The 25 best multiplayer games

Great games to play against friends

Artwork from Apex Legends, Sea Of Thieves and Among Us form the header of our Best Multiplayer Games list - 1 Ed Thorn avatar - 2

We love a good multiplayer game here at RPS, because let’s be honset, there’s just something about doing battle with others over the internet that adds an extra bit of spice to the experience. You get the thrill of competition and friendship as you knock those scores upwards and combine your powers to outdo your enemies. To help you chase that feeling, we’ve curated this list of the very best multiplayer games on PC for your perusal.

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The best multiplayer games on PC

Before we get started, the multiplayer games here mostly geared toward competitive play, though there are plenty that aren’t, too. If you’re looking for a multiplayer game that’s more co-operative, then you should head on over to our round-up of the best co-op games on PC instead, which has a bunch of games that let you team up with mates, rather than having to defeat them in a battle to the death. You can also use the links below to navigate straight to your game of choice, or you can carry on scrolling to read the list in its entirety.

  • Regular Human Basketball
  • Mount Your Friends
  • Golf With Your Friends
  • Sea Of Thieves
  • Mortal Kombat X
  • Northgard
  • Hearthstone
  • Fall Guys
  • Towerfall Ascension
  • Fortnite
  • Counter Strike: Global Offensive
  • Rainbow Six Siege
  • Valorant
  • Hunt: Showdown
  • Starcraft 2
  • Among Us
  • Garry’s Mod
  • League Of Legends
  • Grand Theft Auto Online
  • Minecraft
  • Rocket League
  • Apex Legends
  • Call Of Duty: Warzone 2
  • Team Fortress 2
  • Dota 2

25. Regular Human Basketball

Two player-made mechs play basketball in Regular Human Basketball. - 4

What else should I be playing: Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime also involves confusedly piloting a machine by jumping around its rooms, though in co-op rather than competitive multiplayer.

Just some regular humans here, nothing to look at. Nope, no giant robots equipped with jetpacks, magnets and retractable legs playing basketball. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

You’ll need to assemble four friends for Regular Human Basketball to work properly, but if you can manage that you’re in for a treat. It’s just like normal basketball, except each team controls a mech by frantically running around inside it to reach the controls.

It’s difficult enough when you’re on your own, but coordinating with a teammate who has a VERY different idea about ‘appropriate times to activate the jetpack’ can be a nightmare. A hilarious nightmare, but a nightmare nonetheless.

24. Mount Your Friends

A tangle of players atop a goat in Mount Your Friends. - 5

What else should I be playing: They’re not multiplayer, but QWOP , GIRP and Getting Over It are all great games about overcoming infuriating control schemes.

Mount Your Friends is what QWOP would look like if it was a multiplayer game about having an orgy on top of a goat. It’s about overcoming awkward controls to climb an ever growing mountain composed of your mates. It’s about cheering when they pull off something impressive and cheering harder when they spectacularly fail.

You’re eliminated if you can’t reach the top within 60 seconds, so when you start playing your piles of men probably won’t be that mountainous. Every limb needs to be carefully extended individually, and you’ll find yourself slowly dragging your way up before pressing the wrong button and plummeting to the ground.

Put a little practice in though, and you can do vertical cartwheels at speeds that would embarrass Mo Farah. Momentum can be used to swing your body far, far into the air… and over to the opposite side of the tower, before plummeting to the ground. That’ll earn you the biggest cheer of all.

23. Golf With Your Friends

Players clump together in Golf With Your Friends. - 6

What else should I be playing: Definitely give Turbo Golf Racing a go, as we reckoned it was fun, futuristic, and fast-paced take on the ‘ol bat and ball. Golf It isn’t a bad shout for more mini-golf antics with your pals. If you’re after a super serious golf affair, then something like PGA Tour 2K21 will fit the bill nicely.

Continuing the friendly theme, Golf With Your Friends is your ticket to a good hoot with your pals. On the flipside, it’s also a brilliant way to fall out with them. This is a mini-golf game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with wacky courses that features leaps into dinosaur heads, literal mortar strikes, and anti-gravity antics.

You can of course slop honey onto the course in an effort to slow down your friends’ balls, or even freeze them if you’re feeling particularly malicious. Speaking of balls, you can customise them with unlockable cosmetics like pirate hats, and burger hats, and many more silly hats.

