Last weekend, my 16-year-old cousin showed up at my place with a backpack full of snacks and a request to play Rocket League together. I’d only ever played solo online before, so I spent 20 frustrating minutes clicking through menus trying to figure out how to split screen Rocket League without crashing the game. Once I got the hang of the setup, we spent the next four hours yelling at each other over missed goals and dumb own goals, and it was easily the most fun I’ve had with the game in years. I wrote this guide to save you the same headache I went through, no matter what platform you play on.
How to Split Screen Rocket League: Platform-Specific Setup Steps
Before you jump into setup, there are a few universal requirements you need to check off first to avoid issues. These apply to every platform, so don’t skip this part:
- At least two compatible controllers (you can’t use one controller and keyboard for split screen on most platforms unless you adjust input settings manually)
- An active copy of Rocket League installed and updated to the latest version – outdated game builds often break split screen functionality
- Two separate Epic Games accounts for each player if you want to earn progress, unlock items, or save match history, or guest accounts for casual, no-progress play
- Enough screen space to comfortably see both sides of the pitch – we recommend a 32-inch or larger display for 2-player split screen, and 50-inch or larger for 4-player play
Once you’ve got those basics covered, follow the steps for your specific device below. It takes less than two minutes per platform once you know what to click.
PC Setup
First, plug in or pair all your controllers to your PC before launching Rocket League. If you’re mixing keyboard and controller, go to your game settings first, open the Controls tab, and assign separate input devices to each player slot. Launch the game, and have the second player press the Options/Menu button on their controller. A pop-up will appear asking them to sign in to their Epic Games account or play as a guest. Once they confirm, the screen will split automatically, and they can join your lobby. If you want to add 3 or 4 players, just repeat the same step for each additional controller.
Note that PC players can run into controller detection issues if you have multiple Bluetooth devices running at the same time. If your controller isn’t showing up, turn off unused Bluetooth headsets or speakers and try pairing again.
PlayStation 4/5 Setup
Turn on your second controller and have the second player sign in to their PSN account (or use a guest account if they don’t have one). Launch Rocket League, and once you’re on the main menu, have the second player press the X button on their controller. They’ll be prompted to link their Epic Games account if they want to save progress, and then they’ll automatically join your lobby in split screen mode. PlayStation supports up to 4 players for local split screen, as long as you have enough controllers and accounts.
Xbox One/Series X|S Setup
The process for Xbox is almost identical to PlayStation. Turn on your second controller, sign in to an Xbox account or guest profile, and launch Rocket League. Have the second player press the A button on their controller from the main menu, and they’ll be added to your lobby instantly. Xbox also supports up to 4 player split screen for casual and custom match play.
Nintendo Switch Setup
Switch players have a few extra small steps first. Make sure all your controllers are paired to your Switch before launching the game – single Joy-Cons work for split screen, but you’ll need to enable single-JoyCon mode in your system settings first if you’re using them. Launch Rocket League, and have the second player press the + button on their controller. They can sign in to their Epic account or play as a guest, and the screen will split right away. Note that Switch only supports up to 2 player split screen, unlike other platforms that support 4.
Common Split Screen Issues & Quick Fixes
I ran into almost every possible issue when I was testing split screen across all my devices last week, so I’ve compiled the most common problems and their fixes here. You won’t need to dig through Reddit threads if something goes wrong.
Second controller not being detected
This is the most common issue by far. First, check that your controller has fresh batteries or is charged, and that it’s properly paired to your device. If you’re on PC, make sure you’ve installed the latest controller drivers for PlayStation or Xbox controllers. Restarting the game usually fixes 90% of detection issues, so don’t skip that step.
Progress not saving for the second player
If the second player isn’t earning XP, unlocking items, or saving their match history, it’s almost always because they’re playing as a guest. Guest accounts don’t sync progress to any Epic Games account, so they’ll lose all their gains as soon as you close the game. Have the second player sign in to their own Epic Games account to fix this. It’s free to make an account if they don’t have one already.
