Highlights
- Co-op games' popularity on Steam is at an all-time high, with 2023 seeing the highest number of releases and sales.
- AAA and indie co-op games are both experiencing success, with content creation and social media playing a significant role.
- Co-op games' sales growth is expected to continue in 2024, with an estimated 46% of all games sold on Steam being co-op titles.
Cooperative multiplayer video games have exploded in popularity on Steam, with a recent study finding that 2023 saw more co-op titles released on the PC platform than in any prior year. Steam is among the largest video game platforms on the planet and boasts one of the most expansive libraries in history, and cooperative games are starting to make up a sizable portion of Steam's most popular offerings.
In spite of sudden cancelations and industry layoffs, video games have continued to see rising sales in recent years. Both AAA and indie co-op video games have proven to be incredibly successful, and data has shown just how significant these multiplayer titles have become on Steam.
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According to a study by VG Insights, almost 800 co-op games were sold on Steam in 2023, marking the largest ever number of cooperative titles sold on the platform in a single year. Of all titles sold on Steam in 2023, co-op games accounted for roughly 36%, and 2024 is projected to see co-op games climb even higher to an estimated 46% of all games sold on Steam. Analysts note that these numbers are likely influenced by AAA releases, such as games like Baldur's Gate 3, though multiplayer indie games have also seen rising sales compared to single-player launches. Objectively, co-op games having higher sales makes sense, as they require multiple users to purchase the game to play together. However, taking a closer look at external variables reveals key influences on the popularity of multiplayer games.
What Makes Co-op Games So Popular?
While many multiplayer games have become popular on their own merits, numerous co-op titles have seen the added benefits of content creation and social media as driving forces for success. Indie releases like Lethal Company and Content Warning shot to stardom very quickly, due in large part to the number of funny clips and viral memes of content creators playing these co-op titles. Even bigger releases like Helldivers 2 and Palworld also saw a surge in sales and popularity thanks to the vast amount of online content being generated by top streamers and YouTubers. With large groups of big name creators coming together to play co-op titles, they are able to pool their audiences and subsequently open up a larger range of consumers to purchase these games. From multiplayer co-op horror games to hilarious party titles, content creation and social media continue to steer audiences towards cooperative video games.
Multiplayer titles continue to see boosts in sales, with memes and other online content often serving as major catalysts for early popularity spikes for AAA and indie co-op game releases. Whether these trends are truly sustainable and will continue over the next several years remains to be seen, but Steam is likely to remain a front-runner for co-op game offerings.
