |
| Monetization | Optional cosmetics | Mostly one-time purchase |
| Drop-in friends | Easy, just send a link | They have to own it too |
My rule of thumb: start free to find out if the group gels, then graduate to a paid co-op game once you know everyone shows up. Spending money first is how you end up with three people in a Discord call staring at one bought copy.
How to actually pay the least
Prices move constantly, and the store on the box is rarely the cheapest. A few honest habits save real money:
- Compare keys before every purchase. The same game can differ by $10 or more across Steam, Eneba, Kinguin, Epic, and GOG. Run it through our full catalog first.
- Time it with a sale. Steam's Summer and Winter sales are the big ones and tend to last about two weeks, while the smaller Spring and Autumn sales last roughly a week. Watch our Steam sale tracker so a $40 squad shooter becomes a $20 one.
- Raid the free shelves. Between Epic's weekly giveaways and our running deals page, a patient group can stock a shared library for close to nothing.
- Mind the platform. A great deal is useless if half your friends cannot run it. If your group games on handheld, our Steam Deck list flags what plays well portable.
FAQ
What is the best free game to play with friends right now? Fortnite and PUBG are the safest free bets because they cost nothing and run on almost every platform. Fortnite specifically advertises that you can create and play with friends for free across its modes. Start there, then add Epic's weekly free game to your shared library.
What is the cheapest paid co-op game worth buying? Lethal Company is the value champion. It is a $10 co-op horror game about scavenging moons for scrap, and it has dipped as low as $6.49 on sale. Four friends can get a full night of chaos for the price of one lunch.
How many friends can play together in these games? It varies by game. PUBG matches hold up to 100 players, but you squad up in groups of two to four. Co-op games like Helldivers 2 and Lethal Company are built for four-player crews, while party games like ABRACA suit a living-room group of three or four.
When is the best time to buy games to play with friends? Wait for a major sale if you can. Steam's Summer and Winter sales run about two weeks and offer the deepest discounts, with shorter Spring and Autumn events in between. Pair that timing with a key comparison and you will usually shave a chunk off the sticker price.
The quick pitch
If you remember one thing: start free, prove the group actually plays, then spend. Fortnite or PUBG tonight for zero dollars, Lethal Company at around $10 when you want laughs with stakes, Helldivers 2 when your crew is ready to commit. Always run the purchase through a price comparison first, because paying full retail when a cheaper key exists is the only real mistake here.
Alex, Scout Team
Alex
Catch-all — action, adventure, simulation, racing, casual, horror, puzzle
