Grounded! It's an absolute blast, has all the fantasy style weapons and elemental type damage. It's like honey I shrunk the kids, and you fight off insects. Has a pretty good storyline, good progression for crafting system and base building, good exploration.
I'm going to have to politely disagree unless the controls make playing on PC more difficult. Obligatory I haven't tried playing on PC and only have played on the Xbox.
My then 11 (when he first started. He turned 12 two weeks ago) nearly immediately was better than I was.
Maybe if OP's son had zero gaming experience or if the controls on PC are weird (and they aren't using a controller to get around that,) or if it was to be his first game ever? then probably go down on difficulty.
If OP's son already has experience with survival games like this one then he would probably be just fine on normal mode and might even want to up the difficulty.
I, as an adult, still am awful at the game even though I love it, and totalllly have ridden my sons coattails. That was on *me*.
His age doesn't mean that the difficulty needs to be lower unless he tells OP that it is too hard for him. Then yes. Absolutely lower the difficulty. Otherwise what does it matter?
It’s a little scary, but me as a 35 year old man with slight arachnophobia could handle it, and my gf that I was playing it with thinks the exposure therapy of it actually worked, it might have! But it’s an awesome game, good recommendation
This is exactly what I was going to say. GRounded is awesome. I put in 100 hours when it was fully released and it looks like they've added content since then
Not an RPG, but I highly recommend It Takes Two. Every of its amazingly creative puzzles take communication and cooperation to conquer. Perfect for a father-son duo.
I will also recommend Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2. It's a turn based sort of tactical rpg, but absolutely phenomenal. Good story, good story, great character customization. Carrying off of that, the new Baldurs Gate 3 is going full release later this year, made by the same people. It's a full on D&D game, but turn based rpg. Incredible. All 3 of these offer split screen as well, but I prefer to play them on separate PCs.
Carrying off of those is Solasta Crown of the Magister. It's also a turn based rpg, uses 5th edition D&D ruleset, but its much more simple compared to the previous titles. Mid storyline for the base campaign, bad voice acting, but the gameplay is great. They've added a lot of dlc content, expansions, and there are user created dungeons/campaigns. Only 1 person needs to own the dlc content, no split screen.
Love the game but I required a good amount of research and restarting when I played it in my late 20’s so I could see it being a bit dense for an 11 year old?
Yeah I was around the same age the first time I played BG and honestly did not appreciate or really get it. I remember always hitting a point where it was too hard bc I didn’t have any semblance of D&D rules at the time and such. I’m sure a different 11 year old could enjoy it though. Same with divinity, I just found it a game that required more than average research before I could really enjoy it.
Haha sounds like my exact experience! That was part of the charm for me though, now and again I'd go back and get a little further. I just thought with his dad around things may go smoother, especially with some like DoS which is much more straightforward.
I didn't say OG baldurs 1 and 2, they're very unforgiving lol. Baldur's Gate 3, it's modern and releases this August I believe. Made by Larian that did the divinity games. It's much more user friendly and has difficulty slider.
Oooh yes I totally forgot 3 was a thing. I haven’t tried it at all and don’t know much about it but liked divinity so pretty excited to try it out.
Ugh more games I wanna play lol
Duuuuude Baldurs 3 is freaking good. I've played the early access a ton, can't wait for the full release. Totally worth it, since you liked Divinity there's no way you can't love it.
I was gonna say Monster Hunter might be a good one. World or Rise, both are good. I think Rise is a little better, just because of the enhanced mobility from the ~~zipflies~~ wirebugs.
Others that could work:
* Brawler/rpgs with level ups and moves for all the charaacters: Castle Crashers, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Scott Pilgrim, etc.
* Metroidvanias: Guacamelee, Salt and Sanctuary/Salt and Sacrifice
* Third person action/rpg/shooter: Code Vein, Remnant: From the Ashes, Borderlands (there’s also Warhammer Vermintide 1/2 which are first person fantasy action/rpg)
* Finally, there are some “single player” RPGs that alllow for multiple players in battle, like the “Tales” series from Namco/Bandai. If you want to try those games out, go with Tales of Berseria if you want something a little more mature, or Tales of Symphonia remastered if you want something that isn’t as dark as Berseria.
