Shacknews Best Co-Op Game of 2025 - Elden Ring Nightreign

Elden Ring Nightreign shirked all expectations and delivered a must-play experience for anyone seeking a pure co-op Soulsbourne game.

In a time where co-op games are dwindling save a few last bastions of hope, it’s astounding to see such a dramatically different game come out of FromSoftware. Sure, Elden Ring Nightreign maintains the series movement, combat, and bosses, but it also has a battle royale-like shrinking circle, pre-made classes, and randomized gear drops. But at the heart of the game, it has a three-player squad, where you and two friends co-operate to survive some of the studio's most brutal challenges.

Playing with friends has always been an element in FromSoftware games, but the process to make that happen was esoteric. Nightreign dispenses with this, opting instead for standard invites and party systems, which shows first-hand how serious FromSoftware is to ensure that players can easily team up with friends.

With your team created, you’ll select an expedition and set off in a bid to tackle the days and hopefully reach the Nightlord. But before you do that, you’ll need to agree on a team composition. With ten classes to choose from, Nightreign encourages players to choose characters that work well together or at the very least each player excels with. This might change depending on the build they’ve crafted with the relics, which are earned on each run and purchased from the merchant.

When you land on the ground for the first time in Nightreign, you might be forgiven for thinking you can go at a leisurely pace. Nightreign is not your grandpa’s slow Dark Souls. You’ve got to move quick, and part of the thrill of the co-op experience is coordinating with your friends where to go next and what steps you need to be taking three or four minutes from now. You’ll be halfway through clearing out a point of interest and its boss only for your friend to ping an Evergaol, chapel, and then the castle, indicating a clear route across the map to capitalize on rune acquisition and hopefully avoid the restricting circle of rain.

If you succeed to surviving the first day, the rain will dissipate and you’ll do it one more time, only to be transported to the final boss arena. Up until this point, you’d have hopefully cleared several bosses, from ones lurking in castles to the end-of-day options that include the likes of the Nameless King, all in a bid to level up. By the time you knock on the door of the Nightlord, your squad should be well-equipped based on the random weapons you’ve found and the strange passives they offer.

The Nightlords are some of the toughest fights FromSoftware has designed. They will test the mettle of even the most seasoned Souls players, requiring teams to coordinate ultimates, kite boss aggro, and work to revive any downed allies.

If the previous catalog of FromSoftware games were single-player-focused experiences with asymmetrical multiplayer sprinkled on, Elden Ring Nightreign is a pure cooperative title. It’s a strange and beautiful jewel in the treasure trove of titles in the developer’s crown, and we’re pleased to present it with the Shacknews Best Co-Op Game of 2025 award.

Check out more of the Shacknews Awards in our Year of the Games: 2025 article.