22. Sea Of Thieves

A pirate ship from Sea Of Thieves. - 7

What else should I be playing: There aren’t many good multiplayer pirate games about at the moment, but Valheim features boating and adventure and fun with friends.

Sea Of Thieves sees you don your pirate garb and set sail in search of gold to plunder. While it might look a bit “kiddy”, the act of sailing, and the scuffles you can get into with other players or skeletons or otherwise can prove extremely intense.

There’s never a dull moment at sea, basically. And this extends to the simple act of working together to get your ship skimming across the ocean. There’s joy to be had in raising the sails and angling them just so, or asking your mates to scout ahead with their telescopes. Yes, the quests give you direction and are fun to boot, but Sea Of Thieves excels as an accessible boat sim.

21. Mortal Kombat X

One player grabs another in Mortal Kombat X. - 8

What else should I be playing: The same team made Injustice: Gods Among Us , if you prefer your fighting games to be a little more DC.

Mortal Kombat X is great fun. Look past the gratuitous gore (or look at it through begrudgingly appreciative ‘oh, come on now’ spectacles) and you’ll see a solid punchfest between pleasingly outlandish characters. There are nuances to delve into if you like, though you can go a long way with just a couple of combos and some panache.

This iteration of Kombat is particularly keen on turning each stage into more than a pretty background, offering opportunities to jump about and occasionally chuck passers by at your opponent. And did I mention it’s one of the smoothest too? Combos are snappy, movement is responsive, and there’s no wrangling your character around an arena.

There is, of course, plenty of depth to the game’s characters if you’re a hardened fighting veteran. Long lists of combo-chains are there to be mastered, as are X-Rays, the game’s equivalent of ultimate moves that see your character literally bash people’s skulls and tibias and fibias in.

20. Northgard

A wintery settlement in Northgard. - 9

What else should I be playing: Here’s Brendy’s roundup of accessible RTSs .

Northgard is an elegant RTS where winter can pose a bigger threat than an army of axemen. Every villager adds another hungry mouth to feed, and food is always in short supply. Especially when the snow starts to fall.

Time ticks ever onward and winter is always just around the corner, bringing harsh production penalties along with rat plagues, blizzards and earthquakes. Even so, the slow pace and relative simplicity of Northgard make it an easy strategy game to get into - if not to excel at. You probably won’t meet your viking foes until you’re fifteen minutes into a match, and it’ll be longer still before you start poking at their territory. If you even want to.

The dash of 4X in Northgard’s DNA means military conquest isn’t the only route to victory. Amass enough fame, wealth or knowledge and it won’t matter how many angry Norsemen are at your gates. That gives multiplayer matches a dynamic that goes beyond the one-note destruction of other RTSeses, where the leading player tries to distract everyone from their imminent victory.

19. Hearthstone

A picture of the card table in Hearthstone, mid game. - 10

What else should I be playing: For a similar, perhaps less accessible experience, Legends of Runeterra is a good time.

Hearthstone ’s a competitive card game that’s just the right levels of accessible. Based off Blizzard’s beefy back-catalogue, you’ll throw down Warcraft-themed cards at opponents in the hopes of destroying their health bars.

Yes, there’s a fair amount of money to be spent if you want all the strongest cards; but honestly, it’s one of the rare breeds of CCG which remains so simple yet caters for big-brain-plays of the highest order. And for that reason, I wouldn’t write it off just because of its microtransaction fast-track.

18. Fall Guys

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What else should I be playing: For a similar tone, Fortnite hits the mark quite nicely. Plus it’s home to lots of custom modes and maps that’ll likely come close to the Fall Guys format.

You’re a sentient Tic-Tac who must compete against 60 other Tic-Tacs in a series of gauntlets, where Tic-Tacs that don’t reach the end, or end up on the losing team are eliminated. It’s essentially a survival of the fittest which’ll see you guide your little guy through obstacle courses and painful group exercises. Think of it as a sort of mash-up of Ninja Warrior with elements of a team-building course.

What makes Fall Guys a great multiplayer choice is its bittyness. You’re able to jump in for a game, then hop off if you’d like. Or you can take it very seriously and channel all your energy into emerging victorious and nabbing that crown. Plus, it’s one you can play with your mates, your kids, your nan.

17. Towerfall Ascension

Players duke it out in Towerfall Ascension. - 12

What else should I be playing: Samurai Gunn is sort of like a blend between this and Nidhogg .

