Online multiplayer is great. The fact that you can talk trash to your friends from halfway around the world without them being able to do anything is always hilarious. Similarly, a world without MMORPG culture would be significantly different and practically impossible to imagine these days.
Before online gaming kicked off on consoles, almost every game came equipped with a split-screen mode. Whether this horizontal divide on the television meant you would be battling against each other or aiding one another cooperatively, the almost obligatory inclusion of a split-screen mode quickly died out when multiplayer went online. Thankfully, this social method of playing with friends is getting a much-deserved revival, with innovative projects utilizing split screen on the PS5.
Updated June 29 2023, by Jack Webb: Split-screen multiplayer games still have a place in the modern world. There is plenty of variety out there too, from couch co-op to competitive games, all of which are fun with friends in the same room.
15 Gran Turismo 7
With the launch of a new console, an update to Sony's flagship racing series was an inevitability. Gran Turismo 7 looks incredible on the PS5, and with hundreds of cars on offer and plenty of iconic tracks, you're sure to have a good time. Not to mention it's perhaps one of the most beautiful games out there.
Racing games make for some of the best when it comes to split-screen play, and GT7 doesn't disappoint. It's not as arcadey as other racers, but you can hop behind the wheel of your favourite supercars and burn some very expensive rubber.
14 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2
What do you get when you mix legendary gameplay, a banging soundtrack, and a next-gen console? Quite possibly the most fun you'll have in local split-screen multiplayer, ever.
THPS 1+2 is the perfect game if you want to chill with friends. There's no pressure to actually do anything — you don't need to compete or fight. It's great for just hanging out in one of the many different skate parks, eating some snacks, and trying to pull off the holy grail of skateboarding tricks, the 1080. You can also put your minds together in the Create-A-Park mode, too, and then see who can dominate.
13 Rocket League
Rocket League is available on pretty much every system going, but it deserves inclusion here because it's just that good. With gameplay that's easy to learn but hard to master, it's a great title for teaming up with a good friend and trying to bring home those wins.
The great thing about split-screen multiplayer is that you can also choose to go toe-to-toe with other players and teams online, provided your co-op partner has an active PlayStation Plus account they can sign into on your console. As with any online competitive game, communication is key — and having your teammate sitting right next to you is going to be much more effective than chatting over the Internet.
12 Goat Simulator 3
This one is for when you really don't want to have to deal with anything serious, or for when you and your friends are feeling particularly mischievous. Goat Simulator is pure chaos in game form, and that's great for couch multiplayer.
The third instalment in the series ramps everything up to 11, adding a whole bunch of features that mean you could play it for hours and never get bored. Throw in four-player split-screen co-op, and you're going to have a whole lot of explosions and NPCs being thrown about like ragdolls.
11 Hot Wheels Unleashed
Hot Wheels Unleashed is quite the opposite of GT7, being a toy-based racer that evokes Micro Machines vibes from back in the day. It's great fun to play, and you'll have a right time of it trying to bump, scrape, and slide your way past your opponents.
Split-screen multiplayer means you've got some great party racing on your hands with a friend or the kids taking turns. There are plenty of tracks and cars to choose from, too. It's one of those racing games that try to tap into the hilarious gameplay of Mario Kart sessions, and it looks great on the PS5, too.
10 Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Okay, Sackboy: A Big Adventure might not have the traditional split-screen format. However, it does feature an incredibly fun and engaging co-op experience that conjures up similar feelings to older couch co-op games. Sackboy is back in action, but this time moves away from the Little Big Planet suite of options in favour of a stellar 3D platforming outing.
You and your playing partner adventure through Craftsworld while trying to put a stop to Vex and his dastardly schemes. Playing this game in local co-op is a sublime treat since teamwork is of the utmost importance in solving the tricky platforming sections and puzzles. While you do share the same screen, you often have to move to different parts of the diverse stages to find new ways to progress, all while collecting plenty of goodies and cosmetic items.
9 It Takes Two
With sumptuous visuals, dynamic gameplay, and a tale as soul-invigorating as early Pixar classics, It Takes Two is a truly heartfelt adventure. The mythical journey begins as young Rose plays with dolls which she imagines to be her parents who are planning on separating. You control these dolls in their quest to become human again, requiring assistance from each other to test their strength as a couple.
Like a blend of Unravel and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, the game takes you through miniature worlds, battling wasps, solving puzzles, and relying on each other to overcome numerous bosses and personal indifferences.
