Here’s our guide to activating Borderlands 3 split-screen mode to help you enjoy hours of looter-shooter mayhem with your friends

Online multiplayer games are fun and all, but if you’ve got a big screen and a friend to play with, split-screen games are what you really want. Sadly, couch co-op games are few and far between. So when Borderlands 3 was first announced, we were all excited to try out the multiplayer split-screen option that it would come with.

Borderlands 3 allows split-screen co-op of up to four players locally if you’re playing on the Xbox Series S/X or PlayStation 5. The caveat here is that the game doesn’t allow a split-screen option for PC. Of course, you can use third-party software to get around that if you absolutely have to play it.

But that’s a story for another day.

For now, let’s look at the split-screen co-op features available in Borderlands 3 and how you can activate them.

Does Borderlands 3 have a Split-Screen Option?

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Borderlands 3 comes with a fully fleshed-out split-screen option for both PlayStation and Xbox. You can now jump into the game with up to 3 of your friends and experience all that the game has to offer.

The split-screen option in Borderlands 3 lets you also play around with the screen orientation. If you’re playing as a two-player party, you can choose between horizontal and vertical modes from the main menu.

When you’re playing as a four-player split-screen, the game window is split into four quadrants. So the experience is quite nice if you have a large enough monitor or are playing on a TV.

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have a split-screen option if you have the PC version. So you’ll have to stick to online multiplayer if you want to enjoy the co-op elements of the game with your friends.

How to Enable Borderlands 3 Split-Screen

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Activating split-screen mode in the console version of Borderlands 3 is pretty intuitive. Here are the steps.

Connect all controllers that you want to use in the game to the console before you launch Borderlands 3.

Have each player sign into their respective accounts. You can also use guest accounts for this as well.

• Launch the game
• Press start on the secondary controllers. For PlayStation, press X, and for Xbox, press A.
• Your friends are now added to your party. They can create or edit their character at this point.
• From the main controller, select the Play option.
• In the next screen, choose the Add Splitscreen option.

That’s all there’s to it. You’ll load into your game in split-screen mode with your friends.

Borderlands 3 Split-Screen Modes Explained

What’s better than having a co-op split-screen option in your favorite game? Answer: having two separate co-op game modes!

As it turns out, that’s exactly what the developers at Gearbox Software had in mind when creating Borderlands 3.

When you load up the game the first time, you get the option to choose between two co-op modes: Cooperation and Coopetition.

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In Cooperation, all loot dropped from enemies and chests is duplicated for the players. That means you don’t have to fight for loot with your friends; you both get your own unique loot that’s scaled to your character’s level.

The good thing about this mode is that the enemies are also scaled to your level. So if your friend is Level 30 and you’re Level 5, you will see enemies that are your level while your friend fights the same enemies scaled up to his character’s level. It makes the entire experience a lot more balanced.

However, in the Coopetition mode, all rules are tossed out the window. It’s what Borderlands veterans would call the “classic mode,” where you’re racing your friend to claim the best loot.

Everyone gets the same loot drop in this mode, and the one who picks it up first gets to keep it. Enemies also scale to the level of the player hosting the game, so you might have a tough time keeping up if you’re too under-leveled.

These two game modes are not exclusive to split-screen in Borderlands 3. They also apply when you’re playing online multiplayer.

How to Switch Between Cooperation and Coopetition in Borderlands 3

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You initially get the option to select the coop mode when you load up the game the first time. That doesn’t mean you can’t switch between them later. Here’s how you can change the coop mode in Borderlands 3:

• Start the game and get to the main menu.
• On the top right of the screen, click on the two gear icons to the right of your in-game name.
• From the drop-down menu, you can choose between the two modes located in the Group Mode section.

Now you can switch between whichever game mode you want to play with your friends.

Party Up!

Though Borderlands 3 has an impressive single-player campaign, its 2 to 4-player co-op is one of its best parts. With the split-screen option in Borderlands 3, you’ll be making tons of amazing memories and experiences with your friends, hunting enemies, looting chests, and upgrading your character.

Hopefully, you now have a clear idea of how to activate Borderlands 3 split-screen mode. So party up with your buds and start grinding. Good luck!