How Long To Beat, Single-Player Mode, And How The Friend Pass Works

Split-Fiction is the latest game from Hazelight Studios, the creators behind 2021 Game Of The Year winner It Takes Two. The main draw of Split-Fiction is virtually unchanged from its predecessor: co-op gameplay. Where it deviates is in the sheer amount of ideas stuffed into every minute of gameplay. Across its eight chapters that send up the best of popular science fiction and fantasy books, movies, games, and TV, are some of the most creative gameplay ideas ever put to disc.

How Long Is Split Fiction?

While the time to beat Split Fiction depends on how players approach its story, seeing everything the game has to offer isn’t a gargantuan task. Completing the game’s critical path and each of the excellent side stories in each chapter took my co-op partner and I about 15 hours to reach the ending.

If you’re someone who played It Takes Two, it’s worth noting that Split Fiction is a tougher video game overall. Those with more casual co-op partners may hit a few difficulty spikes that will demand more than a few retries. It’s not impenetrable like an Elden Ring or S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. But it is more mechanically dense than Hazelight’s last two games.

Thankfully for those recruiting non-gaming part, checkpointing is fairly forgiving, so you’ll never find yourself having to replay long sections of the game after failure.

Is There A Single-Player Mode in Split Fiction?

Unfortunately for those who enjoy single player games, there is no single player mode in Split Fiction. You’ll have to wrangle another human to experience this generation video game for yourself.

Playing the game via couch co-op is highly recommended, but online co-op is fully functional. Luckily, Hazelight has brought back a popular feature from It Takes Two and A Way Out that allows two people to play its co-op game online with just a single copy.

How does the Friend Pass work in Split Fiction?

Players who purchase Split Fiction can invite their friends to play with them regardless of platform and whether that friend owns the game or not. The player who hasn’t purchased Split Fiction must download the Friend’s Pass on their platform of choice and accept an invite from their co-op partner.

Those who’d like to play the game across two different platforms will have to use an EA Account to send the invite. You’ll have to enable cross-platform play in the game’s options to do so.

The Friend Pass gives players access to the game so long as they connect with someone who owns the game. Couch co-op will not be available to them unless they purchase the game.

Split Fiction will be released March 6, 2025 on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.