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Jun 01, 2023

Baldur's Gate 3 Split Screen Co

Sorry, keyboard and mouse players. Baldur's Gate 3 will only let you play in split-screen co-op on PC if you're using two separate controllers, meaning those who are playing with keyboard and mouse

Sorry, keyboard and mouse players.

Baldur's Gate 3 will only let you play in split-screen co-op on PC if you're using two separate controllers, meaning those who are playing with keyboard and mouse (presumably most of you on PC) are out of luck.

Today is the day that many of us have been waiting for - Baldur's Gate 3's official launch out of early access on PC. While PS5 players still have to wait for a couple of weeks until they can get their hands on the game, PC players are now free to dive into the expansive adventure with a host of new features, including controller support and, most importantly, split-screen cooperative play.

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Couch co-op is one of the defining features of Larian's last few games like Divinity 2 and something that fans have been waiting for Baldur's Gate 3 for quite some time now. There's one important distinction to keep in mind if you're planning on playing that way, however, and something that isn't properly explained at any point by the game itself.

As pointed out by TheGamer's own Deputy Lead Guides Editor, Ryan Bamsey, Baldur's Gate 3 doesn't explain how split-screen cooperative play works in the day one version of the game, no matter where you look in the settings and menus, which can be quite frustrating considering how long most fans have been waiting for the feature. As it turns out, there's a big caveat to couch co-op in Baldur's Gate 3's PC release - you can only play that way if you're using two controllers.

That's right, if you're planning on one player using keyboard and mouse (which is unarguably the better way to play Baldur's Gate 3 on PC) and another on a controller then you're out of luck, as it needs to be both players using remotes. This is something that isn't explained by the game at any point, nor is it something that we can find information about on the game's Steam pages or through the forums. So, if you've been looking forward to playing through the game with another player physically by your side, then make sure you've got more than one controller lying around.

This isn't the first time that split-screen co-op has been a problem for Baldur's Gate 3. As has been widely reported, Baldur's Gate 3 currently doesn't have a release date on Xbox consoles and the main reason for it is that the Series S is struggling to run split-screen co-op without some major performance issues, causing Larian to indefinitely delay its release on the console until it can sort it.

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George is the Lead News Editor for TheGamer and an advocate for wearing Psychonauts goggles whenever possible. He tries, bless him.