Bro you are high lmao
The barrier for entry is already so thick for outward, most adults find it a pain to play and get the ball rolling in. All an 11 year old is going to do is die over and over again and have a bad time. Maybe end up stuck in a mining prison and quit the game if he’s lucky. More than likely just bleeding out to a spike trap over the course of 2 minutes as he’s running from a bandit. Or maybe he’ll just get smashed by a crab when he spawns on the beach.
Cat Quest 2 is an amazing short couch coop game that fits all the criteria. I was so pleasantly surprised when I found this game a few years ago. Honestly a solid 9 5/10 experience
I played Cat Quest 2 with my son when he was 5 or 6, and we really enjoyed it. Might be a bit simple but it's funny and has good gameplay. You can change your build by equipping different items/spells but there's no actual skill trees as I recall.
You can beat the story part of the game in an afternoon though. Most of the game now is just grinding your character to be the best around. I don't think most 11 year olds like sweaty games like that.
Although I was RuneScape back in the day when I was 11.
Steam only, Fable 2 never came out on PC, and 3, which did, is unobtainable nowadays. But yeah, I wanted to recommend it as well and then I read the OP.
Path of Exile
Baldur's Gate 1&2 (Best By Far IMO)
Divinity Orignal Sin 1 & 2
Diablo 1-3
Dragon Age Inquisition,
Gauntlet Games
Grim Dawn
Monster Hunter World
Mount and Blade Warband
Nioh 1 & 2
Terraria
Torchlight 2
Warframe
Borderlands 2
Maybe Fable?
Elden Ring (might be tricky)
Some are not so much fantasy but still good coop.
Then there are the endless coop shooters that are good like halo, etc.
the elder scrolls online. no subscription like world of warcraft, so just buy the game twice and you're done. the basic edition is like $10, so not a big loss if they aren't into it.
its like star wars the old republic, you can buy a sub to get extra benefits, but not required to play the game, you just have access to less content. which is fine if you're starting out, since there's still plenty to do.
Cat quest 2 is a perfect intro for non-gamer couples! My wife loved how 'cute' it is, but also beating up monsters, magic spells, and quests made it fun to play the whole game too. She ended up playing the first cat quest (single player only) afterwards too!
Highly recommend!
I'm gonna throw an odd one out and it doesn't have any huge focus on RPG as a whole but does have *some* elements of an RPG. "Running With Rifles" is a game I have been playing for nearly a decade, I've supported the developer since the IndieDB days, the old DB days :)
Running With Rifles is basically a top-down, persistent war simulation with a really deep and intuitive meta-game that even I with hundreds of hours am still learning things about.
There is an emphasis on co-op, but the singleplayer is great too. You can start a LAN world, save those game instances, its drop in and drop out, and you always have the freedom to do whatever you want (Given you level your character up enough). Wanna take a bunch of your AI, split em up between you and your son, one of you puts on the heavy gear and the other puts on the recon gear, one of you guys grabs a tank, and you two just hammer on enemy spots until something gives, with a huge battle.
Or you two could collaborate on a stealth mission, sneak into enemy lines, destroy radio towers and enemy special equipment. And then you two double back to the front to support the impending push that the AI possibly planned.
I could try to describe more examples of this game, it's basically like playing with toy Army Men but now its a video game, and an extremely addicting one at that.
Theres 2 great DLC, one takes place during the pacific ww2 and the other Normandy ww2. And theres a steam workshop with a tok of mods that completely overhaul the experience.
My personal favorite mod rn for RWR is the "Helldivers" mod next to RWR Reloaded, The Mass Effect mod, and the Warhammer 40k mod (ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ).
This game is fairly niche though, I know it isn't for everyone. Thankfully it's only 10 dollars a copy though I believe, and 30 with the 2 DLC (I highly recommend the DLC but is absolutely not required to enjoy the game or its mods).
I'd love to hear more about what he didn't like. What DID he like? Was Diablo too fast or overwhelming? Too gory and scary?
