Games Like Deep Rock Galactic - 12 Best Co-op PvE and Horde Shooters

Quick Answer: Helldivers 2 is the closest match if you want four-player chaos, clutch rescues, friendly fire, and everyone yelling at once. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 nails the class-based horde pressure, but swaps mining drills for axes and panic blocks. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide gives you the same squad tension with heavier guns, nastier corridors, and a much darker sci-fi mood.

Why These Games #

Deep Rock Galactic is not addictive just because you hit rocks with a pickaxe. It works because four players drop into a hostile place, split up jobs, make mistakes, save each other, and somehow turn disaster into a running joke. So this list puts four-player-style PvE, class roles, horde pressure, and that “we survived because we covered each other” feeling first. The closest picks keep the teamwork, waves, and comedy of failure. Later picks bend the formula with roguelike snowball runs, classic co-op shooters, heists, horror scavenging, and a calmer mining sandbox.

Top Picks #

1. Helldivers 2 #

Arrowhead’s 2024 third-person co-op shooter drops four players onto hostile planets to fight bugs and bots. The magic comes from calling in stratagems, messing up throws, reviving friends, and sprinting for extraction while everything explodes. If you want Deep Rock Galactic’s teamwork panic on a wider battlefield, this is the cleanest jump.

• Similar because: Four-player PvE, squad coordination, escalating chaos, and darkly funny disasters all line up.
• Different because: There is no mining or cave routing; the fun is louder, flatter, and more military.
• Best for: Players who want chaotic teamwork, clutch saves, and satirical co-op mayhem.

2. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 #

Fatshark’s 2018 fantasy co-op game is all about holding formation while ratmen and Chaos troops pour in. It is first-person, mostly melee, and built around heroes with distinct careers and talents. Deep Rock Galactic fans will recognize the rhythm: quiet movement, a sudden swarm, a desperate rescue, and then everyone gets to breathe again.

• Similar because: Four-player PvE, role identity, positioning, and horde pressure are the whole point.
• Different because: It is fantasy melee combat, not sci-fi mining or procedural cave work.
• Best for: Players who want co-op survival pressure with blades, shields, and class mastery.

3. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide #

Fatshark’s 2022 sci-fi follow-up moves the Vermintide structure into a huge Warhammer 40K hive city. Four players push through filthy corridors with guns, melee weapons, and class skills while hordes crash into the squad. It feels close to Deep Rock Galactic’s co-op stress, only meaner and more oppressive.

• Similar because: It keeps the four-player PvE, class roles, horde control, and rescue-heavy teamwork.
• Different because: The tone is grim sci-fi, the gunplay matters more, and there is no mining loop.
• Best for: Players who want brutal co-op combat with both shooting and heavy melee.

4. Aliens: Fireteam Elite #

Microsoft Store€7.49-75%Steam €7.49Ver precio →

Cold Iron’s 2021 Aliens co-op shooter sends three marines through tight missions against waves of xenomorphs. You pick a class, bring signature tools, and try to keep the team moving as the walls start crawling. Structurally, it sits very close to Deep Rock Galactic’s “roles plus bugs plus forward pressure” side.

• Similar because: Classes, swarms, sci-fi corridors, and team survival all hit familiar notes.
• Different because: It is three-player and more linear, with no open cave mining or traversal puzzle.
• Best for: Players who like class-based co-op and the Aliens fantasy of holding the line.

5. Lethal Company #

GAMIVO€7.95Steam €7.95Ver precio →

Zeekers’ 2023 co-op horror hit sends up to four workers to abandoned moons to collect scrap for a brutal company quota. Proximity voice makes every scream, bad call, and sudden death funnier. It does not play like Deep Rock Galactic from moment to moment, but it understands why friends love shared disasters.

• Similar because: Four players enter dangerous spaces, grab resources, improvise, and create hilarious failures.
• Different because: It is survival horror about hiding and escaping, not a combat-heavy shooter.
• Best for: Groups who want fear, comedy, and unforgettable “how did that happen?” moments.

