- Online 404 demo multiplayer is a co-op zombie survival experience set in quarantined Lemmingsgale County.
- Phone-based crafting: research recipes, lockpicking, and repairs through your in-game smartphone's internet.
- Four characters: Garrick (stealth), Ethan (medicine), and Olivia (herbal brewing and mushrooms) shape your role.
- Battery is life: reading online guides and posts drains your phone charge, so hunt power banks early.
- Demo limits: in-game voice calls and saving are restricted in the current demo build.
Online 404 Demo Multiplayer: What Co-Op Looks Like
Online 404 demo multiplayer drops you and a friend into a fenced-off county exactly ten years after an "industrial accident" sealed it away from the world. You play survivors who crawled under an electrified fence through a smuggler's tunnel, only for it to collapse behind you. From there, co-op play is about scavenging canned food, avoiding the mindless "locals" who roam the county, and working toward an escape route through the checkpoints.
The demo area covers the town of Sunny Lakes and its surroundings, anchored by the Sunny Bites gummy factory and the St. Bunny Motel. Development is handled by a two-person husband-and-wife team, and the demo received daily update pushes during its launch window.
Video Highlights:
- Two-player co-op session with Discord as the communication layer
- Lockpicking, weapon finds (Glock 17, shotgun), and the unforgiving picking minigame
- Phone-based research system that costs 25% battery per article read
- First encounters with locals, wolves, and the mysterious informant Harley
Since in-game voice calls and phone contact between players are unavailable in the demo build, set up a Discord or external voice channel before you start. Pinging items and locations in-game works, but planning routes verbally is far smoother.
Character Selection for Co-Op Roles
Your first co-op decision is picking characters whose perks complement each other. The demo offers distinct starting skillsets, and pairing them correctly covers your team's biggest survival gaps.
| Character | Specialty | Co-Op Role | Best Paired With |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrick | Stealth approach | Scout, avoids locals | Olivia or Ethan |
| Ethan | Basic medicine | Healer, bandage crafter | Garrick |
| Olivia | Herbal brewing, mushroom ID | Sustenance, foraging | Ethan or Garrick |
Stealth Duo (Garrick + Ethan)
- Quiet movement past locals
- Medical backup for scrapes
- Slower loot runs, safer fights
Forager Duo (Olivia + Garrick)
- Safe mushroom harvesting
- Brewed consumables
- Lower ammo dependency
Balanced Duo (Ethan + Olivia)
- Self-sustaining supplies
- Strong daytime scavenging
- Weakest in direct combat
Your character choice appears locked for the save in the demo. If your partner picks Olivia and you want mushroom identification, someone needs to start a fresh session to swap.
The Phone System: Your Most Important Tool
Online 404's signature mechanic is the in-game smartphone. Instead of a static crafting menu, you browse a simulated internet to learn how to lockpick, craft a building hammer, repair a car engine, or make bandages. Every article you read costs battery, and battery is scarce.
| Action | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reading an online guide | 25% | Can spike higher on some pages |
| Idle phone use | Drains slowly | Keep it closed when idle |
| Charging via power bank | Restores ~39% | Power banks are lootable |
| Taking selfies | Minimal | Cosmetic fun, low priority |
Loot Power Banks Early
Search tents, camps, and the motel area for power banks before touching the research system. One bank restores roughly 39% charge.
Prioritize Critical Research
Read "how to open a lock with a lockpick" and "how to craft a building mallet" first. Bandage-making articles come next once you're taking damage.
Craft a Workbench
A workbench needs 3 junk, 200 wood, and 100 metal scrap. With it, you can produce lockpicks from metal scrap instead of relying on rare finds.
Split Research Between Partners
Have each player read different articles and share the knowledge over voice chat. This halves your team's total battery expenditure.
Some web pages throw a "prove you're not a robot" check with questions like identifying zinc or a cat-free image. Answer correctly to unlock the guide; fail and the page stays locked.
Sunny Lakes Demo Map: Loot and Danger Zones
The demo slice packs several distinct locations along the main road and river. Knowing what each offers shapes your first in-game days.
| Location | Key Loot | Threat Level |
|---|---|---|
| St. Bunny Motel | Glock 17, shotgun, spirit board, bed (sleep) | Medium, locals patrol |
| Sunny Bites factory area | Story items, factory intel | High |
| Abandoned camp (past bridge) | Wood, scrap, tents, bandages | Low to medium |
| Sheriff's car (across bridge) | Weapons, possible station key | Medium, wolves nearby |
| Grandma's house | Trade quest (cigarettes), boxes | Low |
| Upstairs apartments | Lockpicks under staircase, axe, notes | Medium |
Former factory workers who lost their minds roam for food. If you spot locals, hide first and ask questions later. Gunshots pull them in fast, and demo audio mixing can make them hard to track.
Wildlife matters too: wolves spawn near the river and bridge areas, and a single wolf can down an under-equipped survivor. Keep a firearm or axe ready before crossing.
Combat, Healing, and Inventory Management
Combat in the demo is scrappy and punishing. The Glock 17 is common but inaccurate at range; the shotgun delivers far better stopping power against locals and wolves. Friendly fire is real, so watch your firing lines in tight motel rooms.
Water cans and gas cylinders are deceptively heavy and will stop you from sprinting. Drop bulk water at a stash point and carry only canned food and ammunition on scavenging runs.
Key survival rules the demo teaches quickly:
- Bleeding requires bandages — find them at the camp and ambulance up the road, or research how to make them
- Sleep eight hours at the motel bed or a tent to skip dangerous nights; full saves are limited to the full version
- Eat and drink consistently — hunger ramps up fast after sleeping
- Lockpicking is unforgiving — practice on low-value locks and craft spares at your workbench
- Respawning is instant — confirm before clicking, as there is no confirmation prompt
First Days Checklist and Story Goals
Harley, the old informant living near the fence, drives the demo's story. His daughter worked at the gummy factory before the evacuation, and he believes government experiments hide behind the "chemical leak" cover story. Your path to escape runs through the police station, which needs keys found in patrol cars.
Demo Day 1-3 Goals:
- Loot a power bank before reading any online guides
- Find or craft lockpicks and open the apartment stash
- Secure a firearm (Glock 17 at the motel, shotgun elsewhere)
- Craft a building mallet and workbench
- Search sheriff's cars across the bridge for station keys
- Build a woodland shelter as Harley advises
Despite occasional freezes and unresponsive menus, the demo is a strong proof of concept built by a tiny team in roughly a year and a half. Expect rapid patches; the developers pushed daily updates during launch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Online 404 demo multiplayer or single-player only?
The demo supports co-op multiplayer. In the demo build, in-game voice calls and phone contact between players are unavailable, so coordinate through an external voice chat like Discord.
Q: How does crafting work in Online 404?
Crafting runs through your in-game phone. You browse simulated web pages to learn recipes — such as lockpicks, building mallets, and workbenches — and each article read costs about 25% battery, so manage power banks carefully.
Q: Which character should my co-op partner and I pick?
Pair complementary roles: Garrick for stealth scouting with Ethan for medicine, or Olivia for mushroom identification and brewing. Avoid doubling up on the same specialty since the demo does not allow respec.
Q: Can you save your progress in the Online 404 demo?
Saving is limited in the demo build. Sleeping at beds or tents advances time, but full save functionality is reserved for the complete version of the game.