Video games come with a handful of different challenges, from difficult platformers to games with bosses that require multiple playthroughs. Though, one such challenge that you’ll often face now in gaming is that of rival players.
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Other humans can be an all-too-unpredictable challenge compared to enemy AI. Player-versus-player gaming has surged in the last few years, and with games likeCall of Dutykeeping the classic team-based PvP going strong, some games have taken to different approaches in pitting us against one another. But, which games take PvP to another level entirely?
10Escape From Tarkov
The battle royale concept of PvP is a somewhat modern one, but none quite take it to the level ofEscape From Tarkov. The mix of PvP and PvE gameplay is a tense and unique feel that it adds to the game as a whole.
Entering into the map to loot with only the little amount of gear you bring with you, before escaping while you can, is an interesting enough concept. Add in other players who have their own loot as well, and who can play either friend or foe to you, and you have a game that is both incredibly difficult and rewarding.
9Chivalry
PvP can be sheer chaos.Chivalryembodies that chaos and turns it into a science. The hack-and-slash combat of this game is further modified by the massive number of other human enemies you can have on screen at once.
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The result is a mass battle of medieval weapon-swinging action where luck and skill are equally important. No game is quite as frustrating or rewarding when it comes to PvP engagements as Chivalry. Whether your favored weapon is a broadsword or a hunk of bread, you’ll have a stressful and fun time.
8Gang Beasts
Whether it be shooters or RPGs, the focus of PvP is often combat. When it comes toGang Beaststhough, things just aren’t that serious.
This game is an odd sort of game — a king of the hill-style push to be the last one standing and featuring weird blobby ragdoll people. While it may look like childish fun and games, getting slowly pushed off a moving truck can really get your heart pumping as you attempt to stay alive.
7Dark Souls
Dark Soulsbegan a whole new genre of grinding and fatal interactions when it comes to AI enemies. Why should it be any different when it comes to player characters? Being able to invade other people’s games at any point can be a lot of fun, as well as an interesting new take on PvP.
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While interactions with other players might be as humorous as wandering into someone roleplaying as a lift repair man, or a naked man wanting to 1v1 the hardest boss in the game, other times it can be a white-knuckled experience that really teaches the power of some builds. Not to mention humility, too.
6Borderlands
TheBorderlandsseries paved the way fora lot of looter-shooters— from plot to humor, art style, and even PvP. While your main goal with other characters is to fight off AI bad guys and save the world, from time to time you may get frustrated with your human companions.
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Whether fighting over loot, airing out frustrations, or just for the sheer fun of it, you can call a duel with one of your companions at any point in your adventures. This can be an interesting way to see just how powerful each of you is, and find out what your weaknesses and strengths may be.
5Sniper Elite 5
Being an infamous Allied sniper tasked with saving the world from the Nazi menace is enough stress, but what about when the snipers thrown at you are played by real people?
This is the questionSniper Elite 5asks, and the answer is missions with so much more tension to them. Worrying about being stealthy and completing your mission while surrounded by an army of enemy soldiers, is stressful. However, knowing one of them is a real person, with the sole goal of recreating that scene from Enemy At The Gates, is as much fun as it is stressful.
4Left 4 Dead
One of the big names in zombie games.Left 4 Deadis one of the games that so many of us have fond memories of. Some of those relate to the Versus mode that was so wildly popular.
This cult classic of a game was only improved by its tense and rather unique PvP mode, in which one group of players took on the role of survivors while the other played as special zombies. It’s one thing to take on wave after waveof mindless zombies, it’s another thing entirely when some of them are controlled by other people. Maybe even your friends. It was a unique premise that others are trying to replicate, even now.
3Hunt: Showdown
The mix of PvP and PvE isn’t necessarily a new thing, but no one really does it justice likeHunt: Showdowndoes.
Sent into the bayous of the American south that have been corrupted by dark powers, you and your fellow hunters are tasked to kill aparticularly deadly monster. Apart from the monsters themselves, you also face fellow hunters who want the bounty for themselves. What follows is a mix of tense running and gunning, all the while debating how far you’ll push yourself to get more rewards
2Prop Hunt
An idea first brought up in the Call Of Duty series, now it has its very own game. In this odd form of hide-and-seek, one group plays as a random assortment of everyday objects. The other group must seek out the people pretending to be objects and destroy them
This is a type of PvP that is so uniquely funny. Trying to beat the clock and find your enemies as you lose trust in every lamp and table you come across is sure to get some laughs from you and your friends.
1Deathloop
This time-bending FPS game is unique in more than one way. From its art style to its plot, there are plenty of waysDeathloophas carved out a niche for itself. One way that shouldn’t be overlooked though is how it views PvP.
Your coworker-turned-rival Julianna isn’t too happy with you wanting to stopthe time-bendingloop. She randomly pops up in missions to kill you. Your only choice of escaping is to kill her first. The hard part is that your fellow player can take control of Julianna, and set her up with her own arsenal of weapons and supernatural-meets-scientific powers. It is a certain level of excitement and stress to see that another person has invaded your game to try and make you start all over again.
