Voice and ping support
Is there built-in voice chat, quick chat phrases and map markers? The more ways there are to signal, the easier it is for shy players to join in.
Reviews
Reviews
A typical review answers whether one person will enjoy a game. A team cares about other things: is it easy to coordinate, will a newcomer drag the group down, will everyone have something to do, and what happens if a jerk ends up in your group? Below are the signs that let you figure this out before your first co-op session.
A game that's great for one isn't necessarily great for four. Reading a review as a team starts with one question: what will everyone else be doing?
About this section: we don't give scores, rank games or compare them with each other. Instead of a verdict, we offer questions worth asking before you invite your team; you'll find the answers in the game's description and help pages.
What to look for when choosing a game for your team
Six signs that show whether a game is easy to play together.
Difficulty for newcomers
Can you tune the difficulty to the group, help someone who's falling behind or start without a long tutorial? This decides whether a newcomer will want to come back a second time.
Session length
How long one attempt takes and whether you can save midway. Long runs without breaks are hard to fit into an evening when everyone has different plans.
Cross-play
Can people on different devices play together? If everyone in your group has different hardware, it's one of the first things to check in the official description.
Reporting tools
How easy it is to mute, block or report a player. If there are few such tools, be more careful about playing with strangers.
Age rating
What age rating the game has and what the content descriptors next to it say. This matters especially if there are kids or teens in the group.
Solo play vs. team play
| Criterion | Solo | As a team |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | You set it | You adapt to the group |
| Mistakes | Affect only you | Affect everyone; a calm review is needed |
| Communication | Not needed | Voice, pings or text chat |
| Roles | You do everything yourself | Duties are split among players |
| Schedule | Whenever you're free | When everyone can get together |
| Safety | Personal settings are enough | Group rules and reporting tools matter |
How to read reviews from a team's point of view
Reviewers often play a game solo or with a group that already plays well together. If a review calls the co-op mode "simple and intuitive," ask yourself whether it will feel that way to your friend who's picking up a controller for the first time.
Look for concrete details in the text: how many players the co-op mode supports, whether there are pings and voice, how loot is split, whether you can play as a private group. These are checkable facts, not impressions, and they're what make or break a team night.
Notice how the reviewer describes other players. If a review is full of complaints about rudeness in random groups, plan to play with your own squad and get familiar with the blocking tools in advance.
Read next
- Games
A catalog of co-op formats, from a single shared screen to large groups, plus questions that help you pick the right format for your team.
- Mechanics
Mechanics that change team play: shared rewards, revives, friendly fire, pings, shared progress and matchmaking.
- Guides
Guides for teams: your first session with new people, roles, leading a group, coaching a newcomer and reviewing a failed attempt. Plus our article catalog.
- FAQ
Answers about the magazine, team roles, voice chat etiquette and safety in online groups.
What we draw on
- Game age rating systems (in general terms)
- Codes of conduct and reporting tools in online games (in general terms)
- Questthebest editorial materials
We describe general principles of team play. Voice, ping and matchmaking settings work differently in every game and change with updates, so look up the exact menu options in your game's official help pages.