Squad Stream brings the magic of couch co-op gaming to Twitch

Twitch‘s latest feature for creators aims to reimagine playing games with friends in the digital age. Squad Stream will let you and up to three friends easily go live on Twitch and stream in a single window.

Squad Stream is intended to make things much simpler for streaming cooperative and multiplayer experiences. Oftentimes, you’re watching one streamer during a match of, say, Apex Legends, but you’re not getting the complete picture of the squad. Squad Stream is designed to allow viewers to see every moment, just as if they were on the couch at home playing with their own friends.

Streamers can enter a squad from the dashboard. Squad Stream is inherently beneficial for viewers, as it lets them see up to four different viewpoints in a given game. But it’s also being pitched as a good way for creators to expand their reach and engage with audiences they don’t normally come across. Joining up with other creators to stream games they don’t typically play on their own channel will likely help to increase subscriber counts.

The most popular Twitch streams usually fall in the battle royale genre, but Squad Stream sounds like the perfect setup for other formats such as speedrunning and co-op experiences like A Way Out or Overcooked 2.

Twitch already has two neat options for collaboration but neither of them actively allow streamers to play together. Raids let streamers bounce to another channel, bringing their current audience members with them. Hosting allows streamers to broadcast another creator’s stream on their own page, introducing new content and creators to their viewers.

Squad Stream is available now for Twitch Partners. Viewers will be given the chance to opt-in to Squad Stream when you initiate it. It’s unclear when Twitch plans on rolling out the feature to all of its users.

Squad Stream sounds as if it will open up new opportunities for interesting and unique content. If you don’t watch creators on Twitch, you’re missing out on some truly amazing gaming moments. Twitch streamer The Happy Mob just recently completed a run through all five “Soulsbourne” games without getting hit a single time. From Software’s games are notoriously difficult, a trend that continues with its latest title, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.