- Games
- Risk of Rain Returns
Risk of Rain Returns
A side scrolling roguelike where your squad gathers items while enemies grow stronger with each passing minute.
Online co-op for up to 32 players and local co-op for up to 4 players. No crossplay.
- 32 online
- 4 on one screen
Where to buy
Playing together
- Online co-op32 players
- Local co-op4 playersScreen type not confirmed
- NoSame platform onlyFriends 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 land on an alien planet and work through stages filled with monsters. Find chests, collect items and search for the teleporter before the rising difficulty catches up with you. Each survivor has different attacks and movement skills. Your growing pile of items changes how those abilities work, but a failed run sends you back to the start.
Four players can fight together online or on one device. On PC, hosts can raise the online limit to 32 through an experimental option. The game warns that groups above four are not properly supported. Friends can choose survivors that help each other, then decide how long to search before moving on. It suits groups who enjoy learning difficult fights and trying new combinations.
How it feels
Kind of game
A team takes on missions or runs full of enemies. You pick gear, cover each other and pick each other up.
- At its heart
- Now and then
- Laughter and chaos
- Calm and coziness
- Story
- Working in sync
- Time to hang out
- Exploring
- Puzzles and figuring out
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- About
- Alien planets, Monsters
Rated on our own feel scale. 5 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked Risk of Rain Returns
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
Crab Champions
Why it scores 86%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- About
- Monsters
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Notable in both
- Jumping and climbing, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op
- Early access
- 6 online
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both are about monsters that hunt you. Both have a lot of fighting side by side.
No big difference from Risk of Rain Returns.
Enter the Gungeon
Why it scores 84%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- About
- Monsters
- Core to both
- Getting better, Fighting
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Notable in both
- Tension and danger, Planning ahead
- Co-op
- Online and local co-op
How Enter the Gungeon differs
- Fits a smaller group than Risk of Rain Returns
- Online
- 2 shared-screen
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both reward you for getting better. Both are about monsters that hunt you.
But fits a smaller group than Risk of Rain Returns.
LORT
Why it scores 84%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Squad shooter
- About
- Monsters
- Core to both
- Fighting
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Notable in both
- Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better, Unlocks and progress
- Co-op
- Online co-op
How LORT differs
- Less cozy than Risk of Rain Returns
- Early access
- 8 online
Both send your squad into fights where you watch each other's backs. Both play in runs or missions you repeat. Both are about monsters that hunt you.
But less cozy than Risk of Rain Returns.
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
- Split or shared screen
- 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 game requires purchase. Its paid base offer includes the supported co-op activity. Demo, trial, guest and subscription alternatives are separate.
- 13
- Confirmed free setups
- Does not apply
- Crossplay between
- 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
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Local co-op, Most players on one screen, Genres, About, Kind of game, Working in sync, Free base co-op.
- Online co-op: The publisher describes online co-op for four as the standard mode.
- Local co-op: The publisher describes four players together on one device.
- Most players on one screen: Four is the stated one-device cap on PC and Switch.
- Genres: The publisher calls it a roguelike and the store genre is Action.
- About: Survivors fight monsters on Petrichor V after a ship attack.
- Kind of game: Players choose complementary survivors and fight through enemy hordes.
- Working in sync: Complementary survivor strengths and temporary items can help teammates without fixed shared controls.
- Free base co-op: The checked computer full base game requires purchase. Its paid base offer includes the supported co-op activity. Demo, trial, guest and subscription alternatives are separate.
steamcommunity.comOfficial news, read 24 October 2026
Backs Most players online.
- Most players online: Patch Notes 1.1.0, dated 2025-08-29, adds a native PC online co-op host Player Limit option up to 32. Above four, an in-game warning says it is not properly supported and may have issues. Switch did not receive this patch and remains at four.
nintendo.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Most players on one screen, Platforms, Release status, Release date, Free base co-op.
- Online co-op: Nintendo lists online co-op and Online 1 to 4.
- Most players on one screen: Lists Single system 1 to 4, separately from online play.
- Platforms: A current Nintendo Switch product. Switch 2 compatibility is backward compatibility rather than a separate edition. The game-specific Nintendo page confirms supported Switch 2 compatibility, with behavior consistent with Switch. This is the Switch edition through compatibility.
- Release status: The released game has a current purchase listing.
- Release date: Lists November 8, 2023.
- Free base co-op: The Switch full-base product has a nonzero InStock purchase offer, with the same licence supporting Switch 2.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID, Platforms.
- Steam app ID: Steam identifies Risk of Rain Returns as app 1337520.
- Platforms: The current PC listing supports Windows.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 24 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Verified on Steam Deck.
destructoid.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Crossplay.
- Crossplay: Cameron Woolsey, updated 2023-11-14, explicitly separates PC and Switch multiplayer pools. No current primary crossplay statement was found.
gamerevolution.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Crossplay.
- Crossplay: Jason Faulkner, 2023-11-09, independently says PC can only join PC and Switch can only join Switch. The 2025 native PC lobby update does not announce a pool merger.
pcgamer.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Tension and danger, Getting better, Planning ahead, Fighting.
- Tension and danger: Alexander Chatziioannou, 2023-11-15, describes rising difficulty and dangerous teleporter battles.
- Getting better: Effective skill sequences and timing must be learned to survive the random challenges.
- Planning ahead: Players weigh time spent collecting items against escalating enemies and learn complementary ability sequences.
- Fighting: Fighting repeated enemy hordes and bosses drives each stage.
keengamer.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Sessions, Story, Calm and coziness, Time to hang out, Unlocks and progress, Puzzles and figuring out, Jumping and climbing.
- Sessions: Tom Daunt, 2023-11-16, describes restarting after death and optional looping.
- Story: A shipwreck setup and log entries support the action rather than carrying it.
- Calm and coziness: Runs start with sparse enemies before pressure rises.
- Time to hang out: Sparse early stages leave limited room to chat, while the continuing timer discourages long breaks.
- Unlocks and progress: Characters, items and alternate abilities unlock for later runs.
- Puzzles and figuring out: Reaching out-of-the-way artifacts sometimes requires working out a route.
- Jumping and climbing: Ropes, ladders and character movement abilities matter in the two-dimensional stages.
gameskinny.comPress, read 24 October 2026
Backs Exploring, Working in sync.
- Exploring: Gordan Perisic, 2023-11-08, describes secret walls, hidden collectibles and redesigned routes.
- Working in sync: Team skills include temporary items, protective fields and supportive engineering tools.
steamcommunity.comStore page, read 24 October 2026
Backs Laughter and chaos.
- Laughter and chaos: Ten visible helpful review cards were read. Some players joke about repeatedly choosing risky shrines and dying. This supports occasional comic failure rather than comedy as the main loop.