Multiplayer gaming shaped 2025. It was the year that “friendslop” entered our collective lexicon, after all.
Whether you were racing around as a hyper hamster in Kirby Air Riders, scaling mountains in PEAK, or jumping through stories in Split Fiction, chances are, you picked up a couple of multiplayer games at some point over the past year. Even if it was just to jump into Fortnite for a quick Battle Royale.
2026 is set to be an equally exciting year for multiplayer and co-op gaming, with both major and indie studios clamouring to release the next big thing to play with friends. As a result, there’s a lot to choose from, meaning a wide range of tastes are going to be catered to, from creepy survival horror to cute life simulators.
9
Hela
2026 | Windup | PC, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Ever considered what the world looks like from a mouse’s eye view? No? Well, with Hela, you don’t need to imagine it. Pack your tiny little backpack and gear up for a co-op adventure across the Scandinavian countryside as a tiny little mouse.
You aren’t alone on your adventure, though. Not only are you actually the familiar of a sick witch, who you’re trying to help heal, but you’re also going to be out there with your little mousey buddies over either split-screen local co-op or online multiplayer.
Together, you’ll scamper around solving puzzles, walk tightropes, and ride around on moose. If you and your friends are fans of titles like Squirreled Away or Smushi Come Home, then Hela is probably going to be for you.
8
Orbitals
2026 | Shapefarm | Switch 2
Get ready to team up with a pal to help duo Maki and Omura traverse through space in the face of a magical (or perhaps alien?) cosmic storm, evading falling space station debris and dangerous foes along the way. Coming exclusively to the increasingly expensive Switch 2, Orbitals’ split-screen co-op adventure looks like it won’t be one to miss.
Orbitals’ retro-futuristic visuals meld together 2D and 3D graphics for a hand-drawn, vintage anime vibe, taking a clear influence from the likes of Astroboy and Ranma ½.
Although the eye-catching visuals are easily the most stand-out part of the game at first impression, the asymmetrical co-op gameplay also looks to be a fast-paced treat for fans of titles like Split Fiction. Plus, that synthwave soundtrack sounds like it’s going to slap.
7
Reanimal
13th November | Tarsier Studios | Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series X/S
The original creators of Little Nightmares are back with another horror release packed with subtextual scares in the form of co-op survival game Reanimal. Playing as a part of a sibling duo, your goal is to trek across an atmospheric landscape overrun with body-horror-inspired monsters after a devastating flood.
While you can play Reanimal solo in a single-player mode, you might have more luck outrunning monsters, navigating unknown landscapes, and fighting to stay alive with a friend over either local or online multiplayer.
Just be ready to stick close together, as Reanimal doesn’t actually offer a nice split-screen mode à la It Takes Two. Instead, you’re going to be stuck claustrophobically close with a single, shared camera. Nice.
6
Starsand Island
1st February | Seed Lab | PC, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
2025 was a big year for cosy gaming, and with the arrival of games like the much-anticipated Starsand Island, 2026 will be too.
At face value, you might expect Starsand Island’s gameplay features to mostly mirror simulators like Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons, where you mostly focus on farming the land, tending to livestock, and getting to know the local villagers. Naturally, all of that is a part of Starsand Island, but the simulator also goes a lot further, offering an expansive build mode and a lot of island exploration.
The sweet, Studio Ghibli-coded life simulator has been making major waves since it was announced. It harbours more than half a million wishlists on Steam, and raised more than $300,000 USD in its Kickstarter campaign, surpassing every one of its stretch goals. Its launch is going to be huge. And, it’s going to offer online and cross-platform multiplayer modes for a bit of collaborative farming fun.
5
The Duskbloods
2026 | FromSoftware | Switch 2
In a rather unlikely turn of events, Elden Ring’s FromSoftware is bringing a vampiric multiplayer RPG exclusively to the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
From the trailer alone, Hidetaka Miyazaki’s slick (and incredibly creepy-looking) gothic role-playing game promises tonnes of high-fantasy gameplay and lore, alongside a suitably twisted take on vampires, shapeshifters, and seemingly, steampunk knights flying around the skies.
In addition to the general fantasy-horror worldbuilding, we also know that The Duskbloods is going to offer multiplayer support for up to eight players at a time. If you can find eight other people who own a Switch 2, that is. Console-exclusivity surprises aside, The Duskbloods has generated a lot of hype since its announcement back in April 2025, and is set to be a huge release for 2026.