Towerfall Ascension is my favourite local-multiplayer game. It’s got a neat wave survival co-op mode, but that’s not why it’s here. It’s here because nothing has thrilled or delighted me in quite the same way as one of Ascension’s archery duels.

It goes up to four players, and its best mode is its simplest: last archer standing wins. Ascension tells engrossing stories with just three verbs - dodging, jumping and shooting. It only takes a single arrow to take out a player, but a well timed dash can let them safely pluck the offending projectile out of the air. It’s a system that gives fights a wonderful back and forth feeling to them, and results in the best slow motion replays in video games.

Plus the jumping feels real good.

16. Fortnite

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What else should I be playing: Others on this list! Apex Legends and Warzone are probably your closest battle royale contenders albeit first-person and more difficult to get to grips with.

Fortnite isn’t only a battle royale, but a messy metaverse, swimming in dabs and franchises. But accept the silliness and you’ll begin to uncover a polished shooter that’s surprisingly complex. There’s classic Fortnite, where building structures to aid you in battle is paramount to your success. A mode that I didn’t get on with, personally, but there’s no denying that those with adequate motor skills will delight in the building battles that can ensue between teams.

And then there’s No Build mode, a recent addition that’s brought me right into Fortnite’s fold. It’s battle royale as you know it - a circle closes in yada yada - without all the building malarchy. This means you’ve got Fortnite distilled into a more of a traditional shooter experience, only with the added benefits of Fortnite’s silly metaverse: cars and gas stations, weird hamster balls with grapple hooks, Darth Vader, firework guns, fishing. It’s without a doubt the most ludicrous battle royale mode out there, but it’s without a doubt the most joyous.

15. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

A man holds a gaudy AK-47 in a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive screenshot. - 14

What else should I be playing: Valorant is essentially CS:GO, but with wizards and ninjas. The Insurgency games are also worth a look if you’re after that semi-realistic, military shooty bang bang.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is the culmination of 14 years of development to a genre-defining team shooter. Five terrorists want to arm a bomb, or defend a hostage. Five counter-terrorists want to stop them. You know how CounterStrike works, right?

It’s a deeply unimaginative premise, but that doesn’t matter - CS:GO is one of the most stimulating FPS games I’ve ever played. The guns feel great and if the maps were any more refined they’d start cutting into the fabric of reality, but those are the factors that enhance Counter-Strike’s best moments rather than generate them.

There’s an exquisite tension to being the last person left alive on your team. The same can be said for any game with the same round structure, but the simplicity of Counter-Strike elevates that dynamic.

14. Rainbow Six Siege

Several operators from Rainbow Six Siege stare dramatically at the camera. - 15

Image credit:Ubisoft

What else should I be playing: Counter-Strike , though it might feel like a step backwards.

People will tell you tactics are more important than aiming, but they’re lying. If you don’t want to be the first one to die each round in this Counter-Strike-like shooter, you’ll need both.

The basics of Rainbow Six Siege will sound familiar: one team has to plant a bomb or pry a hostage away from the other. It diverges from Counter-Strike with its classes, which all bring different abilities to bear on levels with destructible walls and floors.

The team playing offense needs to carefully plan their attack, breaching rooms from multiple angles simultaneously. When you swing through a window at the same time as your friends detonate their C4 on the opposite wall, you can almost convince yourself you should be in the actual SAS.

13. Valorant

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What else should I be playing: CS:GO , if you want a similar experience without all the fireballs and wizards.

Valorant is a tactical team-based shooter that’s similar to CS:GO, but with ninjas and cyborgs. This isn’t a game where you can jump around corners and spray wildly, oh no. To succeed, you must coordinate with your teammates, get your aim on point , and master your favourite agents .

And this is what separates Valorant from CS:GO really. Each hero comes with cool abilities like flashbangs that’ll curve around walls, or teleports that’ll shift you behind targets in a pinch. The fun lies in using these powers in creative ways and pulling off some clutch plays.

12. Hunt: Showdown

A Hunt: Showdown screenshot in which two players, waist-deep in swampwater, prepare to kill a Grunt standing on a pier in front of them. - 17

Image credit:Crytek

What else should I be playing: Escape From Tarkov has a similar ominous energy to it, with equal high-stakes lootin’ and shootin’.