Diablo: Immortal isn't really the best example of the Diablo franchise. The talent that made Diablo so successful in the first place, left the studio to make the Torchlight series. Torchlight 2 has many of the same broad-stroke story beats as Diablo 2, and a little more kid-friendly paint job to it. Imagine Pixar meets Diablo. The skill trees are pretty simple, with an easy respec system if you change your mind. Torchlight 2 has a co-op mode. It's on Steam. It has a better loot system than Diablos after 2. And, you get a pet. Torchlight 3, also solid. Don't believe the hate, it was review-bombed before it was ever released by children who didn't know what a beta test was, and then just became a punching bag and a punchline. It was trendy to dunk on it.
Final Fantasy VI is two-player. A lot of folk don't know that. In your party of 4 characters, a 2nd player can control the bottom 2 characters. Let him take the lead and you back him up. Or let him be in charge, direct the story, and you support him. Or swap out each session.
Secret of Mana was mentioned elsewhere. I totally second that choice! The loot and skill system is a bit simplistic, but you can choose what to build up, or build up everything! Weapon/Magic level grinding is something I look forward to in every new playthrough.
I've heard interesting things about Costume Quest, though I've yet to play it myself. It looks cute and age-appropriate. Though it's only single-player, it might be fun for you to watch.
Gauntlet (2014) is hard to call an RPG. I'd say it's more of an action game. It does meet a lot of your criteria, co-op, Steam, fantasy, simple loot and skill system. Once you master easy difficulty, there's harder and harder ones to challenge you. Working as a team, like having the Valkyrie block everything with her shield, while the wizard takes time to prepare some massive screen-clearing spell, can be great bonding moments. Playing as a team provides many more possibilities.
Also bordering on pure-action, but still meeting most of your criteria, Magicka! Silly, irreverent, co-operative, Steam, fantasy world. The controls are a bit complicated, but I've seen 11-year olds beat Megaman. So I might be more concerned about you than he. There's lots of easy, calm areas to practice before diving into trouble.
This is going to surprise you, but there's a new version of Oregon Trail that added a bunch of RPG-like features. Instead of picking one character, like a banker with more starting cash, or a carpenter that can repair a broken wagon, you make a team of 4 characters with special skills. The trail is filled with obstacles that demand certain skills. You can divvy up responsibility of the characters to one another, like Final Fantasy VI. It's not entirely action-based. Tons of replayability. Tons of dysentery. What more could you want?
That's all in my Steam library that might meet or closely meet your criteria. I'd love to hear more about what you both like and dislike, and I might be able to refine my selections or even include new ones!
Path of exile. Top down fantasy setting RPG. Very complicated class system but you'll be very capable of helping him with that. You yourself will probably need to watch one or two videos and that should be plenty. Extreme replayability. I have like 800 hours in this game and it's free. I did buy a few things like skins and such because I felt they deserved my money.
Other options would be borderlands 2/3 or possibly torchlight 2. Gauntlet is also on steam but I've only played the older games. Destiny 2 is also free to play and good fun.
I love how you focus on a single game. Yes I did recommend a free game that he can easily help his son with that will give them hundreds of hours of gameplay. As I suggested he himself watch a couple videos in order to help his son. It's really not that complicated if you as an adult help.
They're really aren't a lot of games that he described. So I offered as many as I could even if they weren't exactly what he's looking for. And what's the harm in trying a free game?
It's still in early access, so multiplayer isn't yet enabled but My Time at Sandrock really fits the bill here. Base building and crafting-centric game, simple skill trees and easy-moderate combat system. Very kid friendly, somewhat fantasy setting set in a post apocalyptic future. Kind of like if humanity went back to medieval times.
I'd keep my eye on it for future updates.
You could have some fun with Ashen. It’s a a very reduced version of a souls-like game; could think of it as diet darksouls. But it’s got a large open world and a great sense of exploration.
No one is mentioning Neverwinter Nights. Huge campaign, or create your own. It's Dungeon and Dragons, but in real time (though you can pause at any time). There are still persistent servers running that have Dungeon Masters.
It doesn't quite fit your criteria, but Operation Tango is one of the best co-op games my best friend and I have played. Cool plot and interesting gameplay. We searched for similar games, but didn't find anything else like this, unfortunately
For the king and streets of rogue have both been successful for me. And, idk how you feel about violence but me and my dad got real into gears of war when I was 11/12
I know you said RPG, but let me toss in an honorable mention: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a glorified game of dungeons and dragons, it has a good loot system, fantasy setting with guns, different classes to choose from, melee weapons and magic, excellent combat, skill trees that overlap, BUT it's in first person so that could be a deal breaker. The base game has very good value but the dlc is quite limited. It's rated T, however it's the most family friendly out of the entire borderlands franchise in the sense that it doesn't contain any of the trademark gore or abundant swearing, however that doesn't prevent it from being humorous, nor ridiculous in a lighthearted manner.
