How to play Fortnite split-screen on all platforms

The need for split-screen compatibility has decreased significantly since almost everyone owns a console, smartphone, or PC. Fortunately, Fortnite split-screen is nevertheless possible, and Epic Games has made it easy.

Fortnite is one of the most competitive battle royale games on the market, and it gets even more exciting when you play side-by-side with a friend. It is split-screen compatible, and you’ll only need a spare controller to jump into the action with your duo partner. You’ll need to go through a couple of steps, but the whole process shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes to set up for the first time.

Can you play Fortnite split screen? All available platforms

The split screen feature is only available on PlayStation and Xbox for now. The main reason it isn’t available on Nintendo Switch is that the Switch isn’t powerful enough to run two instances of Fortnite side-by-side.

While most gaming PCs will be powerful enough to run three instances of Fortnite, Epic has no way of identifying different users on PC as it can on consoles. The separate accounts you can assign to other players on consoles allow Epic to tell the difference between players one and two.

How to play Fortnite split-screen

To play split-screen on Fortnite, players must acquire a second controller, select the secondary user, link the second account, and ready up.

How to play Fortnite split screen on PS4 and PS5

You’ll need a spare controller and a secondary PlayStation Network account saved on your system to initiate the split screen mode in Fortnite. 

1. Launch the game with your primary PlayStation Network account and create a duo or squad lobby since these are the only two modes you can play on a split screen.
2. Once you set up the lobby, turn on the second controller and select your spare PlayStation Network account when the system asks, “Who is using this controller?”
3. After you select your user, a menu item should appear on your screen’s bottom right corner. The option should prompt you to press and hold “X” to log in as player two. Doing so will relaunch Fortnite. The game will ask you to link an account if you haven’t already.
4. If the second player has a Fortnite account, they’ll need to enter the code on your screen by navigating to Epic’s activation page and logging in. We recommend completing this process via a phone or tablet since it can be hard to navigate around PlayStation’s browser.

If the second player doesn’t have a Fortnite account or doesn’t want to complete the linking process, you’ll need to create a separate Epic account to link with your console. 

You’ll need to head over to the sign-up page of Fortnite and create a new account either with an email or your secondary PSN account. Creating a new Fortnite account for your second PSN account can be more beneficial in the long term since you won’t have to go through the process again, and everyone can log in as a guest instantly.

The game will automatically load into split-screen mode, and both screens will be marked with players’ avatars to indicate which side of the screen you’ll need to focus on.

If you’re looking to play split screen on PlayStation 5, here’s what you need to do:

1. Press the PlayStation Home button on your DualSense controller.
2. You’ll get a prompt to sign in as a new user.
3. You can choose Add User and then Quick Play.
4. After doing so, you’ll see an option to Log In with your secondary controller on the bottom of your screen by pressing Triangle.
5. Once you press Triangle, a new screen will pop up where you or your friend will need to sign in by either entering their login details or using the PlayStation App.
6. Upon logging into the secondary account, Fortnite will start loading again, and you should be able to see two characters waiting in the lobby after a short delay.

How to play Fortnite split screen on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S

Setting up a split screen on an Xbox in Fortnite is almost identical to the process on PlayStation.

1. You must log into Fortnite with your main account and set up a duo or a squad lobby. Once the lobby is ready, take out your second Xbox controller and press or hold the Xbox button until the side menu appears.
2. Sign in with a separate Xbox account through “Switch Profile” or create one before logging in. After completing the login process, a new menu item on the bottom right corner of your screen should appear. Pressing and holding the “A” button will let the second player log into Fortnite, but the game may ask you to link a Fortnite account first.
3. If you already have a Fortnite account that you play on a PC or any other device, you can link that account with your Xbox account by entering the code that’ll appear on your screen through Epic’s activation page. We recommend creating a separate Epic account for split-screen purposes so new guests won’t always have to link their accounts. 
4. Once you have both accounts in a lobby, you’ll need to ready up on both of them to start a game. You’ll need to take over as the secondary player to complete the ready-up process.  

If you’re looking to use your Xbox Series X/S, here’s what you have to do:

1. Launch Fortnite with your main account.
2. Once you get to the lobby, turn on the second controller.
3. A new option will pop up on the bottom of your screen, and you can log in with a secondary account by pressing and holding Y.
4. Xbox will then ask who’ll be playing with the secondary controller, and you can log in with a secondary Microsoft account.
5. Upon logging in with a secondary account, Fortnite will start loading again, and the secondary account will appear in the lobby after a brief delay.

Will Fortnite split screen come to Switch and PC?

At the time of writing, Epic has no plans to introduce split-screen to PC and Nintendo Switch, meaning the feature continues to be a console exclusive. Unfortunately, if you’re using a PC, Nintendo Switch, or mobile device, you won’t be able to buddy up in split-screen. We’ll update this article as soon as the devs reveal any changes.

Are there any disadvantages to playing Fortnite split screen?

If you have a competitive spirit, you should know that the split screen feature significantly reduces your screen’s real estate per player. This makes it harder to spot enemies and can make building fights more challenging.

You can make up for this by communicating with your split-screen partner or squadmates; however, callouts will help you find enemies you otherwise might not be able to see. 

Since your system will power two instances of Fortnite, the usual frames-per-second (FPS) values will also suffer. The average FPS you should get while playing on a split screen will range between 30 and 45.

Which Fortnite game modes can you play split screen? 

Despite featuring many different game modes, the number of ways you can play Fortnite in a split-screen setup will be limited. Solo, Creative, and Team Rumble game modes will be disabled when you activate the split-screen feature.

In most cases, the Duos and Squads game modes will be the only available modes to split-screen users. Regardless of the game mode, both players will have their separate inventories and won’t be able to share looted items automatically unless they manually do it themselves.

If you can’t seem to enable the split-screen function by using the recommended method for your console, Epic may have turned off the feature due to a bug or anomaly. Epic generally lets the players know through its social media channels in such situations. The feature becomes available again when Epic fixes the underlying errors and bugs. The time it takes for split screen to return when it’s down depends on Epic’s schedule.

How to play split screen in Fortnite, summarized

Fortnite split screen is only available on Xbox and PlayStation consoles. Switch and PC do not allow split screen play.

• Xbox
  • Launch Fortnite.
  • Turn on the second controller.
  • Log in with a secondary account by pressing and holding Y.
  • Log in with a secondary Microsoft account.
  • The secondary account will appear in the lobby after a brief delay.

• PlayStation
  • Press the PlayStation Home button.
  • Sign in as a new user.
  • Add a User
  • Select Quick Play.
  • Log In with your secondary controller.
  • Player 2 will now sign in
  • The secondary account will appear in the lobby after a brief delay.

So, there you have it. Learning how to play Fortnite split screen is relatively simple. Utilizing consoles and a second account puts you in a prime position to enjoy the game at home from the couch with your friends.