Hidden PC Split-Screen Found in Halo: Campaign Evolved

Local co-op has long been a defining feature of the Halo franchise, but PC players have largely been left with online-only options for Campaign Evolved. Now, modders say they’ve uncovered a hidden split-screen mode already present in the game’s PC files—requiring only a small mod to activate it.

Background: Halo’s local co-op legacy, and what PC players miss

For years, Halo has treated couch co-op as a core experience. The original Halo trilogy, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach, and Halo 4 all support local co-op, and many players have built lasting memories from playing those campaigns together offline. That tradition was disrupted when Halo 5: Guardians limited co-op to Xbox Live, a change that drew widespread disappointment. The situation worsened for some players when Halo Infinite launched without any co-op mode at all.

Campaign Evolved has leaned back into local co-op on console, but on PC it’s not available in an official capacity—meaning players who want to play together locally have been constrained to online co-op instead.

What modders found: split-screen already “enabled” in PC configs

The discovery comes from Nexus Mods, where modder JPurd123 released a mod aimed at bringing local split-screen co-op to Halo: Campaign Evolved on PC. The headline isn’t just that the mod exists—it’s what JPurd123 says was already sitting in the game.

According to the modder’s notes, the PC version never removed the console split-screen functionality. Instead, the mode is reportedly already enabled in the game’s configuration files. The same files also appear to include console local co-op assets and settings, including split-screen HUD layouts, sign-in UI elements, audio parameters, and VFX variants.

In other words: the PC build may have carried over the console implementation, while restrictions prevented players from using it directly.

How the mod works—and the limitations players should expect

JPurd123 describes the mod as a straightforward activation rather than a full recreation. The approach, as explained by the modder, is to call code that is already dormant in the PC build. The mod does not patch Halo: Campaign Evolved’s executable and is not framed as an “implementation” from scratch.

Instead, it adds a second local player at runtime using UE4SS and lifts the restrictions preventing split-screen from functioning. Installation is described as a multi-step process: players need to install UE4SS, download the mod from Nexus Mods, overwrite two files, and adjust Campaign Evolved’s Steam launch settings. Full instructions are said to be available on Nexus Mods.

However, there are important caveats. The mod is based on the Steam version of Campaign Evolved, and JPurd123 states the Xbox app version is untested and may fail due to differences in signature files relative to the mod’s target executable. The mod also won’t work with pirated copies, with the modder pointing to unknown changes in cracked files.

Next steps: could an official patch enable it broadly?

If the PC version already contains the necessary functionality and can be activated through modding, then an official fix could be comparatively simple—at least in theory. As of the time of writing, Halo Studios has not commented on whether split-screen will be added or restored for PC.

For now, the community has a working path to local split-screen—alongside clear boundaries around supported versions.

Key points

• Modders claim Halo: Campaign Evolved’s PC files already include split-screen functionality used on console.
• JPurd123’s Nexus Mods release reportedly activates dormant code rather than re-implementing split-screen from scratch.
• The mod relies on UE4SS, adds a second local player at runtime, and requires specific file and launch setting changes.
• Steam version support is confirmed by the modder; Xbox app and pirated versions are stated as untested or incompatible.

Expert View

This discovery suggests Halo: Campaign Evolved’s PC build may have carried over console systems without fully exposing them—an issue that modders can often bridge faster than official channels. For the community, it’s a rare win: local co-op is back within reach on PC. For the broader market, it also reinforces how UE4SS-based modding can surface “missing” features that already exist under the hood, potentially pressuring studios to respond when players demonstrate a low-friction path to parity.