Some games debut and you’re just glad to remember the name. The second time around, you start to get curious. But by the third reveal, you catch yourself quietly waiting for launch day. That’s exactly where Orbitals is right now.
The game first showed up at The Game Awards 2025, reappeared in February 2026 during a Nintendo Direct, and now the studio has dropped an all-new gameplay trailer — and somehow the hype is actually climbing. That’s because this isn’t one of those projects that survives on vibes alone. It looks polished, it looks paced, and it knows exactly what it wants to be.
Currently, Orbitals is confirmed for a Summer 2026 release on Switch 2, launching as a console exclusive. If the final product holds up to what we’re seeing now, this could end up being one of the most pleasant surprises in Switch 2’s launch-year lineup.
New Trailer Shows Off Co-op Gameplay — And It Feels Like the Good Kind of Couch Chaos
The new footage stars Creative Director Marcos Ramos and Game Director Jakob Lundgren playing through the game live. Lundgren’s resume includes work on A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction — so if you’ve watched those games, you already have a solid sense of where Orbitals is headed.
Orbitals is built around two-player co-op. Both characters come with their own tools and abilities, and you’re expected to use them together — navigating obstacles, solving puzzles, and clearing platforming sections as a pair. The beauty of this design is that no matter how good you are, a partner’s mistake means you both fall.
And that’s what makes co-op games so special. The joy and the breakdown tend to happen simultaneously. You’ll be laughing one moment and genuinely questioning whether your friendship can survive the next.
Based on this trailer, Orbitals nails that rhythm. It feels natural, not like the two-player mechanics were bolted onto a single-player framework just to check a box.
Its Biggest Strength Isn’t Co-op — It’s the Way the Gameplay Keeps Shifting
What’s the worst thing a co-op game can do? Start repeating itself after two hours.
But from what Orbitals has shown so far, its biggest strength is variety. The trailer gives us a glimpse of 3D platforming driven by character-specific tools, side-scrolling sections with gravity manipulation, and even fast-paced hoverboard movement where both players charge through while directing the action together.
This kind of design tells us the team isn’t content with sticking to one core loop. They’re clearly trying to keep things fresh by mixing up the mechanics and letting the gameplay evolve as you progress.