Based on information from the game's official eShop listing, it looks as though the upcoming Pikmin 4 will have a multiplayer mode of some description, potentially co-op. The Pikmin video games have consistently featured multiplayer modes since Pikmin 2 launched on the GameCube, but the acclaimed Pikmin 3 Deluxe was the first game in the series to feature full-blown co-op for the story.
One of the main selling points of Pikmin 3 Deluxe was the addition of co-op, allowing two players to go through the entire story together. Pikmin 3 Deluxe co-op was well-received by the community, and so many have been hoping to see it make a comeback in Pikmin 4. Co-op has not been officially confirmed for Pikmin 4 at the time of this writing, but there is reason for fans of Nintendo's unique franchise to have hope.
Following the release of the latest Pikmin 4 trailer, the eShop page for the game went live, confirming various details. Besides highlighting its July 21 release date, the Pikmin 4 eShop page also reveals that the game will have a 12 GB file size. Additionally, the listing says that Pikmin 4 can be played by up to two players locally, which indicates that it will have multiplayer of some kind, even if it's not full-blown co-op like Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
Nintendo has not expanded on Pikmin 4's multiplayer capabilities just yet. The initial Pikmin 4 reveal trailer did little beyond confirming that the game was in development, and while the latest trailer revealed a lot more details, it stopped short of touching on how multiplayer will work. Because of this, we can't say with certainty that Pikmin 4 has co-op like Pikmin 3 Deluxe, but there is at least a chance of the feature making a return.
If Pikmin 4 doesn't have co-op, it's easy to guess what its multiplayer will be like. Previous Pikmin games had versus multiplayer modes as well as bonus co-op challenges that were separate from the main story. Of course, it's possible Pikmin 4 will have these modes in addition to full-fledged co-op, but that remains to be seen.
With Nintendo remaining quiet about the game's potential multiplayer features, fans of the Pikmin franchise will just have to hang tight and wait for more information. The Pikmin 4 release date is about five months away, so more details should come to light within the next few months or so.
Pikmin 4 launches July 21, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.