The 55 Best Online Multiplayer Games to Play in 2016 and Beyond

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Looking for the best online multiplayer games to play with your friends?

Remember the days when we used to gather a group of friends to set up a LAN party to play some Quake? Or when the most common and popular games were single player?

Those days are long gone.

Online Multiplayer games are now the common thing, the new popular genre of games. The rise of Online Multiplayer games opened up a huge new way of playing. Playing in the same room, on the same platform with your friends is not as popular as it used to be. Desperately waiting for your turn to play that game you love so much is gone. No more waiting.

Time passed by, technology quickly advanced and gave gamers the ability to connect, meet and play with people from all over the globe. As time goes on, games start to look older, but there are some online games that will forever have a special space in our library of games.

This list of 55 multiplayer online games are ones that will remain the best for many decades to come.

1. Grand Theft Auto V

I’m sure you’ve heard of that popular series about stealing cars, even if you have Internet or not. The best one though is the most recent installment in the series: Grand Theft Auto V. GTA V is the biggest and most graphically beautiful GTA game yet.

This entry, which contains a much more interactive, polished and improved version of Los Santos last seen in GTA San Andreas, is back with much more brutal, violent gameplay.

After some waiting, the best version has finally come; the PC version of GTA V. This version contains the Online feature as well as a First Person Mode, allowing players to experience the beautiful Los Santos and Blaine County in a new perspective the series has never taken before. And another feature that makes its launch is the Rockstar Editor. The Editor gives you a huge set of creative tools to make the funniest, goofiest movie you can, allowing you to capture, edit and share game footage to all your friends.

Getting chased by police is pretty normal in Los Santos.

GTA V is an open-world, action-adventure game. As any other GTA, you complete missions to unravel the story.  Going through the story missions gives you more gameplay content, which makes it even more fun to explore the vast open-world.  You can fight enemies fist-to-fist, throw some of your favorite explosives at them or use a vast selection of firearms.

Apart from running, swimming or jumping off buildings and forgetting to deploy the parachute before you hit the ground, the player has a wide selection of vehicle types (cars, motorcycles, helicopters, boats, etc.) which give the player many options to navigate the world. One of the vehicle types that are new to the series are the airplanes.

If you stick to the single-player mode, you’ll be playing a story that lets you take control of three characters: Michael De Santa, Trevor Phillips, and Franklin Clinton. These are all criminals that each have their own story which interconnect in the missions you play.

Michael, formerly known as Michael Townley , along with his old friend Trevor and Franklin, team up to pull off a series of adventurous heists, as they did in the good old days. The actions and choices you make have some effects on the dialogue.

Trevor Phillips wreaking havoc, as usual.

Of course, you don’t have to do these if you don’t want to. The world is filled with tons of content to do, from racing, parachuting, blowing stuff up, to golf courses, TV you can watch, cinemas, and so on. Steal cars, rob trucks, help out thugs (or stop them), customize…..There is just so much things you can do, and placing lots of cars together and blowing them up never gets old.

Congrats, Rockstar, you really nailed it and made a believable world. A lot of passion was put it into it, and it shows, making it the best GTA since Vice City and San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto V Trailer

2. DOTA

DOTA 2 is one of the best free-to-play games you will play. Even if you have friends to play with or not, you will spend a huge amount of time mastering the depth of this game.

So, what kind of free-to-play is it? It’s a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), a very competitive game that requires lots of strategy and reflex. Dota 2 is also really popular on the E-sports scene and has a huge fan base of millions worldwide.

If you ever played Warcraft 3 you may have heard of the mod called Defense of the Ancients, also known as DOTA. This is where Dota 2 came from which features the characters from the original and includes some new features.  You play matches between two 5-player teams; the Radiant (bottom-left of the map) and the Dire (top-right of the map). The objective of the game is to destroy the other sides Ancient Building.

Once you complete the tutorial you will see that you can choose from all the 111 heroes available in the game, showing that the game is really free and you don’t have to pay anything to get the heroes. Jump into a match and see what the gameplay feels like, the amount of risk there is, and the amount of reward.

One of the many epic battles you will face in Dota 2.

Most gamers that see a free-to-play game would think it’s filled with pay-to-win micro-transactions, however, with Dota 2 that is not the case. The game is not pay-to-win, the micro-transactions are only for cosmetic items and tickets so there are no advantages to those that pay, making the game fully skill-focused.

Dota 2 is one of the most competitive games on PC today. With the amount of risk and reward there is, the game might not be for everyone. Winning requires lots of tactics, thinking, reflex, concentration, patience and teamwork. Do you think you’re up for it? Can you handle the pressure your actions might have?  If so, get in there and show your team you can lead it to victory.

Dota 2 Gamescom Trailer

3. Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a free-to-play card game based on the Warcraft universe.  It’s tailored to all kinds of players, and features nine epic Warcraft heroes to choose from, each who have their own unique set of cards, spells and abilities. Take turns strategically placing a good combination of cards and spells to counter the opponent’s cards, plus using your heroes’ abilities and summoning powerful creatures to defeat your foe.

Each player that plays the game for the first time starts with basic cards that each class has, but later on they can purchase and collect more powerful and rare cards for their class. The game doesn’t have card trading but you can still destroy your useless cards and craft new ones using the arcane dust you get from obliterating your card. This allows the player to customize their deck the way that best suits the way they play.

