Chained Beasts GuideUnofficial arena companionSteam

Co-op and crossplay

Chained Beasts is built for a crew. You can fight alone, share a couch, or chain up online across PC and consoles. Here is what is supported, what you need, and where to find people.

1–4 playersOnline crossplayUpdated 17 Oct 2026
Quick answer: 1–4 players, online co-op with cross-platform play, shared/split-screen couch co-op, and Game Pass on Xbox and Windows PC. On PC, same-screen co-op needs at least one gamepad. There is no PvP at launch.

Ways to play

Online

Cross-platform co-op

Team up with up to four players online across Steam, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch. The developers describe online crossplay as a launch feature.

Couch

Shared / split-screen

Play locally with shared or split-screen co-op. On PC, at least one connected gamepad is required for same-screen play.

Solo

Fight alone

The game supports single-player. The chain still matters; you just have fewer people to blame when it goes wrong.

Game Pass

Xbox and Windows PC

Chained Beasts launched day one on Game Pass for Xbox and Windows PC, alongside the paid Steam, PS5 and Switch versions.

What you need for couch co-op

  • A controller for same-screen play on PC. The Steam requirements explicitly say at least one gamepad is required for same-screen co-op.
  • Full controller support. The store page lists full controller support and recommends a gamepad.
  • Steam Remote Play Together is supported if you want to stream a local session to a friend.

Crossplay: what is confirmed

The Steam store page lists Cross-Platform Multiplayer, and the developers' launch announcement describes “online crossplay” across PC and consoles. That means a PC player and a console player should be able to share an online lobby.

Crossplay does not automatically mean cross-progression. Steam Cloud is supported on Steam, but a single account carrying progress across every platform is not something the official launch material confirms. Treat progression as platform-specific unless the developers say otherwise.

Finding a crew

  • Official Discord. The developers point players to the Featherweight Discord for co-op crews and feedback.
  • Friends-first. The game is at its best when you can talk. The chain punishes silent, independent movement.
  • Same platform is the safest fallback. If crossplay gives you trouble, test a same-platform lobby first to isolate the cause.
Official Discord: discord.gg/3qKKQ52P4W. Use it for co-op crews, bug reports and patch discussion.

If crossplay is not working

There is no official crossplay troubleshooting page in the launch material, so these are general steps, not confirmed fixes:

  1. Make sure every player is on the same game version.
  2. Confirm each console has the required online subscription.
  3. Restart the game and the lobby after a failed invite.
  4. Try a same-platform lobby to isolate crossplay from a general connection problem.
  5. Check the official Discord for current outage reports before changing settings.

PvP is planned, not live

The launch game is co-op PvE. The developers' roadmap lists aPvP mode for Q1 2027, with more skills and afflictions planned around it. Do not buy the game expecting player-versus-player at launch.

Grab the right platform

Steam, Game Pass, PS5 and Switch all launched on 15 October 2026.

SteamGame Pass / XboxCombat guide