Split Fiction Beginner Guide: How to Start Your Co-op Journey

Before You Even Hit Start

Split Fiction doesn't have a single-player mode. Not "you can play solo but it's better co-op" , there's literally no solo option. You need another human being. Hazelight has been doing this since A Way Out in 2018, and they haven't budged.

If you're the one buying the game, grab it on whatever platform you prefer , the Friend's Pass means your partner plays for free. They just download the Friend's Pass version from thier platform's store, and you invite them through the in-game menu. Cross-platform works too. I've tested PC to PS5 and it was smooth, though we had one disconnect in Chapter 4 that required a restart. Your mileage may vary.

Pick your character. Mio writes sci-fi, Zoe writes fantasy. The game alternates between their worlds , one level you're dodging laser grids on a space station, the next you're riding a dragon through a floating castle. You can't swap mid-game, so choose based on vibe, not mechanics. But both characters play identically in terms of controls. The difference is purely narrative.

One thing I wish I'd known: the tutorial level (Chapter 1) takes about 45 minutes and you can't skip it. It's where the game teaches you the core loop , one player distracts, the other advances. Every puzzle from here on is a variation of that rhythm. Pay attention to the timing prompts. They're not just flavor text.

Setting Up Your Session

If you're playing online, both of you need stable internet. The game uses peer-to-peer networking for co-op sync, so if one person has a bad connection, both of you feel it. Voice chat is not built into the game , use Discord or PlayStation Party. Text chat exists but it's buried in a menu and nobody uses it.

Local split-screen is the better experience if you can swing it. The screen splits dynamically (vertical when you're far apart, horizontal in tight spaces), and the framerate holds at 60fps on PS5 and Series X even in split-screen. Switch 2 version targets 30fps, which honestly feels fine for a co-op platformer.

Before Chapter 2, go into settings and bump up the camera sensitivity by about 20%. The default feels sluggish, especially during chase sequences where you need to snap-turn. Disable motion blur unless you enjoy feeling seasick.

Your First Chapter

Chapter 1 throws you into the simulation without much explanation. You're both in a sterile lab, then suddenly you're not. The first real gameplay introduces the core mechanic: one player manipulates the environment while the other moves through it. Zoe might activate a gravity lift while Mio crosses a gap, then Mio holds a door open while Zoe slides under.

Don't rush. The game isn't going anywhere. Talk to each other constantly , "I'm holding the switch, go now," "Wait, there's a collectible on the left ledge." The best Split Fiction players I've watched are the ones who narrate everything they see.

There's a hidden Side Story portal in Chapter 1 that's easy to miss. After the first gravity-bending section, look for a glowing purple crack in the wall on the right side of the lab corridor. Side Stories are optional but they're where the best one-off mechanics live , pig cops, paintball arenas, a surprisingly tense fishing minigame. More on those in the dedicated Side Stories guide.

After Chapter 1

Once you finish the opening, the game opens up. Chapters 2 through 8 alternate between Mio's sci-fi settings and Zoe's fantasy realms. The difficulty curve is gentle through Chapter 4, then spikes hard at the Chapter 5 boss. If you hit a wall, try swapping roles , the player who usually does the platforming should try the support role for a while, and vice versa. It forces both of you to see puzzles from the other side, which helps with later challenges where the game expects you to read each other's intentions without talking.

The game autosaves constantly. You can quit anytime and pick up from the last checkpoint, which is never more than a couple minutes behind. No need to find save points or finish a chapter in one sitting. The full game runs about 15-20 hours depending on how many Side Stories you do and whether you hunt for collectibles.

Stick with it through Chapter 3. That's when the game clicks for most people , the sci-fi hacking sequence paired with the fantasy archery section is honestly one of the best level designs I've seen in a co-op game. It makes you feel like you're actually reading each other's minds by the end of it.

Understanding the Friend's Pass

The Friend's Pass is Hazelight's thing. They did it with A Way Out and It Takes Two, and it's back for Split Fiction. Here's how it actually works, because the store descriptions are vague.

You buy the full game. Your friend downloads the free Friend's Pass version from the same platform's store (Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Nintendo eShop). You send them an invite through the in-game menu. They accept. That's it. No codes, no subscription, no time limits on the pass. The Friend's Pass player has access to the entire game as long as they're playing with someone who owns the full version.

If you're the Friend's Pass player and you want to play with a different host later, you can. The pass isn't locked to one host account.

Cross-platform works between all platforms. I tested PC to PS5 personally. One quirk: the Friend's Pass player needs to be on the same major version as the host. If there's a patch, both players need to update before connecting. The game will tell you if versions don't match, but it won't force the update automatically.

What Split Fiction Is Not

Let me clear up some misconceptions I've seen floating around. Split Fiction is not an RPG. There are no character levels, skill trees, gear stats, or build choices. Mio and Zoe play identically from a mechanical standpoint. The game's depth comes from how you and your partner coordinate, not from how you build your character.

It's also not a difficult game in the traditional sense. The platforming is forgiving, the puzzles are logic-based rather than reflex-based, and the combat is more about pattern recognition than execution speed. What makes Split Fiction hard is the co-op requirement , you can't compensate for a partner who isn't communicating, and you can't muscle through sections solo while your partner hangs back.

If you've played It Takes Two, Split Fiction is slightly harder but follows the same philosophy. If you haven't played any Hazelight games before, expect a game that wants you to talk to the person next to you more than it wants you to master frame-perfect inputs.

There are more situations where this applies, but you get the idea. Not every mechanic needs its own paragraph.