Games Like Helldivers 2: Four-Player Squads and Co-op Tradeoffs

For games like Helldivers 2, start with Deep Rock Galactic for four-player mission teamwork, Darktide for a four-person melee-and-shooting squad, or the original HELLDIVERS for stratagems and friendly-fire chaos. Space Marine 2 is the third-person swarm-combat alternative here, but its co-op modes accommodate three players, not your full four-person squad.

The important difference is what your friends do together, not whether a screenshot contains soldiers and aliens. This comparison separates official features from our editorial fit judgments; it is source-based research, not a claim that we playtested these games. Player limits, modes and US Steam prices were checked on October 15, 2026.

Decide what you want to keep from Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2's official listing describes squads of up to four, strategic missions, friendly fire and support stratagems within a community war. Those features create several different reasons to want an alternative. A friend who enjoys coordinating a rescue may not want the same replacement as someone who mainly likes the third-person combat.

Our selection rule: Ask each person to finish this sentence: “I want another evening where we have to…” Keep the answers as verbs rather than game names: coordinate, rescue, improvise, survive, or laugh at a bad decision. Then agree on one requirement that cannot change, such as keeping all four friends in the same cooperative session. Use that requirement before judging trailers. This prevents a visually convincing replacement from winning the vote while quietly excluding somebody. It also makes a different-looking game a fair candidate when it preserves the interaction your group actually wants. Our shortlist is organized around that choice, not a claim that one title reproduces every part of Helldivers 2.

Players, modes, platforms and dated prices

Counts include the host. The platform column identifies the Steam desktop version checked, not every console release. Online co-op does not establish couch support or guarantee a particular crossplay pairing. Prices are US base-game purchase snapshots, not subscription offers or permanent promises; discounts and regular prices are shown separately.

Deep Rock Galactic and the original HELLDIVERS state their limits in their current listings. Darktide's four-person capacity is confirmed by Fatshark's developer reply from August 2020, cross-checked with its current co-op listing. Space Marine 2's official FAQ specifies three-person Campaign/PvE and online-only co-op; its current Steam description separately confirms three-player Siege. The FAQ contains launch-era material: we are not treating its unrelated launch promises as current specifications.

Deep Rock Galactic: keep four-person teamwork, change the job

What stays: A small cooperative crew undertakes dangerous missions against alien enemies. What changes: Mining, cave navigation and distinct class tools become central; the viewpoint is first-person rather than third-person.

The official description combines mineral collection, procedurally generated caves and destructible terrain. Scout, Gunner, Engineer and Driller bring different tools for movement, defense and excavation. It explicitly supports 1–4 players, so a four-friend group fits without changing the cooperative activity to PvP.

Our fit judgment: Choose this when your best Helldivers stories are about solving a problem together rather than using a particular weapon. A team can value somebody for helping everyone move or making a difficult position manageable, not only for shooting well. That is the reason to consider the class tools, rather than treating the dwarves as a cosmetic replacement for soldiers. The tradeoff matters if someone dislikes the prospect of navigating and collecting between fights: “more cooperative shooting” does not mean “only shooting.” Before buying, ask whether the entire group wants the work as well as the danger. If the answer is no, the compatible player count alone should not decide your evening.

Darktide: keep the squad pressure, lean into close combat

What stays: Four people coordinate against hostile crowds on missions. What changes: First-person melee and ranged combat in Tertium replace the Helldivers battlefield presentation and stratagem-centered identity.

The current listing emphasizes switching between melee and guns, character classes and enemies that can isolate or incapacitate a teammate. It also describes benefits from staying near your strike team. These are reasons to examine how the group supports one another, not evidence that its equipment or mission systems are identical to Helldivers 2.

Our fit judgment: Put Darktide ahead of the other options if your group wants to feel responsible for one another during a fight. The useful comparison is “can we respond when a teammate gets into trouble?” rather than “can we recreate the same explosion?” Its advertised close-combat emphasis also gives you a practical veto to discuss: somebody who wants to keep a distant shooting role may not share the enthusiasm of a friend who wants more melee. We would settle that disagreement before debating the sale price. A bargain is not a compromise if the thing one person dislikes is the main activity everyone else is buying it for. This is a fit assessment, not a difficulty ranking.

Space Marine 2: keep third-person spectacle, check the missing seat

What stays: Third-person shooting and melee against alien swarms. What changes: Its cooperative Campaign and Operations are built for up to three players; the current Siege description also specifies three. A separate multiplayer mode does not expand those co-op limits.

The official FAQ says co-op is online, not couch play. The current listing distinguishes replayable PvE from PvP and describes Siege as survival against waves, using earned points for supplies or reinforcements. Compare the actual mode you intend to play rather than combining player numbers from different modes into one imaginary lobby.

