Exciting 8-Player Co-Op Mode Coming to One of 2026’s Top Games

Big Hops made its debut at the beginning of this year and has quickly become one of my top picks for 2026. Excitingly, even though it wasn’t originally designed for multiplayer, Big Hops is set to introduce a chaotic eight-player online co-op mode, allowing you and your friends to tackle the entire game together.

Director Chris Wade shared the news on social media, confirming that this free multiplayer update will launch on August 9. According to a post on Steam, the multiplayer mode will feature the complete game, preserving all the mechanics and elements from the original experience.

Integrating eight-player multiplayer into a game is no small feat. Wade mentioned in our conversation after the announcement that adding co-op to Big Hops proved to be even more complex than usual.

“When I was developing the base game, I never considered it would eventually have a multiplayer aspect, so a lot of the game’s code had to be rewritten to make it work,” Wade explained. “This included player movement, the UI, progression tracking, saving, cutscene displays, scene loading, every single veggie, minecarts, and much more.”

He added, “Our team had no prior experience with multiplayer games, so we had to learn everything from scratch like novice developers. One of the toughest challenges was not knowing if it would even be feasible, spending the first two months hoping and trusting that I could solve all the unique design issues.”

Fortunately, the team has successfully implemented the feature, and you can give it a try now before the official launch on August 9. Simply load up the game on Steam and activate the “Together” beta branch to experience the co-op mode today.

Wade explained that the update is initially exclusive to Steam because it’s “easier to focus” on a single platform. He acknowledged that some of the bugs present at launch were due to “spreading ourselves too thin.” Additionally, he noted that playtesting is more straightforward on Steam, and the platform’s ability to support different branches for testing features is quite beneficial.

Big Hops is available now, offering a fantastic 3D platforming experience filled with exciting tongue-swinging action and stunning visuals. And come August 9, you and your friends can dive into the adventure together on Steam.