Little Nightmares 3 Will Be Missing Important Co-Op Feature

Game ZXC

Little Nightmares

By Dalton Cooper

Published Sep 4, 2023

Highlights

Little Nightmares 3 will not have local co-op, as the developer decided to focus on online co-op to maintain the game's atmosphere and immersion.
Other titles from Supermassive Games support local co-op, so some fans may be confused by its absence.

Little Nightmares 3 will not have local co-op, as confirmed by developer Supermassive Games. Little Nightmares 3 is continuing the tradition of its predecessors, giving horror fans the chance to explore a twisted side-scrolling world populated by deadly hazards and massive monsters.

Publisher Bandai Namco revealed Little Nightmares 3 with a trailer at Gamescom that confirmed the game's new setting, playable characters, and the fact that it will offer co-op play. Co-op is a first for the Little Nightmares series, though it could be argued that the second game was the first step in that direction as it focused on two characters at once. Little Nightmares 3 takes it a step further by making both characters playable at the same time.

When it was first announced, it was confirmed that Little Nightmares 3 would have online co-op, but there was no mention of local co-op. GamesRadar has since confirmed that Little Nightmares 3 will not have local co-op. According to Supermassive Games, local co-op was considered for Little Nightmares 3, but the decision was made to stick to online co-op because of the games "atmosphere and immersion." It wasn't explained why this would be ruined by local co-op. In any case, it's likely that this revelation will upset some Little Nightmares fans who were looking forward to playing through the game in local co-op.

There is at least one advantage to Little Nightmares 3 not having local co-op. By focusing on online co-op, Little Nightmares 3 could theoretically make it so the co-op partners aren't tied together and can more freely explore the levels. It's already been revealed that Little Nightmares 3 characters will be separated at points and have to solve unique puzzles to reunite, but it's unclear if players are otherwise typically forced to stay near each other. More information on that front should come to light as we get closer to the Little Nightmares 3 release date, which is currently scheduled for an undetermined point in 2024.

Some fans may be surprised that Little Nightmares 3 doesn't support local co-op, especially when considering who is making the game. Supermassive Games has been featuring local co-op in its games for years, with the Dark Pictures series and The Quarry supporting the feature. But while Little Nightmares 3 won't have local co-op options when it launches next year, fans can count on other titles from the studio to still support the popular feature.