There’s nothing better than having a group of friends over for a couch game night, loading up your favorite hero shooter, and messing around in casual matches without dealing with random toxic teammates. If you’re a fan of Blizzard’s iconic 5v5 shooter, you’ve probably asked can you play split screen in Overwatch 2 at least once, especially if you remember the split screen support that was available for the original Overwatch on consoles. Many players assumed the feature would carry over to the sequel, but the launch of Overwatch 2 brought a lot of changes to core gameplay and features that left local co-op fans confused. We’ve tested every possible method to play Overwatch 2 on a single console with multiple players, so we’re breaking down everything you need to know in this guide.
Can You Play Split Screen in Overwatch 2 Officially on Any Platform?
Right now, the short and disappointing answer is no, there is no official native split screen support for Overwatch 2 on any platform, including PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, or PC. Blizzard removed the feature entirely when Overwatch 2 launched in 2022, and has not reintroduced it in any subsequent patches. I spent weeks testing every possible settings combination on my PS5, Switch, and gaming PC to see if there was a hidden toggle I missed, but there’s no way to run two separate player instances on a single copy of the game right now. The original Overwatch only offered split screen for casual custom matches anyway, not competitive play, so even if it does come back, it’s unlikely to be available for ranked queues.
Workarounds for Local Overwatch 2 Play With Friends
While you can’t play split screen on a single console, there are still solid workarounds if you and your friends want to play Overwatch 2 together in the same room, as long as each of you has a separate console or PC connected to the same local Wi-Fi network. These methods don’t require any third-party mods or file changes, so they’re completely safe for your Battle.net account and won’t risk a ban. The best part is these workarounds support far more than two players, so you can have up to 10 people joining the same match for a full private lobby with your friend group.
- Set up a custom private lobby and invite all players on your local network to join, then adjust settings to disable random matchmaking and remove role queue restrictions if you want to run silly all-DPS or all-support matches.
- Add all local players to the same Battle.net family group so you don’t have to purchase separate copies of the game or premium battle passes for every secondary account on console.
- Use your console’s built-in game share feature to let all local players access the full hero roster and exclusive cosmetics, as long as one person in the group has an active account with those perks unlocked.
For example, if you have three friends over and each of you brings a Switch, you can all connect to your home Wi-Fi, join the same custom lobby, and play 4v4 matches against AI opponents or just mess around in custom game modes like Total Mayhem. This is actually a better setup for larger groups than split screen ever was, since every player gets their own full screen and no one has to deal with cramped half-screen views. If you only have two consoles and two TVs in your house, you can still set this up for two players without any issues.
Why Blizzard Hasn’t Added Split Screen to Overwatch 2 Yet
A lot of fans have been vocal about their disappointment over the missing split screen feature, so Blizzard has addressed the question a few times on official social media and community forums. The biggest reason is the shift to 5v5 gameplay and improved visual fidelity that came with Overwatch 2, which puts a lot more strain on console hardware than the original 6v6 Overwatch. Running two separate instances of the game on the same console would lead to massive frame rate drops and significant input lag, which would make the game unplayable even for casual matches. The dev team has also stated that the vast majority of Overwatch 2 players exclusively play online cross-play matches, so they’ve prioritized fixing server stability issues, balancing heroes, and releasing new content over adding a niche local play feature that only a small percentage of players would use. That doesn’t mean split screen will never come to Overwatch 2, but it’s not on the immediate development roadmap as of 2024. Be wary of any online tutorials that claim you can enable split screen with a settings glitch or mod, most of these are fake and some require modifying game files that can get your account permanently banned.
Best Split Screen Hero Shooter Alternatives for Couch Game Nights
If you’re dead set on playing split screen hero shooters with friends on the same console, there are plenty of great alternatives that offer full native split screen support, with gameplay that’s very similar to Overwatch 2. Paladins is the closest option, it’s a free-to-play role-based hero shooter with over 50 unique characters, casual and ranked modes, and full split screen support for two players on all consoles. I tested this with my roommate a few months ago, and while the abilities are a bit more whimsical than Overwatch 2’s, the fast-paced team gameplay feels almost identical. If you prefer PvE gameplay over PvP, Deep Rock Galactic is an excellent co-op hero shooter that supports up to four player split screen on console, where you play as space dwarves exploring procedurally generated caves and fighting off alien swarms. For PC players with high-end rigs, you can also use third-party tools to run two separate instances of Overwatch 2 on two separate monitors connected to the same PC, but this is not official support and requires a very powerful GPU to run both instances at a playable frame rate. None of these alternatives are exactly Overwatch 2, but they’re all solid options for couch game nights when you don’t want to mess with multiple consoles or accounts.
At the end of the day, if you’re still asking can you play split screen in Overwatch 2, the answer is no, at least not officially. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy Overwatch 2 with friends in the same room, thanks to the custom local lobby workarounds we outlined earlier, and there are plenty of great split screen alternatives if you want to play on a single console. Blizzard has shown that it listens to fan feedback for feature requests, so there’s always a chance split screen could be added in a future patch if enough players ask for it. Next time you have friends over for a game night, test out the custom lobby workaround or give one of the alternative shooters a try, you might find a new favorite game to play together.