Best multiplayer games to play on PC in 2022

Introduction

Sea Of Thieves

It was developed by Rare in 2020 which can be bought on Steam or Free on Xbox Game
Pass. Sea Of Thieves sees you don your pirate garb and set sail in search of gold to
plunder. While it might look a bit "kiddy", the act of sailing, and the scuffles you can
get into with other players or skeletons or otherwise can prove extremely intense.
There's never a dull moment at sea, basically. And this extends to the simple act of
working together to get your ship skimming across the ocean. There's joy to be had in
raising the sails and angling them just so, or asking your mates to scout ahead with
their telescopes. Yes, the quests give you direction and are fun to boot, but Sea Of
Thieves excels as an accessible boat sim.

Mortal Kombat X

It was developed by NetherRealm Studios in 2015 which can be bought on Steam.

Mortal Kombat X is great fun. Look past the gratuitous gore (or look at it through
begrudgingly appreciative 'oh, come on now' spectacles) and you'll see a solid punchfest
between pleasingly outlandish characters. There are nuances to delve into if you like,
though you can go a long way with just a couple of combos and some panache. This
iteration of Kombat is particularly keen on turning each stage into more than a pretty
background, offering opportunities to jump about and occasionally chuck passers by at
your opponent. And did I mention it's one of the smoothest too? Combos are snappy,
movement is responsive, and there's no wrangling your character around an arena.
There is, of course, plenty of depth to the game's characters if you're a hardened
fighting veteran. Long lists of combo-chains are there to be mastered, as are X-Rays,
the game's equivalent of ultimate moves that see your character literally bash people's
skulls and tibias and fibias in.

Northgard:

It was developed by Shiro Games in 2018 which can be brought by Steam, Humble.
Northgard is an elegant RTS where winter can pose a bigger threat than an army of
axemen. Every villager adds another hungry mouth to feed, and food is always in short
supply. Especially when the snow starts to fall.

Time ticks ever onward and winter is always just around the corner, bringing harsh
production penalties along with rat plagues, blizzards and earthquakes. Even so, the
slow pace and relative simplicity of Northgard make it an easy strategy game to get
into – if not to excel at. You probably won’t meet your viking foes until you’re fifteen
minutes into a match, and it’ll be longer still before you start poking at their territory.
If you even want to.

The dash of 4X in Northgard’s DNA means military conquest isn’t the only route to
victory. Amass enough fame, wealth or knowledge and it won’t matter how many angry
Norsemen are at your gates. That gives multiplayer matches a dynamic that goes
beyond the one-note destruction of other RTSeses, where the leading player tries to
distract everyone from their imminent victory.

Fortnite

It was developed by Epic Games in 2017 which can be bought free on Epic Games Store.
Fornite isn’t only a battle royale, but a messy metaverse, swimming in dabs and
franchises. But accept the silliness and you’ll begin to uncover a polished shooter that’s
surprisingly complex. There’s classic Fortnite, where building structures to aid you in
battle is paramount to your success. A mode that I didn’t get on with, personally, but
there’s no denying that those with adequate motor skills will delight in the building
battles that can ensue between teams.

And then there’s No Build mode, a recent addition that’s brought me right into
Fortnite’s fold. It’s battle royale as you know it – a circle closes in yada yada – without
all the building malarchy. This means you’ve got Fortnite distilled into a more of a
traditional shooter experience, only with the added benefits of Fortnite’s silly
metaverse: cars and gas stations, weird hamster balls with grapple hooks, Darth Vader,
firework guns, fishing. It’s without a doubt the most ludicrous battle royale mode out
there, but it’s without a doubt the most joyous.

Valorant

It was developed by Riot Games in 2020 which can be bought free on the official
website of Valorant. Valorant is a tactical team-based shooter that’s similar to CS:GO,
but with ninjas and cyborgs. This isn’t a game where you can jump around corners and
spray wildly, oh no. To succeed, you must coordinate with your teammates, get your aim
on point, and master your favourite agents.

