Slay the Spire 2: Is Co-op Better With Friends or Solo?

Depending on your preferred playstyle you can choose to climb the Spire solo or invite your friends to join you. In Slay The Spire 2 the core deck-building system remains the same from the original game. However, co-op brings a new twist to the gameplay by adding a new puzzle to solve where you have to make your deck work with everyone else's. This guide will show you how co-op works, what changes and who should play how. Everything here is based on mid-November 2026 and as this game is still in Early Access Mega Crit may make changes in future patches.

How Co-op Works in Slay the Spire 2

Getting a run started

Slay the Spire 2 was released on Steam Early Access on March 5th 2026, featuring online multiplayer support for up to 4 players. It is easy to start a multiplayer game. Just click 'Multiplayer' on the main menu. One player will be the host. All others will join using their Steam Friends. Everyone will be able to play as any unlocked character. You could even have everyone play as the same characters. This allows a full party of 4 Ironclads (or your class of choice).

What’s shared and what stays yours

From this point everyone will play using the same map, fighting the same enemies on the same spire. Every player will also have their own set of cards, relics, potions, gold and energy, depending on how they have developed their game, so it can feel as if you are playing multiple individual solo games.

What Changes When Friends Join

Combat and enemy scaling

This mainly affects combat. As everyone plays their turns at the same time you will be constantly attacking your foes with cards and potions. The downside of having more players in your lobby is that you will be given increased health. The enemies will now be able to deal 1 damage to your entire team. You will have to defend. Early reviews have mentioned that the increased health was fairly substantial, but one reviewer mentioned that the increased enemy health in multiplayer could use more balancing. This makes sense as the game is still in Early Access.

Co-op-only cards and team moments

Some cards exist only in co-op. One example from early impressions is a Silent card called Flanking, which doubles the damage of everyone else’s attacks. Away from the fights, you can heal each other at rest sites and vote on some event choices. The early trailer shows the team collaborating on drawing out paths on the map, and playing with potions. This gives a good feel for the tone of the game. 

Your progress carries over

Great news! You can unlock cards, relics and potions that can be used in both solo and co-op. Also, playing through co-op will count towards your Epochs and new content. Playing with friends will not hinder your progress.

The Case for Playing Solo

Full control, on your own schedule

Playing solo remains the purest option. You have complete control of how you play - which cards you take and what risk you’re willing to take. There is no need to get others to agree and you can play anytime you want with no waiting for 3 more people.

A better place to learn and climb

It’s a great place to learn as well.” Multiplayer Ascension levels are different than single-player levels and a party can only go as high as the lowest Ascension level any member has unlocked. If you're doing the hard difficulty then solo is its own track and co-op won't continue it.

The Case for Bringing Friends

Strategy you build together

Co-op is great if you like talking as much as you like building deck. You are not only looking for the card that will help you, but also looking for what the team is missing. Having someone to apply debuffs early, having someone to tank damage, and having someone to complete the task. It becomes very strategic. If you play well and your friends do it feels like you have cracked the puzzle together.

Where Mega Crit is taking it

The studio appears to be aware that it has a winner on its hands. As PCGamesN reported, the Mega Crit team was extremely impressed by the reaction to the co-op mode and want to bring the feature more long-term. However, the studio has rejected any ideas to allow players to split gold between each other, meaning that each player will have their own economy.

What Co-op Can’t Do Yet

A couple of things to note before playing this during a game night. There is no local or couch co-op and no public matchmaking meaning you will need Steam friends for this. Save data for the multiplayer will only save on the Host's profile. You can only have 1 Multiplayer Campaign going at once. Whilst you can pause and continue your run, you won't be able to ask a friend to join you mid run. This may be an issue if your group have an unpredictable schedule.

Solo Versus Co-op at a Glance

	Solo	Co-op
Players	One	Up to four, online through Steam friends
Finding a group	Not needed	No matchmaking or local co-op, so you need Steam friends
Your resources	Your own deck, relics, potions, gold, and energy	Each player keeps their own
Turns	Yours alone	The whole party acts during the same turn
Enemies	Standard health	Health rises with each extra player, and attacks hit everyone
Ascension	Its own track	A separate track, limited by the lowest level in the party
Saves	Normal	Tied to the host, one multiplayer campaign at a time, no swapping players mid-run
Unlocks	Shared with co-op	Shared with solo
Pace	Set by you	Set by the group

Which Mode Fits You?

For those who are still getting their head around the game or aiming to get up that high Ascension rank, then go solo. For those who have a few friends who love chatting strategies, then go co-op. Since the unlocks are the same between the two modes you can do both. I think a lot of people will try both. Solo for improving their skills and co-op for having fun.

A quick guide by situation

If this sounds like you	Try this	Why
You’re new to the game	Solo	You can learn the cards and systems at your own pace
You want to push high Ascension levels	Solo	It’s a separate track, and co-op won’t advance it
You have a regular group on Steam	Co-op	You can coordinate and plan builds together
Your friends’ schedules keep changing	Solo, or co-op with a steady core group	You can’t swap players in halfway through a run
You want a more relaxed, social session	Co-op	Shared wins and chaos are part of the appeal
You like switching it up	Both	Unlocks carry over between modes

Getting Copies Without Overpaying

Why price comparison helps a group

Every member of a co-op party will need to have their own Steam account, and there was no mention of any game sharing or friend pass. This means generally there should be one copy for each person. However, you can save some money by comparing prices. Gamepriceradar is a price comparison site and does not sell any game keys. However, you can compare prices of Steam keys from different vendors to get the best deals for your party.

What the comparison page showed

When I checked in mid-November 2026, you could compare Slay the Spire 2 Steam key price on a page that puts Steam’s official price of $24.99 next to offers from third-party key sellers, each with a seller rating. The lowest key offer was $16.76. Here’s what that gap looks like for a group of four, though prices move, so check the page for the current numbers.

Option	Price per copy	Four copies
Steam official price	$24.99	$99.96
Lowest key offer on the page	$16.76	$67.04
Difference	$8.23	$32.92

The page also shows the Slay the Spire 2 price history: Steam’s own price held at $24.99 the whole time, while key offers started dipping in September. Set an alert so that you are notified when there is a price drop. This makes it easier to monitor the price of Slay the Spire 2 price and spot genuine discounts.

Check before you pay

Whatever source you’re using to purchase, take a moment to ensure they’re reputable. When purchasing you’ll notice listings will be split into regions and editions (Global/EU) and Early Access/Standard. The page also reminds you to check your activation region and edition. If the key doesn’t match your region it’s a bad deal no matter how cheap.

Conclusion

Both solo and co-op are there to give you another way to play on the Spire. Playing solo gives you total control but means you can go straight into the hardest parts. Playing with others will have you working together to win, and cause lots of fun mayhem. As your unlocks affect both versions you can just play both and see which one your group prefer.