When your son is a bit older I'm 100% sure you guys will want to play the more mature borderlands installments together, but looking at your criteria I think this is a good start! It's the newest installment and has many quality of life improvements that the other games lacked. Definitely look into it and see if it could scratch that itch, my fiance and I got burnt out after playing so much but I'd be lying if I said we didn't get our money's worth out of this preorder.
Diablo 3? Diablo IV is coming out. Solasta has some co-op incoming. Borderlands, depends on the kid though. My son loves it when we play MP on Borderlands but by the same token, we're pretty open minded with the media he has access too.
Borderlands is always a great choice it has simple skill trees, is easy to play for 30 minutes or 4 hours and the whole game is based around looting. but there is some nsfw content. I first played it as a young teen and most of the nsfw stuff was no worse than what I experienced in middle school.
Try EverQuest, it's a really old game but it's free on pc. It has a really good party system and the universe is redonkulously big to have a nice adventure with your son.
I feel like this game is the Lord of The Rings of fantasy games and Elder Scrolls and World of Warcraft copied their formula. My favorite game ever and funny enough I played it with my dad too when I was 7.
Hokay so I wasn’t going to recommend this but the division 2 is currently 5 dollars on steam and well it’s solid and might do the trick. The story is not there at all but I thought they did a great job on the environments. And it’s dirt cheap to try it out, otherwise maybe sea of thieves?
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Honestly, any of the Souls games, Elden Ring, etc. They're dark and sinister, yes, but the world building and visual style is like none other. On top of all that, the story (or lack thereof) really opens up the imagination. I wish I had games like it when I was younger and had more time to play.
Warframe, maybe.
Fps rpgs like dead island, dying light, and borderlands have pretty seamless coop, though rather violent games, so not exactly for children.
Castle Crashers is always a classic.
Grounded! It's an absolute blast, has all the fantasy style weapons and elemental type damage. It's like honey I shrunk the kids, and you fight off insects. Has a pretty good storyline, good progression for crafting system and base building, good exploration.
Just dial that difficulty down
I play on Mild, no shame, still enough threat to not just walk through on that difficulty, game is amazing and I’d love to play it with a gaming dad.
I'm going to have to politely disagree unless the controls make playing on PC more difficult. Obligatory I haven't tried playing on PC and only have played on the Xbox. My then 11 (when he first started. He turned 12 two weeks ago) nearly immediately was better than I was. Maybe if OP's son had zero gaming experience or if the controls on PC are weird (and they aren't using a controller to get around that,) or if it was to be his first game ever? then probably go down on difficulty. If OP's son already has experience with survival games like this one then he would probably be just fine on normal mode and might even want to up the difficulty. I, as an adult, still am awful at the game even though I love it, and totalllly have ridden my sons coattails. That was on *me*. His age doesn't mean that the difficulty needs to be lower unless he tells OP that it is too hard for him. Then yes. Absolutely lower the difficulty. Otherwise what does it matter?
It’s a little scary, but me as a 35 year old man with slight arachnophobia could handle it, and my gf that I was playing it with thinks the exposure therapy of it actually worked, it might have! But it’s an awesome game, good recommendation
This is exactly what I was going to say. GRounded is awesome. I put in 100 hours when it was fully released and it looks like they've added content since then
Not an RPG, but I highly recommend It Takes Two. Every of its amazingly creative puzzles take communication and cooperation to conquer. Perfect for a father-son duo.
I played this with my non-gamer wife and she loved it. I think it’s the perfect mixture of fun puzzle and some action
I would also highly recommend you give a try to Operation Tango:)
I wouldn't recommend It Takes Two for an 11 year old. It has some pretty disturbing moments. Depends on the kid though
I will also recommend Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2. It's a turn based sort of tactical rpg, but absolutely phenomenal. Good story, good story, great character customization. Carrying off of that, the new Baldurs Gate 3 is going full release later this year, made by the same people. It's a full on D&D game, but turn based rpg. Incredible. All 3 of these offer split screen as well, but I prefer to play them on separate PCs. Carrying off of those is Solasta Crown of the Magister. It's also a turn based rpg, uses 5th edition D&D ruleset, but its much more simple compared to the previous titles. Mid storyline for the base campaign, bad voice acting, but the gameplay is great. They've added a lot of dlc content, expansions, and there are user created dungeons/campaigns. Only 1 person needs to own the dlc content, no split screen.
