No, you do not need to play previous games before We Were Here Tomorrow. It is a standalone adventure. The stories connect across the series, but completing an earlier game is not required to start or play this one.
If you and your partner want to begin with Tomorrow, you can do that directly. A returning player can also team up with a newcomer. You do not need matching series experience, an earlier game's completion, or a full-series purchase to begin together.
Standalone play and connected lore mean different things
Standalone means Tomorrow can be enjoyed as its own game. Connected lore means returning players may bring context from earlier adventures. Those statements do not conflict: a story can belong to a wider series without making every previous entry compulsory preparation.
Tomorrow begins with two Antarctic Explorers who become trapped and wake inside the Norček Industries facility with little recollection of what happened. Director Kathleen Bowe asks them to continue the work of her missing research team. That premise gives the pair a new situation to investigate together.
You do not need to read an ending summary or watch a complete older playthrough before reaching that opening. If you would rather discover the mystery without prior explanations, the confirmed standalone design supports starting there.
Earlier games provide optional context rather than prerequisites.
Choose a starting point for your pair
| Your situation | A practical choice |
|---|---|
| Both players are new and want Tomorrow | Start Tomorrow together |
| One player knows the series and one does not | Start together; keep earlier story details optional |
| Both want to experience the whole series | Choose an earlier entry first as a preference |
| You only want the Norček adventure | Buy the relevant Tomorrow game rather than treating the series bundle as a requirement |
An experienced partner does not need to deliver a lore lecture before the first session. They can leave earlier references unexplained unless the new player wants that context. This avoids turning optional background into apparent homework.
Likewise, being new to the story is different from being new to asymmetric co-op. You may need time to learn how the pair describes clues and coordinates actions, but the game does not require an older save file to supply that familiarity.
Where Tomorrow sits in the series
The official FAQ calls Tomorrow the fifth main-series installment and the sixth We Were Here game overall. The difference comes from the separate Expeditions entry; it does not mean there are two versions of Tomorrow or two different prerequisite lists.
The earlier main games are:
- We Were Here
- We Were Here Too
- We Were Here Together
- We Were Here Forever
We Were Here Expeditions: The FriendShip is a smaller adventure in the separate Expeditions series. It is another game you can choose to play, rather than a compulsory bridge into Tomorrow.
If you want to work through the main series in order, the list gives you that option. The order is a way to organize your own experience, not an unlock sequence you must complete before buying the newest game.
What you do need before starting
The requirement that matters is a second online player. Tomorrow is built for two people, each with a distinct role, different information, and their own tools. You combine those perspectives through communication to progress.
Arrange two supported systems and game access for both players. The released platforms are Windows PC through Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with crossplay between them. You do not have to match platforms merely because one player is entering the series for the first time.
On PC, both players need an internet connection and a working PC-compatible microphone. PS5 requires PlayStation Plus for online play, while Xbox console play requires an applicable online multiplayer subscription. These practical requirements are more relevant to getting started than the number of earlier games you have finished.
Keep optional context free of spoilers
If you choose Tomorrow first, you can leave older-game videos, ending explanations, and chronology summaries until you decide whether you want them. None is required by the standalone play confirmation. Do not assume that a guide labelled as background will avoid revealing an earlier mystery.
If your partner has played the series, agree on whether you want them to identify references as they appear. A simple preference to avoid earlier story details is enough; you do not need to learn those details to operate your own tools or contribute observations.
The decision can therefore stay simple. Start with the adventure you both want to play, prepare the two-player setup, and treat the earlier games as optional experiences. Tomorrow's place in the series supplies context for returning players without making that context a barrier for a new pair.