Is Outer Wilds co-op?

Not natively. Outer Wilds ships single-player; the community mod Quantum Space Buddies adds co-op — Explore the solar system together in one ship; the time loop resets for everyone at once. One of the best-made co-op mods anywhere.

Does Outer Wilds have PvP?

Only with the Quantum Space Buddies mod, which is co-op only.

Do we both need to own Outer Wilds to play together?

Yes. Outer Wilds is played online, so each player needs their own copy on their own Steam account (or PC Game Pass where it is offered). Steam Families can share a library, but two people cannot play the same shared game at the same time.

How many people play Outer Wilds?

About 928 players were in-game when this page's data was last refreshed (2026-09-09).

Ready Up — what game do we play?Compare two Steam libraries →

Multiplayer games › Action-adventure › Co-op action

Is Outer Wilds multiplayer? Yes — with Quantum Space Buddies

Not out of the box — but the Quantum Space Buddies mod makes it co-op. Outer Wilds is a co-op action game released in 2020, 96% positive on Steam (84,488 reviews), with 928 playing right now. $14.99 on Steam.

Co-opSingle-player tooMultiplayer via mod: Quantum Space BuddiesAction-adventure · Co-op action

How to play Outer Wilds with a friend: Quantum Space Buddies

Explore the solar system together in one ship; the time loop resets for everyone at once. One of the best-made co-op mods anywhere. Steam lists Outer Wilds as single-player, so it won't show up in Steam's own "games we both own" view as something you can play together — Ready Up counts it anyway, marked "Via mod", and you can hide mod-only games with one filter if that's not your thing.

Players: 2+ (small groups)
Modes: co-op
Status: Maintained — works with the current game version and gets updates
You need: Outer Wilds Mod Manager; everyone needs the same DLC state
Price: Free

Get Quantum Space Buddies All 77 games with multiplayer mods →

Named Game of the Year 2019 by Giant Bomb, Polygon, Eurogamer, and The Guardian, Outer Wilds is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning open world mystery…

How Outer Wilds plays with friends, according to Steam

Online co-op: Not listed on Steam
Local / split-screen co-op: Not listed on Steam
Online PvP: Not listed on Steam
LAN play: Not listed on Steam
Single-player mode: Yes
Controller: Full controller support

Steam's own category list for the game, as of 2026-09-09. "Not listed" means the store page does not claim that mode; community mods or Remote Play can still add it.

Steam tags: Exploration, Space, Mystery, Story Rich, Adventure, Great Soundtrack, Atmospheric, Puzzle

Do you and a friend both own Outer Wilds?

Ready Up compares two Steam libraries and shows every multiplayer game you both have — including whether Outer Wilds is one of them — then helps you pick tonight's game with a weighted roll or a bracket.

Or open the Steam store page.

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Tired of Outer Wilds? The Swap tab finds the closest unowned games of the same type that are newer or rated higher.

Quick answers

Is Outer Wilds co-op?: Not natively. Outer Wilds ships single-player; the community mod Quantum Space Buddies adds co-op — Explore the solar system together in one ship; the time loop resets for everyone at once. One of the best-made co-op mods anywhere.
Does Outer Wilds have PvP?: Only with the Quantum Space Buddies mod, which is co-op only.
Do we both need to own Outer Wilds to play together?: Yes. Outer Wilds is played online, so each player needs their own copy on their own Steam account (or PC Game Pass where it is offered). Steam Families can share a library, but two people cannot play the same shared game at the same time.
How many people play Outer Wilds?: About 928 players were in-game when this page's data was last refreshed (2026-09-09).

Ready Up is a free tool: enter two Steam usernames and it lists the multiplayer games you both own, runs a bracket to pick one, and suggests new co-op games that fit how you both play. Ratings, tags and player counts from Steam and SteamSpy; page updated 2026-09-23. Powered by Steam — not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation or Microsoft. Ready Up is a Somebody Decide program. How the data works · Legal & privacy · All types · Game Pass