Is Risk of Rain 2 Good? Complete Solo & Co-op Guide

If you’ve ever pushed through a roguelike run with friends, you know the rhythm: scramble for loot, survive the next wave, and hope luck holds. Risk of Rain 2 takes that formula, spins it into a third-person shooter, and lets you bring a team — or go solo. With a Metacritic score of 91/100 and a core loop that keeps players coming back, it’s worth asking whether this game delivers for both groups. Here’s what you need to know before diving in.

Release year: 2020 (full release) ·
Developer: Hopoo Games ·
Average playtime (main story): 15 hours ·
Number of survivors: 11 (base game) ·
Metacritic score: 91/100 (PC) ·
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch

The pattern: Risk of Rain 2’s design favours replayability over narrative depth, creating a game where the loop itself is the draw.

Is Risk of Rain 2 any good?

Gameplay loop and mechanics

• The core loop is simple: land on a procedurally generated stage, scavenge items, activate a teleporter to summon a boss, defeat it, and move to the next stage — all while a timer steadily raises the difficulty (Risk of Rain Wiki community guide).
• Items stack without any cap, which means a few lucky rolls can turn your survivor into an unstoppable force. The Shockbyte game server host guide groups the best on-hit items like Soldier’s Syringe, Ukulele, and AtG Missile Mk. 1 as staples for any build.
• Reviewers have praised the loop: IGN awarded a 9/10, calling it “addictive” and “co-op done right” (IGN gaming publication).

The implication: a strong critical consensus backs up what players feel — the loop rewards mastery without demanding it.

Visuals and performance

• The game uses a vibrant, low-poly art style that runs smoothly even on mid-range hardware. Performance targets 60 fps on PC and holds well on consoles (Woolie community creator notes stable frames during chaotic co-op sessions).

Is Risk of Rain 2 fun solo?

Solo vs. co-op gameplay

• The game automatically scales difficulty for the number of players — solo runs have fewer enemies and slower time scaling (Risk of Rain Wiki community wiki).
• In co-op, the recommended strategy is to spread out, grab a few chests, and keep moving rather than holding a position (Woolie community creator).
• Solo play is a valid and popular way to experience the game. Many achievements are easier to unlock alone because you control all item distribution.

Scaling and difficulty changes for solo players

• With one player, the timer ticks at the same rate, but enemy health and spawn counts are lower. This makes tight, efficient play more important than crowd control.
• A Steam community user-written multiplayer guide suggests that in co-op, players should check each other’s money and items with Tab and try to keep an even spread. That pressure disappears solo — you build exactly what you want.

The pattern: solo and co-op offer different flavours—neither is objectively better—and the game’s scaling ensures both are viable.

How long is Risk of Rain 2? How long is it?

Main story completion time

• According to HowLongToBeat player-submitted time tracker, the main story takes about 15 hours. This covers reaching and defeating the final boss on the fifth stage.

100% completion time

• For completions — unlocking all survivors, items, and achievements — the same source reports around 80 hours. Many achievements require multiple runs with specific conditions.

Replayability factor

• Procedurally generated levels, 11 base survivors, and hundreds of item combinations mean no two runs are identical. The Shockbyte game server host guide highlights that even after 100 hours, players discover new synergies.

The pattern: Risk of Rain 2 is designed to be replayed. The main story is a warm-up; the real depth lies in the endless loop and mastery of different survivors.

Does Risk of Rain 2 ever end? Is it endless?

Victory conditions (final boss)

• Yes, the game has a definitive end: defeat the final boss on the fifth stage to complete a run. This triggers the credits and counts as a win (Risk of Rain Wiki community wiki).

Looping and endless runs

• After defeating the final boss, players can choose to loop — continue through stages again with increasing difficulty — effectively creating an endless mode. The timer keeps climbing, and enemies scale without bound.
• The Steam community user-written multiplayer guide notes that looping is popular for players who want to test extreme item builds or compete for high scores.

The pattern: the game respects your time with a clear win condition, but also offers a challenge for players who want to push their limits.

Risk of Rain 2 characters, items, and DLC

Survivor list and unlock conditions

• The base game includes 11 survivors: Commando, Huntress, Bandit, MUL-T, Engineer, Artificer, Mercenary, Rex, Loader, Acrid, and Captain. Each has unique abilities and unlock requirements (Risk of Rain Wiki community wiki).
• Two additional survivors — Railgunner and Void Fiend — were added in the Survivors of the Void DLC (Wikipedia).

Key items and stacking mechanics

• Items stack additively or multiplicatively depending on type. For example, Soldier’s Syringe increases attack speed by 15% per stack, while Tougher Times has a diminishing return formula (Risk of Rain Wiki community wiki).
• The Shockbyte game server host guide recommends building around on-hit effects for survivors like Commando, who attacks very fast.
• A Steam community user-written multiplayer guide points out that Artificer should avoid Soldier’s Syringe because attack-speed items are poor value on that survivor.

Survivors of the Void DLC

• The DLC adds two survivors, new items, a new stage, and a new final boss. It’s available on all platforms (Wikipedia).

The implication: the item system and survivor roster are deep enough to support hundreds of hours of experimentation.

Risk of Rain 2 platforms and crossplay

Available platforms

• Risk of Rain 2 is available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch (Wikipedia).

Crossplay support details

• Crossplay is not supported between PC and consoles as of the last update in 2025. The developer Hopoo Games has not announced plans to add it (Steam Discussions).
• Cross-save is also absent, so progress does not transfer between platforms.

The trade-off: console players are locked into their ecosystem. If your friends are on PC, you’ll need to convince them to buy the Steam version — or vice versa.

How to get started with Risk of Rain 2

First steps

• Complete the tutorial to understand basic movement, items, and the teleporter.
• Start with Commando — his balanced kit and straightforward mechanics make him ideal for learning the rhythm (Shockbyte game server host guide).
• Play on “Drizzle” difficulty (easy) until you unlock a few items and survivors.

Core strategy

• Focus on activating the teleporter quickly — the difficulty timer makes staying on a stage too long dangerous (Risk of Rain Wiki community guide).
• A recommended pacing rule from experienced players is roughly 5 minutes per stage in multiplayer (Woolie community creator).
• Spend your money at Printers or Shrines after the boss is dead, not before — you’ll get better value.

Item priority

• Prioritize movement items like Hopoo Feather and Energy Drink to dodge attacks.
• Grab at least one healing item (e.g., Harvester’s Scythe) early to sustain through damage.
• Stack damage items (Ukulele, AtG Missile) once you have basic survivability.

Artificer should avoid Soldier’s Syringe because attack-speed items are poor value on that survivor — her attacks are charge-based, not speed dependent.

Steam Community user-written multiplayer guide
For a deeper dive into the game’s mechanics and strategies, check out this most fantasy points in a game.

Commando is a strong attacker with very high attack speed, making him a great candidate for on-hit item builds.

Shockbyte game server host guide

Summary

Risk of Rain 2 earns its 91 Metacritic score through a tight loop that works equally well solo or with friends. The 11 base survivors, unlimited item stacking, and procedural stages give it legs — players easily sink 80+ hours into unlocking everything. The lack of crossplay is the single glaring omission, and new players should brace for a difficulty curve that punishes dawdling. For anyone considering a roguelike shooter in 2025, the choice is clear: buy it on the platform where your friends play, or go alone and enjoy a game that respects your time and skill.

For those wanting to improve their runs, the expert guide for newcomers offers a separate deep dive into character builds and item strategies.

Frequently asked questions