4
Rhythm Heaven Groove
2026 | Nintendo | Switch
The first entry to the Rhythm Heaven series in over a decade is hotly anticipated. Long-term fans have waited a long time for the series’ return. Meanwhile, for many, it’ll be their first taste of Ko Takeuchi’s musical microgame mania, thanks to the long gap between releases.
In case you’re in the camp of Rhythm Heaven newbies, titles in the series tend to fall somewhere between WarioWare and Taiko no Tatsujin.
You bump your way along to tiny rhythm games set to an original score written by music producer Tsunku, where you’ll mostly find yourself playing golf with monkeys, protecting wild ferrets from wilder footballs, and swimming around among microscopic amoeba. It’s adorable – but also incredibly, remarkably frustrating. Considering yourselves warned.
Several Rhythm Heaven games, like Rhythm Heaven Fever, Rhythm Tengoku, and Rhythm Heaven Megamix, also offer multiplayer modes where you can team up with a friend to keep to the beat. It’ll be exciting to see what Rhythm Heaven Groove has to offer to the world of couch co-op gaming in the near future, when it finally lands on Nintendo Switch.
3
Scott Pilgrim EX
2026 | Tribute Games Inc. | PC, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox X/S
It’s the year 20XX, and Toronto is falling. Three rival gangs – the Vegans, the Robots, and the Demons – have all taken over the city, and unfortunately, it’s up to Scott Pilgrim to stop them. Borrowing beats from classic fighters like the River City franchise or Streets of Rage, this retro-style 2D fighting game is one of the most anticipated indie games of 2026.
Scott Pilgrim EX is an exciting release for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it’s being developed by Tribute Games, which is an independent studio founded by former Ubisoft employees. Ubisoft created the original Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game back in 2010, so this means that some of the crew who worked on the earlier release are returning to rehash the IP.
For example, the upcoming 2D fighter features new pixel art by Paul Robertson and an original soundtrack by chiptune legends Anamanaguchi. And, of course, the game follows an all-new storyline written by the series’ original creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley.
Another reason to look forward to Scott Pilgrim EX is its multiplayer mode. If the first Scott Pilgrim game is anything to go by, then EX’s local and online co-op modes are set to be a crowd pleaser – and the game will likely be pretty tough to beat alone. So, be prepared to buddy up as you beat your way through Toronto.
2
Grand Theft Auto VI
November 19th | Rockstar Games | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
It’s not safe to say that it definitely won’t get postponed again, potentially even pushing it into 2027’s release calendar, but it probably is safe to say that Grand Theft Auto VI is one of the most anticipated games of 2026.
Grand Theft Auto VI sees not only a return to the franchise for the first time in 13 years, but also a return to Leonida’s own Vice City. The open-world action-adventure game follows criminal couple Lucia and Jason as they roam around a fictionalised take on Florida, getting tangled up in a major criminal conspiracy along the way.
Multiplayer gaming may not be the main reason why Grand Theft Auto VI is so hotly anticipated, but equally, the Grand Theft Auto series is no stranger to multiplayer gameplay. Earlier titles like San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV both offered co-op modes, while Grand Theft Auto Online goes as far as offering support for up to 30 players at a time.
According to leaks shared back in 2025, Grand Theft Auto VI may also offer a massively multiplayer gameplay experience – or at the very least, a title codenamed GTA6MP is aiming to support up to 96 players in the future. So, Leonida could be looking a little crowded come November.
1
Pokopia
March 5th | Nintendo | Switch 2, Switch with GameShare
The Pokémon franchise has a long history of multiplayer gaming, ranging from the iconic Pokémon battles from the mainline series all the way to Pokémon Stadium’s peculiar multiplayer party games. But in 2026, Pokémon is ready to charter new territory with its first life simulator.
In a super cosy take on the monster-battling series, Pokopia gives you the chance to lay off the battle tactics and instead repurpose all your favourite HMs and TMs to build the ideal island paradise.
Instead of fighting it out with other Pokémon, you play as a diligent Ditto who spends their days crafting, terraforming, and completing quests on behalf of all the Dragonites and Squirtles that swing by. Think along the lines of Story of Seasons or Hello Kitty: Island Adventure, but with the Pokémon IP attached.
Not only will you be able to spend time in your Pokémon habitat with other players, but you’ll also be able to share your copy with friends at no extra cost via the Switch 2’s GameShare feature. That includes any pals who are still playing on the classic Nintendo Switch.
