No Rest for the Wicked is finally getting the feature players have requested since the action RPG launched into Early Access in April 2024: cooperative multiplayer. Moon Studios revealed the Together update during their Wicked Inside Showcase 4 on December 18, 2025, announcing a January 22, 2026 full release alongside a public beta that went live immediately for all Steam owners. This massive update adds 4-player co-op in shared persistent Realms, weapon overhauls, homesteads, shared resources, and fundamental changes to progression systems designed specifically around multiplayer gameplay.
What the Together Update Actually Adds
The centerpiece of the Together update is full cooperative play supporting up to four players simultaneously in shared persistent Realms. These aren’t temporary lobbies that disappear when you log off. Realms persist across sessions, maintaining all progress, resources collected, upgrades completed, and world states affected by player actions. You and your friends essentially share ownership of a single game world rather than jumping between separate instances.
Realm creation lets you customize difficulty levels through modifiers affecting enemy strength, loot quality, and challenge intensity. The host sets parameters when establishing the Realm, and all players who join experience those conditions. Screenshots from the showcase reveal detailed Realm management interfaces showing who’s currently playing, what difficulty modifiers are active, unique Realm codes for inviting friends, and options to leave or continue from last checkpoint locations called Whispers.
Combat has been adjusted to accommodate multiple players fighting simultaneously. Enemy health pools scale based on party size, preventing situations where solo-balanced encounters become trivially easy with four players wailing on them. Weapon balance received significant attention, with particular focus on archery. Bows were reworked to feel more impactful in group combat, addressing feedback that ranged builds felt underwhelming compared to melee options during the Early Access period.
Homesteads and Shared Resources
The homestead system represents a major quality-of-life improvement. Instead of managing separate individual bases, co-op groups now have shared homesteads where all players contribute resources, upgrade facilities, and benefit from collective progress. This eliminates the frustration of grinding identical materials separately when playing with friends. If one player collects rare crafting ingredients, everyone in the Realm can use them.
Shared resources extend beyond homesteads to inventory management and loot distribution. Moon Studios hasn’t fully detailed exactly how loot drops work in co-op, but the showcase emphasized systems designed to prevent griefing and ensure fair distribution among party members. Nobody wants to replay the Diablo 3 launch disaster where players competed for ground drops in their own party.
Enchantment and upgrade systems received overhauls tied to multiplayer progression. According to developer Discord posts, only one enchantment slot per item can be rerolled using Fallen Embers, and that chosen slot can be rerolled indefinitely while others lock permanently. Once an item reaches Exalted status through max upgrades, gems and enchantments lock entirely, making that final push more meaningful and forcing strategic decisions about which bonuses to keep.
The Public Beta You Can Play Today
Moon Studios launched a public beta test on December 18, 2025, running through December 22. Anyone who owns No Rest for the Wicked on Steam can access the beta without additional purchases or special invitations. This four-day test lets the studio gather feedback on co-op systems, identify bugs, stress-test servers, and collect data about how players actually use these features before the full January 22 release.
The beta includes substantial content from the Together update, giving players a legitimate preview rather than a limited vertical slice. You can create Realms, invite friends, experience the revised combat balance, test shared homesteads, and explore how the enchantment changes affect progression. This is a real opportunity to influence the final release through feedback rather than just early access to finished content.
Beta participation requires no special signup process beyond owning the game. Launch No Rest for the Wicked through Steam, and the beta client should be available automatically. Moon Studios is actively monitoring Discord and community forums for feedback during the test period, encouraging players to report issues, suggest improvements, and share experiences with the new systems.
Why Co-Op Took So Long
No Rest for the Wicked launched into Early Access on April 18, 2024, originally promising co-op as a core feature. The game hit impressive numbers at launch, peaking at 36,276 concurrent players during its first weekend despite technical issues and performance problems. However, player counts dropped precipitously over subsequent months as the novelty wore off and the lack of multiplayer became increasingly frustrating for communities who expected to play together.
Moon Studios initially planned to release co-op before The Breach content update that arrived April 30, 2025. However, they reversed course and prioritized The Breach first to give players more content to actually play through once co-op launched. Studio director Thomas Mahler explained this decision during development updates, arguing that releasing co-op into a content-starved game would create a poor first impression that would be difficult to recover from.
