On February 12, 2026, Epic Games highlighted how gifting through the Epic Games Store can be more than a simple transaction. The feature allows players to directly purchase digital titles for others, making it easier to coordinate shared play sessions from the start. In practice, gifting a co-op or multiplayer game removes the barrier of convincing someone to buy in later. Instead, it establishes a ready-made squad.
For players who regularly engage with online shooters, survival sandboxes, or social deduction games, this approach streamlines the process of forming a consistent team. It also broadens access to games that benefit from structured communication and coordinated roles. Rather than playing solo and hoping friends join later, gifting enables groups to enter together.
Cooperative Survival and Shared Risk
Extraction shooters rely heavily on teamwork, and Arc Raiders fits squarely into that category. Set in dangerous, machine-controlled environments, the game tasks players with scavenging resources and escaping intact. While it supports solo play, the design clearly favors coordinated squads. Watching entry points, covering extractions, and sharing loot responsibilities all become more manageable with trusted teammates.
Interestingly, despite the competitive format, the game has cultivated moments of cooperation between strangers. Players sometimes band together against aggressive opponents, creating short-term alliances that contrast with the genre’s usual tension. Gifting this type of game to a friend provides immediate backup in situations where communication and positioning determine success.
Narrative-Driven Co-Op for Two
For players who prefer story-focused experiences, Split Fiction offers a different approach to shared play. Designed as a two-player co-op adventure, it follows two writers pulled into their own science fiction and fantasy worlds. Progression requires synchronized actions and consistent collaboration, ensuring that neither participant carries the entire experience alone.
The split-genre structure encourages discussion between players, particularly those with differing tastes in storytelling. Because the game cannot be completed without cooperation, gifting it to a partner or friend effectively guarantees a shared campaign from beginning to end.
Large-Scale Warfare Built Around Squads
Few multiplayer series emphasize squad cohesion like Battlefield 6. Its large maps, destructible structures, and vehicle-heavy combat create scenarios where isolated players are quickly overwhelmed. Four-person squads provide a structural advantage, offering spawn coordination and tactical support.
Voice communication remains central to success. Calling out enemy positions, coordinating revives, and managing objectives all reward players who move as a unit. Gifting Battlefield 6 to a group member strengthens that structure, ensuring that a reliable squadmate is always part of the rotation.
Relaxed Play and Accessible Puzzles
Not every multiplayer session needs to revolve around high-pressure combat. LEGO Voyagers focuses on cooperative exploration within a stylized LEGO environment. Its two-player format emphasizes puzzle-solving and steady progression over competitive intensity.
Because the mechanics are accessible and the pacing is measured, it works well for casual sessions. Gifting a title like this can introduce newer players to cooperative gaming without the steep learning curve often associated with shooters or strategy-heavy titles.
Long-Term Collaboration in Sandbox Worlds
Automation and base-building form the core of Satisfactory. Players work together to construct expansive production systems across an alien landscape. With up to four participants sharing responsibilities, efficiency depends on clear division of roles.
Some players may focus on exploration and resource acquisition, while others refine production lines or optimize layouts. The collaborative nature of the design means progress accelerates when tasks are distributed. Gifting Satisfactory can help establish a long-term project that evolves over weeks or months rather than isolated sessions.
Communication as Gameplay
In Operation: Tango, communication is not optional; it is the central mechanic. One player assumes the role of a field agent navigating physical spaces, while the other operates remotely as a hacker. Each sees only part of the information needed to proceed.
This asymmetry forces continuous dialogue. Instructions must be relayed clearly and efficiently, making the experience feel structured and deliberate. Gifting Operation: Tango ensures that both participants commit to the cooperative premise from the outset.
Social Deduction and Group Dynamics
Few multiplayer games test trust like Among Us. Supporting four to fifteen players, the game assigns hidden impostors within a crew tasked with routine objectives. Accusations, voting sessions, and shifting alliances define each round.
Because the experience improves with larger groups, gifting Among Us to multiple friends can quickly assemble a viable lobby. Its accessibility across different skill levels also makes it suitable for mixed-experience groups.
Medieval Combat With Team Objectives
For players drawn to close-quarters action, Chivalry 2 provides large-scale medieval battles centered on objectives and faction-based combat. While the action is chaotic, success still depends on coordination. Group pushes, defensive holds, and flanking maneuvers benefit from players who enter matches together.
Gifting Chivalry 2 reinforces team consistency, particularly in modes where unified assaults can determine the outcome of a match.
Why Gifting Strengthens Multiplayer Communities
The gifting system on the Epic Games Store simplifies the process of organizing multiplayer sessions. By directly purchasing a title for a friend, players remove hesitation around entry costs and create immediate opportunities for shared play. Whether the focus is competitive shooters, cooperative storytelling, automation sandboxes, or social deduction, the result is the same: a structured starting point for group interaction.
As multiplayer ecosystems continue to expand across traditional online spaces and emerging web3 integrations, direct gifting remains a straightforward method of building and maintaining squads.
Make sure to check out our articles about top games to play in 2026:
Best Nintendo Switch Games for 2026
Best First-Person Shooters for 2026
Best PlayStation Indie Games for 2026
Best Multiplayer Games for 2026
Most Anticipated Games of 2026
Top Game Releases for January 2026
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does gifting work on the Epic Games Store?
The Epic Games Store allows users to purchase eligible digital titles as gifts for other players. Once delivered, the recipient can redeem and download the game directly to their account.
What are the best multiplayer games to gift?
Popular options include Arc Raiders for extraction-based co-op, Battlefield 6 for squad-focused combat, Among Us for social deduction sessions, and Satisfactory for long-term cooperative building projects.
Can co-op games be played immediately after gifting?
Yes. Once the recipient redeems the gifted title and installs it, players can join the same session, provided they meet the game’s multiplayer requirements.
Are two-player games good gift options?
Two-player co-op titles such as Split Fiction, LEGO Voyagers, and Operation: Tango are well-suited for gifting because they are specifically designed for shared progression.
Why should players gift multiplayer games instead of recommending them?
Gifting removes purchase hesitation and ensures that friends can join sessions immediately. This is particularly useful for squad-based shooters and cooperative titles that benefit from consistent teammates.
