Split Fiction Guide#
Split Fiction is the third two-player co-op action-adventure game from Hazelight Studios, directed by Josef Fares and published by EA under the EA Originals label. Built on Unreal Engine 5, it launched on March 6, 2025 for PC (Steam / Epic Games Store / EA App), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and reached the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025. It is a forced two-player split-screen co-op action-adventure that mixes platforming, puzzles, combat, and vehicle racing — and it has no single-player mode at all.
Within Hazelight’s catalog it follows A Way Out and It Takes Two (the 2021 TGA Game of the Year, with 23 million copies sold worldwide), and its production budget was roughly twice that of It Takes Two.
Core Facts at a Glance#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official Chinese title | Carries an official Simplified Chinese title on Steam |
| English name | Split Fiction |
| Developer | Hazelight Studios, directed by Josef Fares |
| Publisher | EA (EA Originals label) |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Release date | March 6, 2025 (PC / PS5 / Xbox Series X|S) |
| Switch 2 version | Released June 5, 2025, with GameShare / GameChat features |
| Platforms | PC (Steam / Epic / EA App), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2; no PS4 / Xbox One versions |
| Genre | Forced two-player split-screen co-op action-adventure, no single-player mode |
| Price | $49.99 standard edition, and the standard edition is the only edition; ¥198 on Steam in China, HK$399 in Hong Kong |
| Rating | ESRB T (Teen), PEGI 16 |
| Languages | Simplified and Traditional Chinese supported |
| Length | Main story about 12-15 hours; about 16 hours for 100% completion |
The Core Loop#
The two protagonists are science-fiction writer Mio Hudson and fantasy writer Zoe Foster. Invited into the Machine of Rader Publishing CEO J.D. Rader for a story test, they discover the machine is trying to steal their creativity, and the two are forced to cooperate and escape through the sci-fi and fantasy worlds of their own writing.
That setup produces the game’s basic loop:
- Alternating dual worlds: Mio’s side gets the sci-fi levels and Zoe’s side gets the fantasy levels, with the two styles of chapters taking turns throughout the campaign — sci-fi side stories appear inside fantasy chapters, and vice versa.
- Abilities granted per chapter, reset every chapter: each chapter gives the pair a new set of abilities tailored to that chapter’s gameplay, and moving into the next chapter resets them; there is no skill tree that accumulates across chapters.
- Strong two-player binding: nearly every mechanism, boss fight, and puzzle requires both players to act at the same time; local play is split-screen, and online each player gets a full view.
- Friend’s Pass: one person buys the game and can invite a friend to play the full game online for free — the invited player does not need to purchase it; cross-platform online play covers PS5 / Xbox / PC / Switch 2 and requires signing in to an EA account.
Chapter Structure#
The main story has 8 chapters, plus 12 side stories (all of them sit inside chapters 2-5, three per chapter). Each chapter’s world and gameplay shape are listed below; the ability system has its own dedicated sub-guide, listed under Full Guides below:
| Chapter | World | Gameplay notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rader Publishing | Reality (prologue) | No unique abilities, tutorial level |
| Neon Revenge | Mio | Energy katana and gravity whip, cyberpunk city |
| Hopes of Spring | Zoe | Transform into an otter / monkey / fairy / tree being, magic forest |
| Final Dawn | Mio | Ball-form gameplay, military sci-fi facility |
| Rise of the Dragon Realm | Zoe | Hatch and fly on a young dragon |
| Isolation | Mio | Prison ship level, confronting a dark version of Mio |
| The Hollow | Zoe | Zoe’s inner world, final battle against a hydra |
| Split | Both | Dual worlds linked in real time, final showdown with Rader |
Reception and Sales#
| Dimension | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | Average 91 (PS5 91 / PC 92 / Xbox 92) |
| OpenCritic | 90, with a 97% recommendation rate |
| IGN / GameSpot | IGN 9; GameSpot a perfect 10 |
| Sales milestones | 1 million copies within 2 days of launch; over 2 million in the first week; over 4 million by May 2025; officially over 7 million as of July 2026 |
| Steam reception | 97%-98% positive reviews at launch; currently about 95.5% on SteamDB (roughly 128,000 reviews) |
| Steam peak concurrent players | 258,641 |
| Awards | Nominated for 4 honors at TGA 2025 — Best Game Direction, Best Action/Adventure, Best Family, and Best Multiplayer; 3rd place in Ultimate Game of the Year and a Best Multiplayer nomination at the Golden Joystick Awards 2025 |
Compared with Hazelight’s Earlier Games#
| Dimension | Split Fiction | It Takes Two |
|---|---|---|
| Position in the catalog | Third title | Second title (2021 TGA Game of the Year) |
| World structure | Alternating sci-fi × fantasy dual worlds | A single fairy-tale worldview |
| Ability system | Granted per chapter, reset every chapter | Granted per level |
| Production budget | Roughly twice It Takes Two’s | — |
| Friend’s Pass | Supported | Supported (the game that originated the mechanic) |
A Way Out, the studio’s first co-op game, established the “one person buys, two people play” model, and this installment delivers the biggest gameplay leap yet within that model.
Sourcing Notes#
Every page in this section is compiled from publicly verifiable information published after the game’s release. Anything the developer has not published — exact keybinds, per-line patch notes, enemy and boss rosters that were never listed — is not invented here, and what the game actually displays always takes precedence. The complete list of the 12 side stories is covered in the collectibles sub-guide on the Chinese hub.
Related Games#
- Escape the Backrooms — a co-op game designed around teaming up with one friend
- Phasmophobia — a co-op game where success depends on players coordinating closely
- Stardew Valley — a relaxed couch-co-op favorite for a change of pace
- Minecraft — the classic sandbox for local split-screen and online co-op
- Palworld — an online co-op survival game built around inviting friends in
Related Rankings#
Best Co-Op Games · Best Indie Games of 2026
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — the per-chapter ability system, the full 8-chapter walkthrough, controls and online setup, beginner basics, characters, level and world design, story analysis, bosses, enemies, puzzles, collectibles, secrets, challenge missions, achievements, practical tips, the FAQ, and the verifiable release-and-sales timeline — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Split Fiction section.