Look, we’ve all been there. You’ve got the drinks ready, the snacks are laid out on the coffee table, and you’re itching to finally beat the "Der Eisendrache" easter egg. But then you realize you can’t actually figure out how to add players to black ops 3 zombies because the menu UI feels like it was designed by someone who hates people. It’s annoying. It really is.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is arguably the peak of the Zombies sub-genre, mostly thanks to Chronicles, but the lobby system is notoriously finicky. Whether you’re trying to get a four-player split-screen session going on a PS4 or you're struggling to join a friend's lobby on PC because of a "Strict NAT" error, the process is rarely just a one-click affair. If you’re playing on a console like the Xbox Series X or PS5 via backward compatibility, things get even weirder with controller syncing.
The Absolute Basics of Adding Players for Local Split-Screen
Split-screen is a dying art, but BO3 still carries the torch. Mostly.
If you're on console, the process is supposed to be simple. You turn on a second controller, sign into a guest account or a secondary PSN/Xbox Live profile, and press the "join" button—usually X on PlayStation or A on Xbox—while in the main Zombies menu. Sounds easy, right?
It’s not always that smooth. If the second player isn't signed into an actual profile, the game often refuses to recognize them. Don't use a "Guest" account if you can help it; it tends to bug out the leaderboard and sometimes prevents you from even starting the match. Make a dummy profile instead. It takes two minutes and saves you the headache of the "The lobby is not joinable" error that pops up for no reason.
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Interestingly, Black Ops 3 is one of the few games that actually supports four-player split-screen in Zombies mode on the "next-gen" (now current-gen) hardware. However, be warned: the frame rate will absolutely tank. You’re looking at a cinematic 20 frames per second once the round hits 15 and the hellhounds start spawning.
Why PC Players Struggle with Local Multiplayer
Now, if you’re on PC trying to figure out how to add players to black ops 3 zombies, you might be surprised to learn that split-screen actually exists here too. It’s rare for PC ports, but Treyarch actually threw us a bone.
To make it work, you need two controllers. Trying to do a hybrid of Keyboard/Mouse and one controller is a recipe for a migraine, though it is technically possible if you mess with the input settings in the menu.
- Plug in both controllers before launching the game.
- Go to the Zombies menu.
- Look for the "Activate Split Screen" prompt in the top right corner.
If you don't see that prompt, the game isn't seeing your second input device. This usually happens because Steam's Controller Input settings are overriding the game's native drivers. You might need to go into Steam's Big Picture mode and force-disable Steam Input for BO3 to let the game handle the controllers directly. It’s a bit of a dance.
Joining Friends Online (And Avoiding the "Lobby Not Joinable" Nightmare)
Online play is where most people spend their time, but it’s also where the most technical glitches happen. If you want to add players to your party, you usually just open the Social menu (F1 on PC, Options on PS, Menu on Xbox) and invite them.
But what happens when the invite does nothing?
This is almost always a NAT Type issue. If your NAT is "Strict" and your friend’s NAT is "Strict," you will never, ever be able to play together. It’s a fundamental rule of P2P networking that Activision has clung to for years. You want your NAT to be "Open" or at least "Moderate."
If you’re stuck on Strict, you’ll need to look into Port Forwarding. Specifically, you want to open port 3074 (UDP and TCP). Once you do that, players will be able to join your lobby instantly. Also, make sure your Party Privacy isn't set to "Closed." I can’t tell you how many times I’ve spent twenty minutes troubleshooting only to realize I had my party set to "Closed" from a previous solo high-round run.
The Modded Maps Factor on PC
If you are playing on PC, you are likely using the Steam Workshop. This adds a massive layer of complexity to adding players.
If you have a modded map loaded—say, "Leviathan" or "Nightmare"—and you try to invite a friend who doesn't have that exact mod installed and enabled, the game will just crash or give a generic error. Both of you must have the map downloaded from the Workshop. Furthermore, both of you should ideally restart your game after the download finishes to ensure the files are indexed correctly.
Why You Can't Add More Players Mid-Game
A common question is: "Can I add a player after the round has started?"
The short answer is no.
The long answer is also no, but with a reason. Black Ops 3 Zombies locks the lobby once the "Loading" screen begins. This is because the game calculates the zombie health scaling and the number of spawns based on the player count at the start of the match. If someone drops out, the game doesn't scale back down immediately in some versions, and it certainly won't let a new person jump into a Round 25 game to replace a fallen comrade.
If your friend's game crashes—which, let's be honest, happens—they are out for the count. You’ll have to end the game and restart. It sucks. It’s one of the biggest flaws of the older engine.
Troubleshooting the "Too Many Players" Error
Sometimes you’ll try to add a third or fourth player and the game will kick everyone. This usually happens in the Shadows of Evil map for some reason. If you’re hitting a wall where the game won't let you add more than two players, check your "Max Players" setting in the lobby options.
Occasionally, the game defaults to a party limit of 2, especially if you were recently playing a different game mode like Arena or certain Multiplayer playlists. Manually toggle the party limit to 4, and the slots should open up.
Taking Action: The Checklist for a Flawless Session
To ensure you don't waste your Friday night staring at a loading bar or an error code, follow this specific order of operations:
- Check NAT Types: Ensure at least one person (the host) has an "Open" NAT type. This person should be the one sending all the invites.
- Sign-In Profiles: If playing locally, ensure every controller is tied to a unique guest or system profile before opening the game.
- Update Mods: On PC, ensure everyone has the same Steam Workshop items. If one person has an outdated version of a map, the "add player" function will fail.
- Join in the Main Menu: Don't wait until you're in the map selection screen. Add everyone at the very first "Press Start" screen or the primary Zombies lobby.
- Verify Files: If someone consistently can't join, have them "Verify Integrity of Game Files" on Steam or clear their console cache. A corrupted DLC file is often the silent killer of lobbies.
Once everyone is in the lobby and you see their characters standing around the campfire (or the forest, in BO3’s case), you’re good to go. Just make sure the host has the best internet connection, or you’re going to experience some serious "rubber-banding" once the horde gets thick.
Setting up a match shouldn't be this much work, but the payoff of a high-round run with a full squad is worth the five minutes of menu-fiddling. Stick to the "Open NAT" rule and keep your profiles signed in, and you'll spend way more time killing undead than you will looking at error messages.