Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Upcoming PS5 games for 2026 showing Lucia from GTA 6, Wolverine from Marvel's Wolverine, Arjun from Saros, and Grace from Resident Evil Requiem
Adventure Games Upcoming PS5 games: New PS5 games for 2026 and beyond
Peak screenshot showing players climbing an icy cliff
Co-op Games The 25 best co-op games you can play in 2026
Upcoming Xbox Series Games banner image showing Jason from GTA 6, Marcus from Gears of War E-Day, a steampunk robotic figure in Clockwork Revolution, and Fable's protagonist speaking with a man who has a sword
FPS Games Upcoming Xbox Series X games for 2026 and beyond
Games like Fable: a group of soldiers during the Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 trailer.
Action RPGs Modders are teaming up to make Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 multiplayer a reality with visions for PvP and GTA-style RP
Reanimal review
Horror Games Grab a pal and play REANIMAL in co-op because it's so much scarier when there are two of you
Dr. Gideon talks to a captured Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem, with the GamesRadar+ On The Radar branding
Resident Evil After 25 hours, Resident Evil Requiem keeps me coming back for one more replay thanks to these 8 fantastic features
Vampire Crawlers key art shows a vampire holding a wine glass.
Roguelike Games Uh-oh, I can't stop playing Vampire Survivors' new roguelike deckbuilder thanks to this free Steam Next Fest demo
Upcoming PC games for 2026 showing Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem, marines in Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4, Coen in The Blood of Dawnwalker, and a woman's face in Control Resonant
PC Gaming Upcoming PC games: New PC games for 2026 and beyond
Grace Ashford at her FBI desk in Resident Evil Requiem, covered with monitors and documents
Resident Evil Two hours with Grace in Resident Evil Requiem turned me into the most anxious person alive
A woman in a underwater machine waving during the cinematic teaser for Subnautica 2.
Survival Games Subnautica 2: Everything we know about the new underwater survival game
State of Decay 3 screenshot showing a survivor on top of a car, aiming their gun at nearby zombies
Survival Games State of Decay 3: Everything we know so far
Jurassic Park: Survival announcement screenshot with a woman holding a flare and a roaring T-Rex.
Stealth Games Jurassic Park: Survival – Everything we know so far about the new Jurassic Park game
Helldivers 2 PS5 screenshot
Games The 25 best online games to play in 2026
Dying Light: The Beast
Action Games The 10 best zombie games that will munch your brain
Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil 14 years later, Resident Evil Requiem achieves what the series' most controversial game couldn't
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Pokemon Day deals
  1. Games
  2. Survival Horror
  3. Dead Island 2

Dead Island 2 co-op lets you share the head-stomping

Features
By Justin Towell published 13 August 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Let's get together, murder some zombies...

Let's get together, murder some zombies...

Dead Island 2 is in pre-alpha form (which means still in early development), but already playable in 4-player co-op. That means four players all stamping on zombie heads, turning single zombies into two half-zombies and basically making lots of very dead things even deader, all at the same time. Its a massacre.

Its hard not to draw parallels with Left 4 Dead when youre playing 4-player zombie-smashing co-op, but the action here is different. Its more about the gore than the survival and success is therefore less reliant on teamwork, at least in the 12-minute demo I played. You can run off and do your own thing most of the time, though it certainly helps to stick together.

Two of the missions in the 12-minute-long Gamescom demo require you to upgrade weapons with elemental powers. Heading to the gas station thats on fire at the end of the road allows you to fill up on gasoline direct from the pump, in order to give your weapon a firey slant. Likewise, the electrical store can turn your shots into electrocuting attacks. Lots of fun.

Only problem with draining gasoline in full view of everyone is that it attracts the attention of special zombies. Runner zombies have only recently transformed so they still have decent muscles and are much more mobile. And thugs are hulking great beasts, reminiscent of L4Ds Tanks. Then theres the Suicider, a huge enemy full of explosive pus, which you can kick back into a crowd and watch the whole thing go up. Boom.

There will be more zombie types in the finished game, but also more humans too. Ex-military men and escaped prisoners will be present in the game world to fight. Whether youll be able to slice the humans in half like you can the zombies remains to be seen. But itll be fun finding out. Well, maybe not for you, Germany.

And the best part? The finished article will actually feature 8-player action, split into two teams, allowing you to work together or even play PvP in special events (triggered by helicopter arrivals). With areas like the Santa Monica pier, Venice beach, the LA river and San Franciso to explore (and cover with gore), your bloodlust should be sated for a good while when the game releases on PS4, Xbox One and PC in 2015.

