One computer, a few friends and a game everyone can get into: that is a good start to an evening. If you are looking for a local multiplayer split-screen game, our catalogue has three picks for playing together on one shared screen. There is another option, too: Pass the keyboard around and see who can set the highest score.
Who is playing?
Start with the size of your group and the kind of contest you want. These games keep everyone on the same playing field rather than giving each player a separate camera view. Technically, that makes them local multiplayer games rather than split-screen games.😅
| Game | Players together | Pick it for |
|---|---|---|
| Snake Party | Up to six | Outlasting your friends as the screen fills with snake trails. |
| Ladybird Reflect | Two | A ball-and-paddle contest across one shared arena. |
| Crackhead | Two | A frantic breakout challenge with psychedelic visuals. |
All three are very light on hardware, with Windows and Linux versions. They run on almost anything ...just not on Macintoshes 😁.
Snake Party: bring the whole group together
For three to six people who want to play at once, start here. Steer your snake, avoid the growing trails and survive longer than your opponents. You earn points when another player crashes before you do, so try to cut off a friend's escape route while trying to find your own.
The real challenge? Fitting everyone's hands on the keyboard at once.
Pick recognisable names and distinct colours, spread the controls comfortably across the keyboard, and agree on the round count. Snake Party lets you customise all of those. Give everyone a practice round before the scores count.
Ladybird Reflect: a two-player face-off
If there are two of you and you prefer chasing a ball to dodging snake trails, try Ladybird Reflect's local two-player mode. Opposing paddles and separate scores make the contest easy to follow from the same screen.
There are also story, survival and A.I. modes for solo sessions, plus a level editor. For your game night, head straight for the two-player mode and let both players get a feel for their paddle before starting a tournament.
Crackhead: turn up the chaos
Crackhead takes the ball-and-paddle idea into a much stranger-looking world. Break bricks, keep the ball in play and share the screen with a friend while the psychedelic scenery competes for your attention. Pick this one when you want a more demanding breakout challenge, especially in single player mode.
Start with a short session to learn the pace. Its different modes and built-in level editor give you more to explore once you have familiarized yourself with the game.
Or take turns chasing a high score
Local multiplayer can also mean watching a friend narrowly beat your best run, then demanding another go. Our single-player score games work well for this kind of competition: one person plays while everyone else cheers, heckles, or plans their next attempt.
Displacement Arcade Game Box
Our first game box gives you ten arcade games to rotate through, with score chasing running through the collection. Many of the games support comparing high scores with friends and strangers worldwide through Steam. For a session on one computer, choose a game, write down everyone's result and swap seats after each attempt.
Try the police chase in Heist Chase, or switch to the falling-block puzzle TripTris. The highest score per game automatically gets saved to your Steam account.
Snail Racer Extreme
Snail Racer Extreme also has Steam leaderboards. Steer around obstacles, collect lettuce to keep going and chase a better score as your snail grows. A longer run (or, should we say: "slide") gives the next person a bigger target.
For a fair contest, use the same mode and upgrades for everyone's attempts. Let each player have three runs and count their best result.
Neon Coliseum
Another option in our catalogue is Neon Coliseum, a single-player score-attack shooter. Fire lasers, retrieve your spent cartridges and survive as the arena fills with enemies. Pass the keyboard after each run and keep your own score sheet for the evening.
Settle the rules, then play
- Give everyone a warm-up: One practice round explains more than a long speech.
- Test the controls together: In a shared-keyboard game, have everyone press their keys at once. If an input doesn't do anything, try different keyboard bindings: some keyboards cannot register every combination.
- Keep score for the people in the room: When taking turns on one Steam account, record each person's name and result yourself; guests do not get separate leaderboard identities.
- Agree on an ending: A fixed round count or three attempts each keeps the contest moving and gives everyone their turn. Without a clear ending, the game can drag on indefinitely as some players may want to keep trying for a better score.
Want everyone playing at once? Choose Snake Party for the larger group, or Ladybird Reflect and Crackhead for a pair. Prefer watching a run unfold and trying to beat it? Bring out the high scores.