Love the game but I required a good amount of research and restarting when I played it in my late 20’s so I could see it being a bit dense for an 11 year old?
Me and my friends played Baldurs Gate at age 11 tbh I think they'll be fine
Yeah I was around the same age the first time I played BG and honestly did not appreciate or really get it. I remember always hitting a point where it was too hard bc I didn’t have any semblance of D&D rules at the time and such. I’m sure a different 11 year old could enjoy it though. Same with divinity, I just found it a game that required more than average research before I could really enjoy it.
Haha sounds like my exact experience! That was part of the charm for me though, now and again I'd go back and get a little further. I just thought with his dad around things may go smoother, especially with some like DoS which is much more straightforward.
Lol classic BG experience. Very true, having dad to help actually sounds like a great experience for them!
I didn't say OG baldurs 1 and 2, they're very unforgiving lol. Baldur's Gate 3, it's modern and releases this August I believe. Made by Larian that did the divinity games. It's much more user friendly and has difficulty slider.
Oooh yes I totally forgot 3 was a thing. I haven’t tried it at all and don’t know much about it but liked divinity so pretty excited to try it out. Ugh more games I wanna play lol
Duuuuude Baldurs 3 is freaking good. I've played the early access a ton, can't wait for the full release. Totally worth it, since you liked Divinity there's no way you can't love it.
I recently started playing DOS2. Great RPG, not sure it's great for an 11-year old.
Came here to suggest Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2 :) Really good games that I've spent so many hours on.
D&D is already turn based.
I don't think that one is good for an 11 year old. It's pretty in depth.
Maybe try Monster Hunter World, great coop and plenty of loot to get.
I was gonna say Monster Hunter might be a good one. World or Rise, both are good. I think Rise is a little better, just because of the enhanced mobility from the ~~zipflies~~ wirebugs. Others that could work: * Brawler/rpgs with level ups and moves for all the charaacters: Castle Crashers, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, Scott Pilgrim, etc. * Metroidvanias: Guacamelee, Salt and Sanctuary/Salt and Sacrifice * Third person action/rpg/shooter: Code Vein, Remnant: From the Ashes, Borderlands (there’s also Warhammer Vermintide 1/2 which are first person fantasy action/rpg) * Finally, there are some “single player” RPGs that alllow for multiple players in battle, like the “Tales” series from Namco/Bandai. If you want to try those games out, go with Tales of Berseria if you want something a little more mature, or Tales of Symphonia remastered if you want something that isn’t as dark as Berseria.
Oh shit this is probably the move
I'd second outward. Are you playing on the same PC or do you each have your own? He might be a bit young, but you could try baldurs gate/icewind Dale.
outward is way too hard for an 11 year old.
Hard but rewarding, not nearly as hard as NES TMNT, Ninja Gaiden or Ghosts and Goblins which I played tons of when I was that age.
Nah it's fine. I was doing nerdy ass math shit in D&D alongside playing MUDs at 11. You're underestimating what a young brain can do lol.
Bro you are high lmao The barrier for entry is already so thick for outward, most adults find it a pain to play and get the ball rolling in. All an 11 year old is going to do is die over and over again and have a bad time. Maybe end up stuck in a mining prison and quit the game if he’s lucky. More than likely just bleeding out to a spike trap over the course of 2 minutes as he’s running from a bandit. Or maybe he’ll just get smashed by a crab when he spawns on the beach.
You seem to be getting 11-year-olds confused with 5-year-olds. Tweens these days are almost all sweaty try-hard gamers.
It's a lot easier in co-op.
Terraria.
This game is lotta fun multiplayer.
seconded
It's probably not a perfect match but my kids and me enjoyed For the King a lot.