8 Dirt 5
Few games are better experienced in real-time multiplayer than racing games, a genre that relies so much on there being no online lag. Dirt, the racing series that commenced in 2007 with Colin McRae: Dirt, has continued to thrive, especially thanks to its inclusion of split-screen multiplayer.
Dirt 5 features new and classic mode highlights from over the years, such as trick-based Gymkhana, strategy-focused Path Finder, maneuver-oriented Ice Breaker, and point-earning rounds in Rally Raid. Facing off with friends on the same screen is a nostalgic call back to the early days of racing, in classics like Gran Turismo and Need for Speed.
7 Ark: Survival Evolved
Some of the most immersive games to lose yourself in belong to the survival genre, so what better place to spend with a friend than a prehistoric island? Helplessly deserted on a desolate beach, you'll find yourselves lost on a dinosaur-infested island. The open-world environment encourages exploration and domination, as the landscape is designed to have you killed by all forces of nature and requires adept skills in being able to respond to your surroundings.
Ark: Survival Evolved has it all, from DIY weaponry, battles against prehistoric monstrosities, and a sophisticated building mode. The fact that the game’s main critiques revolved around its difficulty and requirement for you to expect heavy material-scavenging and grinding makes it all the more enjoyable to share the experience with a friend.
6 Fortnite
Say what you will about the free-to-play titan of a series, battle royale game-changer Fortnite continues to adapt to the desires of its audience. Not only can you buy skins of almost any of your favorite pop-culture characters — including Marvel, DC, John Wick, and many more — but you can also play cooperatively with a friend.
In both Squads and Duos modes, your split screens are set horizontally so the game can be viewed easily. With the technical enhancements that the PS5 offers, and the classic arcade-style fun that the game provides, split-screen Fortnite is a fantastic return to cooperative multiplayer gaming.
5 Quake
Quake remains great fun almost thirty years after launch. When the series was remastered in 2021, it was without doubt that the classic split-screen mode would be included. The iconic Doom-style gameplay, the aesthetic of heavy gore and hellish monsters, and a lore-heavy, fantastical setting make Quake fitting for a modern generation.
The hectic nature of the co-op Horde mode is the highlight of the many multiplayer shenanigans, allowing up to four of you to take on waves of enemies in classic, retro-style FPS style.
4 Can’t Drive This
Where many games attempt to rekindle the classic nostalgia of split-screen with standard arcade and racing modes, Can’t Drive This is an example of a game that thrives at being innovative. With maximum high-scoring and mileage objectives, you'll share the screen in this puzzle driver, where one must create tracks whilst the other drives what the other has made.
The catch is that if the car fails to move fast enough it’ll explode, and this isn’t made any easier by the fact that the course is built in Tetris-style stages that see you being dished hurdle after hurdle.
3 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Some multiplayer formulas truly stand the test of time. Mario Kart, World of Warcraft, and Counter-Strike have each nailed the vital components of how to maintain an active and loyal fanbase. Nazi zombies are another quintessential entry into this list, and deservedly so.
The endless rounds of defence and attack in the series continue to sustain relevance today, and its inclusion in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is no exception. The ultimate sleepover party game for any '00s kids, Cold War is the perfect antidote to the subsequent lack of split-screen FPS co-op games.
2 Diablo 4
While you might think new releases are completely ignoring split-screen co-op, Blizzard's latest Diablo title brought it back with much fanfare. It isn't immediately obvious that you can do it, but you can actually start a brand new game and jump into split-screen co-op play from the moment you have made your character.
Diablo 4 is a team game, and this function means you can take on the horrors of Sanctuary with a friend by your side, and on your couch. Both of you will need a Battlenet account linked to your PS5 account, but only the host account needs to have a PS Plus account to play in split-screen.
1 Stardew Valley
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An unlikely split-screen adventure, this 2015 farming sim brought its local multiplayer mode to the PS5 in 2021. The never-ending Stardew Valley gives you plenty of things to do, including cultivating the landscape for agriculture, looking after livestock, and managing the micro-environment. You'll also have to look after yourself and engage with the townsfolk.
The inclusion of a split-screen mode makes smashing through the game’s hefty to-do list all the more satisfying, with “sharing is caring” the moral of the game. Stardew Valley is renowned as one of those games where time disappears when you play, strengthened no doubt by its ultimately relaxed atmosphere and casual gameplay.