Does Dead Island 2 have multiplayer co-op? Answered

After around nine years of waiting, players will finally have the chance to experience Dead Island 2 in just three days. To make the absolute most out of this long-awaited release, some players will want to go through the campaign with a friend or two in co-op. But of course, that assumes that Dead Island 2 even has a co-op feature to begin with. The original Dead Island had co-op, so does its sequel follow suit?

Can you play co-op in Dead Island 2?

If you want the simple answer, then yes, Dead Island 2 does allow you to play with your friends in co-op. Specifically, it lets up to three players experience a session together through its online lobby system. However, just like with its predecessor, Dead Island 2 does not include any kind of local splitscreen option. So if you and your close friends want to play together, everyone will need their own PCs or consoles to do so.

Players should also note that they will not have access to the co-op feature right out of the gate. To unlock it, players will have to reach the “Call the Cavalry” story mission about half an hour into the campaign. Upon doing this, you can go set up or join an online lobby right from the main menu.

Some may wonder if Dead Island 2 has some form of cross-play, and unfortunately, the answer to that is no. It does, however, allow for cross-gen co-op, so if one player owns a PS4 while the other owns a PS5, for example, then they can still play together. Having said that, Dead Island 2 only lets certain players host co-op lobbies, namely those playing on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4 Pro, and Xbox One X. So if you buy Dead Island 2 on a base PS4, Xbox One, or Xbox One S, you will only have the option to join other players’ sessions.

Image via Deep Silver