The Fifth Friend Problem: Group-Size Limits in 613 Multiplayer Games Played with Friends (2026)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Groups of friends often discover that a game fits four of them and not five. We measured how common that is in a catalog of 613 multiplayer games that are currently played in groups, using the largest number of friends who can join the same private match or party. 74.4% of the games fit four friends online, and 45.0% fit five. The 180 games that stop at exactly four account for the whole drop, while only 9 games stop at exactly five. The limit is strongest in cooperative games without a competitive mode: 47.6% of the 294 online co-op games stop at four, 26 of the 50 most reviewed among them fit four or fewer, and 18 (6.1%) fit five or more with crossplay across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. Adventure, puzzle and RPG titles are the least likely to fit five; sports, racing, strategy and fighting games are the most likely. Local play fits five people in 6.2% of the catalog. Searchable game list: https://coopgames.app
Author: Barreto, Alejandro
Language: English
Topic: Digital Games and Media
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225653745
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