As with the predecessor, you can play “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War” on consoles in split-screen. However, the local multiplayer mode is once again well hidden and not all game modes are supported yet. You can find out how to activate the splitscreen in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War here.

Activision account no longer necessary

An improvement compared to the predecessor “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” is that an Activision account is no longer necessary to play in splitscreen. If you want to play “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War” offline in split screen, neither an Activision account nor a PSN or Xbox Live account is necessary. Your friends can simply log in to your Playstation or Xbox using a guest account.

If you want to participate in multiplayer matches with your friends in local splitscreen, however, you will need your own PSN or Xbox Live account and a PS+ or Xbox Live Gold subscription. both Players mandatory – as well as the already mentioned Activision account.

If your friends don’t have a console account yet, they can easily create one directly in the menu of the respective console. You can create an Activision account either in advance via the manufacturer’s website or directly from within the game.

How to start the splitscreen mode in Call of Duty: Cold War Black Ops

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The second player can join the multiplayer lobby with just one button press.

Image: © YouTube/YourSixGaming 2020

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to enable split-screen mode in Black Ops Cold War:

1. Log in to your console with a second controller.
2. If you want to play offline with a friend, you can select a guest account. If you want to play online together, you’ll need to sign in with a PSN or Xbox Live account, respectively, that has a valid PS+ or Xbox Live Gold subscription.
3. Next, launch “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.” In the main menu, you then select whether you want to play offline or online. On PS4 and PS5, you can switch between both modes with the square button, on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S with the X button.
4. Next, select the “Multiplayer” game mode from the main menu. Open a lobby. On the right side you will see a list with all players in the lobby. To join, your friend must press the X button on PlayStation or the A button on Xbox.
5. Optional: By default, you play with a horizontally split screen in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. However, you can also split the display vertically under “Settings -> Graphics”. Simply select vertical in the menu item “Splitscreen”.
6. Start the match.

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If desired, the screen can also be split vertically.

Image: © YouTube/YourSixGaming 2020

Limitations and bugs in split screen mode

For gamers who like to play with friends in local multiplayer, the splitscreen mode of “Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War” is a nice feature. As with the predecessor, however, the developers have once again not fully exploited it. Currently, only the game mode “Multiplayer” can be played with a split screen. The campaign and “Warzone” are not playable in split-screen mode. The game mode Zombies is currently (as of December 3, 2020) not supported either, but at least a hint at the split screen in the lobby gives hope that an implementation could still come.

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Invisible players, poor framerate, no HUD for the second player – Treyarch still has to improve the splitscreen.

Image: © YouTube/NotTheAverageGamerz 2020

But even in multiplayer mode, the splitscreen still doesn’t run particularly smoothly. For one thing, you have to live with thick black bars at the edge of the screen in local multiplayer. Why full use of the screen isn’t possible like in “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” is unclear. Players who regularly play in split-screen mode also report random disconnections in online mode and collapsing frame rates. Furthermore, it can happen that allies and enemies become invisible in split-screen mode. And it can also happen that the second player has to do without his HUD. So there is still a lot for Treyarch to do.

Summary

• “Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War” is playable in split screen.
• Offline, you don’t need an Activision account. But if you want to play online, you and all the other players need one – and also PS+ or Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.
• Register a second controller, choose online or offline from the main menu, and open a multiplayer lobby to start splitscreen. Then players can join the match for couch co-op.
• Currently, splitscreen co-op is quite limited and plagued by some bugs.