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Minecraft: Setting up split-screen

Split-screen is a console feature of the Bedrock version: plug in a second controller and the second player drops into the running world.

  • 3 parts · 7 steps

Steps from 6 text guides, 1 video to watch · checked Oct 19, 2026

0 of 3 done
Video: Sir Jayzz TV on YouTube. Loads from youtube-nocookie.com only when you press play.

What each player can do here

P1 · Player 1
  • Starts or loads the world; the second player joins the game that is already running.
P2 · Players 2–4
  • Signs in with their own profile, so their progress is saved there, and picks their own settings.

If your skill levels differ: A newer player can join a running game at any time by connecting a controller, and keeps their own settings such as render distance and HUD opacity. How to split the roles

Which version has split-screen

Part 1 of 3. Make sure your copy can do it before you buy controllers.

  1. BothSplit-screen is only in the console versions (Bedrock Edition on Switch, Xbox and PlayStation), for up to four players on one screen.
  2. BothThe PC versions have no split-screen, so two players on PC each need their own computer.

Getting the second player in

Part 2 of 3. Add player two to a world that is already open.

  1. Players 2–4Connect a second controller while the world is running; the screen splits once the new player joins.
  2. Players 2–4The new player picks the profile their progress is saved to.
  3. BothHorizontal or vertical split can be switched in the video settings.

Good to know

  • If the world has the Multiplayer Game setting on, every profile that joins needs the console's online subscription: PlayStation Plus, Game Pass or Nintendo Switch Online.

Sleeping through the night

Part 3 of 3. Skip the dark hours as a pair.

  1. BothBy default the night is only skipped when every player is in bed at once, so both of you head to bed together.
  2. BothA game rule sets the percentage of players who must sleep; it is changed with a command (the rule's name differs slightly between Java and Bedrock).

Good to know

  • Beds only work in the Overworld: trying to sleep in one in the Nether or the End makes it explode.
Sources (7)

Steps compiled from 6 text guides, checked Oct 19, 2026, and written in our own words. The videos are there to watch each part; they are not counted as sources for the steps. We did not play the game for this guide. A step marked “single source” rests on one guide so far.