Page 1 of 5
Page 1 of 5
"Give us a kiss"

"Give us a kiss"

Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
"Seriously, just one kiss"

"Seriously, just one kiss"

Page 3 of 5
Page 3 of 5
This guy just wants a cuddle

This guy just wants a cuddle

Page 4 of 5
Page 4 of 5
"Got any jump leads? My car won't start. Because of all the blood. Plus, I'm dead. So I can't drive."

"Got any jump leads? My car won't start. Because of all the blood. Plus, I'm dead. So I can't drive."

Page 5 of 5
Page 5 of 5
CATEGORIES
PlayStation PS4 Xbox Xbox One Platforms
Justin Towell
Justin Towell
Social Links Navigation
Freelance Writer

Justin was a GamesRadar+ staffer for 10 years but is now a freelance writer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
GamesRadar+
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Read more
Lords of the Fallen 2 crusader uses holy magic on undead
Lords of the Fallen 2 looks exactly like the bigger, bloodier Soulslike that fans of the series have come to expect
 
 
Peak screenshot showing players climbing an icy cliff
The 25 best co-op games you can play in 2026
 
 
Two people play Subnautica 2 on portable gaming handhelds
Subnautica 2's "optional co-op" looks like exactly what I want – not the live-service mess I was afraid of
 
 
Horizon Hunters Gathering screenshot showing the team of hunters assembling together
Horizon Hunters Gathering: Everything you need to know about Guerrilla's new co-op action game
 
 
Reanimal review
Grab a pal and play REANIMAL in co-op because it's so much scarier when there are two of you
 
 
A zombie and a cool grunge girl sit on pink pillows
Devil May Cry vets are making a zombie action game that smacks of Lollipop Chainsaw
 
 
Latest in Survival Horror
Leon drives his Porsche into streets at night in Resident Evil Requiem
Even Nintendo is thirst-posting about Resident Evil's Leon Kennedy on main: "Absolutely jacked"
 
 
A screenshot from a Resident Evil Requiem how-to video by Kyro shows Marie's Doll
Resident Evil Requiem's ungodly final puzzle is solved after stumping players for days, and it all came down to a toilet
 
 
Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem seemingly confirms Leon Kennedy is married, and everyone wants to know who's the lucky gal or guy
 
 
Leon frowns in the care center in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem's Leon actor has seen the thirst trap memes and thinks they're "funny as hell"
 
 
Grace checks her phone on the street in Resident Evil Requiem
Resident Evil Requiem actor filmed with the lights off as Capcom tried to "make the situation" as scary as the game
 
 
Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem
14 years later, Resident Evil Requiem achieves what the series' most controversial game couldn't
 
 
Latest in Features
James holds the Alice stuffie in concept art by Jean Walter
Alice Madness Returns creator American McGee is making a spiritual successor, and he's not worried about EA
 
 
Close up of the Salmon Run Splatoon 3 keychain sitting on a Switch copy of Splatoon 3.
The new Splatoon 3 Salmon Run merch at Nintendo is so ink-citing, but it's UK only for now
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
GDC is an opportunity to celebrate the games that defined 2025, and explore the technology that will shape the future of gaming
 
 
Marathon cinematic shot of assassin runner
Marathon's UI is a headache that I fear will send me right back to Arc Raiders – tedious even for Bungie's standards
 
 
In Pokemon Winds and Waves, the large whale-like Pokemon Wailord shoots water up from its blow hole on the surface of the ocean
The 5-year wait for Pokemon Winds and Waves is unprecedented, but it looks like Nintendo has learned its lesson from Scarlet and Violet
 
 
A review photo of Crucial's DDR5 Pro RAM next to an RTX 5080 review image
Micron wants your next GPU to have 96GB of VRAM in it, but I don't really know who it's expecting will make it for you
 
 
  1. A grassy vista in Pokemon Pokopia
    1
    Pokemon Pokopia review: "A brilliantly bizarre blend of Pokemon and Animal Crossing"
  2. 2
    Lego Pikachu is in pole-position for one of the biggest releases this year, but a fragile build can be pain in the butt
  3. 3
    Resident Evil Requiem review: "A soaring piece of survival horror theater"
  4. 4
    Demon Tides review: "Super Mario Odyssey and Wind Waker collide in this expressive 3D platformer"
  5. 5
    This Bloodborne-style board game is one of the best boss battlers I've ever played, hands-down
  1. Ghostface in Scream 7
    1
    Scream 7 review: "Never as sharp or as smart as the series' best, but still has a few neat tricks up its billowing sleeve"
  2. 2
    Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
  4. 4
    Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
  5. 5
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  1. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Simon Williams in Wonder Man.
    1
    Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
  2. 2
    Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
  3. 3
    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
  4. 4
    Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
  5. 5
    Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...