Gaming enthusiasts are counting down the days to Split Fiction, the latest cooperative adventure from Hazelight Studios and Electronic Arts. The game is set for a worldwide release on March 6, 2025, launching on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S at a price of $49.99. In a move that underscores its focus on next-generation technology, Split Fiction will skip PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, ensuring an experience tailored exclusively for modern hardware.
Hazelight’s Co-Op Legacy Continues
Hazelight Studios, led by Josef Fares, has built a reputation for pushing the boundaries of cooperative gameplay. The studio’s previous releases, A Way Out (2018) and It Takes Two (2021), redefined how two-player experiences could be woven into compelling narratives. It Takes Two became a critical and commercial success, earning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. With Split Fiction, Hazelight aims to elevate the co-op genre further, blending sci-fi and fantasy elements into a seamless, interactive journey.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2001120/Split_Fiction/
A Unique Sci-Fi/Fantasy Adventure
At the heart of Split Fiction is an innovative world-switching mechanic that dynamically shifts between science fiction and fantasy settings. Players will control Mio and Zoe, two authors trapped in a surreal simulation that blends their respective literary worlds. This interplay between two distinct realities introduces fresh gameplay challenges, requiring players to coordinate movements, solve puzzles, and tackle combat scenarios that demand seamless teamwork.
Unlike traditional multiplayer games, Split Fiction is exclusively co-op—you must play with a partner, either locally or online. The game also supports cross-platform play, meaning PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players can team up without restrictions.
Friend’s Pass: Play With a Friend for Free
One of the game’s standout features is Friend’s Pass, a model previously introduced with It Takes Two. This allows players to invite a friend to play for free, even if the friend doesn’t own the game. This feature eliminates barriers to entry and makes Split Fiction an accessible experience for friends looking to embark on a cooperative adventure without committing to two separate purchases.
Pre-Orders, Platforms & Steam Deck Compatibility
With just a week before launch, Split Fiction is available for pre-order and wishlist on major platforms, including Steam and the EA App for PC users. Notably, the game has been confirmed as Steam Deck compatible, meaning players can enjoy the experience on the go without technical limitations.
A Must-Play Co-Op Experience
With its genre-blending world, engaging puzzles, and seamless cooperative mechanics, Split Fiction is poised to be a landmark title in the co-op gaming space. Given Hazelight’s track record and the success of It Takes Two, expectations are high for yet another award-winning multiplayer adventure. As the release date approaches, fans eager to dive into this unique sci-fi/fantasy world can gear up for what may be one of 2025’s most innovative gaming experiences.
Key Takeaways
- Split Fiction launches March 6, 2025 for $49.99 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S platforms.
- The game features cooperative multiplayer-only gameplay that blends sci-fi and fantasy elements.
- Developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts, Split Fiction requires two players to navigate ever-changing mechanics and abilities.
Release Information
Split Fiction is set to launch on March 6, 2025, across multiple platforms. Players can secure their copy through pre-orders available now at $49.99.
Official Release Date
Split Fiction will release on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at specific times across different regions. The game will launch at 8 AM PST / 11 AM EST / 4 PM GMT / 4 PM UTC.
This highly anticipated action-adventure title from Hazelight Studios will be available simultaneously worldwide. The studio has confirmed there will be no early access period or staggered release schedule.
Players should note that while the release time is set, some digital storefronts may allow pre-loading before the official launch date. This gives fans the opportunity to download the game beforehand and play immediately when servers go live.
Pre-Order Details
Pre-orders for Split Fiction are currently available across all platforms at $49.99. Players can purchase the game through:
- PlayStation Store (PS5)
- Microsoft Store (Xbox Series X|S)
- Steam (PC)
- EA app (PC)
Those interested can also add the game to their wishlist on these platforms to receive notifications about any pre-release promotions. No special editions or pre-order bonuses have been announced yet.
The game blends sci-fi and fantasy elements in a cooperative gameplay experience. Pre-ordering guarantees access to the full game on release day, allowing players to immediately jump into adventures like escaping a supernova, participating in dance battles, and mastering hoverboard tricks.
Platform Availability
Split Fiction will be available on multiple platforms starting March 6, 2025. The game is designed for current-generation hardware only, with specific options for both PC gamers and console players.
