How to Play Big Walk

What Kind of Game Is This?

The developers call Big Walk a "walker-talker" — a genre that does not really exist outside this game. It is an adventure where the two verbs in that name matter equally: you walk across a wide-open world, and you talk to stay coordinated while you do it.

There are no guns, no health bars and no competitive scoring. The obstacles are environmental: challenges, puzzles and discoveries scattered across a landscape based on Wilsons Prom National Park in Australia. Your tools are your voice, your arms and a kit of communication toys.

Step 1: Get the Game and Set Up Your Group

1. Buy the game on Steam (PC or Mac), PlayStation 5 or Nintendo Switch 2. It costs $19.99, or $14.99 with the Steam launch discount (until August 18, 2026). On PS5 it is included with PlayStation Plus until September 2, 2026 — the store lists no tier restriction, so an Essential membership is enough. On PC, check the system requirements first — the memory bar is higher than the game looks.
2. Pick a host and let them start first. The host holds the save for the whole group, so the same person should host each session. Once they are in the world, their game appears automatically for friends on the same platform — or the host can share the Join Code shown under Session Details, which works across platforms and friend lists alike. Set a session password if you want the group closed; see the online guide if anyone cannot get in.
3. Mix platforms freely. Crossplay is fully supported, so a Steam player, a PS5 player and a Switch 2 player can all walk together. See the crossplay guide for the details.
4. Check voice permissions. Voice chat is the core mechanic, so make sure your microphone is working and your platform's voice permissions are on before you start.

If you only have one friend, that is fine — 2 players is a fully supported, focused co-op experience. Up to 12 can join for what the developers describe as "an absolute mess."

Step 2: Understand the Objective Loop

Big Walk does not hand you a quest list. Your objective is built from the game's own description, in three layers:

• Find your way around a wide-open world, together, at your own pace.
• Complete challenges and puzzles that test teamwork and talking — these are scattered through the landscape and often require more than one player to solve.
• Reach the other side of the big wall. Unlock new ways to get around as you progress, and eventually find out what is waiting beyond it. That is the end goal of every walk.

There is a hand-crafted ending. Big Walk is not a live service — it is an adventure to be played start-to-finish with a group of friends. The complete guide breaks down the full run in more detail.

Step 3: Learn the Controls

The exact key bindings are shown in-game on each platform, but Big Walk's control philosophy is consistent everywhere:

• Move with standard controls — left stick or WASD-style movement, with camera control on the right stick or mouse.
• Use your arms. Point, wave and gesture with dedicated gesture controls. This is your fallback communication when you cannot talk.
• Equip tools from your kit — walkie-talkies, laser pointers, binoculars, megaphones, flares and more — and use them with the interaction button.
• Talk using proximity voice chat. Your voice reaches people who are close to you in the world. There is no press-to-talk channel for the whole map unless you use a walkie-talkie.

Because proximity audio is central, the voice chat guide is worth reading before your first walk — it explains how distance, walls and walkie-talkies change what your friends hear.

Step 4: Communicate Like the Game Expects

Big Walk is designed around the moment your group loses voice contact. The features work together to make that moment interesting:

• Voices fade across distances — if your friend wanders off over a hill, you literally cannot shout after them.
• Voices muffle through walls and echo down corridors — terrain shapes what you hear.
• Walkie-talkies crackle — they carry your voice further, but the signal is imperfect.
• Gestures work when talking does not — waving, pointing and flailing are surprisingly expressive across a valley.

Plan for losing voice contact before it happens: decide on landmarks as meeting points, keep someone on a walkie-talkie when the group splits, and never assume everyone heard the plan. The communication tools guide covers each option in depth.

How Do You "Win" Big Walk?

There is no score screen. A walk is finished when your group finds out what is on the other side of the big wall — and along the way, the game explicitly encourages you to do nothing at all sometimes:

If your group wants structure, treat the walk like a day hike: pick a direction, keep moving toward the wall, solve the challenges you meet, and take breaks. The co-op tips guide has role and pacing advice for every group size.

Common First-Walk Mistakes

• Skipping the voice check. Discover that your mic is muted after you have scattered across the map.
• Splitting up with no plan. If two players go left and two go right with no walkie-talkie, that is four players effectively playing alone.
• Expecting a shooter or a platformer. Big Walk rewards patience, observation and talking — not reflexes.
• Treating tools as optional. The kit is the game. Flares and laser pointers exist to solve exactly the situations the world throws at you.

Stuck on connection or invite issues instead? Skip to the online fix guide for the troubleshooting checklist.