Big Walk From Untitled Goose Game Makers Released Today
The high Metacritic score and GOTY buzz position Big Walk as a rare critical success for a multiplayer-only title, and its proximity voice chat design could influence how future co-op games handle communication.
Key Facts
- Big Walk was released on August 4, 2026, for PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2.
- The Switch 2 version of Big Walk is priced at 2,300 yen.
- Big Walk supports 2 to 12 players and cross-platform play.
- Big Walk has a Metacritic score of 93, the highest for a new game released this year as of August 2026.
- Big Walk was announced in December 2023 and was originally planned for 2025 before being delayed.
Reporting from 4 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Publisher Panic released Big Walk, the new cooperative multiplayer puzzle adventure from House House, the studio behind Untitled Goose Game, on August 4. The game is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch 2, with the Switch 2 version priced at 2,300 yen. Big Walk supports 2 to 12 players and cross-platform play, and it is designed to be played with a group of friends from start to finish. Players control bird-like creatures with three spheres for bodies and explore a vast open-world island filled with puzzles and challenges. Communication is central to the experience, using a proximity voice chat system where voices fade with distance and muffle behind walls, and where players can temporarily lose the ability to speak. Various tools and toys, such as radios, laser pointers, binoculars, megaphones, smoke flares, whiteboards, and cowbells, help players coordinate. The game has a clear ending, but players can also ignore objectives and wander freely. Ahead of release, Big Walk earned a Metacritic score of 93, the highest for a new game this year, and many outlets, including Polygon, have called it a Game of the Year contender.
Big Walk was announced in December 2023 and was originally planned for a 2025 release, but after delays, it launches about two and a half years later. House House, the developer, also created Untitled Goose Game, which holds an Overwhelmingly Positive rating on Steam user reviews. The game's island is roughly 1.4 kilometers square, based on a map grid of 100-meter squares, and it features a day-night cycle that reduces visibility at night, adding to the communication challenges. The game deliberately omits a ping function, forcing players to rely on voice chat and gestures. Players can hold only one item at a time, though some items allow carrying more, making item management a point of teamwork. Reviews praise the simple yet satisfying puzzles and clear item purposes, while Gameliner gave a mediocre score of 70, noting long periods of inactivity between discoveries, but also said that with close friends, even that time could be enjoyable. The Steam version is scheduled to release at 10:00 PM today, while the PS5 and Switch 2 versions are available now.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GAME Watch (Impress) ガチョウのゲーム「Untitled Goose Game」開発元の新作パズルアドベンチャー「Big Walk」本日発売
- Automaton みんなで探検オープンワールド『Big Walk』、早くも「GOTY候補」と脚光浴びる。最大12人マルチで巨大島をてくてく、“いたずらガチョウゲーム”開発元の新作
- Denfaminicogamer オープンワールドを最大12人でおしゃべりしながら冒険するゲーム『Big Walk』が本日発売。さまざまなロケーションを仲間と共に巡り、迷子になることも思い出に
- Game Spark 遠く離れた仲間には声も届かない！？規模デカすぎな島で巨大パズルに挑む協力アドベンチャー『Big Walk』プレイレポート