What made Only Up! work
Only Up! was a simple idea: one route straight up into the sky, built out of objects that have no business being stacked, and nothing to catch you when you miss a jump. It was removed from sale on Steam in 2023, so if you want that feeling today, you need another game.
We looked for games that keep the three things that made it so watchable:
- Up is the only goal. No quest log, just the next ledge.
- The fall is the drama. A long climb can disappear in seconds.
- It’s fun to watch. Friends, chat and viewers feel every slip.
We split the list into solo climbs, which are the closest to the original, and climbs you can share with friends, which Only Up! never had. Everything we say about the other games comes from their Steam store pages, checked in October 2026. Full disclosure: we make one of the games on this list.
Solo climbs with long falls
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy
A punishing climbing game in which you move a hammer with the mouse, and that’s all there is. With practice you learn to jump, swing, climb and fly up the mountain. It’s an homage to the 2002 B-Game classic Sexy Hiking.
Why it’s here: It’s the original "one slip and it’s gone" climb, and Only Up! fans will recognise the feeling straight away.
Jump King
High-stakes platforming in which you struggle upwards towards the legend at The Top, and a single missed jump can lead to a long fall back down. The game includes two expansions.
Why it’s here: It’s the purest vertical climb here: every jump is a decision, and the fall is always waiting.
A Difficult Game About Climbing
Pull yourself up a treacherous mountain with physics-based climbing to reach the legendary Peak. The store page promises no deaths or violence, just the constant fear of falling and losing all your progress. It includes a second chapter as an expansion.
Why it’s here: It turns the fear of heights into a hand-over-hand climb, and it’s great to watch on a stream.
Golfing Over It with Alva Majo
Climb a surreal mountain with a golf ball, a different take on Getting Over It. Its store page sums it up in one line: the higher you climb, the bigger the fall.
Why it’s here: If the long fall is your favourite part, this game is built around it.
Climbs you can share with friends
Only Up! was a solo game. These let your friends climb next to you, help you up, or knock you down:
Only Climb: Better Together
Climb up into the sky over platforms and odd objects, alone or with a team of up to 8 friends. The store page says there is no save function and that the slightest wrong step can send you back to the very beginning; you can also push other players.
Why it’s here: It’s the closest thing to Only Up!’s climb into the clouds, with room for a whole group.
Chained Together
Climb up from the depths of Hell, alone or chained together with up to three friends. The store page lists several difficulty options, from a punishing Normal Mode to a gentler Beginner Mode.
Why it’s here: It’s the best-known co-op climb since Only Up!: every jump pulls on everyone else, so the group rises and falls together.
PEAK
A co-op climbing game in which the slightest mistake can spell your doom. You play solo or as a group of lost nature scouts climbing the mountain at the centre of a mysterious island, and the mountain changes every single day.
Why it’s here: It keeps the vertical goal and adds teamwork: help each other up ledges, place ropes and share the panic.
Heave-Ho: Uphill
A punishing physics-based co-op game in which you and up to three friends push a vehicle to the top of the world. The store page warns that one tiny mistake from a teammate can send hours of hard work crashing down. It’s in Early Access on Steam.
Why it’s here: One route up, and the whole squad pays for one bad push: very close to the Only Up! feeling, in co-op.
Drive UP: Together
A co-op climbing game built on a proper driving simulation. Up to eight friends drive the same route up one mountain: planks barely wider than your axles, near-vertical ramps and the insides of giant pipes. Every meter is earned: one slip can cost you a lot of hard-won height.
Every car is a solid object, so the same controls let you be the bridge (park across a gap so a friend drives over you), the engine (push someone over a ledge no single car can clear) or the problem (tap a bumper one wheel from the summit).
Why it’s here: It’s the long fall of Only Up! with up to seven friends on the mountain and a car instead of a runner. Real driving physics decide whether you make the plank, the pipe or the ramp, and because every car is solid, friends can bridge a gap for you, push you over a ledge, or tap your bumper one wheel from the top. Skip it if you only want a quiet solo climb: it’s playable solo, but it’s built for groups.
