Treyarch never enabled it in the PC launcher, but buried in the game’s config_mp.cfg file (for multiplayer) and config.cfg (for Zombies), players found commands like splitScreen and scr_splitscreen . By manually editing these files and using command-line arguments, the PC version could be tricked into launching split-screen.
But on PC? The official story was different. There was no menu option. No “Press A to join.” No native split-screen toggle. call of duty black ops 2 pc split screen
Yes, you can play local matches against bots or together online… sort of. In unranked custom games, both players can join. But the PC hack doesn’t allow split-screen in public matchmaking—you can’t take a guest into regular lobbies. Still, for LAN parties or bot warm-ups, it’s fantastic. Treyarch never enabled it in the PC launcher,
It’s not elegant. It requires third-party tools or manual file edits. The menus don’t always fit the screen. Player 2 might have to play with inverted Y-axis because the game forgets their settings. The official story was different
This is why most people bother. Two-player local Zombies on PC works nearly perfectly. Both players earn achievements, rank up their weapon kits, and survive together on every map—from TranZit to Origins . The only real issue is the second player’s screen can be cropped incorrectly on ultrawide monitors.
But when you and a friend are holed up in the diner on Town , holding off a wave of zombies with pack-a-punched guns, laughing through a last-second revive—none of that matters. It’s still Call of Duty , side-by-side, on PC. Should you set it up today? If you have a friend on the couch and a couple of controllers, absolutely. Use Plutonium for the smoothest experience. Don’t expect the campaign to work, and be ready to tweak resolution settings. But for Zombies and offline multiplayer, it’s the best classic CoD split-screen on PC—bar none.