6. Risk of Rain 2 #

Hopoo Games’ 2020 3D roguelike shooter supports up to four players trying to outscale an alien planet. Time makes enemies nastier, items stack into ridiculous builds, and every run turns into a debate over whether to leave now or get greedier. It captures Deep Rock Galactic’s escalating pressure in a run-based form.

• Similar because: Co-op PvE, rising danger, team momentum, and big power spikes feel great together.
• Different because: It is a roguelike with random items and repeat runs, not fixed classes or mining.
• Best for: Players who love co-op snowball builds and “one more stage” risk-taking.

7. Left 4 Dead 2 #

GAMIVO€7.95Steam €7.95Ver precio →

Valve’s 2009 classic is still one of the cleanest four-player co-op shooters ever made. You move through zombie campaigns while the AI Director changes the pacing, spawns hordes, and punishes sloppy separation. If you want the roots of modern “stick together or die” PvE, Deep Rock Galactic owes plenty to this game.

• Similar because: Four-player PvE, dynamic hordes, rescue moments, and team movement define the experience.
• Different because: It has no classes, mining, building, or long-term progression layer.
• Best for: Players who want classic co-op shooting with sharp pacing and zero bloat.

8. Back 4 Blood #

Turtle Rock’s 2021 spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead brings four-player zombie co-op back with modern gunfeel and deck-building. Cards let you shape builds, team bonuses, difficulty, and weapons across runs. Compared with Deep Rock Galactic, it is less playful and less exploratory, but it still delivers strong squad pressure.

• Similar because: Four-player PvE, hordes, team loadouts, and forward momentum drive each mission.
• Different because: It is a zombie campaign shooter with card builds instead of mining and cave objectives.
• Best for: Players who want Left 4 Dead-style co-op with extra build planning.

9. PAYDAY 3 #

Starbreeze’s 2023 heist shooter is about four players planning, adapting, and either staying quiet or going loud. Skills and gear push teammates into different jobs, from crowd control to drilling to firefights. It ranks lower because it does not have Deep Rock Galactic’s horde identity, but the mission teamwork is clearly related.

• Similar because: Four players divide tasks, react under pressure, and rely on coordination to finish objectives.
• Different because: It is a modern heist game with stealth choices, not a monster-horde mining shooter.
• Best for: Players who like coordinated objectives, loadout roles, and messy plans going sideways.

10. Gunfire Reborn #

Kinguin€9.07-9%Steam €9.07Ver precio →

Duoyi’s 2021 roguelite FPS lets up to four players run through stages as animal heroes with distinct skills. You grab guns, stack buffs, and build toward absurd damage loops. It does not have Deep Rock Galactic’s cave teamwork, but it does deliver the lighter feeling of a co-op run getting stronger and sillier.

• Similar because: Four-player PvE, character skills, loot choices, and power growth keep the team moving.
• Different because: It is a run-based roguelite with a bright fantasy style and no mining.
• Best for: Players who want quick co-op shooting, loot synergies, and breezy repeat runs.

11. Roboquest #

GOG€6.12-41%Steam €6.12Ver precio →

RyseUp Studios’ 2023 roguelite FPS is built for speed, color, and two-player co-op. You dash, slide, swap weapons, and chase randomized builds through robot-filled routes. It is further from Deep Rock Galactic’s horde-mining loop, but if your favorite part is laughing through fast co-op gunfights, it clicks quickly.

• Similar because: Co-op PvE, run-based power growth, and sharp shooting create strong team flow.
• Different because: It is mainly two-player, extremely fast, and not about holding against swarms.
• Best for: Duos who want bright, snappy roguelite FPS action without downtime.

12. Core Keeper #

Pugstorm’s underground survival sandbox supports up to eight players digging, crafting, farming, fishing, and fighting bosses. This is the pick for the other half of Deep Rock Galactic: the pleasure of pushing deeper into the earth with friends. It is much calmer, but the shared underground discovery is real.

• Similar because: Co-op mining, underground exploration, resource gathering, and shared projects are central.
• Different because: It is a top-down pixel sandbox focused on building, survival, and relaxed progression.
• Best for: Players who want mining and crafting with friends more than combat panic.

