The PS5 has treated us to many new multiplayer experiences. We all love multiplayer. Hunting aliens, crafting fortresses and tending to your farm, are all the more fun when you add a friend.
The first major iteration of gaming as we know it (Pong, 1972) was a multiplayer game, after all. Multiplayer is core to gaming, and with the rise of the internet, it’s now possible to team up or compete with millions worldwide.
Online gaming can be fun and helpful, especially for those with social anxiety. But sometimes, nothing beats traditional couch multiplayer, an experience many gamers grew up with. We reveal our picks for the best split-screen games available on the PS5.
10. Borderlands 3
Borderlands adds itself to the existing pantheon of iconic entries, by making the third entry just as easy to introduce new players as it does, entertain the veterans of the series.
Gearbox always offers amazing multiplayer support with the Borderlands entries – both local and online – and Borderlands 3 continues this trend wonderfully.
The beauty of the Borderlands games lies in the fact that since its inception in 2009, nothing has really changed. It has always offered chaotic loot-shooting through a gorgeous cel-shaded visual style and attempted to deliver important talking points via the ingrained humour which the series has become known for. Whether you are a sniper, berserker or trickster – Borderlands 3 has you covered and for any role which you feel you do not fit into, there’s always your co-op partner…
9. Goat Simulator 3
Ah, Goat Simulator. Where would we be without that bonkers billy?
Goat Simulator, it might surprise you to know, does contain a story – of sorts. Causing chaos alone is fun, sure. But it’s even more fun when you throw in another party. The base of the game doesn’t change as more players (up to a limit of 4) join. and this is to the benefit of the overall experience.
The third entry in the Goat Simulator series stands among few peers in that it allows players to play either horizontally or vertically. While this choice doesn’t have any real material effect on the chaos at-hand, it speaks volumes to the understanding that players are individuals with specific wants and needs.
8. Gran Turismo 7
What would a PlayStation list be without the iconic Gran Turismo series making an appearance? a mistake.
Hitting consoles first back on PlayStation one in 1997, the series quickly became one of the most successful driving sims of all time. Every PlayStation console since has offered a Gran Turismo, and the PlayStation 5 is no different. While not specific to PS5 as it is also available on the previous generation’s PS4 console.
Gran Turismo 7 makes ideal usage of the PS5 internal framework to shimmering result. Gran Turismo 7 is a deliciously beautiful presentation which allows you to live out your real-world driving fantasies, while also offering a relatively interesting campaign.
In previous games, the multiplayer component of the series has been accessible immediately, however Gran Turismo 7 locks the option of multiplayer behind the single-player progress. This is most likely to allow players to become acclimatized to the mechanics, before heading out into the multiplayer arena, thereby offering more chances of victory for newer players. Combine this with the option for split-screen multiplayer matches, and you have one of the most exciting entries into the series for many years.
7. Fortnite
Since its introduction – in a rather different form – in 2017, Fortnite single-handedly sparked the boom of Battle Royale videogames. The principle of a traditional Battle Royale is the manifestation of the term, dog-eat-dog. Every player enters a game of cat-and-mouse for game area, supplies and kills. The nature of the game results in some of the most tense moments in recent gaming history. With the introduction of modes such as duos (teams of 2) and groups (teams of up to 4 players), the chaos and calamity enters overdrive.
Each Fortnite game is a frantic scramble for supplies, ending with one team winning and everyone else losing. Fortnite understood its success better than most, introducing local multiplayer later, unlike the usual progression from local to online.
Many players only complaint with regards to the split-screen, is the apparently nonsensical idea to have the two screens off-centre from one another, with character images filling the spaces between. Not seen often in gaming, this design choice can lead to moments of confusion and inevitable deaths. Even with this ridiculous design decision, Fortnite manages to replicate the fun and frantic frolics of the solo-multiplayer experience and delivers a memorable experience every single time you play.
6. Escape Academy
Escape Academy is a 2022 puzzle game where players take on the role of students at a – you guessed it – Escape Academy. While you can play the game alone, the experience becomes much more enjoyable when you invite a friend along for the fun. As with most modern titles, you can do this via internet or – more pertinently – locally.
The local splitscreen option offers Escape Academy the opportunity to excel as a game by allowing the strengths of one player, redeem the weaknesses of the other. Instead of relying on player honesty and connection speed, the split-screen option allows you to see where your multiplayer partner is struggling and adjust your input accordingly.