Hunt: Showdown is a nerve-shredding PvPvE FPS, which sees you hunt down an AI nasty hiding away on a map. The catch being - other squads are also gunning for the same enemy as you. Oh, and another catch - if you die, you lose your equipment forever. That’s what makes this game so high-stakes, and ultimately, so much fun.

Unlike many ‘classical’ battle royales out there, Hunt: Showdown separates itself from the competition with outstanding audio design. You’ll hear gunshots ring out in the distance, alerting you to an enemy’s presence. Footsteps pad on wood. The creak of a door opening. Your reliance on these small cues can mean the difference between winning a fight or losing all your precious cargo. It’s quite something.

11. StarCraft 2

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What else should I be playing: Again, Brendy’s guide to accessible RTSs should steer you in the right direction.

The holy grail of RTS design, and not for no reason. It’s a slick, polished to perfection unit-bosser that hasn’t been bettered in the X years since it came out.

Gosh, it’s hard though. At least, if you want to compete on the ladder: that direction involves research, timing memorisation and a faster clicking finger than a snapping mouse trap. Playing with friends lets you be a little more goofy. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to worry about zerg rushes because you know your mate always plumps for Hydralisks.

It’s another one where playstyles lead to identities. I play a particular brand of Protoss, because I’m a prick who loves the idea of kicking ass with all their fiddly units when really I’m more cut out for Siege tanks and marines.

10. Among Us

Some suspicious looking fellows with top hats hanging out in Among Us' upcoming Airship map. - 19

What else should I be playing: I mean, it’s not a video game, but social deduction game Werewolf is similar. Also, Project Winter taps into the whole “whodunnit” fun.

Ahh, Among Us. A social deduction game where 4-10 players prepare a spaceship for departure, but one or two only pretend to do so; because they are secretly out for blood.

I’m terrible at Among Us, mainly because I’m awful at lying, but also because I dislike confrontation. But I can see the appeal of calling emergency meetings to discuss why there’s a corpse in the engine room, or slitting someone’s throat and blaming your friend for it.

Whenever I play Among Us, I mainly focus on doing the mundane jobs and nothing else.

9. Garry’s Mod

Players frolic in Garry's Mod. - 20

What else should I be playing: For jumping into community servers and messing about with quirky builds, I’d say Valheim is the ticket.

Garry’s Mod is many things to many people, but for me it’s collection of home-brewed nonsense assembled from Steam assets and unhampered imagination. I’ve dabbled in the free-form construction mode, but most of my time has been spent on Fretta servers.

Within the same half hour, I’ve dodged geometric shapes while clambering up a slope alongside 30 other people. I’ve built bobsleds, then raced them. I’ve hunted down players posing as inanimate objects, completed obstacle courses and played charades.

The game changes whenever enough people vote for it to, so if you pile into a server with a handful of friends you can form a voting cartel and ensure the game swaps at your whim. Plenty of the games are fun in their own right, but Fretta works best when you’re constantly pushing on to the next.

8. League Of Legends

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What else should I be playing: It’s nowhere near as accessible, but Dota 2 is the closest you’re going to get. For a bit more of a laugh, Heroes Of The Storm is a fun-filled MOBA.

I lost thousands of hours to League Of Legends at university. I’m actually convinced I put more effort into learning this MOBA than I did my course.

To put League Of Legends as simply as possible, two teams of five battle to destroy each other’s Nexus; a big crystal located in each base. As each match wears on, you’ll get more powerful, kit your character out in new gear, and fight for map supremacy. I’d say it’s best played with a friend who’s played it before, as there’s a steep learning curve, and a huge amount of depth here.

But don’t let it put you off, as this is League of Legend’s appeal - at least to me. I adored learning each character’s intricacies and how best to work with my team to win important fights.

7. Grand Theft Auto Online

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Image credit:2K Games

What else should I be playing: There’s not a great deal on PC that provides a similar experience to GTA Online, especially when it comes to multiplayer. Saints Row or Sleeping Dogs might satisfy some cravings?

Grand Theft Auto Online (GTA Online) might be linked to GTA V, but it’s very much its own universe. Hop online and up to 30 players can mess about in sandboxes designed for, well, practically everything. That’s the thing about GTA Online: it’s very difficult to get bored. There’s mini-campaigns built around heists, or servers designed for roleplaying, or Hot Wheels-esque tracks for whizzing about in.

