Big Hops, a game already considered a standout of 2026, is set to receive a significant free update that will introduce an eight-player online co-op mode. The update is scheduled to launch on August 9 for the Steam version of the game, transforming it into "BIG HOPS TOGETHER."
This new mode will feature the entirety of the base game, with all original mechanics and features fully intact. Players will be able to embark on the adventure together, with capabilities including picking up and throwing friends, tongue-swinging between players, and even stealing items from each other's backpacks. Story and collection progress will also be shared across the group.
According to director Chris Wade, integrating multiplayer into Big Hops presented substantial challenges, as the game was not initially designed with online play in mind. "A lot of the game’s code needed to be rewritten for it to work," Wade explained, citing player movement, UI, progression tracking, saving, cutscene presentation, and scene loading as areas requiring extensive modification. The development team, which had no prior multiplayer game experience, had to learn new development paradigms from scratch.
Wade also highlighted the uncertainty the team faced during development, spending two months trying to solve complex design problems to determine if multiplayer was even feasible. Despite these hurdles, the team successfully implemented the feature.
PC players on Steam can test the cooperative mode now by activating the "Together" beta branch. The decision to launch the update exclusively on Steam was made to allow the team to "focus" on a single platform, a lesson learned from early bugs in the game that may have been exacerbated by trying to support multiple platforms simultaneously. Steam's infrastructure also simplifies playtesting and the management of different feature branches.
Big Hops, lauded for its 3D platforming, tongue-swinging mechanics, and visuals, will offer a new way to experience its content when the multiplayer update arrives on August 9.