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There are several distinct types of Multiplayer modes in Video Games. This trope is a Sister Trope of Meta Multiplayer, Co-Op Multiplayer and Massively Multiplayer.

Competitive[]

Players directly competing against each other (Player Versus Player) and possibly characters controlled by the CPU. May organize players into teams. Usually the main feature of Fighting Games, sports games, Racing Games, party games, puzzle games, and anything online, though a single-player (or co-op) "main game" may be available as well.

2-Sided Competition[]

2 Player[]

When the game is only designed for one player against another. Modes may be provided where additional players can play alongside a comrade, but if one person plays against another it would not be considered two teams of one.

Examples:

Red Versus Blue[]

2 equivalent teams with the same capabilities and objective play against one another. These teams may be comprised of only one player, but teams scale naturally. Teams are often (but not necessarily) distinguished by looking identical except for being colored either Red and Blue (although note different, asymmetric types of 2-team multiplayer may use these to distinguish teams as well).

Examples:

Attack and Defense[]

Two teams have different objectives.

Examples:

Commander and Fighters[]

One player on a team interacts in the game in a diferent fashion from the rest, eg. a Commander with a Real Time Strategy view of the battlefield while the rest of the team fights in a First-Person Shooter view.

Examples:

3 or 4 sided[]

4-Square[]

The playfield is set up for no more than 4 players, eg. each player gets a corner of the playfield. Most commonly seen in the days of the N64 when systems could have no more than 4 players at any one time. If there are three players/teams, one team is visibly absent.

Examples:

1 vs. 3[]

One player/team must fight another team of 2 or 3 other teams/players. The game is balanced so the single player is in a position of power.

Examples:

Pirates, Vikings and Knights[]

There are 3 distinct and different classes/teams. Difficult to balance and rarely seen outside the Half-Life mod Pirates, Vikings and Knights.

  • Aliens vs. Predator (vs. Human Marines)

Free-For-All[]

The game has as many competing groups as the player count permits.

Player Versus Everyone[]

Every player plays against every other player.

Examples:

Multi-Team[]

Players can cooperate in their own sets of groups in any permutation allowed by the player limit.

Examples:

  1. In multiplayer, the "Commander" player on each team will build the base and units, and can switch between piloting his hovertank like the other non-commander players, or using a sky-eye camera. Non-commanders can be given combat vehicles and a few support units, and their role is to do most of the dirty work for the Commander - attacking the enemy and defending the base.