Mycopunk launched its 1.0 version on October 20, 2026, and the Mycopunk how many players question is the first thing a new SAXON recruit asks before queueing into a mission. The game is built from the ground up as a 4-player co-op looter shooter, and the answer to the player count, how built-in voice chat and push-to-talk work, and how to restrict your lobby to friends only is all answered below.
Squad Size, Player Count, and Co-Op Mode Overview
The maximum co-op player count in Mycopunk is four players per lobby, and that cap applies to every standard mission type on the launch roster. The game is officially classified as a "mission-based 4-player co-op looter shooter (FPS, PvE)" on the Steam store page, which means the squad size is not a soft recommendation — it is the hard upper limit the developer ships with. There is no 5-player, 6-player, or 8-player mode hiding in the menus, and there is no PvP mode where you could exceed that ceiling. If you want a fifth body in the squad, somebody has to drop out.
| Mission Type | Max Players | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard missions (Incursion, Escalation, etc.) | 4 | Official Steam page classification |
| Ouroboros roguelike runs | 4 | Community testing, 1.0 |
| Ouroboros Blitz (13-room short variant) | 4 | Official mode description |
| X11-B high-difficulty region | 4 | Official region listing |
| Expedition Alpha (Mycologist rescue) | 4 | Official mission listing |
| Population Control (1.0 mission) | 4 | Official mission listing |
The premise itself confirms the four-body team structure. Players take on the role of a "ragtag squad of robot rejects hired by the SAXON corporation as the New Atlas Hazard Crew," and the HUB orbital dropship that serves as your home base is sized to dock a four-person squad. The lower end is more flexible. The game does not enforce a minimum party size, so you can solo every mission, run with a duo partner, or trio up without any penalty. If you are new to the game and want to learn the loop before inviting others, the Mycopunk solo play guide walks through the mission flow and HUB navigation without requiring a full party.
How Solo and Smaller Parties Work
Dropping below four players is fully supported. Solo players keep the same mission objectives, the same upgrade drops, and the same Antimass Substrate rewards, but they face every enemy encounter with fewer bodies to absorb damage and fewer weapons to layer status effects. Two-player and three-player runs fall in between: the difficulty curve does not scale perfectly linearly, but the game remains playable with a smaller roster, and some players deliberately run a duo so they can test the new Diffraction Driver ion scattergun that unlocked at level 10 in 1.0 without splitting loot four ways.
Why the Squad Cap Matters
The four-player cap shapes every part of the game design. Weapons like the Swarm Launcher and the Plate Launcher are balanced around four shooters laying down suppressive fire, mission modifiers assume four HP pools, and the upgrade grid (the hex-pattern board where you slot offensive and defensive upgrades) is tuned for a full squad. Going solo is a self-imposed challenge rather than a normal difficulty setting.
Voice Chat: Built-In Voice, Text Chat, and Push-to-Talk Setup
Mycopunk ships with a built-in voice chat system, added in the 1.9 update. It uses the Discord social SDK as its voice backend, but you do not need a Discord account or a Discord installation to use it. Voice volume and push-to-talk options live in the audio settings, voice mode defaults to push-to-talk, and it can be changed to open-mic. Text chat is also built in. The community still uses Discord as an optional extra for finding groups and talking between matches, and the developer maintains an official invite link at discord.gg/mycopunk.
| Voice Option | Available In-Game? | Setup Required | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in voice chat (1.9) | Yes | Audio settings: voice volume, push-to-talk/open-mic | Standard squad play, PUGs |
| Built-in text chat | Yes | None | Short callouts, lobby coordination |
| Discord voice channels | Optional | Discord desktop app or browser | Out-of-game chat, finding a group |
| Steam Voice Chat | No | Steam overlay + friends list | Not needed for Mycopunk |
| Push-to-talk keybind | Yes (in-game) | Bind in the game's audio settings | Noisy environments, streamers |
| Open mic | Yes (in-game) | Switch voice mode in the audio settings | Quiet setups |
The key thing to understand is that Mycopunk push to talk is a built-in game feature. Voice mode defaults to push-to-talk, and the binding lives in the game's audio settings alongside voice volume. When you hold the key, your mic broadcasts to the squad; when you release it, you go silent. You can switch to open-mic in the same menu. This is the cleanest setup for a noisy room, a shared living space, or a streamer who does not want their keyboard clicks and breathing leaking into the call. Discord's own push-to-talk remains an option if you use Discord as an extra layer.