Pogostuck: Rage With Your Friends
Climb a surreal mountain on a pogo stick, using momentum and 360° power boosts, with friends and strangers from around the world jumping alongside you through automatic matchmaking for up to 16 players.
Why it’s here: Everyone climbs their own run, but falling next to fifteen other people is its own kind of co-op.
Jump King Quest
The Jump King studio’s online follow-up: explore alone or fall together, as friends and strangers collide on one huge map with platforming combat and character building.
Why it’s here: If Jump King was your Only Up! replacement, this is the version where your friends fall with you.
Quick comparison
| Game | Players (store page) | How you climb | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting Over It | Single-player | Hammer and mouse | Patient soloists |
| Jump King | Single-player | Precise jumps | Precision fans |
| A Difficult Game About Climbing | Single-player | Physics hand-climbing | Streamers |
| Golfing Over It | Single-player | Golf ball | Fans of the long fall |
| Only Climb: Better Together | Solo or up to 8 | Platforming into the sky | The closest to Only Up! |
| Chained Together | 1–4 | Chained platforming | Groups of 4 |
| PEAK | Solo or group (no maximum listed) | Survival climbing | Small groups |
| Heave-Ho: Uphill | 1–4 online | Pushing a vehicle | Squads of 4 |
| Drive UP: Together | 1–8 online | Driving, solid cars | Groups of 5–8 |
| Pogostuck | Up to 16 per server | Pogo stick | Hardcore climbers |
| Jump King Quest | Online co-op + PvP | Jumps and combat | Jump King fans |
Which climb should you play next?
Want the original solo feeling? Getting Over It, Jump King or A Difficult Game About Climbing. Want Only Up! with friends? Only Climb: Better Together is the closest, and Chained Together is the best-known co-op climb. A group of four? Chained Together or Heave-Ho: Uphill. Five to eight? Only Climb: Better Together and Drive UP: Together both take up to eight. Want a crowd? Pogostuck puts up to 16 climbers on a server.
For more, see our lists of games like Getting Over It, rage games to play with friends and the best co-op climbing games. Coming from Only Up! to Drive UP: Together? Our short page on what’s the same and what’s different explains it.
How to survive the long fall
- Learn one section at a time. Pick a short stretch and repeat it until it’s easy, instead of rushing to the next ledge.
- Take a break after a big fall. Tired hands fall more.
- Make it a group event. Even solo climbs are better with friends watching: pass the mouse after every fall.
- Record everything. The falls are the best clips. Streaming and monetized videos of Drive UP: Together are welcome; see our creator page.
- In co-op, agree on the rules. Decide before the first run whether pushing friends off is allowed tonight.
The long fall, with friends
Drive UP: Together is out now in Steam Early Access for 1–8 players online. Try the free demo and find out how far your group falls.
FAQ
What games are like Only Up!?
For a solo climb: Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, Jump King, A Difficult Game About Climbing and Golfing Over It with Alva Majo. With friends: Only Climb: Better Together (up to 8), Chained Together (1–4), PEAK, Heave-Ho: Uphill (1–4 online), Drive UP: Together (1–8) and Pogostuck (up to 16 per server).
Can you still buy Only Up!?
No. Only Up! was removed from sale on Steam in 2023, so look at the games on this list instead.
Is there a game like Only Up! you can play with friends?
Only Climb: Better Together is the closest: a climb into the sky for a team of up to 8. Chained Together, PEAK, Heave-Ho: Uphill and Drive UP: Together are co-op climbs where friends help you up, or knock you down.
What is the hardest game like Only Up!?
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy calls itself a game made "to hurt" a certain kind of person, and Jump King and Pogostuck are built around precise moves where one mistake costs a lot of height. In co-op, Chained Together and Heave-Ho: Uphill add a twist: other people’s mistakes become yours.
Is Drive UP: Together like Only Up!?
It shares the vertical climb and the painful falls: every meter is earned, and one slip can cost you a lot of hard-won height. The differences: you drive cars on real driving physics, and it’s co-op for 1–8 players online.
Can I try Drive UP: Together for free?
There’s a free demo on Steam, so you can try the climb before deciding.