Coop Games › Best co-op games for Playstation 5 › Split Fiction
Split Fiction
Reviewed by Daniel L. · July 2026
Hazelight · Adventure · 2025
Coop Games score: 10/10 (Game 5/5, Co-op 5/5)
Co-op facts
- Co-op players
- 2 (verified by Coop Games)
- Co-op modes
- Couch (2), Online (2)
- Single-player
- No, co-op only
- Split screen
- Yes, up to four ways
- Copies needed
- One, a friend pass covers the second player
- Cross-platform
- Yes, you can play with a friend on different hardware
- Steam Remote Play
- Yes, one copy can host a friend
- Co-op length
- about 12 hours
- Platforms
- Switch 2, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
- Genre
- Adventure
- Price
- $49.99 on Steam
Game
Mio writes gritty sci-fi. Zoe writes soft fantasy. A publisher with a machine that pulls stories straight out of writers' heads sits them both down, the wires cross, and the two of them fall into each other's worlds. To get out, they have to get through the stories.
That is the setup and it is enough. What follows is ten hours of neon rooftops, dragon valleys, cyber deserts and fairytale castles, and it never stands still. The moment you have worked out what you are doing, the game takes it off you and hands you something else. There are side stories hidden in the walls that have nothing to do with anything, and some of them are the best bits in here.
It is a stunning game. The colours are absurd, the voice acting carries scenes that would fall flat in weaker hands, and the writing swings from properly funny to genuinely heavy without dropping either. Mio and Zoe do not like each other when you start. Watching that change is the real story, and it lands.
It Takes Two was Hazelight finding their form. This is Josef Fares and his studio at the top of it, better on very nearly every count. One of the best co-op games ever made, and it is not especially close.
Co-op
There is no single player mode, and there should not be. It is split screen the whole way through, on the same sofa or from opposite ends of the country, and only one of you has to buy it. EA have handled Hazelight games that way since A Way Out and it is still the right call.
The clever part is that the two of you almost never hold the same abilities. One of you is a dragon that flies, the other is a dragon that breathes fire, and whatever is in your way only moves once you both work out what the other one is carrying. Then it is taken off you and you are something else entirely. Nothing sticks around long enough to go stale, and it means neither player can switch off and follow along.
It works for two people who have played games their whole lives. It also works for one of them plus a partner who never touches a controller, and the easier half is never left feeling like a passenger. Very few co-op games manage both. None of them manage it this well.
Frequently asked
Is Split Fiction co-op?
Yes, Split Fiction supports 2 player co-op, both on the couch and online. There is no single-player mode, it is co-op only.
How many players can play Split Fiction together?
Exactly two, it is built for a duo. We verify co-op player counts ourselves instead of repeating the store page number.
Is Split Fiction couch co-op?
Yes, up to 2 players on one screen, and online co-op is supported as well.
Do you need two copies of Split Fiction?
No. It has a friend pass, so one copy lets you invite someone who does not own the game.
Where to buy: $49.99 on Steam (checked within the last week).
Similar co-op games
- It Takes Two, 10/10
- A Way Out, 9/10
- Magicka, 9/10
- A Hat in Time, 6/10
- Baldur's Gate 3, 10/10
More lists: Best co-op games for Playstation 5 · Best 2-player co-op games · Best couch co-op games · Best co-op-only games