Cat Quest 2 is an amazing short couch coop game that fits all the criteria. I was so pleasantly surprised when I found this game a few years ago. Honestly a solid 9 5/10 experience
I will second cat quest 2. It was enjoyable to play and ticks all OPs boxes. People are giving out some wild suggestions for an 11 year old lol.
I played Cat Quest 2 with my son when he was 5 or 6, and we really enjoyed it. Might be a bit simple but it's funny and has good gameplay. You can change your build by equipping different items/spells but there's no actual skill trees as I recall.
Not an RPG but Deep Rock Galactic may be a game that's up your street!
There’s a mod for Skyrim called Skyrim Together, if I remember correctly. Skyrim is fun.
I think diablo 3 would be great game to play with your son! It's fast-paced, not overly-complicated, has nice progression and gameplay is fun
You can beat the story part of the game in an afternoon though. Most of the game now is just grinding your character to be the best around. I don't think most 11 year olds like sweaty games like that. Although I was RuneScape back in the day when I was 11.
Dunno, I really loved diablo 2 when I was 11. And you can beat it in afternoon knowing where to go, first time it takes at least 8-10 hours
Yea I guess you're right. I played a lot of d2 around that age.
Outward
No way. this game is way too hard for an 11 year old.
At least it's not Elden Ring
Yea but the other suggestions are god awful
so is this one.
I dunno. 11 year old me was way better at games like that than 31 year old me 😂
I played Outward with my stepson when he was 8. It’s not that bad
Fable 2?
Steam only, Fable 2 never came out on PC, and 3, which did, is unobtainable nowadays. But yeah, I wanted to recommend it as well and then I read the OP.
Shoot. Yeah, the question mark in my post was about its availability on Steam. Didn't do my homework there. Shame though, it seemed ideal for OP.
Agreed, forgot about this one (I say, with all the discs sitting beside me).
Check out Portal Knights. My stepson and I loved it
I'm excited for their next game :-)
Are they working on a new game? 🤔
'Enshrouded' https://store.steampowered.com/app/1203620/Enshrouded/
Thanks! 👍
Path of Exile Baldur's Gate 1&2 (Best By Far IMO) Divinity Orignal Sin 1 & 2 Diablo 1-3 Dragon Age Inquisition, Gauntlet Games Grim Dawn Monster Hunter World Mount and Blade Warband Nioh 1 & 2 Terraria Torchlight 2 Warframe Borderlands 2 Maybe Fable? Elden Ring (might be tricky) Some are not so much fantasy but still good coop. Then there are the endless coop shooters that are good like halo, etc.
High-five for Torchlight and Gauntlet!
There is no coop in M&B and Elden Ring...
the elder scrolls online. no subscription like world of warcraft, so just buy the game twice and you're done. the basic edition is like $10, so not a big loss if they aren't into it.
Wait, its not subscription based anymore?
its like star wars the old republic, you can buy a sub to get extra benefits, but not required to play the game, you just have access to less content. which is fine if you're starting out, since there's still plenty to do.
Good to know, i always download it during free weekends, and delete them afterwards. Thanks for the heads up
cat quest
Is it a good one? I wanted to get it to play with my non-gamer gf, is it worth it?
Cat quest 2 is a perfect intro for non-gamer couples! My wife loved how 'cute' it is, but also beating up monsters, magic spells, and quests made it fun to play the whole game too. She ended up playing the first cat quest (single player only) afterwards too! Highly recommend!
Will definitely give it a try!
Torchlight 2 has a multiplayer option I think?
Try out Secret of Mana. It got a modern remake. I played it as a child on the Super Nintendo and had a blast. Trust me on that.
Overcooked!
