Chained Together: Co-op Climbing Guide

How to actually climb out of Hell in Chained Together: how the chain physics work, which mode to play, how to communicate as a team, solo tips, the new 2v2 Race Mode, Workshop maps, and the mistakes that send whole groups back to the bottom.

Researched September 2026 — current as of hotfix v1.10.19 (September 21, 2026), following the 2v2 Race Mode update of September 1, 2026. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

What's New in 2026

• New publisher and developer. Secret Mode took over publishing in June 2026, and Anegar Games stepped back. Lab42 Games now develops the game.
• 2v2 Race Mode (September 1, 2026). Two chained duos race to see which team climbs highest in 30 minutes. The update also added two free outfits (American Inmate Jumpsuit and Medieval Prisoner) and a paid Golden Chain cosmetic (£3.49 / $3.99 / €3.99).
• Hotfix v1.10.19 (September 21, 2026). Reverted the trampoline to how it used to handle individual and group jumps (more tweaks are planned). It also fixed players becoming unchained in Race Mode, fixed a lag spike after teleporters, stopped the two teams sharing a car, fixed an invisible-body bug with the car, fixed moving obstacles desyncing when one team fell far behind, and removed the "nearest safe location" pop-up. The Race Mode "super jump" is intended behaviour.

Quick Start

• Pick your mode deliberately. Beginner Mode has checkpoints. Normal Mode sends you back when you fall. Lava Mode adds rising flames that force you to keep moving. Leaderboards and achievements only count in Normal and Lava.
• Move one player at a time on hard jumps. Everyone else stays planted so the chain acts like a rope instead of a leash.
• Call your jumps out loud. "Jumping on three", "I'm anchored", "Wait" — voice chat is basically required online.
• The chain is real physics. It wraps around platforms and edges, so a teammate hanging off a ledge can be pulled up, or can pull you off.
• Leave slack before a jump. A taut chain yanks the jumper short mid-air.
• A falling teammate is your problem too. Brace to stop them from dragging the whole group down.
• Take breaks. One fall can cost a lot of progress, and tilt makes teams sloppier.
• Start with 2 players. Four-player chains are the most chaotic. Duos are easiest to coordinate.

Modes at a Glance

Mode | Players | Checkpoints | Leaderboards / achievements | Best for

Beginner | 1–4 | Yes | No | Learning the route

Normal | 1–4 | No | Yes | The "real" climb

Lava | 1–4 | No, plus rising lava | Yes | Speed and pressure

2v2 Race | 2 teams of 2 | Race rules | Race results | Competitive duos

Workshop | Varies | Map-defined | No | Community maps

Per the Steam store features, the game supports single-player, online co-op, shared/split-screen co-op, Steam Remote Play Together, Steam Achievements (16) and leaderboards. Launched June 19, 2024, it won the Golden Joystick Awards' Streamers' Choice award in 2024.

How the Chain Works

• Length is fixed. You can't run ahead of your partner. Plan routes that fit the chain.
• Wrapping: the chain collides with geometry, so if a partner falls off one side of a pillar, the chain can catch on the pillar and hold them.
• Swinging: a hanging player can sometimes be swung onto a platform by the anchor moving.
• Weight: the more players pulling one direction, the harder it is for one player to resist. In four-player chains, a two-player fall is usually unrecoverable.
• Mid-air pulls: if someone jumps while you're jumping, you'll yank each other around. Stagger jumps.

Wings: Your Fall Insurance

The climb hides Wings, a power-up (Wikipedia counts ten on the map) that lets you recover from a fall instead of plummeting all the way down.

• Treat a Wing as a save you spend, not a toy. If you pick one up, tell the group so everyone knows there is a safety net.
• The best time to rely on a Wing is the section right after it — take the risky line there, then play safe again once it is used.
• Don't detour into a dangerous side path just for a Wing if the main route is already under control.

Team Roles and Communication

Role | Job

Caller | Picks the route and counts jumps

Jumper | Takes the risky jump first, the most experienced player

Anchor | Stays planted, ideally in the middle of a platform, and doesn't move until the jumper is safe

Tail | Last to move; watches for slack and hazards behind

Useful callouts:

• "Anchored" — I'm planted, go.
• "Slack" — give me more chain.
• "Hold" — don't move at all.
• "Falling!" — brace, move away from the edge.
• "Go on three" — coordinated jump.

