Tears of Metal co op supports up to four online players. A revive now transfers 50% of the reviver's current HP, gives the downed player the same percentage of their own maximum HP, requires the reviver to have more than 10% maximum HP, and shortens the revive window by five seconds after each revive. Standard-build crossplay is temporarily disabled in v0.14.58630; use Paper Cult's Crossplay Beta branch instruction when versions must match.
How many players can join Tears of Metal co op
Tears of Metal co op caps at four players total, but the exact count depends on the platform. • Steam (PC): Online co-op for 1-4 players and single-player, per the Steam store product page. One player can play the entire campaign solo, or up to four players can join the same session. • Xbox Series X|S (Xbox Game Preview): Online co-op for 2-4 players and single-player, per the Xbox store listing. The minimum party size on Xbox is two players, so you cannot start a co-op session by yourself on console; you must bring at least one friend. • Steam Deck coverage: ProtonDB reports a Platinum user rating and Steam Deck HQ classifies the game as Playable on the handheld, so the 1-4 cap applies to Steam Deck as well. There is no local split-screen, no LAN mode, and no couch co-op. Co-Optimus lists Tears of Metal under online-only titles and explicitly notes the absence of local and LAN support, which matches the Steam and Xbox store descriptions as of 2026-08-03.
Solo vs co-op differences in Early Access
Solo play and co-op use the same campaign and the same meta-progression, but co-op sessions feel different in two practical ways. First, the difficulty curve is tuned for groups: enemies and elites scale up with party size, so solo players should not expect a co-op encounter to be the same fight alone. Second, certain encounters (boss phases in particular) telegraph group-focused patterns, which is one reason the GameRant solo vs co-op guide recommends trying the first Act in co-op before committing to a solo run. Solo players still earn the same rewards as co-op groups, including the same Charm drops and Emblem synergies. The only mechanics that change between solo and co-op are the spawn counts and a few scripted co-op moments that gate progress behind multiple players being in the same zone.
How lobbies, hosting, and drop-in / drop-out work
The lobby flow follows a standard host-and-invite pattern that GameRant documents in its co-op walkthrough.
How the v0.12 HP-based revive works
Paper Cult replaced the coin revive in v0.12.58540. Reviving another player sacrifices 50% of your current HP. The revived player receives the same share of their own maximum HP as the share of maximum HP you sacrificed, and you need more than 10% of your maximum HP to start the revive. The time limit then shortens by five seconds after every revive, so repeated deaths make the next recovery harder.
August networking, lobby, and client fixes
v0.12.58540 improved networking quality, fixed lobbies appearing Public when set to Friends or Invite Only, and resized the lobby list for region and connection-quality information. It also corrected ranged Ally Command damage inflation with the Gambling Clan Ally Emblem, capped Giant Fortunes Synergy Emblem spawns, improved Marathon scenario consistency, set beacons to auto-destroy after 90 seconds, and reduced the Crusader Ally Emblem Vortex size from eight to five. The 13 Aug hotfix fixed timed effects or buffs that never expired and archer arrows blocking enemy attacks. v0.14.58630 then fixed Elite and Boss HP and Threat Level desync between clients, Triskeles flying away, campaign maps differing between clients, and mobs dying in place. The boss-air-spawn fix is explicitly tentative.
Hosting a session
The host creates the lobby from the main menu and either keeps it private or opens it to public matchmaking. Friends on the same platform are invited through the platform's overlay (Steam friends list or Xbox parties), and the session remains open until the host launches a mission. Once the mission begins, the host cannot change the lobby without ending the run.
Joining as a guest
Guests receive an invite, accept it from the platform overlay, and drop directly into the host's session. Late-joining players load the current zone, so drop-in is supported during downtime between fights but not mid-battle. Drop-in / drop-out is allowed between zones, so a player who loses a soldier or needs to leave can quit without ending the run for everyone else.
Cross-platform play through the Steam Beta branch
Paper Cult's v0.14.58630 notes say standard-build crossplay compatibility is temporarily disabled and direct Steam players to the older "Crossplay" Beta branch to stay on the compatible version. Align every player's version before treating a failed invite as a new networking bug, and recheck the latest official Steam post because the branch instruction is version-specific.
Setting up a crossplay session step by step
This is the practical sequence most Early Access players use to get a four-person session running across PC and Xbox.
