PEAK’s physical PS5 edition includes a game disc and a second digital copy you can give to a friend. That makes it worth considering as a two-person purchase, provided you both want the PS5 version and are happy to wait: the digital console launch is October 22, while the boxed release is listed for December 9, 2026.
The useful distinction is between the platform you buy on and the people you can play with. Cross-play will connect PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2 and Steam players. The extra copy in the PS5 box, however, is specifically a PS5 code. Buying that edition won’t supply an Xbox or Switch 2 friend with their copy.
Decide who would use the extra copy
Gematsu’s announcement lists the physical edition at US$19.99 and identifies the included Buddy Code as a PS5 digital copy. There’s also a printed passport and stickers, but the spare game is the part that could change your buying decision.
Start by asking the person you’d give it to whether they actually want to play on PS5. A bonus copy has little practical value if your intended climbing partner prefers another platform or plans to buy at launch. Don’t count it as money saved until you know someone will use it.
The Video Games Plus listing names December 9 as the physical release date and confirms the disc-plus-code contents. TheSixthAxis’s report gives the same date. Treat that as the current schedule and check the retailer’s delivery estimate before planning a session around the box arriving.
There are two sensible ways to approach it. If two PS5 players want the game and neither is in a hurry, compare the complete physical order with buying their copies separately. If your group is already organising an October session, buying digitally avoids waiting for the later boxed release. Buying a launch copy and then the box is a collecting choice; it shouldn’t happen because you mistook the two release dates for one.
Choose your platform before organising the group
Landfall’s FAQ confirms the October 22 launch on all three consoles and cross-play with the existing Steam community. That lets a mixed-platform group make individual purchasing decisions rather than asking everybody to buy the same console version.
The developer’s PlayStation Blog introduction describes climbing with up to three friends and confirms cross-platform play. You’re organising a group of four at most, so decide who’s joining before anyone buys an extra copy as a gift.
For a group split between consoles and PC, the simplest plan is to agree on a date and let each person choose their own version. For a PS5 pair considering the box, agree on who gets the disc and who gets the code before ordering. Either way, choose the purchase around the friends who will actually play with you and when you want to start.