01Forza Horizon 5: shared-screen-friendly open world driving great for friend groups who love casual co-op
STEAM DEAL · 60% OFF
Forza Horizon 5
Pick it up at the current discount if you want a low-pressure arcade racer to enjoy with friends online, but expect grind for specific cars and an interface that pushes DLC and live events.
Game highlights
Mexico open world with weekly evolving seasons
The campaign drops you into a large map spanning deserts, jungles, canyons, beaches, and a snow-capped volcano. Dynamic seasons change weather and activities roughly every week, so routes and events keep shifting rather than feeling static. That cadence is what keeps free roam from going stale after the main story is done.
Hundreds of cars and broad accessibility on PC
The roster covers roughly nine hundred vehicles ranging from commuter hatchbacks to hypercars, and the handling model is forgiving enough for beginners while still rewarding careful tuning. Full controller and wheel support, broad system requirements, and stable online performance make it easy to drop in for short sessions, which suits couch co-op style evenings over voice chat.
Online co-op through Horizon Arcade, Open, and community gift drops
Horizon Arcade chains short mini-games between players without menus or lobbies, while Horizon Open and Tours let you roam and race with strangers or friends. Community Gift Drops and EventLab races mean user-made content extends what you actually do together. Multiplayer is clearly treated as a first-class feature rather than a bolted-on mode.
Seasonal challenges and Forzathon-style live events
Weekly and monthly challenges feed back into a live reward loop that returns you to the game on a predictable rhythm. All seasonal content is included without a paid battle pass, so progression in the live mode is sold separately only for the premium expansion and car packs. That separation is what makes the loop digestible for players who log in a few times a week.
Car customization with EventLab stunts
Car tuning and livery editing are deep enough to support full creative expression, and EventLab lets players build their own races, stunts, and game modes. Convertible roofs, brake caliper colors, and community sharing of creations extend the visual sandbox beyond the official roster. The catch is that some race types still force specific car classes, limiting tuning along the road for those events.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Players consistently call the driving feel forgiving yet satisfying, especially on controller, making it approachable for casual groups
- The visual presentation and broad PC optimization draw steady feedback that roads, roadsides, and lighting hold up well into 2025
- Online free roam and Horizon Arcade are repeatedly cited as the main reason friends keep coming back together
- Weekly seasonal events and Forzathon-style challenges are valued because they give short, repeatable goals without mandatory grinding
Where the friction shows
- Several reviewers warn about aggressive DLC car packs and premium currency pushes that break the sandbox fantasy
- Repetitive race design and time-gated seasonal content are cited as making the mid-game feel like a grind
- Login and matchmaking bugs have reportedly blocked some buyers from reaching the main menu at all
- Mandatory car class restrictions in certain events frustrate players who want to use their tuned builds
Is it worth buying?
At $23.99 USD versus a $59.99 USD regular price, the 60% off discount meaningfully lowers the entry cost for a sprawling racer you mainly want to enjoy with friends. Buy now if your group already plans to play online together, since the co-op loop is the strongest selling point. If you mainly want a single-player campaign or you dislike live-service menus pushing DLC cars at you, wait for a deeper discount or watch a recent video first to see how the interface and grind land for you.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$23.99，down from $59.99（60% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friend groups who want a low-pressure online racer to drop into for short sessions
- Players who enjoy exploring a big open world together rather than chasing ranked competition
- Controller and wheel users who want a forgiving driving model with room to tune
- Car enthusiasts who like collecting and customizing hundreds of vehicles
- Casual creators who enjoy building EventLab races and stunts to share with friends
Probably not for you
- Solo players who want a tightly written narrative campaign rather than a live event loop
- Players who dislike grinding for specific cars or chasing seasonal time-gated rewards
- Anyone frustrated by login or matchmaking bugs that can block access at launch
- Racers who prefer realistic simulation handling over arcade drift stunts
02Solasta: Crown of the Magister — a faithful D&D 5.1 tactical RPG ideal for tabletop groups running co-op campaigns
STEAM DEAL · 90% OFF
Solasta: Crown of the Magister
A strong pickup for groups who want turn-based tactical combat that actually respects the 5.1 ruleset, especially at this steep discount; solo players craving deep branching narrative should look elsewhere.