A tactical card battle of Hearthstone.

As a beginner you’ll probably want to go for the casual matches the game offers, and then go for the ranked ones once you become a pro. There are also daily quests and weekly challenges to do.

While you’re playing a match thinking which card to put next to pull of that mastermind plan of yours, keep in mind that there is a timer that limits how long your turn lasts. Wait too long and a fuse will appear across the board that will start burning down, letting you know how much time you have left. So, think fast and choose wisely, as each card you put may impact if you win your 1 v 1 match or not.

Players are represented by the Hero they choose in game, which start with 30 health. Getting the opponent Hero’s health down to zero wins you the match. Make up your own deck or use the preassembled ones. Keep winning matches to get hero experience which in turn gets you access to more cards.

Hearthstone is a great game suitable for all kinds of gamers, casual or professional. It is one of the most popular online card games out there, and that’s all thanks to its simple and fun gameplay.

Hearthstone Cinematic Trailer

4. Overwatch

A rebellion of the robots started, causing a huge conflict worldwide.  A force was needed to end this. “Overwatch”, an organization by the United Nations to stop the robot threat from enslaving mankind was formed.  It didn’t work. Crime slowly increased around the world. Allegations of corruption started. All that led to the destruction of Overwatch headquarters, which killed both the leader, Jack Morrison, and his second in command, Gabriel Reyes.

And so, Overwatch was disbanded. But, it’s not over. Tensions between humans and robots called Omnics have started again after six years. Winston, a gorilla scientist, illegally reconnects the Overwatch network and begins the Overwatch Recall, bringing back all the agents to business once again. The game begins.

Overwatch is Blizzard’s first new IP in about 20 years. It’s quite different from their other games, too. It’s an arena shooter, with lots of detailed and varied characters. Out of the 21 heroes, you’re bound to find one that suits your play style. Each player is important to the team, as well as the hero he chooses. Choosing the right hero for the right strategy can have a huge impact on the course of the match.

McCree ready for a showdown.

The game is played between two teams of six players. Players get to choose from one of many heroes available, heroes that each have their own unique set of abilities. They are divided into four classes: Offense, Defense, Tank and Support. If you played Team Fortress 2, securing and defending control points on a map will be familiar to you. As well as escorting a payload across the map in a limited amount of time.

King's Row is one of the many highly detailed maps you will play in Overwatch.

Overwatch has the quality of a game that is not seen so often. From the animations and art, to the sound and gameplay, everything is just top notch here. There is no map or radar, but that is not a problem thanks to the clean sounds the game has which are alone enough to be able to tell if the enemy is near. There are 3 game modes and one hybrid game mode.

“Escort”, is a game mode where you have to escort the payload (or stop it). “Assault” is a game mode where you defend (or take) points. And “Control” is a game mode where you fight to capture the point in the middle of the map. The hybrid game mode is a mix of “Assault” and “Escort”.

Overwatch is a game focused on team play. No “Deathmatch” mode to run and gun through. All game modes are entirely focused on working together, and that’s what makes this game so great and will keep you coming back for more.

Overwatch Cinematic Trailer

5. Heroes of the Storm

Heroes of the Storm is a free-to-play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) from Blizzard that includes characters from all of their franchises, such as Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo. You can customize the heroes to suit the way you play by selecting talents which you get by leveling up.

The game, like any other MOBA, places you in a 5 v 5 online match. Out of the 53 heroes in the game, a new player will have six heroes available to play with that will get replaced by different heroes every week. But, if you really like a hero in that weekly rotation, and you got used to him so much that you just don’t want to lose him the next week, then you can use the gold coins that you earn in game to purchase that favorite hero of yours. And once you do, you will have him forever, and ever.

One of the many lightning battles you will face in the game.

You can also increase the amount of heroes available in a weekly rotation to 10 by leveling up.

This team brawler features four types of heroes: Warrior, Assassin, Support, and Specialist. All these types of heroes are useful for different kinds of situations, each with their own pros and cons, so choose the one that suits you best.

Overall, Heroes of the Storm is a nice new game in the MOBA genre that is fun to play for all kinds of players. It’s decently balanced, and all the heroes are satisfying to play with, each in their own way.

Heroes of the Storm Cinematic Trailer

6. League of Legends        

League of Legends is a free-to-play MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), the spiritual successor to the Warcraft 3 mod: DOTA.  Teamwork and strategic play are key to winning in this game, and is why it offers such an amazing gaming experience ever since it released in 2009.

In this game, you are called a “Summoner”. As the Summoner, you take control of a “champion” which you use to fight other champions in a 5 v 5 team match. Get stronger as the match progresses and show everyone who the actual champion really is!

But, all aspiring champions have a beginning, and so the game starts with rather weak champions to keep the game balanced which later become stronger as you progress and dominate the opponents. 

The only way to prove which team really are the champions, is by completing the objective. The objective of this game is to destroy the opponent’s “Nexus”, which is protected deep within the heart of the base.

Will you remain the champion alive in these intense battles?

This is one of the first popular games in the free-to-play and MOBA genre. And it continues to grow after many years, thanks to its polished, fast and addictive gameplay.

Each week you’ll get a different set of 10 Champions that you can play for free. There is overall 117 Champions, each which can be unlocked with in-game currency. But, thanks to the game’s great variety in depth and play, you’ll encounter many different situations in each match you play.

League of Legends Trailer

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