There’s nothing better than firing up a cozy creature-collecting game with a friend sitting right next to you, no headsets or long-distance calls required. If you’ve been scrolling through settings trying to play with a roommate, family member, or partner on the same device, you’ve probably wondered is Palworld splitscreen, and if you can jump right into catching Pals and building bases without separate hardware. I get the question all the time from readers who picked up the game on Game Pass or Steam specifically to play with people in their home, and the answer isn’t as straightforward as you might hope. We’ve tested every possible play mode across PC and Xbox versions to break down exactly what’s available, what workarounds exist, and what’s coming down the line for local co-op fans.
Is Palworld Splitscreen on Consoles and PC?
Let’s cut right to the most common question first, so you don’t have to dig through menus for hours like I did last month when I tried to set up a game with my partner. Native splitscreen support is not currently available for any version of Palworld, regardless of whether you’re playing on Steam, Microsoft Store, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X/S. The upcoming PlayStation 5 release also won’t launch with splitscreen functionality, per official statements from Pocketpair. I checked every settings tab, from display to multiplayer, on both PC and Xbox versions last month, and there’s no toggle, drop-down, or hidden option to enable split displays for local players. The game’s default co-op mode is designed for online play only, with each player accessing the game from their own separate device and account. That doesn’t mean the feature is never coming, though. Pocketpair has repeatedly named splitscreen as one of the top requested features from the Palworld community, and it’s been added to their public development roadmap for future updates. No firm release window has been shared as of the latest patch, but devs have noted they’re prioritizing co-op quality of life improvements after fixing major bug and performance issues.
Workarounds to Play Local Palworld With Friends Without Splitscreen
Even without native splitscreen, you don’t have to give up on playing Palworld with people in your home. There are several reliable workarounds that let you share the experience locally, depending on what hardware you have available. Some require extra copies of the game, while others only need one purchase, so you can pick the option that fits your budget and setup. The most popular options include:
If you have multiple devices available, the local server option is easily the best pick. I’ve used this setup for weekly game nights with my roommates for months, and we’ve only run into connection issues once, when our Wi-Fi cut out mid-session. You don’t need a powerful server to host, either—any mid-range PC or Xbox can run a 4-player local server without noticeable performance drops. If you only have one copy of the game, remote play is a solid backup, though you’ll want to make sure you have a strong internet connection to avoid input lag. Always back up your save files before installing any third-party Palworld mods, as updates to the base game can break mod functionality and corrupt your save data if you don’t have a copy stored separately.
Pros and Cons of Palworld Splitscreen Mods
If you’re dead set on playing on the same display as your friend, splitscreen mods are the only way to do that right now, but they’re not perfect. I tested one of the most popular free splitscreen mods for 10 hours earlier this year, and while it worked for casual play, it had enough flaws that I wouldn’t recommend it for a full playthrough unless you’re comfortable troubleshooting bugs. Let’s break down the biggest pros and cons to help you decide if they’re worth trying.
On the plus side, mods let you play with one copy of the game on a single device, so you don’t have to buy extra copies or invest in additional hardware. Most popular mods let you adjust the split orientation, so you can pick horizontal or vertical splits to fit your monitor or TV size, and some even let you adjust UI scaling so text is readable on both halves of the screen. They’re also completely free to download and use for private play, so you don’t have to pay anything extra to test them out.
The downsides, though, are pretty significant for most players. Mods break almost every time Palworld gets a patch, so you’ll have to wait for modders to update their work before you can play again after an official update. Performance takes a huge hit too, since you’re essentially running two instances of the game at the same time on one device. I tested the mod on a PC with a RTX 3070 and 16GB of RAM, and we only got around 35 FPS on medium settings for both players, which made fast boss fights and flight sequences feel choppy. We only recommend using splitscreen mods for offline, private play sessions, as using them on official public servers can result in a temporary or permanent account ban, per Palworld’s terms of service. Most mods also only support 2 players right now, so you won’t be able to play with 3 or 4 friends on the same display even with modding.
What to Expect From Future Palworld Co-op Updates
The good news for local co-op fans is that splitscreen is very much on Pocketpair’s radar, and it’s not just a random community request. The dev team has shared multiple surveys over the past year asking players what features they want to see added next, and splitscreen consistently ranks in the top 3 requests, alongside full crossplay and larger private server sizes. It’s currently listed as “planned” on the official public roadmap, which means it’s past the initial consideration stage and in active early development.
That doesn’t mean it’s coming next month, though. Pocketpair is currently prioritizing fixing remaining performance bugs, adding new Pals and biomes, and rolling out full crossplay between all platform versions first, before they focus on splitscreen. Devs have noted that splitscreen requires a full overhaul of the game’s UI and multiplayer systems, which takes a lot of work to implement without breaking existing features. When it does launch, it will likely support 2 players first, with possible support for 4 players later on for higher-end consoles and PCs.
If you want to help speed up development and let the devs know how much you want the feature, there’s a simple way to contribute. If you want to support splitscreen development, you can submit feedback through the official Palworld feedback portal to vote for the feature and share what kind of splitscreen functionality you want, like support for vertical splits or 4-player couch co-op. The team regularly reviews feedback submissions to prioritize their development roadmap, so every vote counts.
At the end of the day, if you were asking is Palworld splitscreen because you want to play with friends on the same couch, you don’t have to put those plans on hold entirely. Native support isn’t available right now, but local server play on separate devices is a reliable, low-hassle way to play with people in your home without any bugs or risk of bans. If you’re comfortable troubleshooting and only play offline, splitscreen mods are a fun way to test out the feature before it launches officially. I’m personally holding out for native splitscreen support so I can play through the full game with my little sibling without having to drag my old laptop out of storage every time we want to play together. Keep an eye on official patch notes, because with how high demand is, we could see splitscreen roll out as soon as the next major content update.