“Peak” is a game made by the combined efforts of developer teams, Aggro Crab and Landfall, released July 16, 2025, to massive success. The game blew up on TikTok, Twitch, and other social media platforms, however due to the genre the game fell under, many believed this was just a passing fad. “Peak” upon launch was dubbed a “friend-slop game,” or a game that users and a group of friends, oftentimes in groups of four, play together. The enjoyment doesn’t necessarily come from the game play itself but rather it serves as an avenue for gamers to mess around with their friends, joking to their hearts’ content.
The genre faces a lot of scrutiny as many feel the genre “is worse than DEI (diversity equity and inclusion)” as said by reviewers, with its impact on the gaming sphere. They believe that a game’s enjoyment should come from the game itself and not who you play with. Critics call games in the genre, “lazy cash grabs” or “uninspired or low-effort”.
However, “Peak” wasn’t created to please those who hate the genre or those who like the genre.
“Peak” was a game made as a labor of love, with the development teams at Aggro and Landfall making the game to “recapture the fun and spark of game development after a long burnout-inducing project.” They held a month-long game jam in South Korea, focusing on co-op climbing, easy gameplay and player interaction. All of these factors led to its viral success as the game was easy and quick to market on social media platforms like TikTok and Twitch.
The gameplay of “Peak” is simple enough for new gamers, but also still challenging enough for more avid gamers. The game makes it clear that the goal is to get to the peak of the mountain together without dying.
From the hub area alone, exploring it teaches players about stamina and how to climb without hand holding players into learning to climb. Players use their avatars to run up to things and letters pop up, allowing players to interact further with the instructions, it’s all trial and error from there. While there is a book provided to players at the beginning of the game, mostly everything one needs to know can be learned through gameplay, including the most important rule: “never abandon a friend in need.”
In an interview with “PC Gamer,” Aggro’s studio head Nick Kaman talks about what it was like to work on the game: “Most of the design was driven by the question ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if this happened?’. Now every TikTok I’ve seen of a great moment in ‘PEAK’ reminds me of the great moment we had while implementing it.” The character of these studios shines through in the way they interact with their fanbase over TikTok and how they choose to respond to criticism.
Designers brush off the complaints of the game being just a cash grab with how they would rather players pirate their game than play a “microtransaction-riddled Roblox rip off”. They’re not in it for the money but rather to deliver a game that everyone can enjoy.
So why does a game like this matter? Ever since the release of games like Lethal Company, Repo, and, Landfall’s very own game Content Warning, more and more people want games they can enjoy with other people. The way we enjoy games is no longer about individual experiences but rather people longing to build connections through gaming.
While wanting to play with friends isn’t a new concept within gaming, “Peak” hones in on the feelings of teamwork without losing a player’s sense of individuality. Although players can play solo and have fun, playing with friends allows users to create memories that last a lifetime.
“Peak” takes the title of “friend-slop” as a badge of honor and shows that this style of game truly does have staying power. As more games follow suit, experimenting with the genre and trying to do what “Peak” did in their own ways, players will have more opportunities to build lasting memories from the games they play.