Game highlights
Faithful 5.1 ruleset and verticality-driven combat
Solasta runs on the SRD 5.1 Ruleset under a Wizards of the Coast license, so attack-of-opportunity rules, surprise rolls, and spell components behave like a tabletop session. Combat is explicitly turn-based and squad-level, with vertical positioning as a real tactical layer: characters can climb, jump, fly, push columns onto foes, or drop enemies into chasms. Light and darkness also matter mechanically, since some monsters have darkvision and torches can attract or repel certain creatures. For players who already know 5E, the loop feels immediately familiar rather than re-learned.
Four-hero parties with classic tabletop character creation
You build a party of four adventurers choosing race, class, personality, and rolled stats, then make choices in dialog that branch based on those backstories. The official page notes that post-launch updates raised the level cap to 12 and added level 6 spells, scars and facial paints, plus a tutorial-skip option. Magic has dedicated chants and animations that can be toggled off in settings, which helps when running long dungeon crawls. Note that multiclass and respec are not available in this title, so early decisions lock a hero in for the campaign.
Dungeon Maker and user content extend replay value
The in-game Dungeon Maker lets you lay out rooms, set monster composition, loot, lighting, decoration, and music, then share the result. Newer Dungeon Maker systems add custom NPCs, merchants, quest/dialog hooks, custom loot tables, and a Campaign Creator that bundles multiple dungeons with custom monsters and items. Steam Workshop support and cross-platform multiplayer are listed categories, so user-made campaigns can travel with the group. Combined with the Primal Calling content and Lost Valley campaign, there is a meaningful amount of solo or co-op content beyond the main story.
Online co-op that supports the official campaigns and user dungeons
Multiplayer support is online co-op and is compatible with the official Crown of the Magister and Lost Valley campaigns, Primal Calling content, and Custom Campaigns built with the Dungeon Maker. Cross-Platform Multiplayer is listed as a category, so groups on different PCs can play together. Save-anywhere and adjustable difficulty make it easier to schedule sessions around real life. The co-op layer is the main reason groups tend to pick this over single-player-only tactical RPGs.
Free post-launch updates that meaningfully expand the game
Tactical Adventures shipped the level cap raise to 12, new customization, an optional harder final boss, surprise-system rebalancing, crafting feats, and additional Dungeon Maker environments after launch. Spellcasting chants and a new cast animation for spellcasters were added and can be disabled in options. These updates shipped to all owners without an extra purchase, so the base game is more fleshed out than at launch. It is worth checking the patch notes before starting, since some long-standing complaints have been partially addressed.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Groups consistently describe the online co-op as a smooth way to run a tabletop-style campaign with friends, and the Dungeon Maker plus Workshop support gives groups nearly endless user-made content to play through together.
- Many D&D veterans call Solasta the most faithful 5E adaptation available, praising how surprise rounds, opportunity attacks, and vertical positioning make combat feel genuinely tactical rather than streamlined.
- Long-term players highlight the magic animations, soundtrack, and the charm of a scrappier production that still captures the feeling of a home tabletop campaign run by a passionate DM.
- The adjustable difficulty is repeatedly mentioned as a way to approximate house rules, letting experienced players crank up challenge while newcomers tune encounters down.
Where the friction shows
- A large share of negative reviews complain that roughly half of the races, classes, and character options are locked behind paid DLC, which feels punishing in a game built around character creation.
- Multiple players report lost or missing save files, sometimes after dozens of hours, which has pushed some to stop playing or request refunds until the issue is fixed.
- Recurring bug reports describe fights or scripted moments breaking and forcing reloads of 20–30 minutes, leading to advice to manual-save constantly instead of relying on quicksaves.
- Several reviewers note the campaign is heavily linear with very few meaningful story choices, and that dialog often plays out as cutscenes with random party interjections rather than branching conversation.
Is it worth buying?
