I remember a rainy weekend last year when my best friend came over, we had a whole free day planned to play ARK, and we wasted almost half an hour fumbling through console menus and conflicting online tutorials before we figured out how to set up 2 player on ARK Xbox One. If you’ve ever wanted to skip the chaos of public online servers, avoid paying for extra Xbox Live accounts, and just mess around taming dinos or building bases with someone in the same room as you, local split screen is easily one of the most underrated ways to enjoy the game. It’s low-stakes, you don’t have to worry about random players raiding your base overnight, and you can high-five each other IRL when you finally take down that annoying T-Rex that’s been camped outside your base for three days.
Pre-Requisites Before You Set Up 2 Player on ARK Xbox One
You don’t need a ton of extra gear to get split screen working, but there are a few non-negotiables you should check off before you start clicking through menus to avoid frustration later. First, you need two fully synced Xbox One controllers, obviously. If you’re using a new controller for the second player, take 30 seconds to pair it to your console first before launching ARK, because the game won’t recognize unpaired controllers mid-session.
Second, make sure your copy of ARK is fully updated. Older versions of the game have known bugs that break split screen functionality, especially for the Island and Scorched Earth maps. You can check for updates by highlighting ARK on your Xbox home screen, pressing the menu button, and selecting “Manage game and add-ons” to see if any patches are pending.
You don’t need an active Xbox Live Gold subscription to play local 2 player ARK, that’s one of the most common myths I see floating around online. The only time you need Gold is if you want to host a non-dedicated server for players outside your house, or join public online servers. For local split screen, you can even use a guest profile for the second player if they don’t have their own Xbox account.
One last thing to note: Split screen only works for host/local sessions, not public dedicated servers. You can’t join a random online server and bring a second player with you via split screen, that feature is not supported on Xbox One right now.
Step-by-Step Split Screen Setup Process
I’ve run through this process dozens of times with different friends and console setups, so these steps work 99% of the time if you follow them in order. First, launch ARK on your Xbox One, and sign into the primary player’s account. This account will be the host of the session, so their save file will be used, and all progress will save to their account when you’re done playing.
From the main menu, select “Host/Local” instead of clicking “Join Ark” for online servers. You can pick any map you already have installed, from the base Island map to paid DLC like Fjordur or Aberration. Before you load into the world, take two minutes to adjust your session settings first. I always recommend turning off friendly fire if you’re new to playing together, because it’s way too easy to accidentally shoot your friend in the back while you’re both trying to fend off a pack of raptors.
Once you load into the game world with the first player, grab the second controller, press the Xbox button in the middle, and sign into either the second player’s personal account or a guest profile. As soon as the account signs in, ARK will pop up a prompt asking if you want to add the second player to the current session. Select “Accept”, and the screen will split horizontally within 10 to 15 seconds, with the second player spawning right next to the host.
Always adjust your session settings before spawning the second player, because you can’t change core settings like difficulty, taming speed, or resource collection rates mid-session for split screen. If you want to tweak those settings later, you’ll have to exit the whole session and restart, which wastes time.
Horizontal split screen is the only default option for ARK Xbox One split screen, there’s no official setting to switch to vertical split screen right now. That’s a bit annoying if you have a super wide monitor, but it works perfectly fine for most standard living room TVs.
Common 2 Player ARK Xbox One Issues and Quick Fixes
Even if you follow all the steps perfectly, you might run into a few common bugs, because ARK is notoriously unoptimized for console, especially when running split screen. I’ve run into every single one of these issues personally, so these fixes are all tested and work without you having to reset your whole console or delete your save files.
- Second player can't join the session: First check that both controllers are fully synced to the console, then restart the game if the join prompt doesn’t pop up. If that doesn’t work, delete any corrupted ARK save files you don’t need, as corrupted save data often blocks co-op joins for local sessions.
- Frame rate drops or lag in split screen: Turn down your in-game graphics settings, especially render distance and shadow quality. ARK uses a lot of console processing power even for single player, and running two instances of the game at once for split screen puts extra strain on the hardware. Lowering settings will give you a much smoother, playable experience even on the original Xbox One.
- Second player loses inventory when leaving the session: The host has to save the game manually before anyone exits the session. ARK’s auto-save feature doesn’t always capture second player inventory or progression changes, so hit the save button right before you quit to avoid losing that hard-earned metal pick or newly tamed dodo.
- No split screen prompt appears: Double check that you’re in a Host/Local session, not an online server. Split screen is not supported on public or dedicated servers, only private local sessions you host yourself on your console. If you’re already in a local session, try signing out and back in on the second controller to trigger the prompt.
If none of these fixes work, try clearing your Xbox’s cache by holding the power button for 10 seconds until the console fully shuts down, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on. That fixes almost all random ARK glitches that don’t have an obvious cause.
Tips for Enjoyable 2 Player ARK Xbox One Gameplay
I’ve put over 120 hours into split screen ARK with friends and family, and there are a few small changes you can make that turn a clunky, frustrating experience into one of the best co-op sessions you’ll have on Xbox One. First, split up your roles early on. You’ll progress twice as fast if one person focuses on gathering resources and building up your base, while the other focuses on taming dinos and scouting the surrounding area for threats. You don’t both need to spend 20 minutes punching trees when you can split the work and have a full shelter built before dark.
Turn on the "Show Map Player Location" setting as soon as you load into the world. It’s incredibly easy to get separated while exploring ARK’s massive maps, even if you’re only a few hundred feet apart, and this setting lets you see exactly where your friend is on the map at all times so you don’t waste 15 minutes looking for each other.
Share storage chests and taming pens, there’s no point in building separate bases when you’re playing on the same team. Label your chests by resource type so you don’t have to dig through 10 different boxes to find that flint you need for arrows. If you want to keep a few personal items separate, you can each have one private chest, but shared storage saves a ton of time and resources.
Avoid taking your best dinos out on missions together early on. If you both die and can’t get back to your body in time, your dinos will be left unattended, and there’s a good chance a wild Rex or pack of raptors will kill them before you respawn and get back. Keep your best tames safe at the base until you have better gear and waypoints set up to get back to your death location fast.
If you end up loving 2 player play, you can upgrade to a non-dedicated local server that supports up to 4 total players later, so you can invite more friends over for group survival runs. You will need Xbox Live Gold if you want friends from outside your house to join the server, but for local players on the same console, you still don’t need a subscription.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to set up 2 player on ARK Xbox One opens up a totally new way to enjoy one of the most popular survival games on the console. You get all the fun of taming dinos, building crazy bases, and exploring massive maps without the stress of online PVP or random players ruining your hard work. It’s perfect for rainy days, game nights with friends, or even playing with your kids if you want a more family-friendly co-op experience. If you run into any weird glitches we didn’t cover here, drop a note and we’ll help you troubleshoot.