How to Fix COD Black Ops 3 Split Screen Not Working

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a 2015 FPS multiplayer game by Treyarch and Activision that literally delivers a gripping storyline and overall stunning visuals. It also includes the Zombies Chronicles Edition as additional content for zombie-hunting lovers. The game also allows players to have a split screen mode to enjoy the gameplay experience along with their teammates side by side. However, it seems that several players are reporting about the COD Black Ops 3 split screen not working issue irrespective of gaming platforms.

Now, if you’re also one of the victims to encounter the split screen mode not working issue on your Call of Duty Black Ops III game across all platforms like PC, Xbox, and PlayStation then don’t worry. If we take a quick look at the Steam Community forum reports for BO3, it looks like some players are facing the split screen issue after connecting the controller to the PC. Even though the system recognizes the controller, it doesn’t add a split screen at any cost. But nothing to worry about.

Fortunately, here we’ve shared with you a couple of potential workarounds below that should come in handy. Ensure to follow all troubleshooting methods until the problem gets fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

Ensure that the second player isn’t signed into the COD: Black Ops 3 game.
Also do keep in mind that the second controller is turned off.
You should be logged in with the primary account and the primary controller should be connected.
Now, launch the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game.
Also, ensure that the 2nd player controller is turned off.
Then filter the playlists that are not compatible with the split screen mode.
Now, enable the 2nd player controller > Select the Xbox profile that you want to use.
Check if the problem has been fixed or not.

Please Note: The second player cannot have the same Xbox profile as player 1.

4. Power Cycle the Console

It seems that sometimes any system glitch or cache issue can cause a split screen not to work. By power cycling your console, you can simply clear the temporary cache or glitch to improve the performance.

First, shut down your console completely.
Next, remove the power cable from the console.
Wait for around 5 minutes and then plug the cable back in.
Finally, turn on the PlayStation or Xbox console and check for the issue again.

5. Update the COD Black Ops 3 Game

In case you haven’t updated your COD Black Ops 3 game for a while, then follow the steps below to check for pending updates. An outdated game patch version will trigger multiple issues with the game launching or connecting to the controller. To do this:

For Steam:

Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
Click on COD Black Ops 3 from the left pane.
It’ll automatically search for the available update.
If there is an update available, click on Update.
Wait for some time to install the update.
Once done, ensure to close the Steam client.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and use the controller again.

For Battle.net:

Open the Battle.net client > Go to All Games.
Click on Installed > Click on COD: Black Ops 3 from the left pane.
Now, click on the Settings icon.
Select Check for updates. If there is any update, click on Update.
Once done, make sure to close the Battle.net client.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.

For PlayStation:

Go to the Home screen.
Now, navigate to the main menu on top.
Head over to the Games tab.
Scroll down to COD Black Ops 3 and highlight it.
Press the Options button on your controller.
Finally, choose Check for Update from the drop-down menu.

For Xbox:

Go to the My Games and Apps section of your Dashboard menu.
Select Manage > Go to Updates.
If the COD Black Ops 3 game update is available, select it.
Press the A button on the controller to start it.

Note: It’s worth recommending going to the Settings page > Choose Systems > Select Updates to update your game automatically whenever the console is connected to the internet.

6. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

Corrupted or missing game files might also trouble you a lot with the COD Black Ops 3 split screen not working issue on the PC. You can check the following steps to verify and repair the game files.

For Steam:

Launch Steam > Click on Library.
Right-click on COD Black Ops 3 from the list of installed games.
Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
Once done, restart your computer.

For Battle.net:

Open the Battle.net client on your PC.
Head over to the Library > Click on COD Black Ops 3.
Click on Options > Select Scan and Repair.
Choose to Start Scan > Wait for the process to complete.
Once done, close everything, and reboot the PC.

7. Try Reinstalling Multiplayer Packs

You can also try reinstalling the multiplayer packs in COD Black Ops 3 on the consoles to check if the problem has been fixed or not. Sometimes the multiplayer packs may get corrupted when a new update arrives and interferes with the previously installed packs or DLCs. So, reinstall the packs to check for the issue again.

