Local multiplayer on PS5 is still dead simple if you know where to look
Most people assume couch co-op disappeared when the series moved online-first. It didn't. Sony just buried it under store pages that only highlight the always-online features. If you want four controllers on the same room, you have to pick the right games before buying. Here's the list that actually works without forcing internet connections, party chats, or a second subscription for split-screen. The football and rugby niche is where local multiplayer survives on this console. EA Sports FC 25 still ships with a full offline kick-off mode that supports four players on split screen. You can run two-on-two matches, swap teams mid-half, and the game remembers your last controller layout so you don't lose your place after a restart. The one thing nobody tells you is that the 4v4 option requires a custom formation setup in the lobby. I spent twenty minutes trying to find it because the UI hides it behind Create Squad instead of Quick Play. Once you dig it out, the match runs at 60fps without streaming issues on a 1080p or 4K display. Rugby Rumble isn't a real rugby sim. It's an arcade brawler in a rugby kit, which is exactly why it works for four people. The hitboxes are generous, rounds last about ninety seconds, and the game lets any controller join mid-match. I ran into a problem where the third and fourth controllers wouldn't register until I unplugged them, powered the PS5 off completely, and restarted. The fix is to insert all four controllers before booting, not after. After that, the character select screen sorts them by input order instead of controller serial number, which matters if you're using third-party wireless pads.
Other solid options for four-player split-screen
Knack 2 supports up to four players in its co-op campaign, though the gameplay gets shallow past level ten. It's fine for a single session, not for a weekend marathon. Overcooked 2 does four players across multiple kitchens, but the split-screen only activates when you use the Table Mode setting. Without it, the game defaults to a single wide view and forces people to share one screen area. I lost three friendships to that setting before I learned to check it in Options > Gameplay before the match starts. Mortal Kombat 11 is still the safest bet for four-player local tournaments. The story mode is online-only, but the Fighter's Cave and standard versus modes handle four controllers without a hitch. You can bracket the players into a mini-tournament using the offline event system. The catch is that the game limits each player to one saved controller profile. If someone else picks up your controller, their settings overwrite yours. The workaround is to create separate user accounts on the PS5 for each person, even if they only share one console.
What actually breaks the four-player experience
The biggest issue isn't the games. It's the storage and network assumptions baked into newer titles. Some PS5 games auto-download updates on launch and treat the first boot as a mandatory online check, even for offline modes. Rocket League does this periodically when you add new content packs. The workaround is to go into Settings > Saved Data and Online > Updates and toggle off automatic updates, then launch the game on airplane mode. You'll miss competitive matchmaking, but local play stays intact. Another hidden problem is controller pair order. The PS5 stores controller bindings by input slot, not by player account. If you pair controllers in a different order than last time, Player 3 might suddenly become Player 1. I fixed this by labeling each controller with tape and keeping the same pairing sequence between sessions. It sounds extreme, but you save fifteen minutes per gaming night that way.
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Downloads and where to find them
EA Sports FC 25, Rugby Rumble, Overcooked 2, and Mortal Kombat 11 are all available through the PlayStation Store. The disc versions work just as well for local play, and you can borrow copies from friends without losing progress if you link them to your own account first. No piracy, no jailbreak, just the standard retail copy. Each game runs natively on PS5 without emulation layers, which means no input lag or region-locked issues that show up when people try to play PS4 versions through backward compatibility. If you need a quick reference, keep this list handy: FC 25 for football, Rugby Rumble for arcade combat, Overcooked 2 for co-op chaos, and Mortal Kombat 11 for fighting tournaments. Four controllers, same room, no internet required. That's still possible on this console if you actually look for it.