Route Tips

The climb passes through a series of themed zones with rising difficulty (the Asian Shrine section appears in the patch notes, for example). General rules for any section:

• Scout visually first. Pan the camera and look at the next few platforms before committing.
• Use the widest platforms as rest stops. Regroup there; don't chain two risky jumps back-to-back.
• Bounce pads and trampolines: the September 21, 2026 hotfix restored trampolines to their original behaviour. Individual and group jumps on them behave the way veterans remember.
• Moving platforms: jump when the platform is moving toward your target, and make sure your partner is on or off it, not halfway.
• Narrow ledges: walk, don't run. Many falls come from overshooting.
• Vertical sections: go up one at a time. Two people pulling on the chain in a tight vertical stretch tends to yank someone off.

Solo Play

• Solo is its own challenge. You control the full climb alone, which makes some sections easier because there's no desync, but it's still unforgiving.
• Start with Beginner Mode to learn the layout, then go for a Normal run.
• Leaderboard and achievement runs must be in Normal or Lava.

2v2 Race Mode Tips

• The goal is height after 30 minutes, not a finish line. Consistency beats risky shortcuts.
• Teleporters and cars feature in Race Mode. Teams can't share a car since v1.10.19.
• The super jump in Race Mode is intentional, so learn when your duo can use it safely.
• If you fall far behind, keep climbing: the late-game sections are where the other team's mistakes happen.
• Pick a duo you've already climbed with. Coordination matters more than individual skill.

Workshop and Level Editor

Since v1.8.4 (September 2024) the game has a built-in map editor and Steam Workshop support:

• Open Workshop from the main menu to create maps with buttons, triggers, moving objects and splines.
• Subscribe to community maps, then create a game and choose Workshop as the mode.
• Patch 1.8.6 fixed rotating-object sync in Workshop maps and added material changes for triggered objects.

Workshop maps are great for practising specific skills (moving platforms, narrow ledges) without risking a real run.

A Practice Plan for New Groups

• Session 1 — Beginner Mode, duo. Learn the first zones with checkpoints. Agree on callouts and who leads.
• Session 2 — Beginner Mode, full group. Add players only once the duo is consistent, and practise anchoring on wide platforms.
• Session 3 — Workshop practice maps. Pick community maps built around the obstacle types that keep beating you.
• Session 4 — Normal Mode. Go for a leaderboard-eligible climb. Set a stopping point in advance so a big fall doesn't turn into a two-hour tilt spiral.
• Later — Lava Mode or 2v2 Race. Only once your group can climb the early zones without discussion.

Setup tips:

• Use a controller if your hands tire on keyboard. Controllers are supported, and patch 1.8.5 (September 2024) specifically called out ongoing local co-op and controller fixes.
• Use open mic rather than push-to-talk in groups. Callouts need to be instant.
• Turn down music if it drowns out teammates. Audio cues and callouts matter more.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Everyone moving at once. It's the number-one cause of group falls.
• Jumping with a taut chain. Leave slack first.
• Anchoring on an edge. Stand in the middle of the platform so a yank doesn't pull you off.
• Rushing after a fall. Rage-climbing leads to more falls. Reset, re-plan, then climb.
• Ignoring Beginner Mode. Learning the route with checkpoints saves hours of Normal Mode pain.
• Blaming the chain. It's consistent physics. Record clips to see what actually happened.
• Playing four-player blind. Four-player runs without voice chat rarely go far.

Advanced Tips

• Pendulum saves: when a partner falls off one side, the anchor stepping the opposite way can swing them onto a ledge.
• Chain wraps as belays: deliberately route the chain around a post before a big jump so a miss gets caught.
• Rhythm jumping: duos who jump on a fixed count ("1, 2, go") make far fewer mistakes than those reacting to each other.
• Lava Mode pacing: you can't wait for perfect setups, so learn the Normal route first so you're not scouting under lava pressure.
• Record your runs to review falls and find a better line.

FAQ

How many players can play Chained Together? 1–4 in co-op. The 2v2 Race Mode uses two teams of two.

Is there split-screen? Yes. It supports local shared/split-screen co-op and Remote Play Together.

Do achievements work in Beginner Mode? No. Leaderboards and achievements only count in Normal and Lava Modes.

Who develops Chained Together now? Secret Mode publishes it (from June 2026) and Lab42 Games develops new content. Anegar Games has stepped back.

What's the Golden Chain? A paid cosmetic chain added with the 2v2 Race update, priced at £3.49 / $3.99 / €3.99 per the announcement. It is purely cosmetic. (Separately, the store lists a Chained Together Supporter Pack DLC.)

Did the trampoline change? Yes. Hotfix v1.10.19 restored trampoline behaviour for individual and group jumps, with more tweaks promised based on feedback.

Can I make my own maps? Yes. There's a built-in editor with Steam Workshop publishing, added in v1.8.4.

Sources

• Chained Together on Steam
• Chained Together Steam news: Hotfix 1.10.19, 2v2 Race Mode, publisher change, patch 1.8.4
• Chained Together — Wikipedia