- Games
- Orcs Must Die! 3
Orcs Must Die! 3
A tower defense shooter where two friends arrange traps and fight orc waves before they reach a magic rift.
Online co-op for 2 players, with crossplay.
- 2 online
- Crossplay
Where to buy
Playing together
- Online co-op2 players
- Local co-opNoOnline only
- YesPC, XboxFriends on different platforms, such as PC and PlayStation, can play together.
- Not confirmedA friend can join or leave while you are already playing, without starting over.
- Not confirmedFriends play free with a Friend's Pass or similar.
- Steam DeckVerifiedValve's own rating
About the game
You defend a magic rift from waves of orcs and other fantasy creatures. Before each attack, you spend a limited budget on traps, barriers and weapons. You can steer enemies through a narrow route, fling them back into danger or cover a corridor with several kinds of damage. Once the wave starts, you join the defense with your own attacks.
Online co-op gives you one partner and a second loadout. You can cover different entrances, agree on trap combinations and rush over when a lane starts to fail. Earned skulls unlock equipment and improve the tools you bring into later maps. Campaigns lead into repeatable challenges, Endless battles and Scramble runs. There is time to plan between attacks, followed by busy stretches of watching the rift and stopping anything that slips through.
How it feels
Kind of game
You play on the same side through shared levels, matches, missions or jobs. Progress comes from combining your actions toward the same objective.
- At its heart
- A big part
- Now and then
- Laughter and chaos
- Calm and coziness
- Story
- Time to hang out
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- About
- Fantasy adventure, Monsters
Rated on our own feel scale. 4 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked Orcs Must Die! 3
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
Orcs Must Die! 2
Why it scores 97%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Core to both
- Planning ahead, Fighting
- Notable in both
- Physical comedy, Building and creating, Working in sync, Tension and danger, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op for 2 players
- 2 online
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both are about a fantasy adventure and monsters that hunt you. Both reward planning before you act.
No big difference from Orcs Must Die! 3.
MONSTER HUNTER RISE
Why it scores 86%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Working in sync, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op
How MONSTER HUNTER RISE differs
- Less slapstick than Orcs Must Die! 3
- More exploring than Orcs Must Die! 3
- More jumping and climbing than Orcs Must Die! 3
- Fits a bigger group than Orcs Must Die! 3
- 4 online
- Crossplay
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both have a lot of fighting side by side. Both play in runs or missions you repeat.
But less slapstick than Orcs Must Die! 3.
Monster Hunter Wilds
Why it scores 86%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Working in sync, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op
How Monster Hunter Wilds differs
- Less slapstick than Orcs Must Die! 3
- More exploring than Orcs Must Die! 3
- Fits a bigger group than Orcs Must Die! 3
- 4 online
- Crossplay
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both are about a fantasy adventure and monsters that hunt you. Both have a lot of fighting side by side.
But less slapstick than Orcs Must Die! 3.
All co-op facts
Last checked 24 October 2026. The small numbers link to the page that states each fact.
Co-op
- Fewest players online
- Not confirmed
- Most players on one screen
- Does not apply
- Split or shared screen
- Does not apply
- Separate-device co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on separate devices
- Not confirmed
- Free base co-op
- No
The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
- 58914
- Confirmed free setups
- Does not apply
- Friends can join mid-game
- Not confirmed
- Only one of you needs to buy it
- Not confirmed
- Voice chat by distance
- Not confirmed
Sources
14 pages
robotentertainment.comOfficial site, read 24 October 2026
Backs Kind of game, Sessions, About, Fighting.
- Kind of game: Players defend the same rift through shared scenarios with weapons and traps. Trap planning is a main activity.
- Sessions: The maker describes replayable Weekly Challenges, Endless and Scramble alongside campaigns.
- About: The setting has magic, castles and invading orcs.
- Fighting: Enemies attack in waves while players fight and operate traps.
robotentertainment.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Most players online, Local co-op.
- Online co-op: The maker confirms cooperative play with one partner.
- Most players online: The maker limits the group to two, with a full loadout for each player.
- Local co-op: The maker explicitly says local cooperative play is unsupported. The current console pages still list one player on one device.
robotentertainment.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Crossplay, Crossplay between.
- Crossplay: The 2024 announcement supersedes the 2021 launch FAQ.
- Crossplay between: Windows through the Xbox app can play with Xbox consoles. This does not include the Steam or Epic versions. Xbox One and Series are identified by the Xbox store.
robotentertainment.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Crossplay.
- Crossplay: Steam and Epic compatibility is a separate PC storefront group. It does not establish additional console crossplay.
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID, Release status, Platforms, Free base co-op.
- Steam app ID: The opened product page identifies app 1522820.
- Release status: The released base game remains available to purchase.
- Platforms: Supports the Windows version.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID.
- Steam app ID: Steam identifies Orcs Must Die! 3 as app 1522820.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Verified on Steam Deck.
store.playstation.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Most players online, Free base co-op.
- Platforms: The current offer includes PS4 and PS5 versions.
- Most players online: Supports up to two online players and lists one player on one device.
- Free base co-op: The checked PlayStation full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
xbox.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Most players online, Crossplay between, Genres, Free base co-op.
- Platforms: The store lists Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and PC. Cloud streaming is not counted as another native platform.
- Most players online: The Xbox listing gives two-player online co-op.
- Crossplay between: Xbox cross-generation multiplayer covers Xbox One and Series. Maker news links this Xbox group with the Windows Xbox app version.
- Genres: The publisher listing names Action and adventure, Shooter and Strategy.
- Free base co-op: The checked Xbox full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
gameinformer.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Release date.
- Release date: Game Informer, published 2020-07-14, reports the Stadia launch that day. Steam and console dates in 2021 are later releases. The maker history independently labels this a 2020 game.
pcgamer.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Laughter and chaos, Physical comedy, Building and creating, Planning ahead, Getting better.
- Laughter and chaos: PC Gamer, 2021-07-26, describes comic trap results. Successful designs carry the comedy more than shared mistakes.
- Physical comedy: The review describes enemies being flipped and knocked into ragdoll motion as a regular part of trap combat.
- Building and creating: Players arrange and extend traps and routes throughout each level. These defenses last for that scenario rather than in a persistent world.
- Planning ahead: Trap order, position and combinations define the main challenge.
- Getting better: The review describes learning combinations and planning ricochets through experience.
thirdcoastreview.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Working in sync, Tension and danger, Calm and coziness, Unlocks and progress.
- Working in sync: Third Coast Review, 2021-07-26, describes partners covering separate routes and coordinating independent spending.
- Tension and danger: Enemy waves can overwhelm the defenses, with planning breaks between some waves.
- Calm and coziness: The review describes pauses for selling and moving traps between attacks.
- Unlocks and progress: Skulls earned in levels buy new traps and upgrade existing traps and weapons.
bit-tech.netPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Story, Time to hang out.
- Story: Bit-tech, 2021-08-05, describes brief cutscenes and dialogue around the main defense activity.
- Time to hang out: The review describes repeated attention to gaps in defenses. Between-wave planning supplies limited room for chat, without making normal play a relaxed hangout.
store.epicgames.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Free base co-op.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.