Our fit judgment: For three friends who specifically want another third-person battle, this is the most direct camera-and-combat match in our selection. For four friends who always play together, it fails the first test even if every trailer looks right. Do not quietly treat the fourth person as an occasional spectator or propose a different competitive activity after they buy. A rotating group might intentionally choose it for evenings when only three attend, but that is a scheduling agreement, not a feature that solves capacity. Write the intended party next to the intended mode before checkout. That small step separates a sensible three-person purchase from a disappointing four-person replacement plan.

Original HELLDIVERS: keep the dangerous cooperation, change the camera

What stays: Support stratagems, full friendly fire and a community-driven galactic campaign. What changes: The original is a twin-stick game viewed from above, not another third-person shooter.

The current Steam page explicitly lists up to four players in local and online co-op. Its Dive Harder wording describes an upgrade for existing owners; it does not make the base game free for a new buyer. The $19.99 snapshot above is the checked entry purchase, not the cost of every optional extra.

Our fit judgment: Consider the original first when accidental team disasters are part of the attraction and the camera is negotiable. Looking backward in the same series is more useful here than assuming that every newer squad shooter preserves the same kind of cooperation. However, do not sell it to your friends as the sequel from a slightly higher angle: the way they read the screen and control combat changes the experience. For a couch gathering, its explicitly supported local mode is a concrete advantage within this shortlist. For a remote group, decide on the online setup separately. Similar humor is a reason to investigate, not permission to skip the device and control checks.

Keep the squad together before choosing the camera

Our group rule: Make two short lists before a group purchase: who is definitely joining, and what each person will not enjoy. Count the people, including whoever usually hosts. Then remove incompatible modes before taking a vote on the remaining games. This is deliberately stricter than choosing a favorite and trying to make the group fit afterward. It protects the quieter friend who might otherwise agree to sit out or buy a game they cannot join. If attendance changes often, label a purchase as a smaller-party option rather than the group's universal replacement. You can keep more than one kind of evening without pretending that every game serves the same gathering.

Our access rule: Treat “multiplayer” as the beginning of a setup check, not its conclusion. Write down the mode, each player's storefront or device, and whether everyone has their own machine. A maximum cooperative count answers only the first capacity question; it does not answer whether your particular platforms connect or whether two people can use the same screen. In this comparison, the original HELLDIVERS is the positively documented local option. The others are compared for online play. If your arrangement differs from the checked Windows Steam setup, verify that exact arrangement with the publisher before purchasing. Do not borrow an answer from another edition, a mod, or a competitive mode.

Budget the seats you can actually use

For an entirely new online group buying separate US Steam copies on the check date, the calculations are:

• Deep Rock Galactic, four copies: 4 × $29.99 = $119.96.
• Darktide, four copies: 4 × $9.99 = $39.96 on the observed sale; 4 × $39.99 = $159.96 at the listed regular price.
• Space Marine 2, three copies: 3 × $14.99 = $44.97 on the observed sale; 3 × $59.99 = $179.97 at the listed regular price. Buying four copies does not create a fourth cooperative seat.
• Original HELLDIVERS, four online copies: 4 × $19.99 = $79.96. A local gathering is a different setup and should not automatically be priced as four separate online purchases.

These are transparent purchase calculations from the linked official prices, not tested total costs of ownership. They exclude taxes, controllers, hardware, optional content and any costs associated with a different platform or service. Existing ownership reduces the number of new copies required; sale prices can change.

Our budget rule: First eliminate games that do not fit the party or activity; only then compare the cost of the remaining choices. Ask who already owns each game and calculate the unowned copies at the price actually shown at checkout. That avoids both overpricing a familiar game and mistaking a temporary discount for a reason everyone should switch. Keep the regular price visible when coordinating purchases across several days, because the final person may not see the same offer. If the group has a fixed allowance, agree on the maximum each person can spend without requiring optional extras. A cheaper selection is useful only when everybody can join the evening you promised.

Quick questions before the squad switches

Which alternative keeps all four Helldivers 2 friends together?

Deep Rock Galactic, Darktide and the original HELLDIVERS support four-person cooperative play in the modes checked here. Choose between mission roles, close-combat squad support and stratagem-driven friendly-fire cooperation. Space Marine 2's three-player co-op is not a four-person substitute.

Is there a couch option in this shortlist?

Yes: the original HELLDIVERS explicitly supports up to four in local co-op on Steam. Do not transfer that feature to Helldivers 2 or infer couch support merely from an online co-op label.

Does Space Marine 2's PvP solve the four-player problem?

No, not for the same cooperative plan. PvP changes the activity to competing against other players; it does not increase Campaign, Operations or Siege's cooperative capacity. Choose that activity intentionally or keep a different four-person co-op game.

Are these picks based on hands-on testing?

No. Official listings and developer documentation establish the dated features and prices. The selection rules and fit judgments are our original interpretation of those facts for a group choosing its next game. For other shared activities, return to the Best Friendslop Games directory.