When finding the best Xbox multiplayer games to play with friends, there is no shortage of compelling, frustratingly fun options to undertake. No matter whether you’re rocking an Xbox Series X|S or an Xbox One, we’re confident you’ll find the perfect multiplayer game for yourself to play with friends and family.
If, after spending some time with friends, you like to escape with something more single player be sure to check out our best RPGs guide. Funnily enough, some of the games on that list are also on this one, because their multiplayer modes place them among the best multiplayer games and even the best Xbox games period. So, there is a decent amount of crossover. Additionally, you can also find a fair few of the games on this list on our best Xbox Series X games guide as they are some of the top options to play on the latest console.
The best Xbox multiplayer games are:
1. Minecraft
Climb mountains, swim across oceans, and venture deep toward the earth’s core with a squad by your side in Mojang’s iconic world-building simulator. Throughout the randomly-generated biomes available to you, there’s a huge number of buildings and artifacts to uncover and mess around with, perfect for tormenting the world’s enemies as well as your closest allies.
When your friend groups are scattered across timezones, Realms lets you create a server that can be accessed at any time, too, so even when you’re ready to knock off for the night, others can keep building.
2. Rocket League
When the weather is too bad outside to kick a football around, Rocket League, the car-based soccer competition, is sure to fill the void. No ordinary car, of course, these vehicles are hitched to some significant horsepower pushing your cohort to flip, drift, and jump around a giant football field, smashing giant balls into the back of futuristic nets.
Much like other games in this list, Rocket League features a season pass that updates all the time giving your party access to all sorts of prizes as you nutmeg your way to victory.
3. Overcooked: All You Can Eat
If mayhem is in your wheelhouse, then Overcooked: All You Can Eat is the multiplayer game for you. Endeavor to save a kingdom one meal at a time, working as a team to keep things running smoothly. Where other cooking simulators might stay close to reality, Overcooked throws moving platforms, complex dishes, and clumsy physics-based movements into the pot, some additions that make succeeding more difficult than at first glance.
The All You Can Eat edition consolidates all the best features of the series into one chaotic game, meaning there’s no lack of delicious content to dig into with your team. Plus, being able to customize your little chef into all kinds of fits offers some additional silliness to saving the realm.
4. Diablo 4
Diablo 4 is finally here with all the classic gameplay elements from the third installment, complemented by some significant visual improvements. With Lilith’s return comes the call to dust off weaponry and uproot evil, a process that can be made so much easier with some friendly assistance from those close to you.
Plunging into Diablo, you’ll pick a class, customize your characters, and fight off bears, undead, and devils, all while unlocking townships and areas across the map. Go to hell, and have fun while doing so!
5. Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment’s battle royale shooter Apex Legends is a high-intensity competition that’ll put your teamwork to the test against other groups of players online.
In Apex, everyone can pick a hero that suits them and collaborate on their tenuous survival, using individual talents and sharp gunplay to create situations where your group ends up on top.
6. Fortnite
Don’t let Fortnite’s cartoonish exterior fool you, as this battle royale pulls no punches, ensuring your group will face the push of other players and oftentimes, the map itself.
After being dropped into a chaotic circular cage, you’ll need to get to grips with the terrain and navigate safely, avoiding too many bouts of combat along the way. As you explore, you’ll be treated to weapons, health items, and more.
Fortnite is often the home to a variety of special events, too, so you can also clock out as a team and enjoy whatever challenge or live music event is augmenting its magnificent map.
7. Hunt: Showdown
Hunt: Showdown is a period-piece first-person shooter that features compelling online multiplayer where you must engage in clever gunplay to defeat nightmarish monsters. Putting your avatar’s body on the line, you’ll need to fight all your fears and pursue a new kind of victory against enemies with your pals in tow. You can’t just enter a firefight with a beast, and you’ll likely want to get your best tacticians on the team when commencing assaults.
Once adept at picking apart the monsters, Hunt: Showdown’s Bounty Hunter mode twists things a little, adding more competition to your hunts. Here you’ll still want to get a prize catch; just be aware you won’t be the only ones and that PVE can turn to PVP very quickly.