Setting Up Push-to-Talk In-Game (and in Discord)
The Mycopunk push to talk workflow starts in the game's audio settings. Voice mode defaults to push-to-talk, and the binding field sits next to voice volume; click it and press the key you want. Most players pick a key that is easy to hold without disrupting WASD movement, which is why a mouse thumb button or a side key on a controller is more popular than something like the T key that conflicts with chat. If you also use Discord as an optional layer, its own push-to-talk option lives under User Settings > Voice & Video > Input Mode, and the same key-choice advice applies.
Discord's Push to Talk Release Delay slider controls how long Discord keeps your mic live after you release the key. A 0.2 to 0.4 second delay prevents the first syllable of the next sentence from getting cut off when you talk in bursts during a swarm. If your squad complains about choppy audio, raise the release delay slightly; if you notice dead air between words, lower it.
Open-Mic Mode vs. Push-to-Talk
Open-mic is the other voice mode in the game's audio settings. The built-in voice defaults to push-to-talk, but it can be changed to open-mic when you have a quiet setup and do not want to hold a key while you kite an Amalgamation. For most players, though, Mycopunk push to talk is the cleaner default. If you use Discord as an extra layer, the same choice appears there as Voice Activity.
How to Play With Friends: Friends-Only Lobbies and Invites
The answer to Mycopunk how to play with friends is straightforward: you launch the game on the same platform, one of you hosts, the rest send or accept a Steam invite, and you queue into the mission together. There is no separate friends-list menu inside the game, the developer has not published a crossplay layer, and there is no in-game friend code system — every squad formation happens through the platform overlay.
| Step | Action | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Add the friend on Steam | Steam Friends list |
| 2 | Launch Mycopunk on both clients | Steam library |
| 3 | Open the Steam overlay (Shift+Tab by default) | In-game overlay |
| 4 | Right-click the friend and select "Invite to Game" | Steam Friends list |
| 5 | Friend accepts; lands in the host's lobby | Mycopunk mission select |
| 6 | Host locks lobby or starts mission | Mission screen |
| 7 | Configure Discord call | External app |
Friends-Only Lobbies
The Mycopunk friends only workflow is more about Steam settings than in-game toggles, because the developer has not published a built-in "private lobby" switch. If you want to guarantee that only your Steam friends can join your squad, the cleanest path is to launch the game, open the Steam overlay, and use the Invite to Game button from your friends list rather than queuing through the public lobby list. Anyone who accepts that invite lands in your lobby; anyone who tries to join your lobby through the public lobby list has no path in, because the public way to find a lobby is the lobby list or a platform Game Invite.
If you want to belt-and-suspenders the setup, set your Steam profile to Friends-Only under Profile Privacy Settings, which prevents random players from browsing your activity and sending unsolicited invites. Combined with the invite-only lobby approach, this gives you full control over who enters your squad. Players looking to compare how this works against the standard lobby-list flow can read the Mycopunk lobby filter breakdown for a side-by-side of the lobby options.
Crossplay and Cross-Platform Play
Mycopunk 1.0 launched simultaneously on Windows PC via Steam and on PlayStation 5. The official PlayStation launch trailer was confirmed via the official PlayStation channel and Devolver Digital's "Out Now on PC and PlayStation 5" announcement. However, the developer has not published or announced crossplay support between PC and PS5 as of the 1.0 launch, so the developer has not confirmed that a PC squad can invite a PS5 friend into the same lobby. If crossplay is enabled in a future patch, it will likely be announced on the official channels listed on the Steam page and the mycopunkgame.com site. There is no Xbox or Switch version, so crossplay with those platforms is not on the roadmap either.
