It’s completely understandable to ask if split-screen still exists in Fortnite, as the option doesn’t appear in any menu and is turned on automatically when a second player is detected. Here’s everything you need to know about how to get split-screen on Fortnite on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, or PS5 consoles.
What You Need to Play Fortnite in Split Screen
Unlike most local multiplayer games, there’s a bit of preparation that needs to be done before you can do a split screen Fortnite game on a single console. The good news is that if the two people playing already have their own separate Epic Games accounts set up, you won’t need to do much. Here’s what you’ll need to get split screen working in Fortnite:
An Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, or PS5 video game console.An active internet connection.Two controllers for your video game console.Two separate Epic Games accounts linked to two separate Xbox or PSN accounts.
Why You Need Two Accounts for Fortnite Split Screen
Even though you’ll have two people playing Fortnite on the same console, separate Epic Games accounts are needed to track and save the progress of each player and store any items they may unlock or purchase. If you’re going to be playing Fortnite on either an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console, you’ll need an Xbox account for the same reason. Similarly, if you’re playing on a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5, you’ll need a separate PSN account for each player. The following steps will walk you through setting up accounts, connecting them correctly, and then how to do split-screen on Fortnite Xbox and PlayStation style.
How to Do Split-Screen on Fortnite
The first thing you’ll need to do is set up your accounts for each player. If both players already have their Epic Games accounts created and they’ve linked them to their Xbox or PSN accounts for their relevant consoles, you can jump to Step 4.
Is Fortnite Split-Screen Disabled?
Epic Games has been known to disable minor and major features in Fortnite due to technical bugs or a conflict with another feature that’s being tested. If the local multiplayer feature has been temporarily disabled, there’s, unfortunately, no way to get around this and use Fortnite split-screen during this period. If you have a PS4 or PS5 console, create a new PSN account on the official PlayStation website instead. Hold the requested button for several seconds. If done correctly, the game should begin logging in Player 2. This may take several minutes depending on your internet speed and Epic Games’ servers. Player 1 can gain control of the menus again by holding down A or X. An alternative to local split-screen Fortnite matches is to have the second player use another device, such as a smartphone, computer, tablet, Xbox, PlayStation, or Nintendo Switch.
How to Do Split-Screen on Fortnite: Nintendo Switch
Unfortunately, a two-player split-screen is only supported on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 consoles and can’t be activated on a Nintendo Switch. The reason for this is the Nintendo Switch simply isn’t powerful enough to run two games of Fortnite on one screen at the same time. This may change in the future, but for now, you’ll need to use an Xbox or PlayStation for local multiplayer Fortnite matches.
