Epic Multiplayer Battles Throughout Gaming History

28 October 2025

Ah, multiplayer games. Nothing brings out the best—and absolute worst—in us quite like battling friends and strangers online. From the early LAN party days of questionable snacks and tangled Ethernet cables to today’s high-stakes esports arenas filled with caffeine-fueled champions, multiplayer games have served up some of the most epic battles in gaming history. Strap in, grab your headset, and let’s embark on a wild (and sarcastically nostalgic) ride through the most jaw-dropping, controller-smashing, rage-quit-inducing multiplayer moments the gaming world has ever seen.

Pong: The OG Passive Aggressive Showdown

Let’s start at the very beginning—because who doesn’t love a 2D paddle fight that somehow caused more sibling rivalries than Monopoly ever did?

Pong (1972) may look like two tired rectangles playing hot potato with a pixel, but don’t let its simplicity fool you. This game is the granddaddy of multiplayer competition. Back then, it was you versus your buddy (or, more likely, your extremely competitive uncle) in a fierce battle of reflexes, patience… and who could twist the knob faster.

Sure, it lacks flamethrowers or online matchmaking, but Pong taught players one crucial lesson: never underestimate the power of primitive graphics and passive-aggressive gameplay to ruin friendships.

GoldenEye 007: Where Friendships Went to Die

Fast forward to 1997, and we’ve entered the GoldenEye 007 era—also known as “The Time Everyone Realized They Hate Playing With That One Friend Who Always Picks Oddjob.”

This Nintendo 64 classic turned our living rooms into virtual warzones. We didn’t have online play back then, so you'd cram four players in front of a 20-inch CRT, squinting at your tiny corner of the screen like your life depended on it. (Spoiler: it did.)

Let’s not pretend it was fair. There was always that guy who memorized the spawn points or had suspiciously good aim with proximity mines. If you didn’t rage-quit at least once, were you even trying?

StarCraft: When Trash Talk Went Interstellar

Ah, StarCraft (1998), the strategy game that made clicking your mouse at the speed of light a professional skill.

South Korea turned this RTS into something of a national sport, and for good reason. StarCraft wasn’t just a game; it was an intergalactic chess match on steroids. Multiplayer matches required tactical genius, fast fingers, and a dash of mind reading.

Zerg rushing your buddy within the first two minutes? Legendary. Defending off that rush with a single Marine and pure spite? Even better.

Online ladders turned casual players into overnight keyboard warriors. Make one wrong move, and someone on Battle.net was sure to let you know you were clearly a “noob who probably plays with their feet.”

Halo: LAN Parties, Mountain Dew, And Mayhem

Before Xbox Live took over the universe, Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) birthed the sacred tradition of the LAN party.

These were magical events where you and your equally nerdy friends would lug giant CRT monitors and consoles across town just to play 4v4 on Blood Gulch until 4 AM. The gameplay? Glorious. The trash talk? Ruthless. The snacks? Somewhere between pizza rolls and diabetes.

Halo wasn't just a multiplayer game—it was a lifestyle. CTF, Slayer, oddball? You knew every strategy, every hiding spot, and every time someone screen peeked like a dirty cheater.

World of Warcraft: Raids, Rage, And Really Big Dragons

When World of Warcraft (2004) hit the scene, it was like the high school reunion you never wanted, except with trolls and loot drops.

Multiplayer reached a whole new level. Raiding with 40 people? Absolute chaos. Trying to coordinate a raid boss while Dave from accounting insists on pulling aggro? Pure madness.

Guild drama, ninja looters, and raid wipes happened more frequently than server maintenance.

And let’s not forget PvP in World of Warcraft. If you ever got ganked in Stranglethorn Vale, you know the soul-crushing despair of respawning only to be obliterated again. And again. And again.

Call of Duty: The Ultimate Test of Endurance (and Mute Buttons)

Ah yes, Call of Duty, the franchise that gave us the joy of multiplayer gunfights AND an unfiltered look into the minds of 12-year-olds with headsets.

From CoD 4: Modern Warfare (2007) and onward, multiplayer battles went from fun skirmishes to full-on psychological warfare. You didn’t just compete—you endured.

Multiplayer lobbies were a hot mess of grenade spam, tactical nukes, and enough trash talk to fill an R-rated screenplay. If you weren’t accused of hacking at least once, you weren’t playing right.