At $2.99 against a $29.99 regular price (90% off), the base game is a low-risk entry for groups curious about 5E combat and the Dungeon Maker. The price is attractive even if you end up adding one or two DLCs later, since the bundle has historically gone on deep sale too. Worth holding off only if save-corrupting bugs or the DLC-gated character options are dealbreakers for you; in that case, wait for a patch or a deeper bundle discount rather than buying blind.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$2.99，down from $29.99（90% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Tabletop D&D groups who want a digital campaign to run between in-person sessions and value authentic rules over cinematic presentation
- Crews of 2–4 friends looking for online co-op tactical combat with adjustable difficulty and save-anywhere convenience
- Dungeon Masters and worldbuilders who enjoy the Dungeon Maker, Steam Workshop sharing, and the new Campaign Creator features
- Players who enjoy systems-heavy turn-based combat and want real verticality, light/darkness mechanics, and positional tactics
- Long-session players who do not mind 30+ hour commitments and can tolerate occasional manual-saving to dodge progress loss
Probably not for you
- Players who want a heavily narrative-driven RPG with branching dialog and meaningful story choices, since the main campaign is largely linear
- Anyone uncomfortable with paid DLC gating many base races, classes, and character-building options behind extra purchases
- Players seeking short, pick-up sessions, because encounters and dungeons tend to run long and progress is best in multi-hour blocks
- Refund-sensitive players worried by repeated reports of lost save files and combat-breaking bugs that require reloads
- Players who prefer cinematic presentation, since visuals, voice acting, and scripting are noticeably rougher than big-budget RPGs
03Construction Simulator: best with friends co-op on heavy machines, not as a hands-on building sandbox
STEAM DEAL · 90% OFF
Construction Simulator
Pick it up if you want a relaxed co-op session operating big machines with up to three friends, and you can stomach the awkward tutorial and some repetitive grinding. At $2.49 against a $24.99 regular price it is an easy impulse buy for the right group, but solo players expecting a detailed building sandbox will feel underwhelmed.
Game highlights
Two-map campaign with 90+ contracts
Official details confirm Friedenberg (a Southwest Germany-inspired setting focused on renewable energy and urban work) and Sunny Haven (an American-style harbor town needing revitalization) together offer more than 90 contracts in the base package, with seasonal and tourist-area additions pushed through post-release updates bringing the total past 100. The variety in contract types, from paving roads to installing wind infrastructure, gives groups a long checklist to chew through.
Licensed 80+ vehicle roster
The advertised fleet covers over 80 licensed machines from brands including Caterpillar, Liebherr, MAN, Scania, Wacker Neuson, Doosan and Palfinger, plus post-release additions like the Wacker Neuson EW100 wheel excavator and a fuel/repair service vehicle. Swappable buckets and tools on select excavators let you adapt to surprises on site, and the breadth of the roster is a big reason groups keep coming back to try new jobs.
Crossplay co-op for up to four players
Official store pages list online co-op with crossplay between PC and consoles, including voice chat, for groups of up to four (one host plus three friends). Reviews repeatedly highlight playing the campaign with friends as the main hook, with jobs feeling meaningfully different when one person drives the excavator and another runs the dump truck.
Mentor-led onboarding and quality-of-life updates
Your in-game mentor Hape walks you through starting a business, and free post-launch updates have added terrain reworks, increased vehicle hall capacity, a flashlight, and a new tourist area. The onboarding still leans heavily on a tutorial mission chain that several players found clunky or buggy on first attempt, so expect a slow start before the actual contracts click.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Co-op with friends, especially voice-chat sessions where players split roles like excavator operator and dump truck driver, is the most consistently praised experience.
- The licensed machinery roster and how recognizable the real-world brands feel in-game comes up frequently as a highlight.
- The low-pressure, jobs-driven loop works well as a wind-down activity between harder games.
- Free post-launch content such as new machines, maps and seasonal contracts keeps long-time players returning.
Where the friction shows
- The tutorial and early controls are described as awkward, overly sensitive, or outright broken by multiple recent reviewers.
- Heavy repetition sets in quickly: many players report that after roughly ten hours the loop is mostly driving, digging foundations and pouring concrete over and over.
