- Games
- BattleBlock Theater
Playing together
- Online co-op2 players
- Local co-op2 playersShared screen
- YesOnly between PC systemsFriends on different platforms, such as PC and PlayStation, can play together.
- Not confirmedA friend can join or leave while you are already playing, without starting over.
- Not confirmedFriends play free with a Friend's Pass or similar.
- Steam DeckVerifiedValve's own rating
About the game
You are shipwrecked and imprisoned in a theater where cats make the captives perform dangerous acts. Each stage asks you to collect gems and reach an exit through traps, moving blocks and armed guards. Extra gems and hidden yarn let you unlock prisoners and weapons. A narrator comments on your failures as the story unfolds between chapters.
Two players can finish a separate cooperative campaign online or on one device. The stages change for the pair, so you throw your partner across gaps, offer a hand up and work out how blocks interact. Checkpoints keep failed attempts short, but later jumps need practice. You can also make and share levels. The separate Arena supports four players in competitive minigames.
How it feels
Kind of game
Made for exactly two players. You play set levels or a story from start to end, and every part is built for the pair.
- At its heart
- Now and then
- Tension and danger
- Calm and coziness
- Time to hang out
- Physical comedy
- Rivalry in the group
- Exploring
- Fighting
- Unlocks and progress
- Planning ahead
- Sessions
- Campaign to finish
- About
- Prison break
Rated on our own feel scale. 6 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked BattleBlock Theater
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
Biped
Why it scores 82%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Campaign for two
- Core to both
- Working in sync, Jumping and climbing
- Notable in both
- Laughter and chaos, Puzzles and figuring out, Getting better
- Sessions
- Campaign to finish
- Co-op
- Online and shared-screen local co-op for 2 players
How Biped differs
- Less story than BattleBlock Theater
- 2 online
- 2 shared-screen
- Crossplay
Both are campaigns made for two players. Both need you to talk and act in sync. Both are full of jumping and climbing together.
But less story than BattleBlock Theater.
Bread & Fred
Why it scores 81%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Campaign for two
- Core to both
- Working in sync, Jumping and climbing
- Notable in both
- Laughter and chaos, Getting better
- Sessions
- Campaign to finish
- Co-op
- Online and local co-op for 2 players
How Bread & Fred differs
- More tense than BattleBlock Theater
- 2 online
- 2 on one screen
Both are campaigns made for two players. Both get loud and silly when plans go wrong. Both need you to talk and act in sync.
But more tense than BattleBlock Theater.
ibb & obb
Why it scores 78%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Campaign for two
- Core to both
- Working in sync, Jumping and climbing
- Notable in both
- Puzzles and figuring out, Getting better
- Sessions
- Campaign to finish
- Co-op
- Online and shared-screen local co-op for 2 players
How ibb & obb differs
- Less story than BattleBlock Theater
- 2 online
- 2 shared-screen
Both are campaigns made for two players. Both make you work things out together. Both need you to talk and act in sync.
But less story than BattleBlock Theater.
All co-op facts
Last checked 24 October 2026. The small numbers link to the page that states each fact.
Co-op
- Fewest players online
- Not confirmed
- Separate-device co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on separate devices
- Not confirmed
- Free base co-op
- No
The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
- 29
- Confirmed free setups
- Does not apply
- Friends can join mid-game
- Not confirmed
- Only one of you needs to buy it
- Not confirmed
- Voice chat by distance
- Not confirmed
Sources
11 pages
battleblocktheater.comOfficial site, read 24 October 2026
Backs About.
- About: The maker presents prisoners stranded on an island and held in a theater run by cats.
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Most players online, Local co-op, Most players on one screen, Release status, Genres, Steam app ID, Platforms, About, Free base co-op.
- Online co-op: The maker describes online Story play.
- Most players online: Story supports two. Four-player Arena is competitive 2v2 and does not raise the cooperative cap.
- Local co-op: The maker describes inviting a friend to play Story on one device.
- Most players on one screen: The Story cap is two, separate from four-player Arena.
- Release status: The game is available to purchase.
- Genres: The maker lists Action and Adventure.
- Steam app ID: The product is Steam app 238460.
- Platforms: Windows and macOS are listed in current requirements.
- About: The maker describes imprisoned friends held by cats and a quest to free them from the theater.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Sessions, Fighting.
- Platforms: Windows and Mac builds are listed. There is no native Linux build, but the Linux requirements explicitly support play through Proton.
- Sessions: The maker describes a cooperative storyline across a series of stages.
- Fighting: The maker lists weapon tools and fighting cat guards.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Verified on Steam Deck.
blog.thebehemoth.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Release date.
- Release date: The developer announces the Xbox Live Arcade release on April 3, 2013. The later Steam date is not the first release.
steamcommunity.comOfficial support page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Kind of game, Most players online, Most players on one screen.
- Kind of game: A developer explains that two-player Story uses maps made specifically for teamwork, separate from solo maps.
- Most players online: The developer distinguishes online two-player Story from local two-player Story.
- Most players on one screen: The developer confirms a two-player session on one device, with separate cooperative maps.
steamcommunity.comOfficial support page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Crossplay, Crossplay between.
- Crossplay: The developer confirms Mac to Windows play. This limited PC group does not include Xbox.
- Crossplay between: The developer reply of 2018-08-06 names Mac and Windows. Linux appears in the older discussion, but its current Proton route is not used to extend this group.
support.thebehemoth.comOfficial support page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Platforms.
- Platforms: Support article updated 2026-04-14 says Linux play is currently supported only through Proton. This is game-specific compatibility support.
xbox.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Platforms, Free base co-op.
- Platforms: The current product is purchasable and explicitly lists Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S compatibility.
- Free base co-op: The checked Xbox full-base edition has a paid base-game access model. Demos, trials, guest passes, platform sharing and temporary grants do not establish ongoing free base co-op.
pcgamer.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Working in sync, Jumping and climbing, Puzzles and figuring out, Exploring, Unlocks and progress, Planning ahead.
- Working in sync: PC Gamer review of 2014-06-23 describes throwing partners and helping them up ledges in adjusted co-op levels.
- Jumping and climbing: The review centres accurate jumps, dashes, slides and wall jumps.
- Puzzles and figuring out: The review describes interacting blocks and linked switches that players work out.
- Exploring: The review describes bonus gems, hidden yarn and secret stages.
- Unlocks and progress: Gems and yarn unlock character heads and weapons.
- Planning ahead: Players work out the order of block interactions before moving.
gamereactor.euPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Split or shared screen, Laughter and chaos, Physical comedy, Tension and danger, Calm and coziness, Story, Rivalry in the group, Time to hang out, Getting better.
- Split or shared screen: The 2013-04-05 review describes one camera zooming out to keep both partners in view.
- Laughter and chaos: The reviewer describes comic deaths and partners pushing each other into hazards.
- Physical comedy: Throwing and shoving a partner can create occasional physical slapstick within controlled platforming.
- Tension and danger: Frequent checkpoints make normal deaths cost only a few seconds.
- Calm and coziness: Hubs and gift-shop stops interrupt the dangerous stages.
- Story: A narrated story develops between chapters, with comic characters and cutscenes.
- Rivalry in the group: Competitive Arena is an optional break from the cooperative campaign.
- Time to hang out: Shared puzzles and precise jumps keep talk focused on the current obstacle.
- Getting better: Later stages demand repeated attempts and precise movement.