- Online 404 is a co-op zombie survival game set in the quarantined Lemmingsgale County, town of Sunny Lakes
- Your phone is your lifeline: research crafting recipes, lockpicking guides, and more, but reading drains battery
- Pick a character with a useful trait: Garrick (stealth), Ethan (medicine), or Olivia (herbal brewing and mushrooms)
- First priorities: find food, weapons, and lockpicks, then build a woodland shelter
- Demo caveats: expect bugs and freezes; saves and voice chat are limited in the demo
Online 404 Demo Overview: Setting and Premise
Online 404 drops you into a county sealed behind an electrified metal fence after an industrial accident at the Sunny Bites gummy factory in the summer of 2020. You play a survivor who sneaks into the zone through a collapsed tunnel with nothing but a phone — and that phone changes everything about how the game plays.
The game's signature twist is the in-game smartphone. Instead of memorizing crafting recipes, you look them up online just like in real life — how to pick locks, how to repair a car engine, how to craft a building tool. Each article you read costs battery, creating a constant tension between knowledge and power.
Video Highlights:
- Co-op demo gameplay with two survivors exploring Sunny Lakes
- Phone-based research system: reading guides costs 25% battery per article
- Lockpicking, weapon scavenging, and encounters with hostile "locals"
- Crafting a workbench requires 3 junk, 200 wood, and 100 metal scrap
- Developed by a husband-and-wife team over roughly a year and a half
The demo covers a smaller slice of the map, but it establishes the full loop: scavenge towns, avoid or fight the locals (former factory workers who lost their minds), manage hunger and thirst, and work toward escaping the county.
| Story Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Setting | Sunny Lakes, Lemmingsgale County (Maine Republic) |
| Timeline | Zone sealed in 2020, game takes place June 2022 |
| Cause of quarantine | "Chemical leak" at the Sunny Bites gummy factory |
| Enemies | Locals — former factory workers roaming for food |
| Goal | Survive, build a shelter, find a way out of the zone |
The demo can freeze, glitch movement, and block pause menus. If your character locks up, try opening and closing your phone. Respawning applies instantly with no confirmation, so click carefully.
Character Selection: Who to Play
At the start, you choose between characters whose traits meaningfully shape early survival. Co-op duos should split specializations so one player handles medicine while the other covers nature skills.
| Character | Trait | Best For | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garrick | Stealth | Avoiding locals, quiet looting | ★★★★☆ |
| Ethan | Basic medicine | Healing, bandage efficiency, solo play | ★★★★☆ |
| Olivia | Herbal brewing and mushrooms | Food and resource independence | ★★★☆☆ |
Garrick — Stealth
- Sneak past locals without fights
- Best for looting runs in town
- Works well in co-op as the scout
Ethan — Medicine
- Basic medicine skill for treating wounds
- Strongest solo pick
- Reduces reliance on scavenged bandages
Olivia — Herbalist
- Identify mushrooms safely
- Brew herbal remedies
- Great support in a duo
The smoothest demo experience pairs Ethan with Olivia. One player keeps the team healed while the other forages safe food — Garrick's stealth overlaps with what careful play can already achieve.
The Phone System: Research, Battery, and Crafting
The phone is the core mechanic that separates Online 404 from other zombie survival games. Every recipe and skill must be researched on the in-game internet.
Loot a Power Bank Early
Power banks charge your phone by roughly 39% per use. Scavenge motels, camps, and vans before your battery dies mid-article.
Research Only What You Need
Articles like "How to open a lock with a lockpick step-by-step" consume battery — reportedly around 25% per read. Don't waste charge on trivia.
Craft From the Notes App
Crafting lives inside your phone's notes. After reading a recipe, open notes to build items like lockpicks or a building tool.
Build a Workbench
A workbench needs 3 junk, 200 wood, and 100 metal scrap. It unlocks advanced crafting such as making lockpicks from scrap metal.
| Phone Action | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reading an article | ~25% | Costs apply even on partial reads |
| Power bank use | Restores ~39% | Limited charges per bank |
| Crafting via notes | No cost | Requires researched recipe |
| Phone camera/selfies | Minimal | Cosmetic fun in the demo |
In Online 404, a dead phone means no new crafting knowledge. Treat battery percentage as a second health bar and always carry a backup power bank.
Combat, Lockpicking, and Loot Priorities
Combat in the demo is scrappy. You start weak, ammunition is scarce, and headshots matter. Locals hit hard, so avoidance is often smarter than fighting.
| Weapon | Where Found | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Axe | Houses, camps, apartments | Reliable melee, dual purpose for wood |
| Shotgun | Early houses, motel area | Strong but ammo-hungry |
| Glock 17 | Locked boxes, sheriff's car | Weak damage, common ammo |
| Crowbar | Scattered loot | Decent early melee |
Lockpicking is notably unforgiving — closer to realistic tension mechanics than arcade minigames. Picks break easily, and the game even throws CAPTCHA-style checks like "select the image showing zinc" while you browse, reinforcing the phone-as-tool theme.
Lockpicks are rare. Check under staircases, inside boxes, and in abandoned apartments before attempting difficult locks. Broken picks cannot be recovered.
Loot priorities for your first in-game days:
- Canned food and water containers (watch weight — water is heavy)
- Bandages and medical supplies (an ambulance sits up the road from the motel)
- Weapons and ammo, especially anything beyond the Glock
- Crafting junk, wood, and scrap for your workbench
- Cigarettes for Grandma — she trades for what you need
Story Progression and Base Building
An old informant living near the fence — a survivor whose daughter worked at the gummy factory — drives the early story. He reveals the "chemical leak" story hides government experiments, and helps you plan an escape through the local police station.
Meet the Informant
He tasks you with survival goals: food, safety, and eventually retrieving something from the police station.
Secure a Shelter
He advises building your own shelter in the woods rather than relying on existing buildings for safety.
Craft a Building Tool
Research the wooden mallet/hammer recipe on your phone, gather wood from camp supply boxes, and craft via notes.
Find Police Station Keys
The station is reinforced with barred windows. Search wrecked sheriff's cars along the roads for keys.
Repair a Vehicle
Research "how to repair an old car" — you'll need a fan, gas cans, an exhaust part, and possibly a spring to get driving.
First Week Checklist:
- Choose a character with a team-complementing trait
- Loot a power bank and keep phone battery above 50%
- Secure a shotgun and a stock of bandages
- Craft a workbench (3 junk, 200 wood, 100 scrap)
- Build a woodland shelter before night raids
- Locate police station keys from sheriff's cars
The informant confirms a way out through the police station area. Bring the item he requests and you'll both benefit — he gets his proof of government experiments, you get your exit.
FAQ
Q: What is the Online 404 demo about?
The Online 404 demo is a co-op zombie survival slice set in the quarantined Sunny Lakes town of Lemmingsgale County. You scavenge, fight or avoid hostile locals, craft using recipes researched on your in-game phone, and work toward escaping the zone.
Q: Does the Online 404 demo support saving?
Saving is limited in the demo version. In-game voice calls between co-op players are also unavailable in the demo, so use Discord or another external voice app for communication.
Q: Which character should I pick in Online 404?
Ethan (basic medicine) is the safest pick for solo players. In co-op, pair Ethan with Olivia (herbal brewing and mushroom identification) so your team covers both healing and food. Garrick's stealth suits a scout role.
Q: Why does my battery drain so fast?
Reading internet articles on your phone costs roughly 25% battery per article. Carry power banks from motels, camps, and vans — each restores around 39% — and only research recipes you actually need.