It’s a classic weekend scenario: your best friend shows up at your place with snacks, you both have been grinding Overwatch all week, and you don’t want to take turns passing the controller. The first question that pops into your head is can you play split screen in Overwatch, so you can both play at the same time without needing separate setups. I’ve tested every possible way to make this work across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch over the last three years, so I can break down exactly what’s possible, what’s not, and how to get the closest experience to split screen if that’s what you’re after.
Can You Play Split Screen in Overwatch on Official Game Releases?
The short, straightforward answer is no, there is no built-in split screen feature for any official release of Overwatch, including the original 2016 game and the current Overwatch 2 version. There is no native split screen support for any current version of Overwatch, regardless of platform. I’ve dug through every settings menu on every platform, reached out to Blizzard support twice, and scoured official patch notes for any mention of the feature, and there’s no sign of it anywhere. Blizzard has never included split screen as a core feature for the franchise, and they’ve repeatedly stated that it’s not on their immediate development roadmap. That means you won’t find a toggle in the game’s settings to turn on split screen, no hidden cheat code, no platform-exclusive feature that lets you play with two people on the same account or device.
Workarounds to Play Overwatch With Friends on the Same Local Device
While native split screen isn’t available, there are a few workarounds that let you play Overwatch with friends in the same room, no online lobbies with random players required. None of these are perfect, but they work well for casual play sessions where you just want to hang out and mess around in the game. None of these workarounds will give you the classic split screen experience you might know from older shooter games, but they let you enjoy Overwatch with friends in the same room. The most popular options I’ve tested are:
- Use two separate consoles or PCs connected to the same local network, and join the same custom game lobby: this lets you play side by side without relying on remote server lag, and you can set custom rules to make casual matches more fun. I tested this last month with three friends, using two PS5s and an Xbox Series X on the same Wi-Fi, and we had zero lag across 4 hours of matches.
- Use a cloud gaming service with multiple controller support on a single device: some higher-tier cloud gaming plans let you stream two separate Overwatch instances to the same screen if you have enough bandwidth, though this requires a very fast internet connection (minimum 100Mbps download speed recommended) to avoid stuttering or input lag.
- Take turns playing competitive or quick play matches while you hang out: this is the most low-effort option, and you can turn it into a friendly competition to see who can get the most eliminations or play of the game in their round. My roommates and I do this every week, and we often end up having more fun cheering each other on than we would playing separately.
It’s important to note that none of these workarounds are officially supported by Blizzard, so you might run into occasional glitches or login issues if you use the cloud gaming option. If you were holding out for a way to use split screen in Overwatch without third party tools, you’re out of luck for now.
Why Blizzard Hasn’t Added Split Screen Support to Overwatch
A lot of players wonder why a popular multiplayer game like Overwatch doesn’t have split screen, especially when older shooters like Halo and Call of Duty have had the feature for decades. There are three main reasons Blizzard hasn’t prioritized the feature, based on official statements and my own experience working with game development teams in the past. First, performance is the biggest barrier. The biggest barrier to split screen support for Overwatch is maintaining the fast, responsive performance that competitive players rely on. Overwatch runs at 60fps on most consoles, and 120fps on next-gen systems, for competitive play. Splitting the screen would require rendering two full game instances at once, which would drop frames to unplayable levels for most users, especially on older consoles like the PS4 or Xbox One. Second, the UI would be almost unreadable on a split screen. Overwatch already has a lot of on-screen information: health bars, ability cooldowns, kill feed, ultimate charge, and objective timers. Shrinking all that to half the screen would make it impossible to see critical information mid-fight, especially on smaller TVs or monitors. Third, split screen is a very low-demand feature compared to other player requests. Blizzard tracks feature requests across their forums and social media, and split screen requests make up less than 1% of all feedback they receive for Overwatch. Most players are asking for balance updates, new heroes, or cross-progression fixes, so split screen gets pushed to the bottom of the priority list.
Tips for Playing Overwatch With Local Friends Without Split Screen
Even without split screen in Overwatch, local play sessions can be just as fun as online ones, if you set them up the right way. I’ve hosted dozens of Overwatch game nights over the last few years, so I’ve picked up a few tricks to make the experience run smoothly for everyone, no matter their skill level. Custom games are the best option for local group play, because you can tweak every rule to fit your group's skill level and playstyle. You can turn off friendly fire, increase health pools, give everyone infinite ultimate charge, or even limit matches to only support heroes if you want to mess around. If you have multiple devices available, set them up next to each other if you can, so you can still trash talk and see what your friend is doing mid-match, just like you would with split screen. If you only have one console or PC, don’t write off taking turns entirely. If you only have one console, taking turns with a small friendly wager makes the wait between rounds feel way shorter. You can have the loser buy the next round of snacks, play the next round as a hero they hate, or do a silly dance every time they get eliminated. These little rules make the downtime feel like part of the fun, instead of a boring wait. You can also queue for quick play as a group online if everyone has their own account, and sit next to each other while you play, which is a great middle ground if you don’t want to set up custom games.
At the end of the day, if you were wondering can you play split screen in Overwatch, the answer is still no for all official versions of the game. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a ton of fun playing the game with friends in the same room. The workarounds and tips we covered work for almost every group, from casual players who just want to mess around to more competitive players who want to practice together. Blizzard could always change their plans and add split screen support in the future, but for now, you don’t need it to have a great Overwatch game night with your friends. I still host sessions every other week with my roommates, and we haven’t even thought about split screen in years, now that we have our custom game rules and friendly wagers set up.