- The camera system, including forced automatic angles, is a recurring complaint that makes precision work frustrating.
- Several buyers expected a hands-on building sandbox and felt misled, since walls and structures often snap into place instead of being placed piece by piece.
Is it worth buying?
At the observed $2.49 against a $24.99 list price in USD, the dollar-to-content ratio is high for a friends-first co-op buy, but only if you actually plan to drag one to three other people into the cab. Solo buyers who want a deep building simulator will likely bounce off the hand-holding automation and tutorial friction, so waiting for an even deeper cut or grabbing it only as a cheap group side-activity is the safer call.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$2.49，down from $24.99（90% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Groups of two to four friends who want a low-pressure co-op session operating heavy machinery
- Players who enjoy vehicle sims and licensed-brand rosters like truck or crane games
- Wind-down gaming where repetitive, job-by-job progression feels relaxing rather than punishing
- Anyone curious about the genre and willing to tolerate a clunky tutorial for cheap
- Returning franchise fans who want the expanded map and machine updates over earlier entries
Probably not for you
- Solo players expecting a detailed, hand-placed building sandbox
- Anyone sensitive to janky controls, forced camera angles, or an unstable tutorial
- Players who dislike repetitive grinding around digging, pouring and hauling the same materials
- Buyers hoping for realistic construction physics or punishing simulation depth
- Those without a stable co-op group, since the campaign is widely reported to feel thin when played alone
04War of Rights: 400-player Civil War line battles built for organized squads and dedicated reenactors
STEAM DEAL · 50% OFF
War of Rights
War of Rights is a deep Civil War multiplayer sim that rewards players who join a regiment and learn line tactics, but its slow early-access pace, small population, and gated communities make it a poor fit for anyone wanting quick public matches. Pick it up on sale only if you plan to commit to a group.
Game highlights
400-player line battles
The official pitch centers on massive 400-player engagements on period-accurate maps from Antietam, South Mountain, and the Siege of Harpers Ferry. Skirmishes, Conquest, Contention, and Picket Patrol are built specifically to support large formations rather than lonewolf play. The 3D in-game voice system is designed to carry orders across a company in real time.
Formation-based teamplay mechanics
Sticking together in line matters because a custom formation buff system reduces suppression, lowers morale penalties from deaths, and speeds up flag-bearer respawns. Players can fill Private, NCO, Flag Bearer, Drummer, Bugler, Fifer, or Officer slots inside 135 researched regiments, which means coordination is mechanically rewarded over solo heroics.
Branch variety and command layer
You can fight as infantry on the line, screen the advance as cavalry, or work an artillery crew, with each branch using period-correct weapons and manuals of arms. Officers further up the chain receive a real-time map and reports, then push orders down to regimental leaders who can follow or defy them, giving the match a layered command structure rather than flat team deathmatch.
Historical detail over flash
The developers lean hard on authenticity: 47 recreated skirmish areas, period-correct uniforms and weapon handling, regimental customization from Private to Colonel, and CRYENGINE-powered visuals for the Maryland Campaign of September 1862. Drill Camp areas let new players practice forming up before joining a real battle, signaling a deliberate learning curve.
Early-access reality
War of Rights has been in development since 2013, Kickstarter-funded by 2015, and is still labeled an alpha, with content like cavalry only recently arriving after years of promises. Several long-time backers note that progress is slow and that some cosmetic bugs linger for years, so patience and community involvement are part of the package.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Historical authenticity in uniforms, drill, and Civil War atmosphere is widely praised by reenactors and mil-sim fans.
- Line formation gameplay and 3D voice comms create memorable large-scale coordinated pushes when a regiment works together.
- The slow reload pace and smoke-heavy fights reward patience and positioning rather than twitch reflexes.
Where the friction shows
- Populated servers are often password-protected clans, leaving public queues sparse and unwelcoming to casual drop-ins.
- Persistent bugs (stuck bayonet prompts, visual glitches) have gone unfixed for years according to multiple long-time players.
