Knowing how to play Dead Island 2 multiplayer means you can join two friends in a co-op game, or connect with other players through matchmaking. You can then slay your way around Hell-A with companions and don't need to face the zombie hordes of Dead Island 2 alone, which should significantly increase your odds of surviving. Not only will you have others watching your back, but if anyone drops then it's possible to quickly revive co-op partners and get them straight back into the action.
The option to play Dead Island 2 co-op unlocks early in the campaign, once you set off from Emma Jaunt's mansion in search of the Halperin Hotel. So, after you've reached that point in the story, this is everything you need to know about setting up multiplayer in Dead Island 2.
How to play online multiplayer in Dead Island 2
To host a Dead Island 2 multiplayer session, you can set it up immediately from the main menu by choosing to Continue Game and then setting the Game Type to one of the following:
- Public - anyone can join your game via matchmaking
- Invite Only - only players you invite can join
- Friends Only - players on your friends list can join without an invite
You also have the option to Join Game from the main menu, which will show you a list of any friends currently playing, along with a Quick Join option to matchmake you straight into any available multiplayer game. While in the game itself, you can also hit pause then go through Options > Online in the menu to change the Game Type, though if you adjust this while already in a game session it may restart it, causing any current players to disconnect and progress since the last save to be lost.
It's worth pointing out at this point that there is no Dead Island 2 crossplay available, so you'll only be able to connect to others within the same console family, or other PC players for those on PC.
An important factor to consider with Dead Island 2 multiplayer is that you won't be able to pause while in an online game session, even if you're the only player currently connected. If you hit pause you'll see things moving around in the blurred background, which means zombies can still attack and kill you while you're in any menus. Therefore you'll need to take extra care to ensure you've found safety before examining your inventory or browsing collectibles, so unless you're definitely intending to join with others you should always select the Single Player option.
Why can't I host Dead Island 2 multiplayer on PS4 or Xbox One?
Dead Island 2 multiplayer uses peer-to-peer instead of servers, which means the player hosting a session is running everything through their own console. Due to the graphical requirements of the game, those on base PS4 or Xbox One / Xbox One S are unable to host sessions. Although they can still join sessions hosted on PS4 Pro / PS5 or Xbox One X / Xbox Series X or S respectively. According to the official website, the developers were working on a solution, but for now this limitation is in place.
How to communicate in Dead Island 2 multiplayer
While playing Dead Island 2 multiplayer with others you'll have the usual online voice chat options, but there are also a selection of quick chat options for communication via the Emote Wheel. To use this, hold left on the d-pad then select any of the following options with the left stick:
- Agree
- Say Thanks
- Point
- Wave
- Disagree
- Suggest Resupply
- Ask For Help
- Celebrate
This will perform the selected emote, as well as a quip from your Dead Island 2 character, so you should be able to get your message across to anyone else in your sessions, even if you can't talk through voice chat.
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