Reanimal Co-op and Crossplay Guide

Master the co-op: pair up, crossplay, and snag a Friend’s Pass to conquer Reanimal together.

How to play online co-op and crossplay in Reanimal

To play online co-op in Reanimal, open the main menu and select the “Co-op” option. From there, invite friends directly through your platform’s friend list or by using the in-game invite system. Crossplay is supported across all available platforms, so players on PC and consoles can join the same session without restrictions. Make sure everyone is using the latest game version to avoid connection issues, and adjust your session privacy settings if you prefer to play only with invited players.

If you’re looking to play co-op online, with or without crossplay, there are a couple of different methods. The simplest is to select “Host Online” from the co-op menu, then tell your friend what the five-character code displayed on your screen is. They should be able to enter that code by selecting the “Join Online” option. When they’re in, the game should start automatically, with the host of the game playing as the boy.

You can also invite a friend through your chosen platform’s friends list, whether that’s Steam, PlayStation Network, or Nintendo Switch Online. Below the displayed code, the option to invite a friend will be displayed. PS5 players will also have the option to scan a QR code for a link to send to that friend directly, handy if they’re not on your friends list.

Crossplay should work by default, as long as you use the first option, to share the code. We’ve tested this between PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2, and it worked flawlessly. Remember: the host of the game will start out driving the boat solo, so do not worry if player two isn’t immediately able to jump in. They’ll join the game after a short while.

How to use the Friend’s Pass in Reanimal

Access the Friend’s Pass from the main menu under the multiplayer section. Select it to generate a unique code, then share that code with a friend through chat, email, or social media. Your friend enters the code in their game’s Friend’s Pass menu to join your session instantly. Both players need the base game installed, but only one requires full ownership. Play co-op missions together, with the pass holder limited to specific content until they purchase the game.

Finally, Reanimal offers players the ability to play online co-op even if only one player owns the game, using what they’re calling the “Friend’s Pass” system.

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To do this, the player who doesn’t own Reanimal needs to download the Reanimal demo on either PS5 or Nintendo Switch 2. Sorry, Xbox Series X and PC players: at the time of writing, the Friend’s Pass system Twitter yet. The devs have said it should be available soon, but in our testing, we weren’t able to get it to work.

Best practices for setting up party lobby in Reanimal co-op

Here are practical best practices to set up a smooth, stable party lobby for Reanimal co-op.

Before you create the lobby

Decide roles early. Agree who will host (ideally the person with the best connection and most powerful hardware) and who will play which child so you avoid swapping later mid-session.
Check updates. Make sure all players have the latest Reanimal patch installed, since mismatched versions are a common cause of failed joins in online co-op games.
Set up voice chat outside the game. Use platform party chat (PSN/Xbox), Discord, or similar so communication keeps working even if someone disconnects from the lobby.

Creating a clean, private lobby

Use the in-game Online Co-op/Multiplayer menu, then choose to host a session and set privacy to Friends Only or Invite Only to prevent random joins and unwanted griefing.
Avoid public lobbies for story runs. A private party helps you control pacing, listen to dialogue, and coordinate stealth without strangers rushing objectives.

Inviting friends efficiently

Prefer direct invites over manual searching. Invite friends via your platform’s friends list or in-game Invite Friend option, then have them accept from their notifications for the most reliable joins.
Use a lobby/join code only when needed. If Reanimal supports codes, send them in your voice/Discord channel so nobody mistypes and you don’t leak the code in public chats.

Recommended lobby settings

Keep it two-player only. Reanimal is designed around a pair of protagonists, so avoid any options that add AI helpers or extra players if such toggles exist; this keeps puzzles and pathing as intended.
Prioritize cooperation-friendly options. If there are toggles for hints, HUD markers, or accessibility features (like easier timing windows), turn them on for newer players so the lobby is forgiving while you learn routes and stealth patterns.

Stability and restart habits

Let the host start and restart chapters. Have only the host trigger “Start” or “Continue” so the lobby state doesn’t desync between players.
Use a “soft reset” rule. If someone disconnects or you suffer a big desync, agree to exit back to the lobby and reinvite immediately instead of pushing on with half the team struggling; this keeps the campaign coherent and prevents progress bugs.

If you tell me your platform (PC/Steam, PS5, Xbox, Switch) I can convert this into an exact click-by-click setup tailored to your system.

Common issues when inviting friends to Reanimal lobby

Common problems when inviting friends to a Reanimal lobby fall into a few patterns, mostly around versions, platform limits, and Friend’s Pass quirks.

Frequent invite / join errors

Infinite loading when joining online lobby. Friends can get stuck on “Join online lobby” with a spinner that eventually throws an error; this happens often with Friend’s Pass/demo players on PC and sometimes on console.
Kicked back to main menu after joining. Some players report that when the Friend’s Pass user joins, both get sent back to the main menu during or right after a cutscene, effectively breaking the session.
Friend never receives the invite. You send a platform or in-game invite, but your friend doesn’t see any popup or join prompt, even though you’re both online and in the game.

Version, platform, and Friend’s Pass issues

Game versions don’t match. If one player hasn’t updated Reanimal (or the Friend’s Pass/demo build lags behind the full game), joins can fail with generic “cannot connect” or infinite loading.
Friend’s Pass not correctly installed. On some platforms, the Friend’s Pass is labeled as a “trial” or “demo,” and if your friend installs the wrong listing, the game may not recognize them as eligible for co-op or may fail to connect.
Platform limitations. At launch, Friend’s Pass is not fully available or reliable on all platforms (for example, some builds mention that Xbox and PC Friend’s Pass support is coming later or is unstable), so invitations can fail simply because that platform doesn’t officially support the feature yet.

Account / privacy and network causes

Privacy or crossplay settings blocking invites. Console-level privacy (e.g., “no invites from non-friends”) or disabled crossplay can silently block lobby invites or prevent cross-platform joins.
Bad or unstable connection. If either host or guest has high latency or packet loss, the game can time out the join request, often showing a generic “failed to connect” or no message at all.

Practical fixes to try

Confirm both of you: have the newest patch, are on supported platforms for Friend’s Pass, and have the correct version (full game vs. trial/Friend’s Pass) installed.
Swap host and guest. If the Friend’s Pass player is hosting or the weaker connection is hosting, reverse roles; often having the full-game owner with the better network host improves stability.
Use lobby code plus platform invite. Share the lobby code and also send an invite via PSN/Xbox/Steam/Switch friends list; sometimes one method works when the other doesn’t.
Restart game and platform, then re-invite. A full restart (both players quitting to dashboard and relaunching) clears a lot of “stuck” lobbies and infinite joins, especially after a crash or disconnect.

If you tell me your and your friend’s platforms (for example, “I’m on PS5, they’re on PC using Friend’s Pass”) and what error you’re seeing, I can walk you through a targeted checklist for that exact setup.