- Voice chat and admin behavior on some public servers include slurs, petty teamkill kicks, and bans that frustrate new players.
- A decade of early access with major features like cavalry only recently shipping has left parts of the community feeling directionless and the population shrinking.
Is it worth buying?
At $14.99 USD, a 50% discount off the $29.99 regular price, this is a reasonable entry point if you intend to join a regimental community and grind the learning curve, but the slow early-access pace, gated full servers, and bug backlog mean casual solo players should wait for a deeper discount or pass entirely.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$14.99，down from $29.99（50% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Civil War reenactors and history buffs who want period-accurate tactics and uniforms
- Players joining an established regiment or company willing to drill and learn formation play
- Mil-sim fans comfortable with 30-second reloads and smoke-heavy, slow-paced firefights
- Squad leaders who enjoy organizing 50+ players through voice comms and orders
- Early-access supporters who enjoy watching a crowdfunded project evolve over years
Probably not for you
- Casual players wanting quick public matches without joining a clan
- Anyone unwilling to spend weeks learning drill, voice comms etiquette, and formation discipline
- Players who need a polished, bug-free release rather than a decade-long alpha
- Solo-only gamers, since the experience is designed around coordinated company play
- Those sensitive to unmoderated voice chat or aggressive admin moderation on public servers
05Dino Party – affordable 4-player couch and online brawler ideal for rowdy friend groups and family game nights
STEAM DEAL · 30% OFF
Dino Party
Dino Party is an easy recommend if you already have a regular couch crew or Discord group to fill 2–4 slots, since its chaotic minigames and simple combat controls deliver quick, replayable rounds. Solo players or anyone relying on matchmaking, however, will likely bounce off long empty lobby waits.
Game highlights
2–4 player chaos across modes
The game ships with 15 unique minigames spread across 35 maps, supporting both free-for-all and team-based formats like 2v2 soccer brawls. Players can jump in locally on a single couch, online with friends, or use Steam Remote Play Together so only one person needs to own it. That flexibility is the core of the package, and reviewers consistently describe it as the reason to grab a copy.
Single shared moveset across every minigame
Your punch, shield, and ground-pound moves stay identical regardless of the mode, so new players can pick up the basics in minutes and then chase higher-skill plays like chained punches or well-timed stomps. Several reviewers called out that the simplicity hides real depth, making it approachable for kids while still leaving room for competitive play. It is a deliberate design choice that lowers the onboarding cost for mixed-skill groups.
Dino customization with unlockable cosmetics
Matches reward gold that you spend on colors, patterns, accessories, and other cosmetic pieces to dress up your dinosaur. The developers seed you with enough starting currency to buy one or two items immediately, which keeps early sessions visually distinct. Families and friend groups especially noted enjoying the look-changing between rounds.
Strong fit for living-room hardware
Full controller support is baked in, with DualShock, DualSense, and gamepad recommendations listed in the Steam categories. One reviewer specifically praised how well it runs on a Steam Machine in the living room, and parents reported kids as young as five staying competitive. That console-style pickup-and-play feel is a real selling point for couch setups.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Quick, chaotic rounds that work perfectly for short evening sessions with friends or family
- Customization system and starting currency make each player feel distinct from match one
- Simple controls that younger kids can grasp while still allowing skilled players to pull off advanced combos
- Strong value at the discounted price point given the amount of content and modes shipped
Where the friction shows
- Online matchmaking is effectively dead, with multiple players reporting 20+ minute lobby waits and only one or zero opponents found
- Small overall player base makes anything beyond local or friend-invite play frustrating
- Content variety, while solid for a first release from a two-person studio, can feel thin over long play sessions
Is it worth buying?
