Before virtually every game on the planet included some form of online multiplayer, the only way to either team up with your friends or fight them to the death was by physically meeting up and playing a game on the same television. Sadly, fewer and fewer games include split screen functionality anymore, but on Thursday, the latest Fortnite update brought Split Screen multiplayer to both PS4 and Xbox One players.
As the patch notes for Fortnite Battle Royale v11.30 explain, you can now play Duos and Squads with a friend on the same PS4 or Xbox One console. In other words, you’ll each get half of the screen, but you can sit right next to your friend or your roommate and play as many matches as you like together.
“This is an early release of Split Screen; we will continue to improve the feature,” Epic Games says in the latest patch notes. “Please report bugs via the in-game Feedback tool.”
Although I personally don’t spend much time playing Fortnite anymore, virtually every child in my family under the age of 16 still play almost every day. One of the biggest complaints in those households is that one is hogging the PS4 or Xbox One, but now that split screen has been introduced, two of them can play at the same time (albeit with slightly less screen real estate). I imagine this will be a major frustration diffuser for many families.
Beyond split screen, the latest Fortnite update also lets you preview what’s in the Item Shop using your mobile device before you load into a game, increases the daily Item Shop gifting limit from 3 to 5, changes the ammo indicator, and makes preparations for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker live event.