PC Gaming Options
PC players will have two main options to purchase and play Split Fiction. The game will be available on Steam, giving players access to their extensive digital storefront and community features. Additionally, EA is offering the title through their own EA App platform.
The PC version requires current-generation hardware to run properly, as the game will not be compatible with older systems. While specific system requirements haven’t been fully detailed in the search results, players should expect specifications similar to other modern action-adventure titles.
Priced at $49.99, PC gamers can already place pre-orders through both platforms. This gives players the ability to download the game ahead of its March 6 release date and be ready to play as soon as it launches.
Console Support
Split Fiction is exclusively targeting current-generation consoles. The game will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with no plans for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One releases.
This focus on newer hardware likely allows the developers at Hazelight to create more technically impressive gameplay without being constrained by older console limitations. The decision follows the industry trend of gradually shifting development resources to current-generation platforms.
Console players can pre-order the title now for $49.99. The game has also been confirmed to work on Steam Deck, giving handheld gaming enthusiasts another way to enjoy Split Fiction’s cooperative gameplay experience.
Both PlayStation and Xbox versions will launch simultaneously with PC on March 6, 2025, at 8 a.m. PST as part of a worldwide release.
Gameplay Overview
Split Fiction offers an innovative mix of sci-fi and fantasy elements within its gameplay. The title focuses on cooperative experiences that blend unique mechanics, changing environments, and creative challenges.
Gameplay Mechanics
Split Fiction builds on Hazelight Studios’ expertise in creating engaging cooperative experiences. Players will encounter a variety of ever-changing mechanics that blend sci-fi and fantasy elements. The game features diverse scenarios ranging from escaping a supernova to engaging in dance battles with monkeys.
Movement and traversal appear to be key components, with hoverboard tricks and gravity bikes mentioned in promotional materials. These vehicles likely provide unique ways to navigate the game’s environments.
Combat systems include confrontations with unusual enemies like an “evil kitty,” suggesting lighthearted but challenging encounters. The gameplay seems designed to constantly surprise players with new mechanics and situations.
Co-Op Features
Split Fiction is built from the ground up as a cooperative experience, following Hazelight’s successful formula from previous titles like It Takes Two and A Way Out. The game can be played with a friend either locally or online.
The cooperative elements appear central to both storytelling and gameplay challenges. Players must work together to overcome obstacles, with complementary abilities likely required to progress.
Hazelight Studios describes the game as “pushing the boundaries of the co-op genre further than ever,” suggesting innovations beyond their previous award-winning titles. The cooperative experience allows players to venture together into the blended sci-fi and fantasy world.
The game emphasizes teamwork through unexpected and action-packed challenges designed specifically for two players.
Exclusive Gameplay Elements
Split Fiction introduces several unique gameplay features not seen in previous Hazelight titles. The game blends genres with scenarios that include riding “gravity bikes” and “sandsharks” through various environments.
Players will experience physics-based challenges and simulations that require coordination between partners. The game promises diverse scenarios including dance battles, hoverboard tricks, and escaping natural disasters.
Environmental interaction seems to be a focus, with promotional materials mentioning the ability to “ride everything from gravity bikes to sandsharks.” These elements suggest a gameplay experience that constantly shifts between different mechanics and physics systems.
The varied gameplay elements appear designed to keep the cooperative experience fresh throughout the adventure, with new mechanics likely introduced regularly to challenge players’ coordination and problem-solving skills.
Narrative and Setting
Split Fiction presents a compelling narrative blending sci-fi and fantasy elements within a rich, immersive world. The story takes players across multiple dimensions where technology and magic coexist, creating unique gameplay scenarios and memorable character interactions.
Main Characters and Roles
Split Fiction centers around protagonists Mio and Zoe, two friends who find themselves caught between colliding worlds. Mio brings analytical skills and technological expertise to the partnership, while Zoe possesses intuitive abilities connected to the fantasy elements of the game.
The duo must navigate their complementary skills through increasingly complex scenarios. Their friendship forms the emotional core of the narrative, with dialogue that evolves based on player choices and cooperative actions.
