If you’ve ever booted up Ark: Survival Evolved on your PS4 and immediately wished you could bring a friend along to fend off raptors or build your base together, you’re not alone. Figuring out how to get 2 players on Ark Survival Evolved PS4 doesn’t have to be as confusing as navigating a swamp full of Titanoboas at midnight. I’ve spent dozens of hours testing different setup methods with my own roommate, so I’ve pulled together every working trick and fix to make your co-op run as smoothly as possible. Before you dive in, note that you don’t need a paid PlayStation Plus subscription for local split-screen play, but you will need one for online co-op with a friend on a separate console.
How to Set Up Local 2 Player Split Screen on Ark Survival Evolved PS4
Local split screen is the easiest way to play with someone who’s in the same room as you, and it only takes a few minutes to get set up. First, make sure both of your DualShock controllers are fully synced to your PS4 before you launch the game, to avoid any connection issues mid-setup. Log into the primary player’s PSN account, launch Ark, and load into your existing single player world or start a new one like you normally would.
Once you’re fully loaded into the game world, have the second player press the Options button on their controller. A pop-up will appear asking them to select a PSN profile. Split screen only works in horizontal mode on PS4, so you can’t adjust it to a vertical split even if you prefer that layout. The second player’s progress will only save if they’re logged into a registered PSN account, not a guest profile, so make sure they sign into their own account if they want to keep their inventory and tames for future play sessions.
You can adjust the split screen UI size in the game settings if you find the text or icons are too small for both players to see clearly. Keep in mind that split screen play will drop the game’s frame rate slightly, especially if you’re exploring areas with lots of wild dinos or complex base builds. Turning down shadow quality and view distance by one or two levels will usually fix any stuttering you run into.
How to Host an Online 2 Player Co-Op Game for Remote Friends
If you want to play with a friend who’s not in the same house, you can set up a private online server directly from your PS4 without any extra paid hosting tools. First, make sure both you and your friend have active PlayStation Plus subscriptions, as Sony requires this for all online multiplayer gameplay on PS4. You’ll also want to check that your internet connection is stable, and that no one on your network is streaming or downloading large files while you host.
From the main menu, select “Host/Local” and adjust your server settings to your preference. You can turn off PvP if you just want to play co-op against the environment, adjust dino spawn rates, or increase resource gathering speed to make progression faster. Before you launch the world, make sure to check the box that says “Allow Friends to Join” or your friend won’t be able to see your server in the join menu. Once you’re loaded into the world, your friend can navigate to the “Join Ark” menu, filter for friends only servers, and select your game to join.
Once you’ve got the hang of how to get 2 players on Ark Survival Evolved PS4 online, you can even add up to 4 more players to your server if you want to expand your group. Hosting an online server on your PS4 will use more of your internet bandwidth, so you may notice more lag if you add more than 3 total players to your game. If you plan to play with a larger group long term, you may want to look into a third party dedicated server for better performance.
Common 2 Player Ark PS4 Issues and Quick Fixes
Even if you follow every step perfectly, you’ll probably run into a few common issues when setting up 2 player play. I’ve dealt with all of these personally, and most of them take less than 5 minutes to fix if you know what to look for. Here are the most frequent problems and their solutions:
- Second player can’t join split screen: Make sure both controllers are fully synced to your PS4 before launching the game, and that the second player has selected a profile (even a guest works for temporary play). Restart the game if the prompt to join doesn’t pop up when they press Options.
- Online friend can’t find your server: Double check that you enabled friend joins in your host settings, and that both of you have active PlayStation Plus subscriptions. If you still have issues, restart your router to reset your NAT type, as Type 3 NAT will block peer-to-peer connections.
- Second player loses progress when leaving split screen: This happens if they used a guest profile. Have them log into their own PSN account before joining your game to save their inventory, tames, and character progress to their own save file.
- Extreme lag or frame drops in 2 player mode: Turn down shadow quality and view distance in the game settings, and close any other apps running on your PS4 in the background. Avoid building bases in crowded areas with lots of wild dinos if you’re playing split screen.
For more persistent online connection issues, you can also try setting your PS4 as the DMZ host on your router, which will allow unrestricted peer-to-peer connections for your game. This is a more advanced fix, so only try it if a router restart doesn’t solve your problem. You can find step-by-step instructions for this process on the PlayStation support site if you need help.
Tips for a Smooth 2 Player Ark PS4 Playthrough
Once you’ve got your 2 player game set up, a few small tips will make your playthrough way more enjoyable and less frustrating. First, split up roles early on to avoid wasting time doing the same tasks twice. One player can focus on gathering resources and building out your base, while the other handles taming dinos and scouting for new areas to explore. This lets you progress twice as fast as you would playing alone.
Always share important resources like medical brews and extra ammunition, especially if you’re exploring dangerous areas like the Arctic or the Volcano. It’s easy for one player to get ambushed by a Rex or a pack of Allosaurs, so having backup supplies can save both of your lives and prevent you from losing hours of progress. You should also set up a shared storage chest near your base where both players can drop extra resources so you don’t have to trade items back and forth constantly.
For split screen players, make sure to manually save your world every time you finish a big build or tame a rare dino. The game auto-saves every 15 minutes by default, but a manual save will make sure you don’t lose any progress if the game crashes unexpectedly. For online players, agree on a small set of ground rules before you start playing, like not taming high level dinos without asking, or not building in areas the other player has already claimed. Ark’s world is huge, but it’s easy to step on each other’s toes if you don’t communicate what you’re working on.
At the end of the day, playing Ark with a second player makes every part of the game more fun, from taming your first T-Rex to taking down your first boss. Whether you’re setting up local split screen for a friend hanging out at your place, or hosting an online server for a buddy across the country, the steps for how to get 2 players on Ark Survival Evolved PS4 are simple once you know what to look out for. Don’t get discouraged if you run into a few connection issues at first, a little bit of troubleshooting will have you both exploring the island together in no time. If you have a favorite co-op setup trick we didn’t mention, drop it in the comments below to help other players out.