This guide will explain Back 4 Blood’s multiplayer and if it has split screen, local couch co-op. Here’s what you need to know before going in. 

Back 4 Blood Split Screen

Back 4 Blood has no split screen support at launch, though Turtle Rock hasn’t said split screen is off the table for good.

Split screen, couch co-op multiplayer could pop up in a later update. For now, though, Back 4 Blood has a couple of robust multiplayer options for both playing with friends and random Cleaners.

Back 4 Blood Online Multiplayer Options

These are all the ways you can play with friends in Back 4 Blood, despite the absence of split screen couch co-op. If you choose to play the game solo, your team will be populated by AI bots. 

Campaign Mode

Co-op Campaign is Back 4 Blood’s primary online mode with support for up to four players in a group. You can invite players from your in-game friend list or, if you’re on Xbox and PC, from your console friend list.

So what if your friends are on different platforms or different generations? Is Back 4 Blood crossplay and cross-gen? Yep! B4B asks if you want crossplay enabled the first time you start a campaign, and obviously, you’ll need that turned on to play with friends on a different platform. Cross-gen is automatically enabled. Here’s how to make sure it’s enabled.

Campaign is Back 4 Blood’s full story, with four acts of multiple stages chronicling the Cleaners’ efforts to stay alive and face the Ridden.

Quickplay is another option, but it works differently. This mode won’t let you join friends or create a campaign with a group. Instead, Quickplay is essentially there to fill gaps in existing campaigns, and you can’t choose your decks or characters when starting.

Swarm Mode

Swarm is Back 4 Blood’s PvP mode, pitting teams of Cleaners and Ridden against each other. The default Swarm mode is public matchmaking. However, as with campaign mode, you can form a group before entering the Swarm menu and create a private lobby to play with and against your friends.

How to Play with AI Bots

Back 4 Blood matches you with other players by default, whether those players are randoms or your friends. There’s no option to set your team of Cleaners to AI bots, though if queue times are long enough or the game failed to create a matchmaking session, B4B will fill your party with bots to move things along.

Related guides:

Back 4 Blood Beginner’s Tips and Tricks How to Unlock All Cleaners How Supply Lines & Supply Points Work

That’s all you need to know about Back 4 Blood split screen, couch co-op and online multiplayer, but check out our other Back 4 Blood guides for more on Turtle Rock’s L4D-like on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Series X|S.