Secondary characters include Professor Lark, a scientist who accidentally triggered the dimensional overlap, and the mysterious Keeper, a being who exists between realms and guides the protagonists on their journey.
Players must work together to leverage each character’s unique abilities, creating genuine cooperative gameplay where neither character can succeed alone.
Sci-Fi and Fantasy Elements
Split Fiction uniquely intertwines advanced technology with magical elements. The sci-fi world features futuristic cities with hovering transport systems, AI companions, and energy-based weapons. Players will use advanced gadgets including gravity manipulators and time dilation devices.
The fantasy realms contrast sharply with medieval-inspired landscapes, magical creatures, and spell-casting systems. Dragons, magical forests, and ancient ruins populate these areas, providing visual variety and different gameplay mechanics.
What makes Split Fiction stand out is how these elements interact. A technological shield might be powered by magical energy, or a fantasy creature might be controlled through scientific means.
The game introduces “dimensional rifts” where sci-fi and fantasy elements blend unpredictably, creating unique puzzle-solving opportunities. Players must master both technological tools and magical abilities to progress through these challenging sections.
World Building
The game’s setting spans multiple interconnected realms, each with distinct visual styles and governing rules. The central hub, “Nexus City,” serves as a meeting point between technology and magic where players can upgrade abilities and receive new missions.
Environmental storytelling plays a key role in Split Fiction. Ancient ruins contain technological artifacts, while futuristic laboratories house magical phenomena. These details reveal the history of how the dimensions began to merge.
The world responds dynamically to player actions. Choosing science-based solutions might cause technology to flourish in certain areas, while favoring magical approaches transforms environments differently.
Weather systems and day-night cycles affect gameplay mechanics across both sci-fi and fantasy settings. Night brings magical creatures in fantasy realms, while technological systems might function differently during solar storms in sci-fi zones.
Exploration rewards players with lore fragments that piece together the larger narrative of how the dimensions came to overlap and what might happen if they fully merge.
Multiplayer Options
Split Fiction offers a comprehensive multiplayer experience that builds on Hazelight Studios’ reputation for innovative cooperative gameplay. The game provides several ways for players to enjoy its sci-fi and fantasy adventures together.
Online Co-Op Details
Split Fiction is designed exclusively as a cooperative experience, requiring two players to navigate its unique challenges together. Unlike traditional co-op games, Split Fiction doesn’t allow for solo play with AI companions.
Players must work together to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles using their character-specific abilities. The game features distinct mechanics for each player, creating interdependent gameplay where communication is essential.
The cooperative adventure offers a seamless experience with synchronized save progress. Both players can earn achievements and trophies regardless of who hosts the session.
Voice chat is integrated directly into the game, though players can use platform-specific party systems if preferred. The game supports drop-in/drop-out functionality, allowing friends to join ongoing sessions without restarting.
Crossplay Capabilities
Split Fiction embraces full cross-platform play across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Players can team up with friends regardless of which platform they own.
Crossplay is enabled by default but can be toggled off in the settings menu. The game uses EA account linking to facilitate connections between different platforms.
Players can easily invite friends through an in-game friend list that displays online status across all platforms. The matchmaking system prioritizes connection quality to minimize lag during cross-platform sessions.
PC players can connect with console friends through Steam, Epic Games Store, or EA App. The crossplay implementation includes shared leaderboards and unified community events across all platforms.
The Friend’s Pass System
The Friend’s Pass feature returns in Split Fiction, allowing one player who owns the game to invite a friend to play the entire adventure for free. This generous system has been expanded to work across all platforms.
Setting up a Friend’s Pass session is straightforward. The owner sends an invitation through the game’s menu, and the recipient downloads a free companion app to join. No time restrictions or level limitations apply to Friend’s Pass players.
The invited friend gets access to all game content while playing with the owner. Progress is saved for both players, and if the friend later purchases the full game, their achievements and progress carry over.
Friend’s Pass players can earn achievements and trophies on their respective platforms. The system supports cross-platform invitations, allowing PC players to invite friends on consoles and vice versa.
Developer and Publisher
Split Fiction is being developed by Hazelight Studios, known for their innovative co-op games, with Electronic Arts publishing the title under their EA Originals label. This partnership brings together creative game design and strong publishing support.