For Xbox:

Go to the Dashboard on your Xbox console.
Go to Settings by pressing the Xbox button.
Choose My Apps & Games > Press the A button to select it.
Select Apps and wait for the library to load.
Ensure to select Games from the left pane.
Now, choose Manage Game and Add-ons.
Select COD Black Ops 3 > Unselect everything from the list.
Then select COD Black Ops 3 – Multiplayer Pack 1 and Pack 2 (whatever is available).
Select Uninstall and confirm the same.
Once done, restart your console, and launch the game to install missing multiplayer packs again.
Next, launch the game to check for the split screen issue.

For PlayStation:

Head over to the Settings menu (gearbox icon) in the top-right corner of the screen.
Go to Storage > Choose Console Storage from the menu on the left.
Access the Games and Apps menu from the right side.
Select Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 > Access the Manage menu by pressing the X button.
Now, select Multiplayer Pack 2 and Multiplayer Pack 3 from the game menu.
Select OK to proceed and then hit OK to uninstall.
Once done, restart your console.
Finally, check if the split screen issue has been fixed or not.

For PC:

Exit and close the game launcher on the PC that you’re using to play COD Black Ops 3.
Go to the Steam or Battle.net installation directory.
- C:\Program Files\Steam\ OR C:\Program Files\Battle.net\
Now, Delete the AppCache folder.
Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

8. Set Steam Controller Settings

Another thing you should do is adjust the Steam controller settings on the PC by following the steps below to check if there is no issue with the controller connectivity or not.

Open the Steam client on your PC.
Click on View from the top-left corner.
Now, choose Big Picture Mode > If prompted, click on Continue.
Click on Library > Go to Games under the Browse section.
Select COD Black Ops 3 > Click on Manage Games (Gear icon).
Choose Controller Options from the Steam Input option.
Expand the Change the Steam Input Per-Game Settings list.
Choose Forced On and click on OK to save changes.
Finally, restart your Steam client, and check for the issue.

Please Note: If not working, make sure to select Forced Off or None. Then click on OK to save changes.

9. Update the Controller Driver

You’ll need to update the controller driver on the PC by following the steps below to ensure there is no issue with the outdated controller driver version. Sometimes an outdated or corrupted device driver might also trigger several issues with connectivity and performance.

Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Click on Device Manager > Double-click on the Sound, video and game controllers.
Now, click on Update Driver > Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
If there is an update available, make sure to follow the on-screen instructions to finish it.
Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

Please Note: You can also check for updates in the Human Interface Devices if there is an update pending or not.

10. Enable Controller Configuration

It’s also a better idea to enable the controller configuration on Steam by following the steps below to check if the controller not working issue has been fixed or not.

Open the Steam launcher > Click on the Steam tab.
Go to the Settings menu > Click on the Controller tab.
Now, click on the General Controller Configuration option.
Under the Controller Settings menu, you should Enable the Configuration Support option.

11. Ensure Split Screen is Enabled for Gamepad

It’s highly recommended to cross-check if the split screen mode is enabled for your connected controller/gamepad or not. You can check the following steps to do so:

Launch the COD Black Ops 3 game > Navigate to Gamepad Settings.
Choose Options > Select Controller.
Go to Gamepad > You’ll see the bottom of the screen to use split screen.

12. Disable Steam Input

You should try enabling the Steam Input option by following the steps below on your PC to ensure there is no issue with the Call of Duty Black Ops 3 split screen not working.

Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
Right-click on COD Black Ops 3 > Go to Properties.
Go to the Controller tab > Make sure to Disable Steam Input.
Once done, relaunch the game, and check for the issue again.

13. Launch Steam in Big Picture Mode

Make sure to launch Steam in Big Picture Mode which comes inbuilt inside the Steam client. Some games run properly with the controllers in Big Picture Mode on Steam in some cases. So, you should try it once.

Open the Steam client on your PC > Click on View from the top-left corner.
Now, choose Big Picture Mode > If prompted, click on Continue.
Click on Library > Click on COD Black Ops 3.
Click on Play and check whether the controller is working or not.

14. Contact Activision Support

If none of the workarounds come in handy, then make sure to contact Activision Support here and submit the ticket for the specific issue that you’re going through. Although this is one of the known issues for the consoles, we’ll assume that developers will investigate the issue further and provide a fix soon.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.

How to Fix COD Black Ops 3 Split Screen Not Working