Quick Answer
Yes — Machine Party supports local couch co-op as of the v2.0 update, released on August 12, 2026 (UTC). Connect up to four controllers, choose Local from the menu, pick Original, Custom or Arcade, then press any button on a controller to join from the lobby screen.
One player can use keyboard and mouse, so a group of four only needs three controllers.
If you checked the Steam store description and concluded that local play wasn't supported, you weren't wrong yesterday — you're just reading a page that hasn't been updated yet. More on that below.
How to Start Couch Co-op
Local play is its own menu branch, not an option inside an online lobby. The setup is four steps:
- Connect up to four controllers to your PC.
- Select Local from the main menu.
- Choose a mode — Original, Custom or Arcade.
- Press any button on a controller at the lobby screen to join.
The developers pitched this as the "big screen" version of the game, and suggested playing it on a TV — or, in their words, on a small CRT for extra credit.
A note on modes: Custom appears in the v2.0 announcement as one of the three selectable Local modes, but the developers did not explain how it differs from Original or Arcade. We're listing the name only. As soon as the rules are documented officially, this page will say what it does.
How Many Controllers Do You Need?
This is the detail most people are searching for, and it's better news than expected:
Four players need three controllers. One person can play on keyboard and mouse.
The official v2.0 announcement puts it directly: "you only need 3 controllers" for a group of four. The game supports up to four controllers total, so a full pad-only setup works too if you have them.
For smaller groups, the maths is the same: two players need one controller, three players need two.
What Changes in Couch Co-op
Local play isn't just the online mode with extra gamepads plugged in. The developers adjusted the lobby and intermission flow for people sharing one screen:
- Players entering the lobby have to type a name and pick cosmetics before they can ready up.
- Once everyone is ready, a five-second countdown starts. Any change in the lobby interrupts it.
- After a run ends, everyone returns to the lobby with their names and customisation intact, regardless of the mode you played.
- On the briefing screen, any player can change the page — not just the host.
- The READY button is replaced with custom UI built for couch play.
Which Minigames Play Differently on One Screen
Six simulations were changed for local play. Everything in this table applies to couch co-op only — online behaviour is unchanged unless noted.
| Minigame | What changes in couch co-op |
|---|---|
| Duck Hunt | The screen splits in half — runners on the left, hunter on the right. The runner camera is pulled back and follows players based on their distance apart. |
| Chisel Gauntlet | The view switches between a single shared screen and split screen depending on whether the jumbotron is being viewed. |
| Minefield | The camera follows the group based on the distance between all players. |
| Inside Job | Now works in split screen. |
| The Filter | Now works in split screen. |
| Firearm Factory | The required assembly part is now shown on every workbench, instead of only at the bottom of the factory. |
Every other simulation behaves the same as it does online.
One Online Change You Should Know
The v2.0 update also touched the online game. In Inside Job, infected players — including whoever picked up the syringe — now move at 1.15× normal speed. Previously they moved at the same speed as the players hiding from them.
If Inside Job felt like a stalemate before, that's why it doesn't any more. Full tactics for every simulation live on our minigames guide.
Do You Still Need Multiple Copies?
Not necessarily — v2.0 opened up two ways to play without everyone buying in:
- Couch co-op on one PC. One copy, one machine, up to four players. This is the simplest option if you're in the same room.
- Remote Play Together. Machine Party's Steam page now lists this feature. According to Valve's own Remote Play Together description, one player owns and runs the game while others join remotely.
- Everyone plays online. Each player needs their own copy. This is still the only way to play from separate homes without streaming.
For what a full group actually costs under each option, see our price breakdown.
From Promise to Release: The Official Timeline
Local co-op wasn't in the launch build, and the developers changed how they described the timing three times before shipping it. Every line below is their own wording:
| Date | What the developers said |
|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2026 | The game won't launch with local co-op, but it "will be added as an update in late August" |
| Aug 4, 2026 | Reframed as big screen mode, arriving "in the next few weeks" — no month given |
| Aug 6, 2026 | "The local co-op update is still coming" |
| Aug 12, 2026 (UTC) | v2.0 ships couch co-op |
Thirteen days from promise to release, and ahead of the "late August" target they set themselves.
We're spelling this out because older guides — including several that still rank for this question — were written against the July 30 or August 4 wording and now give the wrong answer outright.
Heads-up: The Steam Store Page Hasn't Caught Up
If you open the Machine Party store page right now, the About This Game section still reads "Support for 2 - 4 players" and says nothing about couch co-op, local play or split screen.
The update is real — it's visible in the store page's feature list, which now includes Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Shared/Split Screen and Remote Play Together, and in the v2.0 announcement itself. But the written description hasn't been revised, so anyone judging by that paragraph alone will still conclude local play doesn't exist.