Step 1: Decide who hosts and who joins
One player picks a platform (PC or Xbox) and creates the lobby. The host's platform decides the player cap; if the host is on Xbox, the cap is 2-4 even if all three other players are on Steam.
Step 2: Opt into the Steam Beta on PC if needed
If anyone in the group is on Steam and the host is on Xbox, every Steam player in the party must enable the Tears of Metal crossplay beta branch in Steam. The branch label is referenced in Steam Community patch posts, and Paper Cult repeats the exact opt-in name on its X feed when the beta changes.
Step 3: Send invites through the platform overlay
The host sends invites through Steam friends or Xbox parties, and the other players accept. Co-Optimus confirms that invites go through the platform overlay rather than an in-game friends list.
Step 4: Launch the mission together
Once the full party is in the lobby, the host launches the mission. Drop-in / drop-out continues to work between zones for the duration of the run, but late-joining players cannot spawn inside a boss arena.
What cross-platform play looks like in Early Access
The Steam Beta branch keeps crossplay opt-in while Paper Cult tunes the netcode and matchmaking, which is why several edge cases are worth knowing about. • Voice chat and lobby chat are not unified across platforms; players typically use Discord for voice because the in-game chat does not bridge Steam and Xbox overlays. • Region matching can split PC and Xbox players into different shards if the host's region is set narrowly, so the GameRant walkthrough recommends leaving matchmaking region on auto during the beta. • Save data and progression do not cross storefronts; the same Paper Cult account on Steam and Xbox sees two separate progression pools because the Steam and Xbox builds are separate SKUs. Paper Cult has not announced a date for moving crossplay out of beta as of 2026-08-03, so the Steam Beta branch remains the supported way to play across PC and Xbox.
Sources
Steam and Xbox stores document player counts and online modes. Paper Cult's official v0.12.58540 and v0.14.58630 posts are the sources for HP-based revives, lobby and networking changes, named multiplayer fixes, and the current Crossplay Beta warning. GameRant and Co-Optimus retain the dated host-and-invite and drop-in / drop-out context.
FAQ
Can I play Tears of Metal solo from start to finish?
Yes. Steam and Xbox store pages both list single-player as a supported mode, and the Steam version caps a solo session at 1 player. The campaign, charms, emblem synergies, and village meta-progression are all accessible solo.
Is there local couch co-op or split-screen on PC or Xbox?
No. Co-Optimus and the Steam and Xbox store descriptions all confirm online co-op only, with no local couch or LAN mode. As of 2026-08-03 there is no announced plan to add local co-op.
Do I need to be online to play single-player?
The Steam and Xbox store descriptions list single-player without an "online only" caveat, but Early Access builds typically still connect to the platform's DRM layer on launch. Treat single-player as launchable online, with progression saved locally and to the platform cloud.
How do I invite friends on a different platform?
Enable the Steam Beta branch on every PC player in the party, then have the Xbox host send a cross-platform invite through the Xbox parties overlay. Paper Cult posts current opt-in steps on the official X account whenever the beta branch changes.
Can I drop in and out of a session without ending the run?
Yes, between zones. Drop-in / drop-out is supported between fights and between missions, but not mid-battle. A player who quits during a boss fight is treated as disconnected for that encounter only.
How do I revive a friend in multiplayer?
Since v0.12.58540, reviving a teammate sacrifices 50% of your current HP instead of coins. The teammate revives with the same percentage of their own maximum HP that you sacrificed from yours, you must have more than 10% of maximum HP to revive, and the revive window shortens by five seconds after every revive.
Why is Crossplay disabled?
Paper Cult says standard-build crossplay compatibility is temporarily disabled in v0.14.58630. Steam players who need crossplay should use the older "Crossplay" Beta branch and align versions with the rest of the party; recheck the latest official patch note before changing branches.
What changed in the August 2026 multiplayer updates?
v0.12.58540 improved networking, fixed Friends or Invite Only lobbies appearing Public, resized the lobby list for region and connection quality, corrected Gambling Clan Ally Command damage and Giant Fortunes Synergy Emblem caps, improved Marathon consistency, added 90-second beacon cleanup, and reduced the Crusader Vortex from eight to five. The August 13 hotfix fixed non-expiring timed effects and arrows blocking enemy attacks; v0.14.58630 then fixed named client desync, Triskeles, campaign-map, and mob-death issues.