As a general rule, good games are made great with the inclusion of co-op options. With that in mind, it is no wonder that curious fans want to know if Stranded Deep includes any form of co-op. Surviving the harsh islands of the new survival sim with friends would be far more enjoyable than doing so alone, after all.
Unfortunately, it appears that, for the time being, Stranded Deep does not offer co-op on PS4 or Xbox One. That said, there is some strong evidence that co-op functionality may be arriving to the game shortly.
For those unaware, Stranded Deep has been in early access on Steam for years now. The Steam version of the game is advertised as having shared split screen co-op options, and while these options do exist, they are somewhat difficult. It is likely that Beam Team, the developer of Stranded Deep, is still working out some of the technical kinks in split screen.
Not even the PC version has online multiplayer support, however, though this is to be somewhat expected given the genre. Survival games like Stranded Deep emphasize a feeling of loneliness as the player attempts to survive in the world by themselves, so having more than just a single partner running around on the map would break the immersion quite a bit. Split-screen play or limited online multiplayer functions wouldn't have the same effect, as it is more believable that two people try to survive together.
Fans looking for a great multiplayer experience to get them through self isolation won't find it here in Stranded Deep just yet, but patience and time may bring along just that. For those interested in a challenging, immersive, and positively received survival simulator, Stranded Deep is everything one could ask for. The fact that the PC version has some form of split screen multiplayer clearly indicates that it is on the developer's agenda, and unless it simply gives up because it is too difficult to implement, odds are the feature will make its way to consoles sooner rather than later, especially if the console launch does well.
Stranded Deep offers all sorts of challenges that co-operative minded players would love to sink their teeth into. Hopefully Beam Team figures out a way to add co-op support soon, or at the very least makes clear what its intentions are on that front.
Stranded Deep is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.