5 multiplayer games that aren't shooters

Multiplayer games have always been an important aspect of gaming as a whole. Playing a singleplayer title alone, investing hours upon hours on exploring and doing quests in role-playing games or trying to best seemingly undefeatable bosses in Soulslikes is undeniably fun, but at times the same amount of fun and excitement can be felt while playing video games with a friend.

With the rising popularity of games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and obviously Fortnite, most multiplayer games in the modern gaming landscape tend to fall under the first-person or third-person shooter genre.

Although there's nothing wrong with such titles, the current market is over saturated with multiplayer shooter games. The scope of multiplayer games is not limited to just shooting friends and other players' virtual avatars in the face, but it can be more than that, and some quality games have perfectly demonstrated this capability.

Here are 5 of the best games that, despite featuring robust multiplayer gameplay systems, are not shooters.

Note: This article reflects the author's opinions.

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5 incredible non-shooter multiplayer games that are very engaging

1) It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a fantastic puzzle-platformer game that is built exclusively to be played in co-op, either local or online. The game comes from the very eccentric Josef Fares and his talented development studio, Hazelight.

It takes Two sees players take control of a husband and wife duo who are going through a rough time in their relationship. They mistakenly get turned into tiny dolls by their daughter who is unhappy with her parents getting a divorce. It's a heartfelt tale about companionship and makes for a really great game to play with a close friend.

It Takes Two also comes with a friend's pass, which essentially allows one player to share the game with a friend without them needing to buy two separate copies to play online with each other. It is a fabulous multiplayer game that is a whole lot of fun despite not featuring shooter elements.

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2) Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11 is easily amongst one of the most accessible fighting games out there. The game features robust fighting mechanics that are easy to learn and execute for newcomers, and also has enough depth in its combat systems and characters that will keep hardcore players invested for hundreds of hours.

Like previous games in the series, Mortal Kombat 11 also features an action-packed singleplayer campaign that introduces players to the roster of characters. Despite having a singleplayer story mode, the real fun of Mortal Kombat 11 comes from its multiplayer aspect.

The game has a robust customization system for its 37 playable fighters, with cosmetics like skins, gear, and armor pieces, as well as a fully customisable combo loadout system for each fighter. Players can mix and match different combos and finishers to create their own version of the Mortal Kombat fighter and then pit it against other players.

The multiplayer aspect is one of the highlights of the fighting game and allows players to have duels against other online players to test their control and skill with their chosen fighters. Mortal Kombat 11 is also yet another video game that proves multiplayer gaming is not limited to just shooter games.

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3) Monster Hunter Rise

Monster Hunter games are some of the best co-op titles that players can play with a group of their friends. Tracking and hunting the many varieties of monsters in these games is a completely different experience when shared with friends.

Monster Hunter Rise is the newest entry in the franchise and features some of the most intimidating and awesome monster designs. The franchise has always languished in sales despite their top-notch gameplay mechanics, this was in part due to the very steep learning curve of these games.

However, with 2017's Monster Hunter World, Capcom decided to change that, making the the game more accessible to a wider global audience, without compromising the core aspects of the series. Monster Hunter Rise follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with an approachable design for newcomers and returning players alike.

Monster Hunter Rise allows up to four players to go out on the adventure of hunting some of the most fearsome monsters in the game. The multiplayer suite of Monster Hunter games has always been a little finicky, which takes a little time getting used to.

The multiplayer aspect of Monster Hunter Rise is one of the best experiences players can have in the game, banding together with friends and leaving the Kamura Village to embark on hour-long hunts is truly an unforgettable and undeniably fun experience to have.

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4) Forza Horizon 5

Racing games have always been a crucial part of the multiplayer gaming landscape. The feeling of getting behind the wheel and racing against friends is an integral aspect of racing video games.

While most titles include just racing and leaderboards in their multiplayer and call it a day, Forza Horizon games tend to differ. Along with the racing aspect, the developers have also added various activities across the open-world map for players to participate with friends or other online players.

Forza Horizon 5, the most recent entry in the series, has a vast open-world map of Mexico for players to explore using a huge roster of more than 500 cars from different manufacturers around the globe. The game allows players to race against their friends and other online players in various different racing disciplines like offroad, street, circuit, and even drag race events.

Apart from these traditional racing modes, players can also partake in many other activities in the game like drifting, danger signs, speed traps, and speed zones. There is also a dedicated 'Playground Games' mode in Forza Horizon 5 that allows players to play multiplayer game modes like Infected and Capture the Flag, but with cars.

If that's not all, Forza Horizon 5 also features a battle royale mode called 'Eliminator' which sees upto 75 players being subjected to an ever-shrinking map.

There, they need to race each other in order to level up their ride and survive until only 10 players remain, then the last 10 players race against each other to become 'The Eliminator.' This makes it just like any other battle royale game, but without guns.

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5) Dead by Daylight

Dead by Daylight is basically a survival horror game. Instead of a scripted AI hot on pursuit, it has online players take on the role of the monsters and ghouls to chase and hunt others. This creates very tense and nerve-racking gameplay scenarios that can easily rival any traditional singleplayer horror game.

The game is a 4v1 asymmetric multiplayer horror game, where one player assumes the role of a savage killer and the remaining four play as survivors. They have to try to complete a set of tasks and survive without getting hunted and killed.

Playing Dead by Daylight is a lot of fun when played with a group of friends; cooperating with others to complete the tasks and escape the hunter with just an inch of one's life is really exhilarating. The levels in the game are procedurally generated to keep every other session fresh for players.

Dead by Daylight features a huge roster of killers for players to learn and master, from iconic slasher viallains like Leatherface to paranormal entities such as the Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill series. Dead by Daylight, with its horror twist, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting and fun multiplayer games out there.