You’re standing in the Treehouse. There’s a red button on the floor, a surfboard leaning against the wall, and a Raccoon wearing a top hat staring you down. If you’ve ever loaded up this chaotic masterpiece, you know the vibe is immediately frantic. But before you invite the entire neighborhood over, you've gotta know the hard limits.
How many players is Ultimate Chicken Horse, exactly?
Standard answer: Four. If you're looking for the quick "back of the box" stat, that’s it. Whether you are playing on a PC, a Switch, or a PlayStation, the game is fundamentally built as a four-player experience. But honestly, it’s a bit more nuanced than a single number. Depending on how you play—local, online, or with some "unofficial" help—that number feels different.
The Magic Number: Why 4 Players is the Sweet Spot
Clever Endeavour Games, the geniuses behind this friendship-ending simulator, capped the official player count at four. This isn't just an arbitrary limit; it’s about the screen real estate.
Since everyone plays on one single, non-split screen, adding a fifth or sixth player would make the chaos unreadable. Imagine four people trying to dodge a hockey puck, a swinging saw blade, and a black hole simultaneously. It's already a mess. Now add four more. You’d basically be looking at a pixelated soup of animal limbs and death traps.
- Local Play: You can have four people sitting on one couch.
- Online Play: You can host a lobby for four people across the world.
- Mixed Play: This is the cool part. You can have two people on one console and two people online join the same game.
Basically, as long as the total number of animals on the screen is four or fewer, you’re golden.
Can You Play With Just Two?
Totally. Honestly, 1v1 Ultimate Chicken Horse is a different beast entirely. It’s less "chaos" and more "psychological warfare." When it’s just two of you, every block you place is a direct insult to the other person. You aren't just building a level; you're building a cage.
👉 See also: GTA Vice City Cheat Switch: How to Make the Definitive Edition Actually Fun
How Many Players is Ultimate Chicken Horse Locally? (The Couch Factor)
The "Couch Mode" is where this game truly shines. You can connect four controllers to a single PC or console and go to town. If you’re playing on a laptop and don’t have four controllers, the game even supports a "Shared Controller" or "Hotseat" style of play for certain modes, though it's much better with individual pads.
The Console Breakdown
- Nintendo Switch: Supports 4 players. Great for tabletop mode if you’re traveling, though the screen gets tiny.
- PlayStation/Xbox: 4 players. Standard stuff.
- PC (Steam/Epic): 4 players. This is also where the most flexible controller support lives.
One thing people often miss: you don’t need four identical controllers on PC. You can have one person on a keyboard, one on a PS5 controller, and two on old Xbox 360 pads you found in a drawer. The game is pretty chill about hardware.
Is There a Way to Get More Than 4 Players?
This is where things get interesting (and a little unofficial).
If you are on PC, the community has been busy. There are mods, specifically the "Even More Players" mod (often found on Thunderstore or GitHub), that can technically push the player count up to 8.
Wait, should you actually do this? Maybe. If you have a massive monitor or a projector. When you have 8 players, the "Party Box" (where you pick your items) gets crowded, and the start of the round is basically a stampede. It's hilarious for about twenty minutes, but it's not how the game was intended to be balanced. Plus, everyone needs to have the mod installed if you're trying to do this online, which is a massive headache.
For 99% of people, stick to the 4-player limit. The game's physics and scoring system just work better when there aren't eight animals trying to wall-jump off the same tiny wooden plank.
✨ Don't miss: Gothic Romance Outfit Dress to Impress: Why Everyone is Obsessed With This Vibe Right Now
Cross-Play: Bringing the Whole Barnyard Together
One of the biggest questions after "how many players" is usually "can my friend on Switch play with me on PC?"
Yes.
Ultimate Chicken Horse features full cross-platform play. This means your 4-player lobby can be a mix of:
- A guy on a Steam Deck.
- Someone on a PS4 in their basement.
- A kid on a Nintendo Switch at the airport.
- You on your desktop.
This makes hitting that four-player maximum much easier. You aren't locked into one "ecosystem." Just make sure everyone has the "Cross-play" option enabled in the settings.
What About Single Player?
Can you play Ultimate Chicken Horse alone? Technically, yes, but it’s a lonely life for a horse.
You can play Challenge Mode or Free Play by yourself. In Challenge Mode, you're trying to beat the best times on levels other people have built. It’s great for practicing your movement—learning how to "flutter jump" or time your wall kicks—but you won't get that core experience of someone placing a crossbow exactly where you needed to land.
🔗 Read more: The Problem With Roblox Bypassed Audios 2025: Why They Still Won't Go Away
The game is a social engine. Playing it solo is like going to a karaoke bar and just reading the lyrics silently in the corner. You can do it, but why would you?
Common Player Count Misconceptions
- "The mobile version only supports 2 players": Not true. The newer mobile ports (like on iOS/iPadOS) still aim for that 4-player parity, though managing four controllers on an iPad is a logistical nightmare.
- "You need a subscription for every player": Only on consoles. If you're playing 4-player local, you just need the game. If you're playing online, the host and the players usually need their respective console's online service (Switch Online, Game Pass Core, etc.).
How to Set Up Your First 4-Player Session
If you’re the one hosting, here’s the most stable way to get a full house:
- Start in the Treehouse: This is your lobby. Don't go into a level yet.
- Lobby Code: If playing online, hit the menu and grab the 4-character lobby code. Send it to your friends.
- Local Join: If your friends are on the couch, have them press 'Jump' on their controllers. They’ll pop in as a default character (usually the Chicken or the Sheep).
- Check the Rules: If you have 4 players, I highly recommend "Party Mode" over "Creative Mode." It keeps the pace fast. In Party Mode, everyone picks an item at the same time from a limited box.
The Actionable Bottom Line
If you're planning a night of gaming, assume a 4-player limit. Don’t buy the game thinking you’ll get 6 or 7 people in a match without diving into the messy world of PC modding. If you have more than four people, you’re better off running a "winner stays on" tournament style. Since rounds are fast (usually less than a minute), nobody is sitting on the sidelines for long.
Ready to start? Go into the settings and turn on "Custom Rules." If you find 4 players is getting too chaotic, you can actually limit the number of traps allowed per round. It keeps the level from becoming an impossible death-trap too quickly, which is the #1 reason 4-player games fall apart.
Grab your controllers, pick the Raccoon (he's the best, don't @ me), and start ruining some friendships.
Next steps:
Check your internet NAT type if you’re planning on hosting a 4-player online session; Ultimate Chicken Horse can be picky with P2P connections. If someone can't join, try having a different friend host the lobby.