In recent times, Steam marketplace has seen somewhat of a renaissance of low-budget cooperative online multiplayer games from indie studios. Amidst the recent boom in this field of streamer-friendly clip-farming machines is PEAK: a light strategic adventure and a digital mechanical dexterity challenge focused around climbing and hiking through various distinct biomes towards a promised mountaintop. So dust off your hiking boots, bag your essentials and call up your squad for this strenuous and at times absolutely hilarious voyage.

Off the top, it is saddening to see PEAK get negatively branded by some as a common ‘friend-slop’ title. It feels that the industry and critics forget that gaming encompasses many thematic buzzwords and well-contextualised jargon, but nonetheless oftentimes many reasons why people started playing video games are embedded in the simple joy of shared fun. The term ‘friend-slop’ implies a crudely put together product where the goal is to turn a quick profit, capitalising on a trend. Although we can see examples of this on all levels in the industry, we shouldn’t be too quick to brand any cooperative multiplayer game by an indie studio as ‘friend-slop’. PEAK is an excellent example of this, as although the premise is simple and development would not have been strenuous, the concept has been well executed and marketed upwards to a resounding success. Branding PEAK as a mere ‘friend-slop’ comes across as bitter and insecure.

So what is all the fuss about? PEAK in 2025 has won the Steam’s ‘Best With Friends’ category, ‘Best Multiplayer Game’ AND ‘Streamer’s Choice’ titles at the Golden Joysticks Awards, and it even went as far as being nominated as the ‘PC Game of The Year’ at the same ceremony. It has been an eventful year for the small American-based studio Aggro Crab, who in the thick of it continued industriously supporting their game with regular updates and new content. As suggested by its accolades, although PEAK can be played solo, the game is really meant to be played with a group of friends and that is exactly when it exemplifies qualities worthy of its achievements. From the ground-up to the beautiful mountaintop, the game bolsters a resounding mixture of intriguing uncertainty that can make whole evenings pass with laughter and collaborative entertainment. The gameplay soup is flavoured with a spicy mixture of daily pre-generative environments, human unpredictability and social constructs that make up the bulk of the PEAK cauldron. Garnished with an ever increasing number of random and fun objects that help with strategic ascent, this makes for a delicious supper, turning digital calls into a blast.

In conclusion, PEAK is a memorable success story from 2025 and it must be celebrated. At the end of the day, playing video games is a hobbyist activity and like any hobby it builds and holds communities full of passionate people. Why shouldn’t we celebrate boldly a studio that brought to attention the community that is closest to us all through a low-cost, fun and microtransactionally-free solution. As far as ‘friend-slop’ goes, this feeling is anything but sloppy and this project should be yours to add into your library if you haven’t already. Ultimately, PEAK is really great – do go play it with your friends.