It's become quite common to see cooperative-focussed video games launching with a Friend's Pass, a feature where only one person out of a pair needs to own a copy of the title for two players to be able to enjoy it. Hazelight made the feature popular, and since then we've seen others accommodate it, not least developer Shapefarm who has now confirmed Orbitals will debut with a global Friend's Pass.
This will mean, as long as one person owns a copy of the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive title, another friend can come along for the ride regardless of whether they are playing in a local environment or online.
In fact, Orbitals will support a wide array of cooperative support, namely through online GameShare and online Friend's Pass-enabled play (which basically work in the same way), but also local co-op on one Nintendo Switch 2 system, and local GameShare that can even make the title playable on Nintendo Switch 1 systems.
It should be said for those aiming to take advantage of the Friend's Pass and GameShare online, both players will need a Nintendo Switch Online membership, but the Friend's Pass itself will come at no extra cost to owners of the game.
As for when Orbitals will launch, it's set to debut on September 3, and you can read our recent thoughts on the game in the dedicated preview.