There was a time when Left 4 Dead was one of the biggest names in multiplayer gaming. Turtle Rock Studios’ co-op shooter turned four-player teamwork into a survival horror playground, throwing a group of survivors against hordes of AI-controlled zombies and creating some of the most memorable multiplayer chaos of its era. It also helped popularize asymmetrical multiplayer games, where the players on each side aren’t necessarily playing by the same rules.
That formula has stuck around in some form ever since. Dead by Daylight turned one-vs-four horror into a massive multiplayer hit, while games based on movies and horror franchises, including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Friday the 13th, and Evil Dead, have all put their own spin on the concept. Even Resident Evil Resistance tried its hand at the formula.
Now, one of the more ambitious games to experiment with asymmetrical multiplayer is getting an unexpected second chance. A group of modders has brought a forgotten 2015 shooter back to life, complete with working multiplayer and its own launcher.
That game is Evolve, Turtle Rock’s follow-up to Left 4 Dead, which launched in February 2015. Instead of four survivors fighting through hordes of enemies, Evolve put four Hunters against a single player-controlled monster. The Hunters had to track down and kill the creature before it could feed on wildlife, evolve into a more powerful form, and turn the tables on its pursuers.
Now, the Evolve Modded/Archive community is giving players a way to experience the game again. Modder SnoreDollar announced on X that Evolve is now available to download for free through the community’s efforts. The project also has a Discord community where players can download the launcher and find information about getting the game running.
What was Evolve?
At launch, Evolve was built around a pretty wild premise: one player controls a giant monster while four others work together as Hunters. The Hunters were split across Assault, Trapper, Medic, and Support classes, giving each player a specific job during the hunt. Meanwhile, the monster could sneak around the map, eat wildlife to grow stronger, and eventually evolve into a devastating Stage 3 version of itself.
The concept was one of the game’s biggest strengths. Evolve earned a 76 Metascore on Metacritic, with critics praising its unusual 4-vs.-1 structure and competitive depth. But there were concerns about its longevity, progression system, matchmaking, and the amount of time players spent searching for the monster rather than actually fighting it.
Polygon originally reviewed Evolve in 2015, praising its ambitious take on asymmetrical multiplayer while noting that its four-versus-one format could lead to frustratingly lopsided matches. The review ultimately called it “something different,” even if it didn’t always succeed at realizing its potential.