And much like many of the others on this list, GTA Online is constantly being updated with loads of new Heists, servers, and more. If anything, it’s only maturing with age, and is a theme park filled with excellent set-pieces and tonnes of silliness. Definitely worth a crack.

6. Minecraft

A Minecraft screenshot of a player clad in full enchanted Diamond Armor, surrounded by Diamond Ore and Diamond Blocks. - 23

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

What else should I be playing: I’d highly recommend giving Terraria a shot if Minecraft is your jam. It’s similar, but has greater direction.

Minecraft, a blocky multiverse of possibilities. There’s a server for anything in this survival game , which turns it from a “survive with your friends by building stuff”, to “survive to become the last person standing”. Heck, simply input a seed and you can just go about surviving in a really, really nice world.

Or if you’re after something that isn’t a traditional battle royale mode, you can take part in Bed Wars - a game mode which sees you protect your bed, or destroy other players’ beds to win. Heck, you can even drop the whole PVP thing and simply build mad creations with strangers across the internet if you want a more relaxing time. Honestly, you can’t go wrong here.

5. Rocket League

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Image credit:Psyonix

What else should I be playing: Laser League is a very different game, but mirrors Rocket League’s combination of depth and accessibility, and its matches only last a little bit longer. Regular Human Basketball and Pole Riders are both great games involving balls.

Bombastic joy. Those are the two best words to describe Rocket League, a game about playing football with rocket-propelled cars.

That joy kicks in from the very first second. It’s scrappy at first, a mess that invokes childhood memories of school kids swamping the ball, not sparing a thought for teamwork or positioning. That can still provide a chaotic giggle, but Rocket League literally soars to greater heights once everyone knows what they’re doing.

A well-executed aerial shot is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in a video game. Combing the boost button with a double jump at just the right time at just the right angle opens up a space for dextrous plays that hover just out of reach, accessible only to the dedicated but on display for the masses.

4. Apex Legends

An Apex Legends screenshot of Bangalore using a Triple Take with an Optic attachment. - 25

What else should I be playing: There’s nothing that’s going to quite match the pace of Apex, but Call Of Duty: Warzone could be another battle royale avenue. Otherwise, PUBG , or even Fortnite are options too.

Apex Legends is a blisteringly fast-paced battle royale game , where different characters face-off to determine that they’re the top survivor. And this is what sets it apart from the competition, really, as each character has three abilities to turn the tides of battle, as opposed to, well, none in other games.

I’m a big fan of Pathfinder, a robot with a grappling hook that lets you close the gap, or escape from an enemy’s clutches. It also lets you build up some sweet momentum so you can swing into the air, drop onto a ramp, and pull off a sweet, sweet slide. Again, that’s something else Apex nails - a good slide animation.

3. Call Of Duty: Warzone 2

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What else should I be playing: Apex Legends for a faster-paced affair, or PUBG for something a touch more unforgiving.

I thought Warzone was the slickest battle royale at the time, and well, Warzone 2 is its long-awaited sequel. While it might not be quite as gargantuan as its predecessor in terms of popularity, it’s still a massive deal, with fantastic gunplay and COD’s famously streamlined shooting and looting. You’ve got a plethora of attachments to match your playstyle, along with a meta filled with loadouts that’s constantly shifting.

And as Warzone 2 is free, you aren’t going to be spending a dime - a great thing. What’s more, it really looks the part for a free-to-play experience, giving you that big budget feel for zero pounds. There’s never a bad time to drop into Al-Mazrah (in my opinion, a markedly better map than Warzone’s Verdansk).

2. Team Fortress 2

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What else should I be playing: There’s nothing quite like it, but Overwatch is similar in that each class has radically different capabilities.

The problem with writing about Team Fortress 2, Valve’s unsurpassed class-based shooter, is that I’m in love with one particular version of it.

It’s the version I get to play as a Spy, the weakest character in the game when it comes to a straight up fight. His is a stealthy approach, often revolving around his ability to turn invisible with the aid of different types of watch. That’s deception of a sort, but not the kind that makes his the most unique and memorable role you can play in any multiplayer game. Really, the Spy is all about acting.

It only takes one suspicious Pyro for a ruse to come undone, but you’d be amazed what you can get away with. Slap on a disguise, backpedal from the frontlines while screaming for a medic, and four times out of five times the most important member of the enemy team (their medic, always their medic) will trot right up to you. Maybe he’ll try to give you an inquisitive whack with his bonesaw, but if you know what you’re doing that whack won’t land. You’ll have already stabbed him in the back with your insta-kill knife.