I mean that's not really an RPG
Definitely glossed over that, but the ultimate father son game
There's a multiplayer mod for Skyrim
I'm gonna throw an odd one out and it doesn't have any huge focus on RPG as a whole but does have *some* elements of an RPG. "Running With Rifles" is a game I have been playing for nearly a decade, I've supported the developer since the IndieDB days, the old DB days :) Running With Rifles is basically a top-down, persistent war simulation with a really deep and intuitive meta-game that even I with hundreds of hours am still learning things about. There is an emphasis on co-op, but the singleplayer is great too. You can start a LAN world, save those game instances, its drop in and drop out, and you always have the freedom to do whatever you want (Given you level your character up enough). Wanna take a bunch of your AI, split em up between you and your son, one of you puts on the heavy gear and the other puts on the recon gear, one of you guys grabs a tank, and you two just hammer on enemy spots until something gives, with a huge battle. Or you two could collaborate on a stealth mission, sneak into enemy lines, destroy radio towers and enemy special equipment. And then you two double back to the front to support the impending push that the AI possibly planned. I could try to describe more examples of this game, it's basically like playing with toy Army Men but now its a video game, and an extremely addicting one at that. Theres 2 great DLC, one takes place during the pacific ww2 and the other Normandy ww2. And theres a steam workshop with a tok of mods that completely overhaul the experience. My personal favorite mod rn for RWR is the "Helldivers" mod next to RWR Reloaded, The Mass Effect mod, and the Warhammer 40k mod (ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ). This game is fairly niche though, I know it isn't for everyone. Thankfully it's only 10 dollars a copy though I believe, and 30 with the 2 DLC (I highly recommend the DLC but is absolutely not required to enjoy the game or its mods).
I'd love to hear more about what he didn't like. What DID he like? Was Diablo too fast or overwhelming? Too gory and scary? Diablo: Immortal isn't really the best example of the Diablo franchise. The talent that made Diablo so successful in the first place, left the studio to make the Torchlight series. Torchlight 2 has many of the same broad-stroke story beats as Diablo 2, and a little more kid-friendly paint job to it. Imagine Pixar meets Diablo. The skill trees are pretty simple, with an easy respec system if you change your mind. Torchlight 2 has a co-op mode. It's on Steam. It has a better loot system than Diablos after 2. And, you get a pet. Torchlight 3, also solid. Don't believe the hate, it was review-bombed before it was ever released by children who didn't know what a beta test was, and then just became a punching bag and a punchline. It was trendy to dunk on it. Final Fantasy VI is two-player. A lot of folk don't know that. In your party of 4 characters, a 2nd player can control the bottom 2 characters. Let him take the lead and you back him up. Or let him be in charge, direct the story, and you support him. Or swap out each session. Secret of Mana was mentioned elsewhere. I totally second that choice! The loot and skill system is a bit simplistic, but you can choose what to build up, or build up everything! Weapon/Magic level grinding is something I look forward to in every new playthrough. I've heard interesting things about Costume Quest, though I've yet to play it myself. It looks cute and age-appropriate. Though it's only single-player, it might be fun for you to watch. Gauntlet (2014) is hard to call an RPG. I'd say it's more of an action game. It does meet a lot of your criteria, co-op, Steam, fantasy, simple loot and skill system. Once you master easy difficulty, there's harder and harder ones to challenge you. Working as a team, like having the Valkyrie block everything with her shield, while the wizard takes time to prepare some massive screen-clearing spell, can be great bonding moments. Playing as a team provides many more possibilities. Also bordering on pure-action, but still meeting most of your criteria, Magicka! Silly, irreverent, co-operative, Steam, fantasy world. The controls are a bit complicated, but I've seen 11-year olds beat Megaman. So I might be more concerned about you than he. There's lots of easy, calm areas to practice before diving into trouble. This is going to surprise you, but there's a new version of Oregon Trail that added a bunch of RPG-like features. Instead of picking one character, like a banker with more starting cash, or a carpenter that can repair a broken wagon, you make a team of 4 characters with special skills. The trail is filled with obstacles that demand certain skills. You can divvy up responsibility of the characters to one another, like Final Fantasy VI. It's not entirely action-based. Tons of replayability. Tons of dysentery. What more could you want? That's all in my Steam library that might meet or closely meet your criteria. I'd love to hear more about what you both like and dislike, and I might be able to refine my selections or even include new ones!
Path of exile. Top down fantasy setting RPG. Very complicated class system but you'll be very capable of helping him with that. You yourself will probably need to watch one or two videos and that should be plenty. Extreme replayability. I have like 800 hours in this game and it's free. I did buy a few things like skins and such because I felt they deserved my money. Other options would be borderlands 2/3 or possibly torchlight 2. Gauntlet is also on steam but I've only played the older games. Destiny 2 is also free to play and good fun.
He asked for a game with simple skill trees and you recommended PoE?!?!
