Published Apr 29, 2026, 12:16 PM EDT

Flock around and find out

The perfect video game exists, and it's a $5 friendslop birdwatching sim that plays like Pokémon Snap

Image: Secret Plan Games/Outersloth

Like a lot of Brooklynites in their mid-thirties, I’ve become something of an amateur birder in recent years. My favorite thing to do on a nice weekend day is to pop over to a park or cemetery and spend a few hours photographing the local bird population. Mockingbirds, warblers, geese — you name it. It’s a peaceful activity that I often do on my own, but it’s something I also enjoy doing with a pal. Birdwatching becomes a collaborative scavenger hunt in that context, where you both work to spot critters and point them out to each other.

It’s the perfect premise for a co-op video game , and that’s exactly the opportunity Flock Around seizes on so elegantly. Developed by Secret Plan Games, the new $5 multiplayer gem translates the experience of birdwatching with your friends into a chill photography game.…