House House made its name with Untitled Goose Game, and its follow-up could hardly be more different. Big Walk, released on 4 August, is an online co-op adventure built around talking to your friends, and it became one of the highest-rated games of the year almost overnight. Critics were close to unanimous about it, which makes it an easy choice for our pick of the month.
A walk where talking is the mechanic
Between two and twelve players explore an open stretch of Australian bushland, modelled on Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, solving puzzles that open up new areas. The twist is how you communicate. Voice chat is proximity-based, so you can only hear friends who are nearby, and a set of gestures and signals fills the gaps when words fail. Nothing is explained through tutorials; the landscape does the teaching. Puzzles scale to the size of the group, and crossplay links every version.
What critics made of it
Push Square admired how the world guides you without holding your hand and felt the puzzles demand real teamwork, though it saw frame rates dip in larger areas on a standard PS5. TheGamer gave it full marks, enjoying the shared shorthand a group builds up, and pointed out that getting separated from friends can be genuinely disorienting. Nintendo Life ranked it among the best co-op games ever made for its puzzle design and sound, but found the Switch 2 version visibly compromised, with an unsteady 30fps, pop-in and rough shadows.
Critic scores and details last checked in September 2026.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Release date | 4 August 2026 |
| Platforms | PC, Mac, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2 |
| Developer | House House |
| Publisher | Panic |
| Critic score | 88 Top Critic Average, 95% of critics recommend (OpenCritic, as of Sep 2026) |
Verdict
Big Walk is built around the part of multiplayer gaming most designers treat as an afterthought: people talking to each other. That gives it moments no scripted game can match, and reviewers kept returning to how special those moments feel. It does ask a lot, though. You need willing friends and a working microphone, and patience with the occasional wander. For the right group, it is the best co-op game of the year so far.
Quick questions
Can you play Big Walk solo?
No, there is no single-player mode, and you need at least one other person online. Push Square described it as strictly co-op and warned this would put some people off. On the other hand, TheGamer thought a pair works particularly well as a relaxed evening game for couples.
How long does Big Walk take to finish?
About 15 hours to reach the credits, according to Nintendo Life, with at least another five hours of secrets for groups who keep exploring. How long it takes you depends heavily on the group, since a noisy party of ten will solve things very differently from two friends working through the puzzles at their own pace.
Which version should you buy?
PC looks the safest choice, because both console versions drew technical complaints in the reviews we read. It costs £15.99 in the UK. PS5 players who claimed it during its month on PS Plus Essential, which ran from launch until 1 September, may already have it in their library, so check before paying.
More Review of the Month: Previous pick: July 2026, Denshattack! | Next pick: September 2026, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
Related guide: The Best Couch Co-op and Local Multiplayer Games for Two