Each class plays like a different game - and some items transform their wielder into new classes in their own right. I’ve spent dozens of hours with the double-jumping Scout and the ‘nade spamming Demoman, but it’s the Spy who stole my heart. Give him a chance, and maybe he’ll steal yours.

1. Dota 2

Players duke it out in a forest in Dota 2. - 28

What else should I be playing: Easy, League of Legends .

It feels contrived to describe Dota 2 as a hobby rather than a game, but that doesn’t make that description any less fitting. I’ve poured thousands of hours of my life into it, and I can see myself pouring in thousands more. Dota isn’t just a game: it’s an eternally evolving battleground where limits are tested and friendships are forged.

Sure, every competitive game is about testing limits, but part of what makes Dota special is how many it tests at once. There’s the sheer amount of knowledge that it demands you absorb, the hundreds of items and spells and the endless interactions between them. You’ll need to hone reflexes, develop strategies and learn to be patient with both yourself and others.

Dota is stupendously silly. I mean that both in the sense that it’s ostensibly about wizards trying to knock over rock-gardens that form fragments of a sentient moon, and in a mechanical sense. I could have learnt a language (or several) in the time I’ve spent playing Dota, but almost every match still includes unexpected moments that make me gasp and giggle.

Ed Thorn avatar - 29 The 25 best multiplayer games - 30

Among Us

Android , iOS , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 31

Apex Legends

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 32

Call of Duty: Warzone Caldera

PS4 , Xbox One , PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 33

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC , Mac

The 25 best multiplayer games - 34

Dota 2

PC , Mac

The 25 best multiplayer games - 35

Fall Guys

PS4 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 36

Fortnite

Android , iOS , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Mac , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 37

Garry’s Mod

PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 38

Golf With Your Friends

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 39

Hearthstone

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 40

Hunt: Showdown

PS4 , Xbox One , PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 41

League of Legends

PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 42

Mortal Kombat X

PS4 , Xbox One , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 43

Mount Your Friends

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 44

MultiVersus

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 45

Northgard

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 46

Regular Human Basketball

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 47

Rocket League

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch

The 25 best multiplayer games - 48

Sea of Thieves

PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC

The 25 best multiplayer games - 49

StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 50

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege X

Video Game

The 25 best multiplayer games - 51

TowerFall Ascension

PS4 , Xbox One

The 25 best multiplayer games - 52

Valorant

PC

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

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Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

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Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

  • What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
  • Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
  • Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations
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What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