At $8.39 (down from $11.99, a 30% discount) it is an easy impulse buy for anyone with a couch partner or friend group ready to go, especially given the Remote Play Together option. If you primarily want online matchmaking against strangers, the empty lobbies reported by recent buyers make it a wait-and-see pick until the player base grows.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$8.39，down from $11.99（30% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Friend groups of 2–4 looking for a quick couch or online party game
- Families with mixed-age kids who want something easy to pick up
- Discord game-night hosts who only need one copy thanks to Remote Play Together
- Players who enjoy Mario Party-style minigame collections with simple combat
- Couch setups with controllers where plug-and-play matters more than depth
Probably not for you
- Solo players hoping for reliable online matchmaking against strangers
- Anyone wanting a deep single-player or progression-heavy experience
- Players sensitive to thin online populations on small indie launches
- Groups larger than four players since the mode cap stops there
06Dagger Directive co-op tactical FPS for patient squads who miss old-school Delta Force sandbox missions
STEAM DEAL · 25% OFF
Dagger Directive
Dagger Directive rewards patient squads willing to tolerate early-access friction: the sandbox-style mission design and shared tactical loadouts are fun, but enemy awareness, missing iron sights, long walks between objectives, and solo AI gaps make it harder to recommend for single players or anyone expecting modern polish.
Game highlights
Sandbox-style tactical missions with loadout and time-of-day freedom
Official details confirm each mission offers a large open area with multiple entry points, foliage for concealment, and destructible lights, letting you pick your approach before stepping off. You can breach with an underbarrel shotgun, clear angles with suppressed SMGs, or take long-range shots, and you choose the time of day per operation. The tactical variety is the core reason groups keep coming back together for another run.
Full online co-op across the 15-mission early-access campaign
Dagger Directive ships with full online co-op multiplayer so a squad can coordinate flanks, share gear, and revive each other across the three theaters: Bering Sea, South Pacific, and Eastern Europe. Reviewers consistently describe playing with a friend as the strongest way to enjoy the sandbox, especially when one player spots while the other repositions. Solo players, by contrast, get no friendly AI teammates, which several reviewers call a 2026 regression.
25+ weapons and deep tactical gear sandbox
The store page lists 25+ customizable weapons with attachments, plus drones, tripwires, mines, and multiple grenade types for layered setups. Bullet weight, velocity, and ricochet physics are simulated in real time, so engagements reward adjusting scopes for distance and leading moving targets. A planned mission editor, Free Play Mode, and Steam Workshop support are slated for post-launch updates, expanding the sandbox further.
Old-school visuals with grounded, weighty gunplay
The official description leans into 'modern mechanics and old school graphics,' and the detailed page emphasizes real-time bullet physics, suppression, and environmental tools like tall grass and shadows. Several players who grew up on Delta Force describe the look and gunfeel as the headline draw, even when other systems frustrate them. Binocular use is called out by reviewers as one of the better implementations in the genre.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- Squads enjoy coordinating flanks, drone distractions, and loadout swaps in online co-op across the three theaters.
- Players who grew up with late-90s and early-2000s tactical shooters praise the Delta Force-style sandbox and weighty gunfeel.
- Multiple reviewers highlight binoculars as a genuinely useful tool, which is rare in the genre.
- Missions reward experimentation with time-of-day, stealth routes, and attachment setups, encouraging replayability with the same squad.
Where the friction shows
- Enemies seem to detect players through grass, crops, and bushes, breaking stealth and pushing players toward long-range sniping.
- AI difficulty is uneven, with enemies either barely firing on Normal or landing one-tap shots across the map on Hard.
- Players report missing iron sights on pistols and several weapons, plus bugs where co-op partners join without HUD, objectives, or sync.
- Several missions require walking multiple kilometers between objectives and extraction with no vehicles, slowing pacing.
Is it worth buying?