Mission Types, Region Difficulty, and Squad Roles
With the Mycopunk coop player count ceiling confirmed at four, the next question is how that squad is meant to be built. The developer uses the word employee for the playable roles, not "class," because the five employees function more like a roster of contractors than a class system. Each one has a movement tool and an offensive or defensive ability, and the four-player cap lets you stack complementary roles.
| Employee | Movement Tool | Signature Ability | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glider | Wingsuit | Rocket Salvo | Aerial control, flank routes |
| Scrapper | Jetpack | Grapple Pole | Vertical mobility, objective grab |
| Bruiser | Shield Projector | Nose Dive | Frontline tanking, mob control |
| Wrangler | Air Dash | Rocket Lasso | Crowd control, enemy grouping |
| Mycologist | Standard | Fungal Skewer, Sporelift, Infection passive | Healer / support (unlocks via Expedition Alpha) |
Region Difficulty and Squad Composition
The 1.0 launch added a new high-difficulty region: X11-B, a moonlet orbiting New Atlas. Official facts say X11-B is harder than the existing regions, periodic electromagnetic storms disable abilities there, and it is where the new Snowball Grenade is unlocked. The developer has not published X11-B's room count or enemy list, so the community is still mapping the region. The existing regions — Gravity Farm(s), Moldy Tundra (with the Sunken Highlands variant), Ice Floes, The Swamp, Desert / Flourishing Desert, and City / Titan City (with the City Outskirts variant) — each have different threat level distributions and enemy mixes, but the four-player cap applies uniformly.
If you are still learning the basics before worrying about region-specific builds, the Mycopunk beginner guide covers the upgrade grid, the Pattern Infuser, and the HUB vendors in detail. The Threat level scale runs 1 through 7 only, and the developer has explicitly stated that Threat 8 is not a thing at the time of writing, so do not chase an eighth-tier reward.
Co-Op Etiquette, Loot Distribution, and Quick Tips
Running a four-player co-op squad smoothly is mostly about avoiding the failure modes that frustrate the other three members of your party. Below are the etiquette rules and quick tips that came out of the 1.0 launch window, plus a few system-level details that the developer has published.
| Rule | Why It Matters | What Happens If You Skip It |
|---|---|---|
| Call out Amalgamation spawns | The 30-second timer is tight | Squad wipes, no Antimass |
| Share Antimass Substrate | Required for upgrade infusions | Fall behind the other three |
| Don't double-pick Lottery Larry tokens | Wastes rerolls | Everyone's cosmetic rolls stall |
| Wait for the squad at the Drop Pod | Mission won't start | Host has to restart the lobby |
| Use built-in voice chat | Voice chat is built in (1.9) and text chat is built in | Silent chaos during a swarm |
| Stack at least one crowd-control employee | Brute and Abomination spawns are heavy | Squad gets overrun |
Loot and Upgrade Sharing
Upgrades drop on a per-player basis, so each squad member has their own copy of the upgrade grid. The same upgrade can land in all four grids at once, which is why a well-coordinated squad can stack the same Rare or Epic effect four times for a build-defining combo. Weapons, by contrast, drop into individual loadouts, and the Armament License system lets you unlock weapons for the whole account regardless of who picked up the original drop. The Lost Loot Terminal in the HUB recovers items that did not get picked up before the mission ended, so a death spiral in the final room does not have to be a total loss.
Fulfillments, Hats, and 1.0 Known Issues
The 1.0 update added the Fulfillments achievement-cosmetic system, which rewards Hats for completing in-game challenges. The 1.0 Known Issues list flagged that two Fulfillments (the developer referenced activating relay towers and rescuing bags of Saxitos) were not progressing at launch, and the Mycologist cape was missing as a reward. The full Fulfillment list has not been published, so this is an area where the developer has not released the complete data. A Cranius achievement that will not unlock was also listed. If you are chasing cosmetics, keep an eye on the patch notes for fixes to these specific issues rather than expecting a clean checklist.
Backlog Reward Program
The Backlog system, added in the 1.2 update cycle, is a tiered reward program that tracks how many missions you have completed across all types. It is account-wide, so solo and co-op progress both feed the same bar, and the tier rewards are cosmetic. This is one of the systems where a four-player squad is no different from a solo player, which makes the Backlog a good benchmark for a new player who is still learning the map layouts and wants to see steady cosmetic progress.
