Co-op — playing with friends

Squad basics

• 1–4 players online co-op; single-player is a supported mode (Steam features list).
• Whether late join / drop-in mid-mission is possible is not stated anywhere official — TBA.
• Full controller support and Steam Cloud are confirmed on the store page.
• Squad size is the design's spine: shared limited ammo and revive mechanics were already in the first alpha.

Friendly fire is part of the design

The Steam page's “FOUR CLASSES. ONE CONTRACT.” section carries an explicit friendly-fire warning. Combined with the new swarm tech — thousands of enemies crowding the screen — shot discipline is a team skill, not a nice-to-have. Plan callouts before you need them.

How squads talk and play together

• Alpha 2 (Nov 2025): text chat, invites, private servers.
• Alpha 3 (Feb 2026): voice chat, ping wheel, spectate mode.
• Alpha 1 press reports: matchmaking filled squads with randoms quickly — pick-up groups are viable.
• Finding a crew: the official Discord and r/DarkSwarm are the community hubs.

What's not confirmed

Cross-play, split-screen / couch co-op, and console versions have not been announced. The press kit lists Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, plus Steam Deck — the store page itself doesn't show a Deck verification rating yet. Everything in this paragraph is the full extent of what's on record; anything beyond it is speculation.