Comparison Table #

Game	Similar because	Different because	Best for
Helldivers 2	Four-player PvE chaos, coordination, rescues, and comedy of failure.	Open battlefields and stratagems replace caves, mining, and traversal tools.	Players who want the closest co-op panic without the pickaxe.
Warhammer: Vermintide 2	Class roles, horde waves, positioning, and clutch revives feel very familiar.	Fantasy melee combat replaces sci-fi shooting and resource extraction.	Players who want to block, cleave, and survive together.
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide	Four-player roles, horde management, and squad pressure are central.	Dark sci-fi corridors and heavier gunplay change the mood completely.	Players who want grim co-op combat with guns and melee.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite	Class-based co-op against rushing alien swarms maps neatly to DRG.	Three-player linear missions replace open cave exploration.	Players who want Aliens-flavored class teamwork.
Lethal Company	Friends enter dangerous places, gather loot, panic, and laugh at disaster.	Horror, hiding, and quota runs replace sustained firefights.	Groups who care most about chaotic stories.
Risk of Rain 2	Co-op PvE pressure ramps up until the team is barely holding together.	Roguelike item stacking replaces classes, mining, and mission objectives.	Players who love snowball builds and risky runs.
Left 4 Dead 2	Four-player horde shooting and rescue teamwork are foundational here.	No class progression, mining, crafting, or procedural cave work.	Players who want the classic co-op shooter template.
Back 4 Blood	Four-player campaign pushes, hordes, and team loadouts match the co-op appeal.	Card builds and zombie routes replace mining missions.	Players who want modern Left 4 Dead with builds.
PAYDAY 3	Objective roles, pressure, and improvising with friends are the link.	Heists, stealth, and police firefights replace PvE monster waves.	Players who want coordinated plans that can collapse fast.
Gunfire Reborn	Co-op characters, escalating builds, and repeatable PvE runs keep it social.	Roguelite stages and fantasy guns replace mining and cave navigation.	Players who want light, build-heavy co-op shooting.
Roboquest	Co-op shooting and run-based upgrades create strong duo momentum.	Faster, brighter, mostly two-player, and less horde-defense focused.	Duos who want speed over squad logistics.
Core Keeper	Mining, underground exploration, resources, and co-op discovery overlap clearly.	Sandbox crafting and farming replace tense shooter swarms.	Players who want the mining half of DRG in a calmer form.

Filters #

Filter	Games
Closest to DRG's horde co-op	Helldivers 2, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, Aliens: Fireteam Elite
For roguelike snowball runs	Risk of Rain 2, Gunfire Reborn, Roboquest
Classic 4-player co-op shooters	Left 4 Dead 2, Back 4 Blood, PAYDAY 3
For mining or lighthearted chaos	Core Keeper, Lethal Company, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

FAQ #

Which game is the closest to Deep Rock Galactic? #

Helldivers 2 is the closest in spirit because it gets the four-player panic, clutch rescues, accidental disasters, and squad comedy exactly right. It loses the mining and cave traversal, but keeps the “we are barely surviving together” feeling. If you want something closer to the structure of class roles and horde control, try Aliens: Fireteam Elite or Warhammer: Vermintide 2.

Are there games like Deep Rock Galactic with mining and building? #

Core Keeper is the best fit if mining is the part you want more of. It turns underground digging, gathering, crafting, farming, and boss hunting into a relaxed co-op sandbox. It is not a frantic shooter, though. If you care more about entering dangerous places with friends and hauling valuables out alive, Lethal Company scratches that scavenging itch in a much scarier and funnier way.

I want the co-op chaos and humor. What should I play? #

Pick Lethal Company if your favorite Deep Rock Galactic memories are the team-wipe stories, bad calls, screams, and laughter afterward. Its proximity voice turns every mistake into a scene. Pick Helldivers 2 if you want that same chaos with bigger guns, friendly fire, and heroic last-second extracts. Risk of Rain 2 is better when you want chaos from builds spiraling out of control.

Are any of these good solo or for smaller groups? #

Yes. Risk of Rain 2 and Gunfire Reborn both work well solo, then get louder and messier with friends. They are run-based, so you can jump in without needing a full four-player group. Roboquest is especially good for two players because it is fast, clean, and built around tight co-op FPS momentum rather than big squad logistics.