Launched on June 13, 2025, The Alters has been a silently successful title this week with glowing launch reviews. Developed by 11 Bit Studios and now available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (including Xbox Game Pass Ultimate).
But with its emphasis on base-building and survival, there is one question that needs to be answered. Does The Alters have multiplayer or any kind of co-op? It would make sense since it looks and plays like a game you could enjoy with friends. But you might be surprised.
The Alters seems like a great game, but can you play it with friends?
So, does The Alters have multiplayer or any kind of co-op? The short and definitive answer is: no, it does not have online or local multiplayer. The Alters was designed to be a solo experience. In the game, we follow Jan Dolski, a lone miner stranded on a dangerous planet who creates alternate versions of himself called Alters to survive.
Five years of work, a team of just over 40 people and one strange, personal story about survival.
We couldn’t have been more humbled by the reception that the game has received so far!
A big THANK YOU for meeting #TheAlters with such a warm heart đ pic.twitter.com/liTkuy40CG
â The Alters | OUT NOW đ (@altersgame) June 13, 2025
Of course, this introduces a team-based dynamic like the ones weâve seen in games like Fallout Shelter. What this means is that in the vault/shelter, every character is still Jan, and controlling or managing these variants is part of the gameâs intended introspective experience.
That hasnât stopped fans from speculating on how co-op might work. Imagine if there were a co-op mode or something that didnât interfere with the story, where your friends could take control of an Alter to assist in managing tasks or go out to explore. We only suggest a co-op mode as a completely separate experience because multiplayer as part of the main game wouldnât work.
if you’re looking for something a bit different, don’t sleep on The Alters.
A challenging and uniquely weird sci-fi game.
In short: Fallout Shelter in 3D with a cool story, choices that matter, and a dash of Death Stranding. I highly recommend! pic.twitter.com/SNJtuzsRhx
â Jake Baldino (@JakeBaldino) June 12, 2025
We wouldnât feel the gameâs emotional weight and personal storytelling if the story itself were playable in co-op. As u/RBrim08 says, âa huge part of the game is understanding the difficulties the Alters have with the situation theyâre in. Being able to play one of them would take away from that.â
The game simply wasnât designed with co-op in mind
Thereâs also a big reason why multiplayer wouldnât work well in The Alters. A lot of the game is about resource management, relationship-building with your alter-egos, and making strategic decisions that have long-term consequences. Giving part of that to another player could reduce the pressure and remove the intended difficulty of managing all aspects yourself.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: The Alters
Fallout Shelter meets Death Stranding meets Survival
I’m about 3 hours into The Alters and right from the first ten minutes I knew this game is right up my alley. This is a survival story game mixed in with a deep base building mechanic that is⊠pic.twitter.com/tRk6WT7ELy
â Synth Potatođ„ (@SynthPotato) June 13, 2025
There is, of course, always the possibility that multiplayer could come in the future. Itâs clear that the current version of The Alters is designed as a single-player game. But we also havenât heard anything from the devs about future plans for the game. Maybe the upcoming confirmed DLC could add some sort of multiplayer.
If we were to get co-op, it would have to be designed in a way that doesnât sabotage the design of the game. So, does The Alters have online or local multiplayer? No. And for good reason.
Have you tried out The Alters yet? What are your thoughts so far? Let us know in the comments!
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