The delay also stemmed from Moon Studios regaining independence from publisher Take-Two Interactive. When Take-Two sold Private Division to private equity firm Haveli Investments in November 2024, No Rest for the Wicked’s future became uncertain. After months of negotiations revealed in March 2025, Moon Studios successfully purchased back the publishing rights, becoming fully independent. This process consumed significant time and resources but ultimately gave the studio complete creative control over the game’s direction.
The Player Count Problem
Data from ActivePlayer.io paints a concerning picture for No Rest for the Wicked’s player retention. After peaking above 37,000 concurrent players during Early Access launch, average concurrent players dropped to around 15,000 in May 2024, then collapsed to just 486 in April 2025 before The Breach update temporarily boosted numbers to 5,083 in May 2025. By last month, average concurrent players sat at 2,411, representing a 52 percent decline month-over-month.
These numbers reflect broader problems with the Early Access experience. Technical performance at launch was rough, with frequent crashes, stuttering framerates, and server instability frustrating players. Progression systems felt grindy and unrewarding, with unclear explanations of mechanics like enchantments and realm tiers. Content ran out quickly, leaving players with little to do after completing the available story chapters and defeating available bosses.
Moon Studios faced criticism for their response to negative Steam reviews following unpopular balance changes. Studio founder Thomas Mahler posted on Discord that negative reviews might cause the studio’s death, claiming they had only a few months left to turn things around. This melodramatic response alienated parts of the community who felt the studio was guilt-tripping players rather than addressing legitimate criticisms about game design and performance.
How Together Could Save the Game
Cooperative multiplayer represents the single most requested feature from the No Rest for the Wicked community since Early Access launch. Players who enjoyed the visceral precision combat and gorgeous art direction were frustrated they couldn’t share the experience with friends. The addition of 4-player co-op in persistent shared Realms addresses that fundamental gap, potentially bringing back lapsed players and attracting new ones who skipped the game specifically because it lacked multiplayer.
The timing coincides with a relatively quiet period in the action RPG space. Path of Exile 2 dominates the conversation right now, but not everyone wants the complexity and time commitment that game demands. No Rest for the Wicked offers a more approachable alternative with Souls-like combat, gorgeous hand-painted visuals, and now cooperative play that lets casual groups enjoy the experience together without requiring encyclopedic build knowledge.
Moon Studios clearly learned lessons from the rough Early Access period. The decision to launch a public beta four days before the holiday break, gather feedback during Christmas week when players have free time, then implement changes before the January 22 full release shows improved community engagement. The transparency about systems like enchantment changes and difficulty scaling demonstrates awareness that players want detailed information about how mechanics work.
What Moon Studios Plans Next
Studio director Thomas Mahler has stated repeatedly that Moon Studios plans to support No Rest for the Wicked for 5 to 10 years beyond the eventual 1.0 launch. This long-term vision positions the game as an ongoing platform similar to Warframe or Path of Exile rather than a static product that receives a few patches before the studio moves on. The Together update represents just one milestone in that extended roadmap.
Future content updates will continue expanding the world of Isola Sacra, adding new regions, bosses, weapons, systems, and story chapters. Moon Studios has teased that the current Early Access content represents perhaps 30 to 40 percent of the planned 1.0 experience, suggesting substantial additional zones and encounters remain in development. The Breach update that launched in April 2025 essentially doubled the world size, and similar expansions are expected as development continues.
The relationship with the Ori franchise remains uncertain. When asked about returning to the beloved Metroidvania series, Mahler gave cryptic responses suggesting he’s had conversations with Microsoft about possibilities but remains focused on No Rest for the Wicked as the top priority. He hasn’t ruled out another Ori game eventually, possibly developed by a different studio with Moon Studios’ blessing, but clarified that nobody has formally approached him about such a collaboration yet.
Is It Worth Jumping In Now
The Together update represents the best time since launch to try No Rest for the Wicked, especially if you have friends interested in co-op action RPGs. The game currently costs $39.99 on Steam, with plans for eventual PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S releases though no dates have been announced for console versions. Moon Studios is PC-focused during Early Access, with console ports expected closer to 1.0 launch.