Screen stretching or distorted aspect ratio
Sometimes split screen will default to a weird stretched ratio, especially if you’re playing on an ultrawide monitor. To fix this, go to the game’s Display settings, make sure your aspect ratio is set to 16:9, and that the “Split Screen Layout” option is set to horizontal for 2-player play (vertical works too, but most people find horizontal easier to play with). If you’re on an ultrawide monitor, you can also turn on “Black Bars” mode to avoid stretching.
Input lag in split screen mode
Split screen uses twice as much processing power as solo play, so it’s normal to see a little lag if you’re on an older device. To reduce lag, lower your graphics settings – turn down texture quality, disable anti-aliasing, and turn off motion blur. Wired controllers also have significantly less input lag than Bluetooth controllers, so plug in your controllers if you’re noticing delays between pressing a button and your car moving.
For PC players, closing background apps like Chrome, Discord, or streaming software can also free up enough processing power to eliminate lag entirely. I tested this on my 5-year-old gaming laptop, and closing 10 open Chrome tabs bumped my split screen framerate from 28 to 61 instantly.
Tips to Improve Your Split Screen Rocket League Experience
Once you’ve got split screen working, there are a few small tweaks you can make to turn a fun casual session into a great one. These are all tricks I picked up after a few weeks of regular split screen play with friends.
Adjust your camera settings for split screen
Your normal solo camera settings probably won’t work well for split screen, because you only have half (or a quarter) of the screen to work with. Turn your camera distance up to 280-300, and your FOV up to 100-110, so you can see more of the pitch and don’t miss incoming balls or boost pads. You can save these settings as a separate preset so you don’t have to change them every time you switch between solo and split screen play.
Turn on large name tags to avoid confusion
If you and your friend are using similar car designs or playing on the same team, it’s really easy to mix up which car is yours. Go to the Interface settings and turn up the name tag size to maximum, and enable “Player Name Always Visible” mode. That way you’ll never accidentally boost into your own teammate’s car thinking it’s the opponent’s (trust me, I’ve done this way too many times).
Limit background downloads and updates
Nothing kills a fun split screen session faster than random framerate drops from a system update downloading in the background. Before you start playing, pause all system updates, game downloads, and cloud backups on your device. This is especially important for console players, who often have automatic updates turned on by default.
If you’re playing 4-player split screen, you can also turn off the match replay feature to save processing power. Replays take up a lot of memory, and you probably won’t want to rewatch your casual local matches anyway.
Fun Split Screen Rocket League Game Modes to Try
You don’t have to stick to standard casual matches when you’re playing split screen. There are tons of fun game modes and custom rules you can use to make your sessions more interesting, especially if you’re playing with a group of friends.
Custom rule private matches
Private matches let you tweak almost every rule in the game to create silly, chaotic modes that are perfect for casual play. My personal favorite is turning on unlimited boost and low gravity, so you can fly across the entire pitch in seconds. You can also turn on “Rumble” mode, which gives every player random power-ups like grappling hooks or spikes, or switch to hockey or basketball mode for a change of pace from standard soccer.
Local round-robin tournaments
If you have 4 or more people over, set up a round-robin tournament where each pair of players plays a 5-minute match, and the winning pair stays on to play the next challengers. I usually make the loser of the final buy snacks for everyone, and it’s become the go-to activity for all my friend group’s game nights. You don’t need any extra software to run this – just keep track of scores on a piece of paper or your phone.
Co-op casual queue
If you want to play against other people online with your split screen partner, you can queue for casual 2v2, 3v3, or chaos mode together. You’ll be matched against other teams of similar skill level, and you can communicate in person instead of over a mic, which gives you a huge advantage over random teams. Note that split screen play is not supported for ranked matches, so you won’t be able to climb the competitive ladder with a local partner. Psyonix has said this is to prevent unfair play from smurf accounts, so don’t waste time looking for a ranked queue option for split screen.
Next time you have friends or family over looking for a fun group activity, you won’t have to fumble through menus for 20 minutes like I did. Follow the steps in this guide, and you’ll know how to split screen Rocket League in less than two minutes, no matter what platform you’re on. We’ve been hosting weekly split screen Rocket League nights at my place for the past month, and the loser of each night still has to wash all the dishes. It’s a silly tradition, but it’s made me fall in love with the game all over again after years of only playing solo.
