The Best Multiplayer Experience of 2017

It’s award season here at Twinfinite! Let’s look back at games that had memorable multiplayer experiences. Voted on by our editors, these were the games that our team felt had a complete, and enjoyable, multiplayer package. Let’s start with some honorable mentions, and then our top vote getting runner-ups, and finally, of course, our overall winner!

Honorable Mention: Divinity Original Sin 2

Just like in its predecessor, Divinity: Original Sin 2 supports cooperative play so that you and a friend can experience this fantastical adventure together. And it’s an absolute delight, especially if you’ve got someone who’s as into that role-playing as you are.

Divinity: Original Sin 2 shines the brightest when you’re playing as one of the game’s Origin characters because of their intricate and fleshed out backstories. Having each person study the ins and outs of their character, then making conscientious decisions based on how they think their character would behave truly adds to the immersive experience that this game offers. Combat plays out exactly the same as well, with each character getting their turn orders based on an initiative stat. Being able to plan out tactical strategies in real-time with a partner makes Divinity’s excellent turn-based combat that much more engaging than if you were playing alone.

Divinity Original Sin 2 has appeared on plenty of our award pages already and that’s because it’s more than just a hardcore RPG. It has a little bit of something for everyone.

Second Runner Up: Splatoon 2

Despite all of the backlash Nintendo received for the lack of in-game voice chat, and the ability to party up with people on your friends list, Splatoon 2 is still a damn fun multiplayer game that you can play on the go if you’ve got a reliable connection.

Whether you’re playing casually or competitively, Splatoon 2 offers up so much variety in play styles. The weapon list has expanded quite a bit since the game’s original launch, and there’s something for all kinds of play styles. If you want to protect your teammates from ink with a literal umbrella, you can do so; if you want to get up in your enemies’ faces with a literal bucket, well, that option’s open as well. It’s just silly fun that’s easy for people of all skill levels and ages to wrap their head around, and enjoy.

First Runner Up: Destiny 2

After the popularity of the first game and the rise of shared world shooters over the past few years, a bigger and better Destiny sequel was always going to release. Destiny 2 offers a huge amount of multiplayer content for fireteams to tackle.

Everything that can be done alone, including the story missions and exploring the game’s planets can be done alongside friends. You can head to each planet, completing pubic events and collecting better loot as you go, or you can jump into the modes that are improved by playing with others. Raids and Strikes, of all difficulties, require teamwork, planning, and co-ordination to be successful. Strikes challenge you to complete simpler missions while the Leviathan Raid is a multi part adventure that requires skill and determination. Whether you have 30 minutes or 4 hours to spend, there is a co-op mode for you to face.

However, if PvE isn’t for you, the Crucible gives you the chance to test your Guardian’s skills against other players online. Choose your loadout and head into battle alongside a trusted fireteam or with some unknown allies. The action is fast and fluid, and is aided by Bungie’s sharp and stellar gameplay. Whatever style of multiplayer experience you and your friends are looking for, Destiny 2 will have something to suit you.

Winner: Call of Duty: WWII

Call of Duty is one of the best selling games of the year, every year, and its deep multiplayer offerings are usually why so many players pick it up. The excellent shooter gameplay, well designed progression system, and impressive variety are just a few of the aspects of Call of Duty games that keep people coming back for each annual release.

For WWII, Sledgehammer Games made a few changes. First, the addition of an interactive social space, Headquarters, gives you a place to set your soldier up and get used to the weapons before you jump into the combat. The faction based progression system was also tinkered with, giving you more ways to progress and upgrade your loadout. Finally, a new multi-objective mode called War was introduced to counteract the issue of small maps and to prompt more tactical play. Those additions, alongside the consistently enjoyable gameplay, ensure that the competitive multiplayer is as great as ever.

That isn’t all the game has to offer in terms of multiplayer, however. Nazi Zombies returns with a creepy setting and some new puzzles for you and your friends to tackle. There’s wacky characters, unique weapons, and some tough challenges that are perfect for a small group of friends. As the sales numbers show, Call of Duty: WWII continues the series’ streak of being top of the pile when it comes to multiplayer experiences.