There’s nothing better than having a group of friends over for a casual game night, and Rocket League is almost always at the top of our go-to game list. Last month, when three of my college roommates came to visit, we spent 10 minutes fumbling through PS5 menus before we confirmed the answer to can you play split screen on Rocket League PS5, and got our first 2v2 couch match going. If you’ve found yourself in the same situation, wondering if you can skip the extra consoles and play together on one screen, this guide walks you through every part of the process, from setup to fixing common glitches, so you can spend less time troubleshooting and more time scoring ridiculous aerial goals.
Can You Play Split Screen on Rocket League PS5: Full Feature Breakdown
The short answer is yes, split screen play is fully supported for Rocket League on PS5, with no extra purchases or paid DLC required to access the feature. Psyonix has kept local multiplayer as a core part of the Rocket League experience even after the game went free-to-play, which is a huge win for players who prefer couch co-op over online only play. You can have up to four players playing split screen on a single PS5 console, with support for both casual offline matches and online ranked play for split screen teams.
There are a few small limitations to keep in mind before you get started, though. For 2-player split screen, the game runs at a smooth 1080p 60fps in performance mode, which is identical to the single player experience for most players. When you add a third or fourth player, the frame rate drops to 30fps to accommodate rendering four separate game views at once, which is noticeable but still perfectly playable for casual matches. You don’t need a separate copy of Rocket League for each player to use split screen on PS5, even if you’re queuing for online matches together.
Another thing to note is that guest profiles are supported for split screen play, but any progress, car customizations, or rank updates won’t save for players using a guest account. If you and your friends want to keep your unlocks and track your stats, each player will need to sign into their own PSN account when they join the lobby. Crossplay is also supported for split screen teams, though you may run into occasional connection issues if you’re playing with friends on other platforms, which we cover fixes for later in this guide.
Step-by-Step Split Screen Setup for Rocket League PS5
We’ve tested this setup process dozens of times at our game nights, and it takes less than two minutes to get everyone connected once you know the steps. Before you start, make sure you have enough fully charged controllers for every player, and that your PS5 has the latest system software update installed to avoid compatibility glitches. Follow these simple steps to get your split screen lobby up and running:
- Turn on your PS5 and connect all extra controllers you plan to use for split screen play, either via USB cable or Bluetooth pairing
- Launch Rocket League and sign into your primary PSN account to load your saved progress, customizations, and rank stats
- Press the PS button on the second controller, then select either a guest profile or a second registered PSN account from the popup menu
- Navigate back to Rocket League, and the second player will automatically appear in the main menu lobby within 10 seconds
- Repeat the process for 3rd and 4th players if you want to run 3 or 4-way split screen, adjusting team assignments in the lobby before you start a match
If a second controller doesn’t register right away, don’t panic. If a second controller doesn’t show up in the lobby, hold the PS button for 3 seconds to reset the connection before trying again. We’ve run into this issue a few times with controllers that were previously paired to another device, and resetting the connection almost always fixes it immediately. You can also re-order teams in the lobby by selecting a player’s profile and moving them to the blue or orange team, so you don’t have to play with random team assignments if you want to pair specific players together.
If you’re playing online with split screen, make sure all players have accepted the latest Rocket League terms of service, otherwise you won’t be able to queue for matches. This is a common issue for players who haven’t logged into their account in a few months, and it only takes a few seconds to accept the prompt when it pops up. You don’t need a PlayStation Plus subscription for every player to play online split screen, either – only the primary account on the PS5 needs an active subscription to access online play for everyone in the lobby.
Common Split Screen Issues on Rocket League PS5 (And How to Fix Them)
Even though split screen setup is mostly straightforward, we’ve run into a handful of common issues over the years that can stop your game night in its tracks. If you’re still asking can you play split screen on Rocket League PS5 after running into setup issues, the short answer is still yes, and most fixes take less than a minute to implement. The most common issue we see is the second player not appearing in the lobby even after their controller is paired. If this happens, close Rocket League completely, restart the console, and try the setup process again. This almost always fixes the glitch, which is usually caused by a minor system software bug.