8. Destiny 2
Bungie is an old hand at making great multiplayer games with the likes of the Halo series under the studio’s belt, so naturally, Destiny 2 has made its way onto this list of the best Xbox multiplayer games.
Set in the vast expanse of space, this second installment has both PVE and PVP options, so you can work out your friendly disputes in whatever manner suits you best. With DLC and special events frequently occurring, Destiny 2 promises a lot more play than meets the eye, with a fully-fledged campaign to dig into when you’re not grinding out loot or brawling in The Crucible.
9. Minecraft Dungeons
Dungeon crawlers are always made better in groups, and Minecraft Dungeons, Mojang’s blocky RPG spin-off, is no exception to that rule. Throughout the core campaign and all the DLC, many of Minecraft’s best visual assets are on show, often with some clever tweaks giving them new meaning and isometric interactivity. With all your favorite mobs and icons popping up all over the place, Dungeons balances its new gameplay style with blocky references perfectly.
Much like the fighting found in the original Minecraft game, the combat in Dungeons feels extremely tactile, with every calculated slash and jab bringing you closer to success. Along your paths through levels, there are plenty of adrenaline-pumping boss battles and mini-missions that you’ll be forced to complete to finish, and these tasks create hefty tension as you delve deeper into the game’s world.
10. Fall Guys
Enter the Blunderdome with your closest crew in Fall Guys, an online multiplayer game that asks you to push through a large and challenging obstacle course to achieve ultimate glory. In the wackiest costumes you can put together, you and three friends can collaborate and navigate all manner of odd physical puzzles evocative of game shows like Takeshi’s Castle.
With seasonal content updates happening all the time, Fall Guys is sure to keep you and your friends busy for months to come.
11. Exoprimal
Dinosaurs and mechs – what’s not to love? Exoprimal is Capcom’s latest release that takes the fight to the future and the past, as you work in teams of five to complete a wide array of objectives, all while racing another troupe of exosuit-donning dino fighters. Working together fast is key because even though Exoprimal matches begin as a PVE experience, it soon turns to PVP as you progress through its challenges and face your enemies during the final task.
The quicker you take out your prehistoric enemies, the more advantage you’ll have against the other players, making it a formidable challenge, not only of how well your crew can work as a team but how fast they can dispatch other players. You can read what we thought about the game in our Exoprimal review.
12. Grand Theft Auto V
Heist, rob, and carjack your way through Los Santos with friends in Grand Theft Auto V, one of the most iconic multiplayer games on the market. While the campaign makes a compelling case, there is plenty of unbridled fun to be had bombing down highways and taking out enemy crews in its expansive open world, where you can build your business empire and live a second life in Rockstar’s satirical take on Los Angeles.
13. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate
While other games on this list let you solve disputes among friends with healthy competition, Mortal Kombat 11 brings a new level of brutality to finding resolutions. Engage in some bloody gore-filled finishers to steal bragging rights from your mates in style.
Whether you’re a Scorpion stan, a Sub-Zero fangirl or simply someone who wants to button-mash their way to success, Mortal Kombat 11’s beefy roster summons its years of fighting game prestige to deliver a holistic experience with something for everyone. Those with weak stomachs may need to take regular breaks, though, as some of MK11’s finishers are brutal enough to shake even the toughest players.
14. Party Animals
Party Animals is a brawling, bizarre, and brilliantly fun time. Competing against a team, you will embrace your furry animal of choice, whether it be a cute dog, or a mighty Gorilla, and punch, wallop, and throw your opponents to their doom in the name of victory.
While not chock full of content, it is an absolute blast when playing with friends either online or in the same and you would be silly to not hop in and have some fun. You can see just how much fun we had in our Party Animals review.
There it is, our list of the best multiplayer games for Xbox. If you’ve made it through our whole list and want to get into even more of Microsoft’s gaming offerings, our list of the best Xbox Game Pass games has extra content to dig into, including some additional multiplayer options to play. Also read our list of the best gaming consoles, you may be curious to know where Xbox ranked.