5. Dirt 5
Split-screen and racing games have always been suitable bedfellows and Dirt 5 is no different. It is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer racing games, and is a superb experience either online or locally.
It is an altogether better experience however with the split-screen option because, not only does it offer nostalgia for older gamers. Dirt 5 has many more screen options which allow you to alter the field-of-view to your comfort and can even be used to maintain the original aspect ratio by filling the excess space with the black bars of yesteryear.
Allowing for nostalgia for older gamers, Dirt 5 offers various screen options, letting you adjust the field of view and even maintain the original aspect ratio with black bars.
4. Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed
Originally releasing in 2005 Destroy All Humans was an incredibly fun experience, even if the jokes have aged like milk. Black Forest games understand what makes the game so fun and ensure that the remaster is honest to the original source. This is also the case with the sequel.
Destroy All Humans 2 was not on most peoples Bingo cards for “games that need a remaster”. This was mostly because the sequel didn’t capture the consciousness like the first game. Black Forest Games still tackled the challenge at hand. They did so with the same gusto and humour as the first game.
Destroy All Humans: Reprobed allows us to revisit Crypto on his journey to – you guessed it – Destroy All Humans in all of it’s high-definition glory. It supports 2 player local co-op via split-screen which allows a second player to contribute to the extraterrestrial chaos. Destroy All Humans: Reprobed will always be an experience worth revisiting, and with the inclusion of a split-screen mode, you can do it all over again with your best friend (for better or for worse)
3. Lego Star Wars: Skywalker Saga
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is what happens when a developer understands the source material. Skywalker saga is one of the most vast and interesting LEGO games available. It combines juvenile design, with intermediate puzzle mechanics and mixes it with healthy nostalgia and fan-service. Traveller’s Tales Skywalker Saga offers all 9 mainline Star Wars movies and offers 380 playable characters with every character contributing to gameplay with unique abilities and powers.
Playing through the series alone is a fun experience, but can often lead to elements of confusion when switching characters. This impact can be reduced by inviting a second player to join the adventure and use the force with you. The LEGO Star Wars games are always an absolute delight to play with another player. Thankfully, the Skywalker Saga continues this tradition. With the Skywalker Saga, one of the best LEGO experiences you will ever have awaits you a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.
2. It Takes Two
Redefining what it is to be a split-screen game, It Takes Two is the story of a married couple planning for a divorce. When their daughter discovers this, she takes it upon herself to manipulate them. Entrapped in the bodies of her dolls, she forces them to work together in order to repair their relationship.
The game tasks the couple with problem-solving, encouraging them to work together. Ultimately the goal is to make them realize that they need each other more than initially thought. It Takes Two is a beautiful game, with charmingly juvenile splashes of pastel and chalk colors adorning every scene.
You will encounter every type of game type imaginable throughout the campaign. There are sections of third-person shooting, to bossfights to platforming sections – it really does have everything you could wish for. Unlike many traditional split-screen games, It Takes Two has a vertical split-screen reminiscent of a long-gone era of split-screen. This is in contrast to the horizontal split, which dominates the market in most other games. This may be a small issue for many but not for me. I believe it is enough to make this entry miss out on the top spot of best split screen games on PS5.
1. Baldur’s Gate 3
Boasting an OpenCritic rating of 96, Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most popular games in recent years. Praised for its ‘stagecraft’ and ‘crunchy tactical RPG combat’, Baldur’s Gate is one of the best RPG games ever made. With these accolades in mind, how does Baldur’s Gate 3 manage to make itself an even more enjoyable experience, by including split-screen local co-op.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is overflowing with content and offers hundreds of different ways to experience its epic narrative. This narrative is made all the more enjoyable with its multiplayer inclusion. Offering both online and local co-op, Baldur’s Gate 3 allows multiple people to enjoy questing and thrashing across the Forgotten Realms. While the online multiplayer is an interesting experience, the local co-op offers a cozier and more comfortable campaign from the comfort of your own sofa.
Conclusion
It has to be said that multiplayer games often invigorate long-standing and new titles alike. While the online multiplayer component of many games allows for a widespread and inter-connected experience, the novelty and nostalgia which one can feel by playing local split-screen is unparalleled.