Orbitals is a two-player co-op puzzle adventure coming exclusively to Nintendo Switch 2 on Sept. 3, 2026. Developed by Shapefarm and published by Kepler Interactive, the game follows Maki and Omura, two young explorers trying to save their station home after it becomes trapped inside a supernatural cosmic storm.
Orbitals is a 2-player co-op adventure set in a new retro anime world, with local split-screen, online play, GameShare support, and an Orbitals Global Friend’s Pass.
Who is making Orbitals?
Orbitals is being developed by Shapefarm, a Tokyo-based studio made up of international devs, and published by Kepler Interactive. Shapefarm is part of the Kepler Interactive group, and Orbitals is the studio’s retro anime-inspired co-op adventure for Nintendo Switch 2.
The game’s director is Jakob Lundgren, who previously worked on major Hazelight co-op titles including A Way Out, It Takes Two, and Split Fiction, known for their co-op elements. Lundgren has spent the past decade working on co-op games, and Orbitals is also being designed as a dedicated two-player experience.
What is Orbitals about?
Orbitals follows Maki and Omura, two inseparable explorers who leave their settlement to search for help after their home is caught inside a cosmic storm. Maki is a mechanic and the youngest person in the Settlement, while Omura is a quiet cartographer. The game is filled with puzzles, hazards, creatures, and other characters, with everything set up around two-player co-op.
How does Orbitals gameplay work?
Orbitals is built for asymmetric two-player co-op. Each character has unique tools, and players need to work together to solve puzzles, open paths, avoid danger, and progress through the game’s space environments.
The game supports local split-screen with two pairs of Joy-Cons on Nintendo Switch 2. You can also play Orbitals online, and it also supports GameShare and has a Friend’s Pass.
GameShare allows a Nintendo Switch 2 player to share Orbitals with another player on Nintendo Switch 2 or the original Nintendo Switch. Online features require internet access, a Nintendo Account, and a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
Co-op games still have their niche nowadays, but true two-player adventures are still very rare, with essentially only Hazelight doing it all right. Orbitals is aiming for the core idea that made It Takes Two and Split Fiction so beloved, with constant interactions, character-specific actions, and an actually motivating story.
What platforms is Orbitals coming to?
Orbitals is confirmed for Nintendo Switch 2 and is scheduled for Sept. 3, 2026, with pre-orders already available through the Nintendo eShop.
A major topic nowadays, a physical edition will also launch alongside the digital edition. A Digital Deluxe Edition is also planned, and a Deluxe Upgrade Pack will be available for players who buy the standard version first.
There is no confirmed PlayStation, Xbox, or PC version right now, and it’s unknown if it will ever come to a non-Nintendo platform. Kepler isn’t a Nintendo-affiliated publisher, so there is hope.
Why is the anime style familiar?
Orbitals is leaning heavily into classic Japanese anime style familiar to us through the 80s and 90s shows, and Shapefarm even partnered with Studio Massket to create hand-crafted cutscenes throughout the game.
The studio is known for such anime series as The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash and To Your Eternity Season 3, while also making the Let You Down music video for the release of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime. The studio says the goal was to give Orbitals a warm, nostalgic feeling and build a new universe that still honors the medium it is drawing from.
The developers went even further: while the game works at 60 fps, the characters are animated at 24, while some of the environment is made at 12, a deliberate and inspired choice that brings the game even closer to the legacy of 80s and 90s anime without feeling that it’s running poorly.
Why Orbitals is one of 2026’s most exciting co-op games
Orbitals has the right ingredients for a breakout co-op game: a fixed two-player structure, asymmetrical mechanics, and an incredibly attractive visual identity that can help set it apart regardless of the release platform, even if we don’t end up getting it on anything other than Switch 2.
The game’s director has experience working on Hazelight’s biggest co-op titles, and its appeal is not only that it looks like anime but also that the co-op design appears central to the story.
The main question is whether Shapefarm can deliver the same level of variety and pacing that players expect after It Takes Two and Split Fiction. That comparison is unavoidable, and not just because of Lundgren’s background: there simply aren’t many games that are being played on this field.
And honestly, it would simply be a shame if a game that looks this gorgeous were a failure.
