5 PvPvE Games to Keep an Eye On
The past few years has seen the rise of a unique new genre: PvPvE. These games combine the common aspects of PvE (player versus environment) with PvP (player versus player) to create games which pit players against multiple types of opponents in order to survive.
But the most compelling part of these games comes from the tentative, informal alliances formed between players as they take on the world—unsure if, or simply when, their teammates will turn on them.
Here are five such games which are in early access, development or playable now!
- Dark and Darker (Early Access)
This medieval dungeon crawler has captured the attention of gamers and streamers despite still being in early access. Set in a very dangerous and dark (duh!) world, it gives players the task to explore dungeons to claim valuable loot and find the way out, before being slain by its many monsters or—worse—other players.
Taking a lot of inspiration from the extraction genre, alongside battle royales, Dark and Darker is a pretty fresh experience filled with medieval might and magic.
- Dungeonbourne (Early Access)
Building on the framework established by Dark and Darker, Dungeonbourne plunges players into generated labyrinthine dungeons pitting them against monsters and players alike. Similarly inspired by extraction and battle royale mechanics, Dungeonbourne is a direct competitor to Dark and Darker. Whether it lives up to it’s promises or not is something you will have to be the judge of. But if you’re jumping in today, why not give yourself a head start and buy Dungeonborne gold.
- Last Oasis
A unique survival game set in a post-apocalyptic world where players build their own mobile settlements on which to explore the humungous world map, Last Oasis is a pretty novel concept. You have to scavenge and fight for resources to keep your settlement running, immersing you in an endless battle of exploration and looting both players and NPCs.
- Marathon (Coming Soon)
From the studio behind the Halo and Destiny franchises, Marathon is an upcoming game from Bungie. Marathon keeps the sci-fi setting of these beloved franchises while building on their mechanics of PvP and PvE—a balance which Bungie have always been masters of striking.
Currently, Marathon is still a project surrounded by a lot of mystery. However, we’re sure to hear more about this game in the near future. And many fans expect it to have a strong PvPvE focus. But only time will tell!
- Escape from Tarkov
If you’re more into military shooters, Escape from Tarkov may be the game for you. This extraction shooter is as intense as they come, offering up MMO-like progression with tense PvPvE encounters enhanced by seriously high stakes—if you die, you lose everything on you.
While this means that while Escape from Tarkov certainly isn’t for everyone, it is a game which thrills the core audience of PvPvE games by offering incredible tension and seriously high stakes.
The PvPvE format is still evolving. Once totally separated, this new format is really starting to gain traction, with multiple studios building such games with vastly different gameplay, aesthetics and goals. While more and more studios continue to develop this complex genre, one thing is for sure: we are in a golden age for tense, tactical, competitive games.
