How to use Splitscreen in Minecraft

Daniel Trock

Published: Jul 1, 2021 06:12 pm

Minecraft is definitely at its most enjoyable as a social experience. Building a communal world gives it a wider, more lived-in sense than something you’ve created by yourself. But while playing Minecraft online has been a part of its identity since the beginning, local splitscreen functionality didn’t arrive until much later. It’s a simple feature, but it takes a bit of doing to set up. Here’s how to use splitscreen in Minecraft.

How to use Splitscreen in Minecraft

To get a local splitscreen game going in Minecraft, either create a new world from the main Minecraft menu or load up an existing one. In the multiplayer settings, switch the multiplayer game toggle to off. This’ll prevent people from joining the world via online play. When you’ve got the game settings the way you like them, press the play button to launch the world. When the world is running, connect a second controller to your console. Minecraft should detect the controller automatically and tell you which button the second player should press to drop in (OPTIONS on PlayStation, Plus on Switch, etc.). Just select an account for the other player, and they’ll join in on a splitscreen right next to you.

You can also play splitscreen with folks online if, I dunno, you want to monitor them while they play or something. This only works on Xbox or PlayStation, though; Switch can’t do it. It works pretty much the same way, except the multiplayer game toggle should be on. You’ll need to send an invitation to whoever you want to join you, and once they get it, they can join your world and appear on your screen.

Author

Daniel Trock

Since the first time he picked up a controller as a child, Daniel has been a dyed-in-the-wool gaming fanatic, with a Steam library numbering over 600 games. His favorite pastime, aside from playing games, is doing deep dives on game wikis to learn more about their lore and characters.