A brand-new open-world survival game on Steam called Online: 404 allows players to use an in-game smartphone to look up recipes and find crafting blueprints. Having a smartphone in a post-apocalyptic world might not sound particularly important, but in this new Steam game, the phone is key to survival because it is equipped with critical apps, such as GPS and, most importantly, a web browser.
In most open-world survival games, players unlock crafting blueprints by looting, leveling up, or completing story missions. Online: 404 takes a different approach, encouraging players to do what they would in a real-life survival scenario: search the internet for instructions. Since the in-game internet explains how to craft everything, unlocking the best blueprints ultimately comes down to knowing the right keywords to search.
Online: 404 Turns Smartphones Into Essential Survival Kits
- Genre: Open-World, Survival, Co-Op, Zombies, FPS
- Developer: Cornfield Games
- Release Date: October 16, 2026
- Platform(s): PC via Steam
Crafting is not the only gameplay mechanic tied to smartphones. In Online: 404, the phone serves as a mini-map, flashlight, stat tracker, and quest giver. However, just like in real life, the protagonist’s phone can run out of battery, adding another survival mechanic: finding scarce energy sources to keep it charged. Based on the trailers, the phone can also display the player’s Steam friends and invite them into the world, as Online: 404 is a co-op open-world survival game.
Unlike some other post-apocalyptic games, Online: 404 does not depict a worldwide crisis.
One question some players might have is how Online: 404 explains access to smartphones and the internet in a zombie-infested setting. The answer is that the game’s universe, known as the Leminsgale District, is a quarantined area. Unlike some other post-apocalyptic games, Online: 404 does not depict a worldwide crisis. Instead, most of the world appears to be going about its business while people like the protagonist remain trapped in a deteriorating town. This explains why they can still access a Google-like search engine.
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Online: 404 features many side activities that have become staples of the genre. Players can hunt, farm, and even raise domesticated animals for food. Online: 404 also includes a base-building system comparable to games like Sons of the Forest, although it may not be as extensive. Players can build a camp anywhere on the map and reinforce it with scavenged materials. Describing the mechanic, developer Cornfield Games said, “Rip a car door or hood off an old vehicle and bolt it to your wooden wall.”
Cornfield Games plans to release Online: 404 into Steam’s early access program on October 16. The game was previously scheduled to launch on September 25, but the developers postponed the release to give themselves more time to fix bugs and polish the game. Online: 404 also had a successful demo on Steam that, according to the developer, attracted around 60,000 players. So far, the game has shown potential to stand out in Steam’s crowded open-world survival genre, but it remains to be seen whether its Early Access launch and eventual 1.0 release will live up to the hype.
- Released
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October 16, 2026
- Developer(s)
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Cornfield Games
- Publisher(s)
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Cornfield Games
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
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Single-player
