How to play co-op in LEGO Horizon Adventures: Local & online play explained

LEGO Horizon Adventures can be played alone, but it’s far more enjoyable if you bring a friend along for the ride. Here’s how co-op works in both an online and local setting.

While the Horizon series has been single-player only through its first two mainline chapters, LEGO Horizon Adventures changes that for the very first time. Now, you can enjoy Aloy’s story cooperatively with another player.

The entire game can be experienced with others along for the journey, as you recap the PlayStation protagonist’s origins. But how can you actress co-op and how many players can join in?

Here’s the full rundown on everything you need to know about co-op in LEGO Horizon Adventures.

LEGO Horizon Adventures co-op explained

As the first co-op experience in the Horizon franchise, this game lets you jump into a playful retelling of Aloy’s origins with a friend by her side. Playing cooperatively lets you swap between Aloy, Varl, Erend, and Teersa, all of which have their own unique weapons and Gadgets.

Playing cooperatively sticks both characters on the one screen and limits how far you can move apart. Rather than splitting the screen like other co-op games often do, you’re both on the same screen at all times, you just aren’t allowed to go too far apart.

Moving too far away from your ally will have a warning icon appear overhead, letting you know you’re about to be teleported closer to them. If one player goes forward and attempts to leave a stage, it’ll instantly teleport the other player right next to them so you can continue the level.

How many players does LEGO Horizon Adventures co-op support?

LEGO Horizon Adventures supports cooperative play for just two players.

Despite having four characters to swap between throughout the game, you can only ever have two players in any given session. Regardless of whether you’re playing online or locally on the same screen, co-op is limited to two players.

This is in line with most other LEGO games as historically, they’ve only supported two player co-op.

How to play local co-op

Playing co-op locally is a simple matter of switching on a second controller.

Whether you’re on PS5, PC, or Nintendo Switch, just turn on a second input device and the game will instantly give you control of a second character.

How to play co-op online

To play LEGO Horizon Adventures online, you’ll first need a membership to the right online services for your platform.

If you’re on PS5, that means you’ll need an active PlayStation Plus subscription to play online co-op. Meanwhile, you’ll need a Nintendo Switch Online membership to play online co-op over there as well. On PC, there are no extra costs.

When ready, hit the pause button to open the menu. From there, you’ll see an option to invite a friend to an online co-op session. Just scroll through the menus, invite your chosen friend, and once they accept, they’ll be dragged into your session.

Is there crossplay?

No, Sony has confirmed there is no crossplay support across platforms. You can’t join a co-op session with anyone playing on different hardware.

For example, if you’re playing on PS5 and a friend is on Nintendo Switch or PC, you won’t be able to join them. Both players need to be on the same system in order to access LEGO Horizon Adventure’s co-op functionality.