‘Squid Game’ Free Knockoff Multiplayer Crab Game Goes Viral
Netflix’s Squid Game has been everywhere since its September debut, and while there’s no official video game based on the series (yet), there’s a pretty solid multiplayer knockoff out there.
Going by the name of Crab Game, the multiplayer video game was released on Steam in late October and the best part of it is that it’s free! Players can hop into lobbies and play a series of deadly playground-inspired battle royale games, including Red Light/Green Light and the terrifying game of Hopscotch changed to a set of icy stepping stones instead of glass in Crab Game.
But since some of the games from Hwang Dong-hyuk’s series wouldn’t translate in multiplayer form classic alternatives like Tag, The Floor Is Lava and Hide-and-Seek round out the list of playable games in Crab Game.
Per Polygon, Crab Game is already a hit on Steam, with more than 30,000 players as of yesterday (November 2). On Twitch, it’s pulling in more than 20,000 viewers, putting it ahead of streaming favorites like Final Fantasy 14 Online, PUBG Battlegrounds, Overwatch and Rocket League.
Developer Dani, who also made the popular, free survival game Muck, says in a 14-minute making-of video that the inspiration behind Crab Game: “This stupid trend is dying faster than my will to live, so we have to finish this game quickly. So let’s make an entire multiplayer game with proximity chat and nine game modes and 30 maps in two weeks.” He accomplished just that with the help of game development software Unity, free animations, Steam multiplayer tools, and some talented friends.
You can download Crab Game for Windows PC on Steam. Mac and Linux versions of Crab Game are available on Itch.io, but they require Steam running in the background. Dani also notes that “I have no idea if this works, haven’t been able to test since I don’t have a mac or linux.”
Watch the trailer for Crab Game below:
