The internet killed the couch. Or at least, it tried its hardest to. If you look at the trajectory of gaming over the last decade, everything pushed toward high-speed fiber optics and headsets. Digital lobbies replaced living rooms. But something weird happened on the way to the all-digital future. People missed the physical proximity of a friend yelling in their ear after a last-second goal. Games with local multiplayer PS4 setups became a sort of resistance movement.
Honestly, the PlayStation 4 is probably the last great bastion for this. While the PS5 is backward compatible, the PS4 era was when developers really mastered the balance between "pretty enough to look at" and "stable enough to run split-screen." You don't need a $2,000 PC. You just need a sticky controller and a friend who doesn't mind a bit of light trashtalking.
The Secret Physics of Couch Co-op
There is a specific kind of tension you only get when the person you are playing against is sitting three inches away. In online play, lag is an excuse. On a couch? It’s pure skill. Or luck. Usually luck.
Developers like Hazelight Studios figured this out early. They didn't just make games; they made social experiments. Take A Way Out. You literally cannot play it alone. It’s a bold move in an industry that usually wants to sell to as many solo players as possible. Josef Fares, the director, basically bet the house on the idea that people still want to share a screen. He was right. The way the screen shifts and merges during the prison break sequence isn't just a gimmick; it’s a narrative tool that forces you to coordinate in real life.
Then you have the absolute chaos of Overcooked! All You Can Eat. It's a game that has probably caused more genuine arguments than a game about soup should. The technical term for this is "emergent gameplay," but in reality, it's just stressful fun. The PS4 handles the frame rate remarkably well here, even when the kitchen is literally splitting in half and you're screaming about tomatoes. It’s about the friction between players, not just the code.
Why We Still Care About Split-Screen
Digital latency is the enemy of fun. Even with fiber-to-the-home, there's a disconnect. When you play games with local multiplayer PS4, the latency is effectively zero. Your inputs are instantaneous. That’s why fighting games like Tekken 7 or Mortal Kombat 11 feel so much more visceral in person. You aren't fighting the netcode; you're fighting the human across from you.
Also, cost is a factor. Let's be real. Not everyone wants to pay for two PlayStation Plus subscriptions and two copies of a game just to play with a sibling in the next room. Local play is the budget-friendly king. One disc, one console, four controllers. Done.
The Heavy Hitters You Actually Need to Play
If you’re dusting off the console, you shouldn't just grab the first thing you see. Some games are built for this; others feel like local play was an afterthought.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection is arguably better on a couch than on a PC. Blizzard did something magical with the control scheme. Instead of clicking a mouse a thousand times, you’re using the analog sticks to roll and dodge. It feels like an action game. The "tether" system keeps everyone on one screen, so nobody gets lost in the dungeons. It’s the perfect "podcast game"—you can chat about your day while mindlessly exploding demons.
Then there’s Rocket League. It’s easy to forget this started as a niche title. Now it's a global phenomenon. But the four-player split-screen mode on PS4 is where the real soul of the game lives. It gets frantic. The screen gets small, sure, but the energy in the room doubles.
- Borderlands: The Handsome Collection – This gives you two massive games and all the DLC. It’s the gold standard for looter-shooters.
- Cuphead – If you want to test the strength of your friendship, play this. It is brutally hard. You will die. Your friend will die. You will blame each other.
- Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled – Forget Mario Kart for a second. CTR is faster, more technical, and the PS4 version looks incredible.
The Indie Scene is Keeping the Lights On
While big AAA studios keep chasing the "live service" dragon, indie devs are the ones making sure we still have games to play with our partners or kids. Stardew Valley added split-screen a while back, and it changed the vibe completely. It went from a solitary farming sim to a collaborative project.
TowerFall Ascension is another one. It’s simple. You have arrows. You jump. You try to hit your friends. But the pixel-perfect precision makes it endlessly replayable. Matt Thorson (who later made Celeste) understands that simple mechanics lead to complex human reactions. You don't need a 40-hour tutorial to enjoy it. You just need to know how to jump and shoot.
Misconceptions About PS4 Multiplayer
A lot of people think that "local multiplayer" just means "split-screen." That's not true. There are plenty of games where you share the same space without the screen dividing. LittleBigPlanet 3 is a classic example. It’s all about shared space.
Another myth: you need a massive TV. While a 65-inch 4K screen is nice, many of these games were designed back when 32-inch 1080p sets were the norm. The UI scales. You can still see what you’re doing in Minecraft even on a smaller display.
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The biggest misconception is that the PS4 is "too old" for a good experience. Actually, for local play, it's often more reliable than the newer consoles. The library is massive, and most of these titles are dirt cheap now. You can go to a used game shop and pick up five world-class local multiplayer titles for the price of one new PS5 game.
The Technical Reality
Let's talk hardware for a second. If you're running four-player split-screen on an original "base" PS4, you might notice the fan sounding like a jet engine. That’s normal. The console is working overtime to render four different perspectives. If you have a PS4 Pro, things stay a bit smoother, often boosting the resolution or keeping the frame rate at a locked 60 FPS in games like Gran Turismo Sport.
But honestly? The "jank" is part of the charm. When the frame rate dips slightly because everything is exploding in Broforce, it adds to the arcade feeling. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature of the chaos.
Setting Up Your Ultimate Session
Don't just plug in and play. There's a bit of a "pro" way to do this if you want the best experience.
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First, check your controllers. DualShock 4 batteries are notoriously short-lived. If you’re planning a marathon of Divinity: Original Sin 2, keep some long micro-USB cables handy. There is nothing worse than your character walking off a cliff because your controller died.
Second, look into "Hidden Agenda" or other PlayLink titles. These use your smartphones as controllers. It’s a great way to get non-gamers involved. You don't have to explain what the "L2" button does; they just tap their phone screen. It’s a bridge between "hardcore" gaming and a casual party night.
Real Talk: The Social Benefit
There is actual research into this. Shared physical play increases "social bonding" in a way that remote play doesn't. You pick up on non-verbal cues. You laugh more. You actually resolve conflicts better when you can see the other person's face. Gaming becomes a shared memory rather than just a way to kill time.
Moving Forward With Your PS4
The PS4 isn't a legacy console yet, but it’s getting there. That makes it the perfect time to build a "couch co-op library."
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your library for "Secret" local modes. Many games like Star Wars Battlefront II have local arcade modes that people totally overlook. Check the back of the box or the digital store description.
- Invest in a charging station. If you’re serious about games with local multiplayer PS4, having four controllers ready to go at all times is a game-changer.
- Explore the "Digital Only" indies. Titles like Gang Beasts or Ultimate Chicken Horse don't get physical releases often but are the absolute kings of party gaming.
- Check your TV settings. Turn on "Game Mode" to reduce input lag. It matters even more when the console is processing multiple player inputs simultaneously.
Stop thinking of your PS4 as a solo machine. It’s a social hub. Go buy a second-hand controller, grab a copy of Rayman Legends, and remember why you started gaming in the first place. It wasn't to talk to strangers on the internet; it was to play with the people right next to you.