And this is what separates Valorant from CS:GO really. Each hero comes with cool
abilities like flashbangs that’ll curve around walls, or teleports that’ll shift you behind
targets in a pinch. The fun lies in using these powers in creative ways and pulling off
some clutch plays.

StarCraft 2

It was developed by Blizzard Entertainment in 2010 which can be download free from
Blizzard’s site. The holy grail of RTS design, and not for no reason. It’s a slick, polished
to perfection unit-bosser that hasn’t been bettered in the X years since it came out.

Gosh, it’s hard though. At least, if you want to compete on the ladder: that direction
involves research, timing memorisation and a faster clicking finger than a snapping
mouse trap. Playing with friends lets you be a little more goofy. Sometimes it’s nice not
to have to worry about zerg rushes because you know your mate always plumps for
Hydralisks.

It’s another one where playstyles lead to identities. I play a particular brand of
Protoss, because I’m a prick who loves the idea of kicking ass with all their fiddly units
when really I’m more cut out for Siege tanks and marines.

Garry’s Mod

It was developed by Facepunch Studios in 2006 which can be bought on Steam. Garry’ss
Mod is many things to many people, but for me it’s collection of home-brewed nonsense
assembled from Steam assets and unhampered imagination. I’ve dabbled in the free-
form construction mode, but most of my time has been spent on Fretta servers.

Within the same half hour, I’ve dodged geometric shapes while clambering up a slope
alongside 30 other people. I’ve built bobsleds, then raced them. I’ve hunted down
players posing as inanimate objects, completed obstacle courses and played charades.
League Of Legends

It was developed by Riot Games in 2009 which can be freely download on the official
website. I lost thousands of hours to League Of Legends at university. I’m actually
convinced I put more effort into learning this MOBA than I did my course.

To put League Of Legends as simply as possible, two teams of five battle to destroy
each other’s Nexus; a big crystal located in each base. As each match wears on, you’ll
get more powerful, kit your character out in new gear, and fight for map supremacy. I’d
say it’s best played with a friend who’s played it before, as there’s a steep learning
curve, and a huge amount of depth here.

But don’t let it put you off, as this is League of Legend’s appeal – at least to me. I
adored learning each character’s intricacies and how best to work with my team to win
important fights.

Call Of Duty: Warzone

It was developed by Infinity Ward, Raven Software in 2020; It’s free to play and you
can download it over on Battlenet. I’m just going to come out and say it – for me, this is
the slickest battle royale out there. I like the way there’s no picking through
inventories to equip items or standing stock-still sorting through attachments; there’s
no faffing about. Instead, Warzone is focused on getting you into the action with
plenty of goals to strive towards, like buying loadouts filled with custom weapons.

I’m also a big fan of the fact Warzone is free. This game doesn’t cost a dime and you’ve
got something which looks and plays like a triple A game without the price tag. Plus, the
devs keep the game fresh with fairly frequent updates, so there’s never a bad time to
drop into Verdansk.

MultiVersus

It was developed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2022; It’s free on

Steam. MultiVersus is a free-to-play brawler which sees Warner Bros characters beat
the living snot out of one another. It’s a Smash Bros-like in every sense, where the aim
of the game is to bash your opponent off the side of a stage composed mainly of
floating platforms.
While the game lacks Nintendo polish – and to some extent, punch – it makes up for it
with zero barrier to entry and a roster of characters that are still a joy to control.
You’ve got Bugs Bunny, Arya Stark, and Lebron James, all fitting into archetypes like
Mage, Assassin, and Experimental. Each comes equipped with an array of moves to learn
and buffs and whatever else. Take the time to learn their intricacies and there’s a real
sense of mastery here.

MultiVersus is far from a perfect fighter that perhaps takes itself a little too
seriously, it’s still a cracking game for zero pounds. Have a gander at our MultiVersus
tier list if you’re interested in the best characters.