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Summer movie season may be in full swing, but you don\u2019t have to drop $15 whenever you and your friends want a few hours of entertainment. So-called \u201cFriendslop\u201d games, low-budget multiplayer games that tend to be very easy to pick up, are an excellent way to burn an afternoon. Similarly, many amazing stories, puzzles, and designs are hidden just behind $6 price tags on Steam.<\/p>\n
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We\u2019ve put together a list of multiplayer games you can play with your friends anywhere in the world (including one that doesn\u2019t require an internet connection at all!), all under the price of a standard movie ticket.<\/p>\n
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Where to play: <\/strong>Windows PC<\/p>\n If you ever had to carry around an egg for a whole week, pretending it was a baby for extra credit in health class, you\u2019ve basically played the tutorial for An Eggstremely Hard Game<\/em>. Released just last week, An Eggstremely Hard Game<\/em> has players take on the roles of \u201chighly qualified goose parents,\u201d who are trying to bring their egg home. Dropping the egg or bumping into obstacles cracks it, making it even harder to control. Those get increasingly perilous, going from a rock you have to walk around to a series of swinging wrecking balls you and your partner must fly through. If you and your friend don\u2019t work completely in sync, the game\u2019s purposefully clumsy controls and unpredictable physics may leave your precious cargo sunny-side-up on the sidewalk. An Eggstremely Hard Game<\/em> is only $5, and supports either two or four players.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to play:<\/strong> Windows PC<\/p>\n After entering early access in October 2023, <\/em>Lethal Company<\/em> took the internet by storm with its combination of irreverent humor and survival horror gameplay. You and your friends work for \u201cThe Company,\u201d which sends you to abandoned moons to collect scrap. You and up to three friends can bond over your shared fear of Snare Fleas \u2014 giant, fleshy centipedes that dive at you from the ceiling \u2014 as you explore procedurally generated rooms. True to the game\u2019s title, \u201cThe Company\u201d has little regard for your life: it\u2019ll leave you behind if you fail to make it to your ship on time, and straight-up eject you into space if you don\u2019t meet your scrap quotas. Lethal Company <\/em>is $9.99, and supports up to four players.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to play:<\/strong> Windows PC<\/p>\n If the conclusion of the World Cup already has you missing soccer, look no further than Strikers Club<\/em>, a multiplayer soccer simulation game that entered free early access last week. Rather than controlling your whole squad, every player on the pitch \u2014 including yourself \u2014 is a real person. It follows all the rules and conventions of a real match, adding specific gameplay mechanics for each position you choose to play. While it\u2019s still in Early Access \u2014 and therefore still working through some issues \u2014 you can play it right now for free. Strikers Club<\/em> supports online PvP and co-op gameplay, with matches ranging from 5v5 to 11v11.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to play:<\/strong> Android devices, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC<\/p>\n Tick Tock: A Tale for Two <\/em>is an aptly-named two-player puzzle game set in a mysterious clockwork world. Trapped there by a mysterious clockmaker, you and your friend solve increasingly difficult puzzles by sharing the clues on your separate screens. The story and hand-drawn environments are inspired by Scandinavian fairy tales, creating an eerie, mysterious atmosphere. Tick Tock<\/em> only takes a few hours to beat, and doesn\u2019t require any internet connection \u2014 you just need to be able to talk to whoever you\u2019re playing with. So, you and your friend don\u2019t have to play on the same platform. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two <\/em>requires two players and costs $5.99<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to play: <\/strong>Windows PC<\/p>\n Shift at Midnight<\/em> perfectly encapsulates the experience of managing a gas station: restocking shelves, mopping up pools of blood, selling products, trying not to get killed by hideous monsters, et cetera. The cooperative detective horror game, which launched last week, has you and your friends balance running your gas station with protecting yourself from the inhuman doppelgangers who patronize your gas station. As you ring customers up, you check their IDs for any suspicious details, hoping to execute any doppelgangers before they leave and transform into monsters. If you\u2019re not proactive, you and your friends may find yourselves barricading your store, hunkering down, and hoping for the best. Shift at Midnight<\/em> costs $9.99 and supports up to three players.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Where to play: <\/strong>Nintendo Switch (requires Nintendo Switch Online), Windows PC<\/p>\n\n 2 <\/span>
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\n Tick Tock: A Tale for Two
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\n Shift at Midnight
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\n BOKURA
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