Big Walk Release Date Is Here, and It’s a 93 on Metacritic

The Big Walk release date has arrived: House House’s new co-op game launched today, August 4, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam. Early reviews have landed it a 93 on Metacritic, already making it one of the highest-rated games released this year. It’s also available day one on PS Plus Essential.

Big Walk is a cooperative “walker-talker” from House House, the Melbourne studio behind Untitled Goose Game. Two to twelve players explore a wide-open bushland world together, solving puzzles and staying in touch through proximity voice chat, walkie-talkies, and other communication tools.

Big Walk Release Date – What We Know

House House first revealed Big Walk at The Game Awards back in December 2023, followed by a gameplay showing in June 2025. A later delay pushed the full release into 2026 alongside the announcement of its console versions. That wait is now over, with the game live across PC, PS5, and Switch 2 as of today.

Publisher Panic and House House built the game around communication rather than combat. Voices fade with distance, echo through tight spaces, and crackle over walkie-talkies when players split up to cover more ground. There’s no story in the traditional sense, no combat, and no scoring system pushing players to compete against each other.

Early reviews have been especially strong. Review aggregator threads point to Big Walk sitting at 93 on Metacritic, putting it ahead of several other well-received 2026 releases. Outlets have praised its inventive approach to co-op puzzle design, though a handful of reviews flag frustrations with the traversal system and how easily players can get separated in dense terrain.

What This Means for Co-op Fans

Big Walk arrives as a genuinely rare thing on PlayStation Plus: a brand-new, highly rated release sitting on the cheapest subscription tier from day one. Sony has historically reserved day-one launches for its pricier Extra and Premium tiers, so putting Big Walk directly on Essential stands out. PS Plus Essential subscribers can add it to their library from August 4 through September 1, 2026.

The game’s cross-play support matters here too. PlayStation, PC, and Switch 2 players can join the same session, which removes the usual friction of getting a full group of friends onto one platform for co-op night.

For anyone burned out on competitive live-service games, Big Walk offers something different: an unhurried, communication-focused experience built for hanging out rather than grinding. Its 93 Metacritic score and free availability on PS Plus make it an easy one to try this week, even for players who wouldn’t normally reach for a puzzle-adventure game.

What’s Next for Big Walk

House House and Panic haven’t announced post-launch content plans as of release day. Given the strength of early reviews, discussion has already started around whether the game could factor into Game of the Year conversations later this year, though smaller co-op titles have historically had a tougher time competing with AAA releases for those honors.

Expect review scores to firm up over the coming days as more outlets weigh in, along with clearer word on player counts and how the servers hold up under launch traffic.

FAQ