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It required a couch.
Friends would pile into the living room and spend hours racing, fighting, or trying to sabotage each other. Games like Mario Kart 64, GoldenEye 007, Halo, and Crash Team Racing turned split-screen into one of gaming's defining experiences.
Today, it's surprisingly rare.
So what happened?
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The Internet Changed Everything
The biggest reason is simple: online multiplayer became more convenient.
Instead of inviting three friends over, everyone could stay home, grab a headset, and join the same match. Developers shifted their focus toward online infrastructure because that's where players were spending their time.
Online play also meant games could keep communities engaged for years rather than just during weekend hangouts.
Better Graphics Came With a Cost
Rendering one player's view is demanding.
Rendering two, three, or even four completely different viewpoints at the same time is much harder.
As games became larger, more detailed, and more graphically advanced, split-screen became increasingly expensive from a technical standpoint. Developers often had to reduce resolution, frame rate, or visual quality just to make local multiplayer work.
Many studios decided the trade-off wasn't worth it.
Development Budgets Got Bigger
Modern games take years to build and cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
When budgets grow, every feature has to justify its development time.
If analytics show that only a small percentage of players use split-screen, it's often one of the first features to be cut. Those resources can instead be spent on online matchmaking, battle passes, cosmetics, or post-launch content.
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Split-Screen Never Truly Died
Despite the trend, some developers still believe local multiplayer matters.
Games like It Takes Two, A Way Out, Overcooked!, Moving Out, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe prove there's still a huge audience for couch co-op when it's done well.
These games remind us that multiplayer isn't only about competing against strangers online.
Sometimes, it's about laughing with the person sitting next to you.
Could It Make a Comeback?
Ironically, we're starting to see renewed interest.
As gaming becomes increasingly online and service-driven, local co-op feels fresh again. Families, couples, and groups of friends are looking for games they can enjoy together without worrying about servers, subscriptions, or internet connections.
Split-screen may never dominate the industry like it once did.
But perhaps that's exactly why it feels special.
-Foures
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