At $14.99 (25% off the $19.99 regular price), Dagger Directive is reasonable for patient co-op groups who specifically want a Delta Force-flavored sandbox and accept early-access warts. If you mostly play solo, want modern AI behavior, or dislike long on-foot treks between objectives, waiting for a deeper sale or more post-launch updates is the safer call.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$14.99，down from $19.99（25% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Squads of 2-4 friends who coordinate flanks and loadouts in online co-op
- Players who enjoy old-school tactical shooters like Delta Force and want a modern remake of that feel
- Tinkerers who like swapping attachments and experimenting with drone, mine, and grenade setups before each mission
- Slow, methodical players comfortable with long walks, patience, and per-mission time-of-day planning
- Players interested in a future-proof sandbox with a promised mission editor, Free Play Mode, and Steam Workshop support
Probably not for you
- Solo players who expect friendly AI squadmates, since none are present in the current build
- Anyone who wants reliable stealth, because enemies frequently spot players through grass and crops
- Players who dislike very long on-foot marches between objectives without vehicles
- Players sensitive to early-access bugs such as missing iron sights, broken co-op sync, and severe framerate drops
- Anyone expecting modern, consistent enemy AI difficulty across Normal and Hard settings
07Holey co-op survival horror pits squads of four against mutated tunnel creatures while scavenging, crafting, and feeding a strange bio-fuel organism
STEAM DEAL · 25% OFF
Holey
Holey is a tense, budget-priced co-op horror worth trying if you have a small crew ready to scream into a microphone, though solo runs and repeated grinding may wear thin quickly. Discounted to $5.99 from $7.99, it offers a clear friends-first experience over a polished one.
Game highlights
Four-player online co-op is the headline mode
Adjustable Difficulty, Camera Comfort options, and Custom Volume Controls are all present, so a co-op group can tune jump intensity before individual scares take hold. Partial Controller Support and DualSense integration are listed, allowing mixed input setups during squad play.
Scavenging and crafting drive the core survival loop
Progressing through trophies requires repeated runs, weapon rebuilds, and revisits to specific enemies, meaning the crafting system doubles as both a survival tool and a grind mechanic.
Atmosphere and creature design land well for the genre
The setting of a collapsed tunnel sheltering a strange biological organism gives Holey a distinct identity compared to generic haunted-house co-op titles, even when other systems feel familiar.
Early Access scope and content limits are real
Some players explicitly said they will return once more content is added, indicating the current package is sized for short bursts rather than long campaigns. Reviewer playtimes cluster between 28 and 450 minutes, which lines up with a focused Early Access scope rather than an expansive release.
Pricing positions it as a low-risk impulse buy
The price undercuts most full-priced co-op horror releases on Steam, and the Family Sharing category means one purchase can cover a household group during Early Access.
What players are saying
What keeps coming up positively
- The friends-first co-op loop produces genuinely tense and funny shared moments, especially when creatures grab teammates unexpectedly.
- Creature designs and the claustrophobic tunnel atmosphere land as memorable, with specific enemies like the dancing ballerina and rat swarms standing out.
- Crafting spears and healing items from scavenged materials gives every expedition tangible goals beyond exploration.
- Indie Early Access ambition is visible, and several players say they will return once more content is added.
Where the friction shows
- Repeated runs turn into a grind, with players reporting they had to rebuild weapons and refight bosses multiple times to finish trophies.
- Some crafted items, like the shotgun, spawn without ammo, creating a frustrating onboarding and mid-run resource gap.
- Visuals and presentation are described as rough by multiple reviewers, with one calling the graphics borderline nausea inducing.
- Several negative reviews dismiss the game as low-effort friendslop with no clear identity beyond Lethal Company-style co-op horror.
Is it worth buying?
At $5.99, down from $7.99, this is a low-stakes buy for a four-person group that already enjoys co-op horror like Lethal Company, but solo players or anyone expecting a polished, content-complete package should wait for further updates. The discount is modest, so there is little urgency beyond catching it during a group session night.
Price checked 2026-10-05：$5.99，down from $7.99（25% off）。Player-fit tags
Good fit
- Small groups of up to four friends who want a quick, scream-into-mic co-op horror session
- Players who enjoy Lethal Company-style scavenging and creature-survival loops
- Players who like light crafting, repeated boss attempts, and trophy-chasing progression
- Co-op nights where short, repeatable runs are preferred over long campaigns
- Friends who enjoy sharing funny jump-scare reactions rather than serious survival depth
Probably not for you
- Solo players looking for a deep single-player horror campaign
- Anyone sensitive to rough or nausea-inducing visuals
- Players who dislike grinding the same bosses and materials to unlock trophies
- Players expecting a polished, content-complete release rather than an Early Access build
Share this article
