Can you play Warzone in split screen?

Modified Jan 18, 2025 11:41 GMT

Four Operators attacking in four different directions in Warzone — Possibilities of playing Warzone in split screen explored (Image via Activision)

No, you cannot play Warzone in split screen mode. Although you can delve into the split screen mode in the latest Call of Duty release; Black Ops 6, you are out of luck if you intend to experience the same in the battle royale title. It shouldn't come as a surprise for many as there are valid reasons for the developers to not add it in Warzone.

For those who are new to the Call of Duty series or gaming in general, split screen is a feature, that allows multiple users to play on the same system simultaneously. But then why is it called split screen? Essentially, the game's display output is split into multiple smaller screens on the same display, each showing the perspective of each player.

For instance, let's say that there are three players and one console, and all of them want to play together. Traditionally, to accomplish this, each player has to own their own system. However, with split screen, this need is eliminated and all three users can achieve the same feat with one console.

By taking advantage of the feature, players can share the same display and device to play the game albeit with different controllers. However, playing Warzone in split screen isn't possible at the moment.

Why you can't play Warzone in split screen?

As discussed earlier, Warzone in split screen mode isn't a feasible nor a viable option and developers have valid reasons for not adding this feature. In the game, a lobby can host up to 150 players, and having the feature in such a mode is not at all useful since everyone is competing to be the last man standing.

Also read: Warzone and Black Ops 6 Season 2 will have less content than it was planned

But that's not all. Consoles have limited computational power. In split screen mode, since the display has to show the perspective of each player, it has to compute the events from multiple perspectives. In a big and open map, this is quite taxing on all systems and consoles, even many gaming PCs do not possess the computational power to achieve this feat.

Even if developers somehow bake the feature into the game, it would result in low framerates, stability issues, and more, for all the players involved. In a competitive game like Warzone, players who would be using the split screen mode would then be always at a disadvantage.

But that doesn't mean it was always like this. Back in the days of Warzone 2, there was a bug that allowed users to play Warzone in split screen mode. Unfortunately, it was quickly patched out. Those who did take advantage of the feature back then reported low framerates and stutters, along with other complications.

However, for games like Black Ops 6, both Multiplayer and Zombies modes, this is not an issue. The maps are small with fewer variables. This provides a lot of room for the developers to take advantage of the system's hardware capabilities. This is where the split screen mode becomes a feasible and viable option from a technical as well as a competitive standpoint.

So, Warzone in split screen isn't possible at the moment and if you want to play Call of Duty with your friends in split screen mode, Black Ops 6 Multiplayer and Zombies are your best bet for now.

That covers everything that you need to know about Warzone in split screen mode and why it isn't possible.

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Edited by Ritoban "Veloxi" Paul