BlueprintTypeRecipeCrafted At
BettinaWeapon3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Heavy Gun Parts 3x CanisterGunsmith 3
Blue Light StickQuick Use3x ChemicalsUtility Station 1
AphelionWeapon3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Matriarch ReactorGunsmith 3
Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking)Augment2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x ProcessorGear Bench 3
Combat Mk. 3 (Aggressive)Augment2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x ProcessorGear Bench 3
Complex Gun PartsMaterial2x Light Gun Parts 2x Medium Gun Parts 2x Heavy Gun PartsRefiner 3
Fireworks BoxQuick Use1x Explosive Compound 3x Pop TriggerExplosives Station 2
Gas MineMine4x Chemicals 2x Rubber PartsExplosives Station 1
Green Light StickQuick Use3x ChemicalsUtility Station 1
Pulse MineMine1x Crude Explosives 1x WiresExplosives Station 1
Seeker GrenadeGrenade1x Crude Explosives 2x ARC AlloyExplosives Station 1
Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor)Augment2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x ProcessorGear Bench 3
Angled Grip IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct TapeGunsmith 2
Angled Grip IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Duct TapeGunsmith 3
HullcrackerWeapon1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus ModulesGunsmith 3
Launcher AmmoAmmo5x Metal Parts 1x Crude ExplosivesWorkbench 1
AnvilWeapon5x Mechanical Components 5x Simple Gun PartsGunsmith 2
Anvil SplitterMod2x Mod Components 3x ProcessorGunsmith 3
????????????
Barricade KitQuick Use1x Mechanical ComponentsUtility Station 2
Blaze GrenadeGrenade1x Explosive Compound 2x OilExplosives Station 3
BobcatWeapon3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Light Gun PartsGunsmith 3
OspreyWeapon2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 7x WiresGunsmith 3
BurlettaWeapon3x Mechanical Components 3x Simple Gun PartsGunsmith 1
Compensator IIMod2x Mechanical Components 4x WiresGunsmith 2
Compensator IIIMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
DefibrillatorQuick Use9x Plastic Parts 1x MossMedical Lab 2
????????????
EqualizerWeapon3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen ReactorGunsmith 3
Extended BarrelMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
Extended Light Mag IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel SpringGunsmith 2
Extended Light Mag IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Steel SpringGunsmith 3
Extended Medium Mag IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel SpringGunsmith 2
Extended Medium Mag IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Steel SpringGunsmith 3
Extended Shotgun Mag IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel SpringGunsmith 2
Extended Shotgun Mag IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Steel SpringGunsmith 3
Remote Raider FlareQuick Use2x Chemicals 4x Rubber PartsUtility Station 1
Heavy Gun PartsMaterial4x Simple Gun PartsRefiner 2
VenatorWeapon2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 5x MagnetGunsmith 3
Il ToroWeapon5x Mechanical Components 6x Simple Gun PartsGunsmith 1
Jolt MineMine1x Electrical Components 1x BatteryExplosives Station 2
Explosive MineMine1x Explosive Compound 1x SensorsExplosives Station 3
JupiterWeapon3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen ReactorGunsmith 3
Light Gun PartsMaterial4x Simple Gun PartsRefiner 2
Lightweight StockMod2x Mod Components 5x Duct TapeGunsmith 3
Lure GrenadeGrenade1x Speaker Component 1x Electrical ComponentsUtility Station 2
Medium Gun PartsMaterial4x Simple Gun PartsRefiner 2
TorrenteWeapon2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 6x Steel SpringGunsmith 3
Muzzle Brake IIMod2x Mechanical Components 4x WiresGunsmith 2
Muzzle Brake IIIMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
Padded StockMod2x Mod Components 5x Duct TapeGunsmith 3
Shotgun Choke IIMod2x Mechanical Components 4x WiresGunsmith 2
Shotgun Choke IIIMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
Shotgun SilencerMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
ShowstopperGrenade1x Advanced Electrical Components 1x Voltage ConverterExplosives Station 3
Silencer IMod2x Mechanical Components 4x WiresGunsmith 2
Silencer IIMod2x Mod Components 8x WiresGunsmith 3
Snap HookQuick Use2x Power Rod 3x Rope 1x Exodus ModulesUtility Station 3
Stable Stock IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct TapeGunsmith 2
Stable Stock IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Duct TapeGunsmith 3
Tagging GrenadeGrenade1x Electrical Components 1x SensorsUtility Station 3
TempestWeapon3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 3x CanisterGunsmith 3
Trigger NadeGrenade2x Crude Explosives 1x ProcessorExplosives Station 2
Vertical Grip IIMod2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct TapeGunsmith 2
Vertical Grip IIIMod2x Mod Components 5x Duct TapeGunsmith 3
Vita ShotQuick Use2x Antiseptic 1x SyringeMedical Lab 3
Vita SprayQuick Use3x Antiseptic 1x CanisterMedical Lab 3
VulcanoWeapon1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus ModulesGunsmith 3
WolfpackGrenade2x Explosive Compound 2x SensorsExplosives Station 3
Red Light StickQuick Use3x ChemicalsUtility Station 1
Smoke GrenadeGrenade14x Chemicals 1x CanisterUtility Station 2
DeadlineMine3x Explosive Compound 2x ARC CircuitryExplosives Station 3
TrailblazerGrenade1x Explosive Compound 1x Synthesized FuelExplosives Station 3
Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive)Augment2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x ProcessorGear Bench 3
Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing)Augment2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x ProcessorGear Bench 3
Yellow Light StickQuick Use3x ChemicalsUtility Station 1

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

  • Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
  • Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
  • Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
  • High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
  • Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
  • Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
  • Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
  • Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
  • Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.
A raider in Arc Raiders kneels down in the grass and opens a grey raider cache container. - 57

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

  • Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
  • Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
  • Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
  • Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

The Weekly Trials screen in Arc Raiders, with the five trials of the week shown as having been completed to three-star quality. - 58

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

An image showing two Raiders from Arc Raiders aiming their weapons and looting. - 59

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

An establishing shot of the Blue Gate map in Arc Raiders, with grassy hills in the foreground and a large mountain range in the distance. - 60

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

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