Expect a 30 to 50 hour experience with current Early Access content depending on how thoroughly you explore and how much you engage with optional challenges. The Breach update added massive new zones, additional bosses, expanded story content, and the Realm Tier difficulty system that scales challenge for experienced players. Together now adds the cooperative experience on top of that foundation, giving groups substantial content to tackle together.
Technical performance has improved significantly since the rough launch in April 2024, with multiple optimization patches addressing the worst crashes and stuttering. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5 and demands decent hardware, particularly for maintaining smooth framerates during chaotic combat encounters with multiple enemies and particle effects. A mid-range gaming PC should handle it at 1080p 60fps, while high-end rigs can push 4K with acceptable performance.
FAQs
When does No Rest for the Wicked co-op release?
The Together co-op update for No Rest for the Wicked launches January 22, 2026. A public beta is available December 18-22, 2025, for all Steam owners, letting players test cooperative features before the full release.
How many players can play No Rest for the Wicked co-op?
No Rest for the Wicked supports up to four players simultaneously in cooperative multiplayer. Players join shared persistent Realms where progress, resources, and world states are maintained across sessions for all participants.
Is No Rest for the Wicked co-op cross-platform?
No, cross-platform play has not been announced. The game is currently only available on PC via Steam during Early Access, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S versions planned for eventual release closer to 1.0 launch. Cross-platform capabilities remain unclear.
Do you need friends to play No Rest for the Wicked?
No, co-op is completely optional. No Rest for the Wicked is designed as a single-player experience that can be enjoyed cooperatively if desired. No quests or content require multiple players to complete, and solo progression works identically to co-op.
Is Moon Studios still independent?
Yes, Moon Studios became fully independent in March 2025 after negotiating to buy back publishing rights for No Rest for the Wicked from Take-Two Interactive. The studio now has complete creative control over the game’s development and direction.
How is No Rest for the Wicked different from Ori?
No Rest for the Wicked is an isometric action RPG with Souls-like combat, stamina management, and challenging encounters. Ori and the Blind Forest was a 2D Metroidvania platformer. While both feature Moon Studios’ signature hand-painted art style, the gameplay is fundamentally different.
When does No Rest for the Wicked leave Early Access?
No release date has been announced for No Rest for the Wicked’s 1.0 launch. Studio director Thomas Mahler has stated the game will remain in Early Access for years, with plans to support it for 5-10 years beyond eventual 1.0 release as an ongoing platform.
Can I play the Together beta right now?
Yes, if you own No Rest for the Wicked on Steam, you can access the Together beta immediately. The beta runs December 18-22, 2025, and includes substantial co-op content for testing before the January 22, 2026 full release.
Conclusion
The Together update represents Moon Studios’ most significant addition to No Rest for the Wicked since Early Access launch, finally delivering the cooperative multiplayer that players requested for over a year and a half. By creating shared persistent Realms where up to four players progress together through the dark fantasy world of Isola Sacra, the studio addresses the fundamental gap that prevented friend groups from experiencing the game collaboratively. Whether Together can reverse the concerning player count decline remains to be seen. The data shows average concurrent players dropping month after month since the initial launch excitement faded, with only temporary spikes following major content updates like The Breach. Cooperative play might provide the sustained engagement necessary to build a dedicated community rather than just another short-term bump followed by inevitable decline. What’s clear is Moon Studios learned hard lessons from the turbulent Early Access period. The decision to launch a public beta before the holiday break, gather feedback from actual players experiencing co-op systems, then implement changes before the January full release demonstrates improved community engagement compared to the defensive posturing that characterized earlier controversies. Becoming fully independent after buying back publishing rights gives the studio freedom to develop exactly the game they envision without publisher interference. For players who’ve been waiting for co-op before diving into No Rest for the Wicked, or those who bounced off during the rough Early Access launch, the Together update provides the perfect entry point. The game Moon Studios originally promised is finally taking shape, with visceral precision combat, gorgeous hand-painted visuals, challenging encounters designed for mastery, and now the ability to share all of that with friends in persistent shared worlds. The public beta running December 18-22 gives everyone a chance to test these systems before committing to the January 22 full release. If you own the game, jump in this weekend and see whether Moon Studios finally delivered the cooperative experience the community has been demanding. Based on the Wicked Inside Showcase footage and developer transparency about systems and changes, it looks like they might have actually pulled it off.