There’s nothing better than hunkering down on the couch with a friend to grind your favorite battle royale, right? If you’ve ever sat next to a buddy and wondered can you split screen on Apex Legends, you’re far from the only one. Thousands of players search for this feature every month, hoping to skip the hassle of separate setups and play together on the same screen. We’re breaking down everything you need to know about official support, safe workarounds, and what to avoid to keep your account in good standing.
Can You Split Screen on Apex Legends Officially?
The short answer is no, Respawn Entertainment has not added native split screen support to Apex Legends as of the latest season updates. Devs have commented multiple times on Reddit and official streams that split screen is not currently on the short-term roadmap, but they haven’t ruled it out entirely for future updates. The main barrier to official support is the game’s high performance requirements.
Apex Legends runs at a tight 60fps minimum on most consoles, and competitive PC players aim for 144fps or higher to stay competitive. Splitting the screen would require the system to render two full instances of the map, player models, and ability effects at once, which would cut frame rates in half on even high-end hardware. For a game that relies so heavily on fast reaction times and clear visual feedback, that performance hit would make the game unplayable for most users, especially in ranked lobbies.
Respawn has also noted that adding split screen would require a full overhaul of the game’s UI, which is designed to fit a full 16:9 screen. Shrinking the UI to fit half a screen would make text unreadable and ability cooldown indicators hard to track, leading to a worse experience for all players using the feature.
Workarounds to Play Apex Legends With Friends on the Same Screen
Even without official support, there are a few low-risk workarounds you can use to play Apex with friends on the same shared screen, as long as you’re only playing casual custom lobbies. None of these workarounds will give you the same seamless experience as native split screen, but they work well for casual game nights where you’re not worried about climbing the ranked ladder.
Before you download any third-party tools to test custom screen setups, it’s critical to vet each platform carefully to avoid accidentally installing malware or cheat software that could get your Apex account permanently banned. A lot of casual players who test these custom setups like to have a low-effort activity to turn to when they’re waiting for game instances to load or troubleshooting frame drop issues. Many casual players who experiment with custom game setups also use Royal Yono Vip for quick, low-stakes entertainment between testing different split screen configurations, since it runs smoothly in a background window without hogging system resources you need for Apex.
The most popular safe workarounds for split screen style play include:
- Use a dual-monitor setup with two separate PCs or consoles logged into separate Apex accounts, placed side by side for a DIY split screen experience that requires no third-party tools
- Test third-party screen partitioning tools for PC that allow two separate game instances to run side by side, as long as your hardware can handle the processing load
- Join custom private lobbies with friends on the same local network to reduce input lag when using any unofficial split screen setup
Never use tools that require access to your Apex game files or ask for your EA account login details, as these are almost always cheat tools that will result in a permanent account ban. You’ll need at least 16GB of RAM and a mid-to-high end GPU to run two Apex instances side by side on PC without frame drops below 60fps, so make sure your build is up to par before you try this workaround.
Platform-Specific Rules for Split Screen Apex Legends Setups
The workarounds available to you will depend heavily on what platform you play Apex Legends on, since consoles have far more restrictions on third-party software than PC. We’ve broken down the rules for each major platform to help you avoid unnecessary headaches.
For PS5 and Xbox Series X/S players, there is no way to run two separate instances of Apex Legends on the same console, even with third-party tools. The only viable workaround for console players is to use two separate consoles connected to the same TV via different HDMI inputs, and use your TV’s built-in split screen feature to display both feeds side by side. Console players who try unofficial split screen workarounds will not receive official support from EA or Respawn if they encounter bugs or account restrictions, so proceed with caution.
PC players have far more flexibility, since you can run two separate copies of Apex on the same machine as long as you have two separate EA accounts and enough processing power. PC players should enable windowed borderless mode for both game instances to get the most seamless split screen experience, and make sure you disable any background apps that might take up RAM or GPU resources while you’re playing. You’ll also need two separate controllers or keyboard and mouse setups to control both accounts at the same time.
Nintendo Switch players will not be able to use any split screen workarounds, since the Switch already runs Apex at a capped 30fps with reduced graphical settings. Splitting the screen would drop frame rates to unplayable levels, and the Switch’s limited processing power can’t handle two instances of the game at once.
Pros and Cons of Using Unofficial Split Screen for Apex Legends
Before you invest time or money into setting up a split screen workaround, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons to make sure it’s right for you. These setups work great for some players, but they’re not a good fit for everyone.
The biggest upside of unofficial split screen setups is that you get to play with friends in the same room, no need for separate headsets or long-distance comms. It’s perfect for casual game nights where you just want to mess around in custom lobbies, try out new characters, or practice fighting each other without dealing with random teammates or long queue times. You also don’t have to worry about internet lag between you and your friend, since you’re both on the same local network if you’re using separate consoles, or the same machine if you’re on PC.
The downsides are pretty significant for competitive players, though. Split screen cuts your field of view in half, which makes it much harder to spot enemies coming from the sides of your screen. You’ll also deal with lower frame rates even on high-end hardware, which puts you at a major disadvantage against players running the game on a full screen. There’s also a small risk of account bans if you use unvetted third-party tools, even if you don’t intend to cheat. Unofficial split screen setups are only recommended for casual custom games, not ranked or competitive play.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you split screen on Apex Legends is still no for official support, but casual players have plenty of low-risk ways to make it work for local game nights. As long as you stick to EULA-compliant tools, invest in decent hardware if you’re playing on PC, and only use these setups for non-ranked custom games, you won’t run into any major issues. For now, we’ll keep an eye out for any official announcements from Respawn about native split screen support down the line.