Mycopunk Player Base and Launch Window Context
A question that often comes bundled with Mycopunk how many players is "how many people are actually playing the game right now?" The developer is small — Pigeons at Play is a five-person studio, with the fifth employee (the Mycologist) added to the in-game roster as a character at 1.0 — and the publisher is Devolver Digital.
| Launch-Window Stat | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews (as of 2026-10-21) | 4,825 (4,261 positive) | Official Steam page |
| Review summary | Very Positive | Official Steam page |
| Approximate concurrent players (Oct 21, 2026) | ~1,839 | Official Steam page snapshot |
| Platforms at launch | Windows PC (Steam), PlayStation 5 | Official channels |
| Price at launch (US) | $14.99 list / $7.49 at -50% launch discount | Official Steam page |
| Launch discount end date | 2026-11-03 | Official Steam page |
| Achievements | 48 | Official Steam page |
That level of concurrent activity means public lobbies fill quickly for the standard mission types, even at 2 a.m. on a weekday, which makes the four-player cap practical — you do not have to wait long to find three other players. If you would rather skip the lobby list entirely, the Steam invite path described above is the faster route. Squad-building advice for playing with randoms versus friends is covered in the Mycopunk invite friends guide, which breaks down the etiquette of pub matches versus private lobbies.
What's Not in the Game
The developer has been explicit that Mycopunk has no PvP mode, no battle pass, and no codes or redemption system. The developer has not published or announced crossplay between PC and PS5 as of the 1.0 launch. Anyone selling "Mycopunk codes" or "Mycopunk battle pass tier rewards" is fabricating content. The game's social layer uses built-in voice chat and text chat, with Steam and Discord as optional extras — the developer built a focused four-player co-op experience, not a live-service platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many players can play Mycopunk co-op at once?
The Mycopunk coop player count is capped at four players per lobby. This is the hard ceiling for every mission type including the standard missions, Ouroboros, Ouroboros Blitz (the 13-room short variant), the X11-B high-difficulty region, and the Expedition Alpha rescue mission that unlocks the Mycologist. There is no 5-player, 6-player, or 8-player mode, no PvP, and the developer has not published or announced crossplay between PC and PS5 as of the 1.0 launch.
Does Mycopunk have in-game voice chat or push-to-talk?
Mycopunk has built-in voice chat, added in the 1.9 update. It uses the Discord social SDK as its voice backend, but you do not need a Discord account or installation. Voice volume and push-to-talk options are in the game's audio settings; voice defaults to push-to-talk and can be changed to open-mic. Text chat is also built in. The developer hosts the official Discord at discord.gg/mycopunk as an optional extra for finding groups.
Can I make a friends-only lobby in Mycopunk?
There is no in-game "friends only" toggle because the developer has not published one. The Mycopunk friends only workflow runs through Steam: launch the game, open the Steam overlay (Shift+Tab), right-click your friend in the Friends list, and select Invite to Game. Only people who accept that specific invite land in your lobby, so the squad is effectively friends-only. Setting your Steam profile privacy to Friends-Only adds an extra layer of protection against random invites.
What is the best way to play Mycopunk with friends?
The fastest path for Mycopunk how to play with friends is to launch the game on the same platform, add each other on Steam, and use the Invite to Game option from the Steam overlay. Turn on the built-in voice chat, or stand up a Discord call as an optional extra. The host's HUB serves as the staging area, and the squad departs together from the Drop Pod. Two-player and three-player runs are fully supported, so you do not need a full four-person party to start playing.
Is Mycopunk crossplay between PC and PS5?
As of the 1.0 launch on October 20, 2026, the developer has not published or announced crossplay support between PC (Steam) and PlayStation 5. The developer has not confirmed that PC and PS5 players can form a squad together. There is no Xbox or Switch version, so crossplay with those platforms is not planned either. Watch the official channels at mycopunkgame.com and the the studio's official YouTube channel for any future crossplay announcements.