Baldur's Gate 3 Co-Op: Split-Screen and Player Count

Baldur's Gate 3 co-op runs two players in split-screen on a single PS5, or up to four players together online. Game Scout's data lists Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, and Split screen among its modes, so every group size from a solo run to a full party of four is supported.

The four-player cap matches the size of the in-game party, so an online group can each take one companion and clear the campaign together. A local split-screen session on one console tops out at two players, while filling all four party slots with real people requires everyone to be online.

Split-screen couch co-op is a PS5 feature in Baldur's Gate 3: a second player joins on the same console and the screen divides between the two adventurers. Larian frames the game as one "made to be played alone, or shared with friends," with the party able to combine forces in a fight or split off so each player follows their own quest.

There is a tradeoff on a shared console. The PS5 version drops to 30 frames per second in split-screen, down from the 60 it targets in solo play, because it is rendering two views at once. It is still the way to play locally on console, but a single-screen online session or a solo run keeps the higher frame rate.

Online, Baldur's Gate 3 connects a party of up to four players, each weaving their own story. The group can fight as a unit or split the party to follow separate quests and agendas, which is where the game's fellowship-and-betrayal streak comes through. One player can distract a shopkeeper while another slips past, or a session can tip into chaos when someone acts against the group.

Because each character carries their own thread, an online game does not have to move in lockstep. Players can regroup for a boss and scatter again afterward, and the branching story acknowledges the choices each of them makes along the way.

Yes. Baldur's Gate 3 has a full single-player campaign, and Game Scout's data lists Single player alongside Multiplayer and Co-operative among its modes. Solo, the player directs the entire party, switching between characters in and out of combat.

Co-op does not unlock extra content the way some games gate levels behind a second player. It is the same campaign either way, so the choice is about how you want to experience the story: one player steering every companion, or a group each speaking for their own character and occasionally working at cross purposes.

Baldur's Gate 3 is available as a game trial through PS Plus Premium, the top subscription tier. A trial is time-limited rather than the full game, so it lets a Premium subscriber sample the opening hours, co-op included, before deciding to buy. It is not part of the PS Plus Extra or Essential game catalogues.

The trial is a low-commitment way to test how the game runs and whether its turn-based, party-led style suits a group, in a solo or shared session, before committing to the full release.

Player sentiment on Baldur's Gate 3 is great, with an average of 4.79 out of 5 from more than 106,000 tracked ratings, one of the highest on the platform in Game Scout's data. The recurring praise is for its immersive storytelling and worldbuilding, the depth of its characters and their interactions, and the replayability that comes from choices that genuinely change the campaign.

The criticisms are consistent too. Some players find the turn-based combat slow or the leveling unbalanced, inventory management can get cumbersome across a large party, and a share of reviews report bugs and performance dips, most often late in the game. For a co-op group, that means a long campaign shared with friends is rewarding but asks for patience, especially in its dense final stretch.