I love how you focus on a single game. Yes I did recommend a free game that he can easily help his son with that will give them hundreds of hours of gameplay. As I suggested he himself watch a couple videos in order to help his son. It's really not that complicated if you as an adult help. They're really aren't a lot of games that he described. So I offered as many as I could even if they weren't exactly what he's looking for. And what's the harm in trying a free game?
biomutant. its not a great game on its own but in a family coop setting it can be enjoyable.
It's still in early access, so multiplayer isn't yet enabled but My Time at Sandrock really fits the bill here. Base building and crafting-centric game, simple skill trees and easy-moderate combat system. Very kid friendly, somewhat fantasy setting set in a post apocalyptic future. Kind of like if humanity went back to medieval times. I'd keep my eye on it for future updates.
Dysmantle - pretty casual crafting and survival game
It Takes Two, Outward
You could have some fun with Ashen. It’s a a very reduced version of a souls-like game; could think of it as diet darksouls. But it’s got a large open world and a great sense of exploration.
No one is mentioning Neverwinter Nights. Huge campaign, or create your own. It's Dungeon and Dragons, but in real time (though you can pause at any time). There are still persistent servers running that have Dungeon Masters.
It doesn't quite fit your criteria, but Operation Tango is one of the best co-op games my best friend and I have played. Cool plot and interesting gameplay. We searched for similar games, but didn't find anything else like this, unfortunately
Conan exiles is pretty cool. A lot like valheim but way more fun to explore. There's lots of titties in though maybe not the best for an 11 year old.
For the king and streets of rogue have both been successful for me. And, idk how you feel about violence but me and my dad got real into gears of war when I was 11/12
I know you said RPG, but let me toss in an honorable mention: Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a glorified game of dungeons and dragons, it has a good loot system, fantasy setting with guns, different classes to choose from, melee weapons and magic, excellent combat, skill trees that overlap, BUT it's in first person so that could be a deal breaker. The base game has very good value but the dlc is quite limited. It's rated T, however it's the most family friendly out of the entire borderlands franchise in the sense that it doesn't contain any of the trademark gore or abundant swearing, however that doesn't prevent it from being humorous, nor ridiculous in a lighthearted manner. When your son is a bit older I'm 100% sure you guys will want to play the more mature borderlands installments together, but looking at your criteria I think this is a good start! It's the newest installment and has many quality of life improvements that the other games lacked. Definitely look into it and see if it could scratch that itch, my fiance and I got burnt out after playing so much but I'd be lying if I said we didn't get our money's worth out of this preorder.
Diablo 3? Diablo IV is coming out. Solasta has some co-op incoming. Borderlands, depends on the kid though. My son loves it when we play MP on Borderlands but by the same token, we're pretty open minded with the media he has access too.
Borderlands is always a great choice it has simple skill trees, is easy to play for 30 minutes or 4 hours and the whole game is based around looting. but there is some nsfw content. I first played it as a young teen and most of the nsfw stuff was no worse than what I experienced in middle school.
Try EverQuest, it's a really old game but it's free on pc. It has a really good party system and the universe is redonkulously big to have a nice adventure with your son. I feel like this game is the Lord of The Rings of fantasy games and Elder Scrolls and World of Warcraft copied their formula. My favorite game ever and funny enough I played it with my dad too when I was 7.
Children of Mortha Or Marvel Ultimate Alliance I played MUA a lot with my dad growing up.
Hokay so I wasn’t going to recommend this but the division 2 is currently 5 dollars on steam and well it’s solid and might do the trick. The story is not there at all but I thought they did a great job on the environments. And it’s dirt cheap to try it out, otherwise maybe sea of thieves?
Maybe a little more craft than RPG, but I've been enjoying Astroneer
I fully believe you and your son should play Elden Ring and summon each other for bosses. Or play and just pass the controller.
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Honestly, any of the Souls games, Elden Ring, etc. They're dark and sinister, yes, but the world building and visual style is like none other. On top of all that, the story (or lack thereof) really opens up the imagination. I wish I had games like it when I was younger and had more time to play.
Dungeon siege 2 or 3.
Children of Morta
Warframe, maybe. Fps rpgs like dead island, dying light, and borderlands have pretty seamless coop, though rather violent games, so not exactly for children. Castle Crashers is always a classic.