If you thought the age of triple-A couch co-op was dead, Hazelight Studios continues to prove otherwise. The developer has already given us stellar two-player experiences with A Way Out and It Takes Two, and now Split Fiction has arrived to both critical and player praise. Hazelight’s Friend’s Pass already makes it easier than ever to play its games with a friend or partner, and you can even try a Split Fiction demo without spending a cent.
Split Fiction is a co-op game in the truest sense. You quite literally cannot play through the adventure alone, so need to drag a (potentially non-gamer) cohort or partner along for the ride. If you’re playing at home you just need another controller, but online co-op requires the free Split Fiction Friend’s Pass instead. Buy the game once, and play with someone on any platform who doesn’t own it. Simple.
If you don’t even want to cough up the cash for one copy of Split Fiction, however, you can try the game for free first. Publisher EA says two players can try a demo simply by downloading the Friend’s Pass for free on their platforms of choice. You’ll have access to “the opening stages of the game,” before just one of you needs to buy the game to continue.
While you wait for the Friend’s Pass to download, you can give Lauren’s glowing Split Fiction review a read. Writers Mio and Zoe are transported between myriad fantasy and sci-fi worlds in the game, alongside a wide collection of videogame mechanics, and this all makes for a truly unforgettable adventure. “Split Fiction is easily the best iteration of Hazelight’s split-screen formula to date, and while I’m intrigued to see what comes next, it prompts questions about how it can raise the bar any higher.”
Split Fiction is already a beloved success across the industry, too. The game has peaked at just shy of 200,000 concurrent players on Steam alone, with average OpenCritic (90) and MetaCritic (92) ratings making it one of the best PC games of 2025 so far.
Before you dive in the Friend’s Pass, make sure you check out the Split Fiction system requirements for your rig. Otherwise, we’ve got all the best multiplayer games you need to try out.
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