Does Star Wars: Galactic Racer have split screen? No, on any platform. Here is what you can do instead

No. Star Wars: Galactic Racer has no split screen and no local multiplayer on PC, PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. The official FAQ says it in one line: the game "does not support split-screen multiplayer." Every multiplayer race is online, one player per screen, and Fuse Games has not said it plans to add a couch mode.

If you wanted a podracing game for two on one TV, Episode I Racer from 1999 still does that, and so does its sequel on PlayStation. More on both below.

What the game does have

• Solo offline. The campaign, Arcade events and Scenarios all play without a connection, per the FAQ.
• Online races for up to 12. Quick Race and the Multiplayer Tour take 12 speeders; Quick Podrace and the Podracer Tour take 8. Empty slots fill with AI racers.
• Crossplay. PC, PS5 and Xbox players can race each other.
• Parties of three. You can group up with two friends and matchmake together. Fuse plans to raise that to six "within the first few weeks of launch", with no date yet.

What it lacks matters if you were hoping for a race night: there are no private or custom lobbies, so a party goes into matchmaking with strangers and AI rather than a race of just your group. Fuse's answer on lobbies so far is that it has nothing to announce "today, but we're listening." Our launch-day report has the rest of the complaints from the first week.

Why there is no split screen

Fuse decided this early. Matt Webster, the studio's CEO, told Traxion in August that split screen was never part of the plan, because splitting the picture costs frame rate and detail. "We want that frame rate, that fidelity, that immersion," he said. "The compromise to get to those was a stretch too far for us."

Critics noticed. IGN's review (8 out of 10) named the missing split screen as one of its complaints, as we noted in our reviews roundup.

Is it coming?

Nothing says it is. As of Saturday morning, no statement from Fuse Games or Secret Mode, on Steam, on the official FAQ or in the press, mentions adding split screen. The only multiplayer change on the way is the bigger party, and that is still online. Our first hotfix piece lists what the team has fixed so far; local play is not on any list we have seen.

Treat it as a game without couch play. If that changes, it will be news, and we will say so.

Playing together in the same room

You can, with two of everything:

• Two systems. Any mix works thanks to crossplay: two consoles, a console and a PC, or a PC and a Steam Deck.
• Two copies. $59.99 each at full price on Steam and the PlayStation Store.
• Online subscriptions on console. PS5 needs PS Plus for online play, and Xbox needs Game Pass Essential or higher. PC online play costs nothing extra.

Then put both players in a party and queue for a Quick Race. Strangers and AI racers will fill the rest of the grid.

Two things that will not help. PlayStation Remote Play streams your own PS5 to another screen; it does not add a second player. Steam's Remote Play Together only works with games that have local multiplayer, and Steam's listing for Galactic Racer shows none.

The PC mod

A fan-made mod on Nexus Mods, uploaded on Thursday, adds split screen for up to four players on one PC, TheGamer reported. It is unofficial and PC only, since consoles cannot run mods. We have not tried it. Our advice for any mod like this: expect it to work offline only, expect a game patch to break it until the author catches up, and do not buy the game on the strength of it.

Who should buy anyway, and who should skip

Buy it if you mostly race alone, or your racing friends live somewhere else. The campaign is the core of the game, critics liked it (87 on OpenCritic at launch), and crossplay makes it easy to find each other online. The Galactic Racer hub collects everything we have on it.

Skip it, or wait, if two players on one TV is the reason you wanted it. Nothing you pay for today gets you that, and nothing announced will. Households with two consoles can make it work, at two full prices.

What to play on the couch instead

Star Wars Episode I: Racer. The 2020 versions for Switch and PS4 have two-player split screen, as the original did on N64 and Dreamcast. The PC version on Steam and GOG ($9.99) does not have split screen, only LAN races. Our racing ranking puts it first, and our PC guide covers getting it running.

Star Wars Racer Revenge. The 2002 sequel, sold on PS4 as a PS2 classic and playable on PS5, for one or two players on one console. It is $9.99, or included with PS Plus Premium.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Not a racer, but the best Star Wars game for two on one screen, on every platform, PC included. It also works with Steam Remote Play Together for a friend who is not in the room. Our co-op ranking has it at number one, along with the other games that support a second controller.

How we checked

• Galactic Racer's split screen, offline, player-count, crossplay and party answers come from the official FAQ on Steam, last edited by the developer on October 6. Steam, PlayStation Store and Xbox Store listings were checked for local or split-screen support; none lists it.
• Matt Webster's comments are from Traxion's interview, published August 20.
• Official Galactic Racer posts on Steam from launch through Saturday morning, October 10, mention no split-screen plans. The mod details are from TheGamer's October 9 report and the Nexus Mods page.
• Episode I Racer's split screen on Switch and PS4 is from the StarWars.com announcement (March 2020); its PC multiplayer from PCGamingWiki. Racer Revenge and The Skywalker Saga from their PlayStation Store and Steam listings.