If you’re experiencing choppy frame rates or lag during 4-player split screen matches, there’s a simple setting tweak that can help. Head to the Rocket League settings menu, go to the graphics tab, and switch from quality mode to performance mode. Dropping the in-game resolution to performance mode can boost frame rates for 4-player split screen sessions by up to 20%, making the game feel much smoother for all players. You can also turn off extra visual effects like lens flare and motion blur to improve performance even more, without making the game look noticeably worse on most TVs.
Another common issue is split screen teams being unable to queue for online crossplay matches. If you get an error message when trying to join a crossplay lobby, try turning crossplay off in the settings menu, queuing for a single quick match, then turning crossplay back on. This resets the game’s connection to the crossplay servers, and we’ve found it fixes 90% of crossplay connection issues for split screen teams. If you’re still having trouble, make sure none of the players in your lobby have a crossplay ban or are restricted from online play on their PSN account.
Finally, if a player’s customizations or progress aren’t loading when they join the split screen lobby, that’s almost always because they’re signed into a guest account instead of their personal PSN account. Have them sign out of the guest profile and sign into their own account, and all their saved content will load immediately. Avoid 4-player split screen on small TVs, as each player’s view will be too small to track the ball properly – we’ve tried playing on a 32-inch TV with four players before, and half of us couldn’t see where the ball was half the time, which made the match more frustrating than fun.
Best Game Modes for Rocket League PS5 Split Screen Play
Now that you’ve got your split screen lobby set up, you might be wondering which game modes are the most fun for local play. We’ve tested almost every mode and mutator combination with our friend group over the years, and some stand out as way better for split screen than others. Local exhibition matches are our go-to for casual play with friends who don’t play Rocket League very often, because you can adjust the rules to make the game more accessible. You can turn off unlimited boost, make the ball bigger, or even turn on low gravity mode for silly, low-stakes matches that everyone can enjoy, regardless of skill level.
2v2 casual online is another great option if you and a friend want to team up against random players from around the world. We’ve had some of our funniest Rocket League moments playing this mode, including a match where we scored four own goals in a row and still ended up winning because the other team was even worse than us. If you have four players, private 2v2 matches are perfect for competitive play against your friends, with no random players to mess up the vibe. You can even set up a small tournament with prizes for the winning team if you want to make the night more exciting.
If you want to mix up the standard gameplay, try using mutators to change how the game works. For the most fun casual split screen sessions, try the Heatseeker or Spike Rush mutators to mix up standard gameplay. Heatseeker makes the ball automatically fly towards the opposite goal every time it’s hit, which leads to chaotic, high-scoring matches that are perfect for new players. Spike Rush gives every player a spike on their car that lets them pick up the ball and carry it, which leads to all kinds of silly plays and last-second goals. We usually cycle through a few different mutators during our game nights to keep things fresh for everyone.
Ranked play is also supported for split screen teams, but we only recommend it if both players are around the same skill level. If one player is a Platinum rank and the other is a Bronze, you’ll be matched against players around the middle of those ranks, which can be frustrating for both players. If you do decide to play ranked split screen, make sure you communicate well with your teammate, since you’re sitting right next to each other and can call out plays way faster than you could over a mic.
Next time you have friends or family over for a game night, you don’t have to waste time scrolling through forums to figure out if local Rocket League play is an option. As we’ve covered, the answer to can you play split screen on Rocket League PS5 is a resounding yes, with a simple setup process, easy fixes for common issues, and tons of fun game modes to choose from. Whether you’re playing casual matches with new players or competitive private games with long-time Rocket League fans, split screen is one of the best ways to enjoy the game with the people sitting right next to you. The only thing left to do now is grab your controllers, pick your team, and try not to score too many own goals.
