The Warhammer franchise has been host to everything from third-person shooters to squad-based tactics titles over the years, but I've always preferred the first-person co-op action games in the Vermintide series the most. These are widely known for having some of the best melee mechanics in gaming history, and that brutal, addicting combat is what kept myself and countless others playing for years and years.
Last year, Vermintide developer Fatshark released Warhammer 40,000: Darktide — a new action game set in the dystopian sci-fi half of the Warhammer universe that blends Vermintide's famous melee fighting with tight, satisfying gunplay. It's become one of my favorite co-op games to play after some big performance fixes, and right now, you can get it for just $23.99 at GMG (Steam), which is a full 42% off the usual $39.99 MSRP. The Imperial Edition that includes some extra goodies is also only $27 at GMG (Steam) instead of the usual $59.99, which is 55% off. Note that the Xbox version is on sale, too, though the discount is smaller.
One of the best co-op games money can buy
Warhammer 40,000: Darktide puts you in the shoes of an inmate imprisoned within the Hive City of Tertium found on the world of Atoma Prime. When armies of Chaos cultists loyal to Nurgle, the Lord of Decay, begin to flood into the city and threaten to overwhelm it, the player is hastily drafted alongside fellow prisoners to aid in its defense.
Darktide has a large number of different melee and ranged weapons to use, with the ones you'll be taking into battle as well as your unique abilities determined by the class you choose for your character. As you play through missions and complete challenges, you'll be able to purchase or craft better gear and upgrade what you have, giving you the extra firepower you'll need against the escalating threat of the Chaos forces.
Like Vermintide before it, Darktide puts a strong emphasis on teamwork. Some enemies are capable of easily disabling and picking off isolated players, and Toughness — a shield of sorts that absorbs damage that would otherwise affect your health — will only recharge quickly when you're in close proximity to your teammates. Therefore, working with your comrades is crucial, especially on harder difficulties. Undoubtedly, it's one of the best Xbox games and best PC games for folks who enjoy these types of co-op titles.
On the whole, the experience is thrilling, chaotic, and filled with plenty of grisly gore, supported by stellar sound design and a bombastic Jesper Kyd score. There's never a dull moment in the minute-to-minute gameplay, and when entire hordes of Chaos troops start flooding in, things get extremely tense very quickly. You can also look forward to intense, high-octane boss fights, many of which will challenge you and your squad to position carefully or deal with a special mechanic.
Ultimately, it's an amazing game, and one I highly recommend if you're looking for something action-packed to play with friends. These discounts make now an excellent time to pick it up permanently, though it's worth noting that it's also available on both Xbox and PC through Xbox Game Pass.