But let’s give credit where it’s due—dominating in a Search and Destroy match after carrying your team of hopeless randos? That’s peak satisfaction.

Super Smash Bros.: Button Mashing and Broken Friendships

Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. is the ultimate couch brawler. Since its release in 1999, each iteration has brought us closer to answering life’s most important question: “Can Pikachu beat the living daylight out of Ganondorf?”

The answer? Yes. Absolutely.

Smash is the perfect blend of chaos, skill, and “I swear I was blocking.” Every match is a ballet of dodges, uppercuts, and accidental self-launches into the abyss. Oh, and that one friend who insists on using the Wii Fit Trainer and still wins? Yeah, we don’t talk about them.

Fortnite: Dancing Your Way to Victory

Is it really a list of epic multiplayer battles without Fortnite?

When this cartoon-colored battle royale exploded in 2017, it redefined multiplayer entirely. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about shooting faster—it was about building a five-story mansion mid-fight while performing an emote.

Winning a solo against 99 other players is like winning a lottery where everyone’s armed and out for blood. Every match was a story: the sniper who hides in a bush, the builder who constructs a skyscraper in three seconds, and that one guy who dies to fall damage (we’ve all been there).

And love it or hate it, Fortnite ushered in an era of cross-play, stream culture, and victory royales that made every battle feel like a blockbuster movie—and a dance party.

PUBG: Where You Die In Silence, Alone, And Confused

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (2017) is like Fortnite’s moodier, more realistic cousin. You drop in, scavenge for gear, and then die in a field from a bullet you didn’t hear. Fun!

PUBG was raw, intense, and had zero time for your clown costumes or dance emotes. That final 1v1 circle battle? Terrifying. Heart pounding. Probably sweaty. The smallest noise—a footstep, a bush rustle—was enough to send your anxiety through the roof.

No flashy kill cams. No helicopters. Just good ol' fashioned paranoia and the fear of God.

Among Us: When Gaslighting Becomes Gameplay

Taking a step back from gunfire and loot drops, let’s talk about the game that brought people together—and systematically made them turn on each other.

Among Us (2020) made backstabbing a literal game mechanic. Set on a spaceship with suspiciously incompetent crew members, the goal was simple: complete tasks and avoid being murdered by your “friend.”

This game turned “I swear it wasn’t me” into a national pastime. Did you vent? Were you faking tasks? Was Red really sus, or were we all just paranoid?

Among Us reminded us that sometimes the most epic battles aren’t about headshots or scoreboards—but convincing your friends you're not a lying, backstabbing Impostor. (Even when you totally are.)

Apex Legends: Ping Systems and Perfect Chaos

When Apex Legends dropped out of nowhere in 2019, nobody expected it to shake up the multiplayer world—but boy, did it.

Apex brought flair, fast-paced action, and a ping system that somehow enhanced communication better than your squad on Discord. (Let’s be honest, half of them never had their mic on anyway.)

Each battle felt like a Hollywood action scene directed by someone with ADHD. You zipline into firefights, slide down cliffs, and use your legend’s abilities like it’s an Avengers audition.

Victory in Apex was sweet, and rare, which made every “You are the Champion” screen feel like winning the gaming lottery.

Elden Ring Co-Op and PvP: Praise the Sun and Slap a Friend

Let’s end with something more recent. Elden Ring, known for its pain and suffering, also brought some surprisingly epic multiplayer moments.

From co-op boss fights where random strangers joined you to slay demigods, to PvP duels where you bowed before absolutely wrecking each other—Elden Ring reminded us that multiplayer can be brutal and beautiful.

Oh, and the messages. Who knew “try finger, but hole” would become the most iconic piece of advice in a multiplayer space?

Final Thoughts: It’s Dangerous To Go Alone—Bring Your Rage, Reflexes, And Wi-Fi

Multiplayer games have come a long way from blinking pixels and dial-up rage. They’ve become cultural touchstones, digital battlegrounds, and, let’s face it, glorified therapy sessions for some of us.

Whether you’re sniping from a distance, building up your squad, stabbing crewmates in the back, or just yelling “lag” as an excuse for your terrible aim—multiplayer games have always given us something epic to talk about.

So here’s to more battles, more memes, and more moments where we scream “no way!” into our headset while secretly blaming our teammates.

Game on, legend.