Hazelight Studios Profile
Hazelight Studios has established itself as a leader in cooperative gaming experiences. Founded by Josef Fares, the studio previously created the award-winning title It Takes Two, which received critical acclaim for its innovative co-op gameplay mechanics.
The studio specializes in creating games that require two players working together to progress through the story and overcome challenges. Their focus on cooperative play has become their signature approach to game development.
Hazelight’s commitment to pushing co-op gaming boundaries continues with Split Fiction, which blends sci-fi and fantasy elements. The game features various mechanics including escaping a supernova, dance battles, and hoverboard tricks, showcasing the studio’s creative versatility.
Electronic Arts Partnership
Electronic Arts is publishing Split Fiction through its EA Originals program. This publishing label focuses on supporting innovative independent studios by providing them with resources while allowing creative freedom.
The partnership between Hazelight and EA began with their previous collaboration on It Takes Two. The success of that project has strengthened their relationship, leading to this new venture.
EA Originals has been instrumental in bringing unique gaming experiences to market while giving developers the support needed to realize their creative visions. This publishing model benefits both parties—Hazelight receives publishing infrastructure while EA diversifies its portfolio with innovative titles.
For Split Fiction, Electronic Arts is handling the multi-platform release across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via both Steam and the EA app, making the game widely accessible when it launches on March 6, 2025.
Related Titles
Split Fiction’s upcoming release joins a lineage of cooperative action-adventure games with unique narrative structures. Hazelight Studios has built a reputation for creating distinctive multiplayer experiences that blend story and gameplay in creative ways.
Previous Hazelight Releases
Hazelight Studios, the team behind Split Fiction, has previously delivered two critically acclaimed cooperative adventures. Their most recent title, It Takes Two (2021), won multiple Game of the Year awards for its innovative split-screen gameplay and emotional story about a divorcing couple transformed into dolls.
The game received praise for its constantly evolving mechanics and varied environments. Players needed to work together to overcome challenges, with each character having unique abilities.
Before that, Hazelight released A Way Out (2018), a prison break adventure requiring two players to coordinate their actions. This narrative-driven experience featured split-screen gameplay that showed both characters’ perspectives simultaneously.
Similar Genre Influences
Split Fiction’s dual-world concept draws inspiration from several action-adventure titles while carving its own path. Games like Portal 2 demonstrated how cooperative puzzle-solving could create memorable gameplay moments between friends.
The genre-blending approach of switching between sci-fi and fantasy worlds echoes titles like The Medium, which utilized dual-reality gameplay. However, Split Fiction focuses this concept specifically on cooperative play.
Trine series and Unravel Two established precedents for physics-based cooperative adventures where players must combine different abilities to progress. Split Fiction appears to expand on this formula with its world-switching mechanics and varied gameplay challenges.
Accessibility and Extras
Split Fiction includes numerous accessibility options and additional content beyond the main campaign. Players can expect customizable difficulty settings and various extras that enhance the overall gaming experience.
Side Stories and Additional Content
Split Fiction offers engaging side stories that complement the main adventure. These optional quests provide additional challenges and rewards for players looking to explore the game world further.
The game features unique environmental storytelling elements that reveal more about the blended sci-fi and fantasy universe. Players can discover hidden areas containing lore items and collectibles throughout their journey.
One notable side activity involves challenging a monkey to a dance battle, showcasing the game’s quirky humor. Players can also master hoverboard tricks in dedicated areas, adding a fun distraction from the main storyline.
The Nintendo Switch version reportedly includes exclusive side content, though details remain limited at this time.
Membership Benefits
PS Plus subscribers will receive exclusive cosmetic items and early access to certain side quests. These bonuses include unique character skins and decorative items that don’t affect gameplay balance.
Online play features enhanced matchmaking for subscribers, making it easier to find co-op partners. This is particularly valuable since Split Fiction is designed as a cooperative experience.
EA Play members get a 10-hour trial before the official March 6th release date. This gives subscribers a head start on the adventure while allowing them to test compatibility with their systems.
Both subscription services offer discounts on future DLC content planned for the game. Players can expect regular post-launch support with additional missions and gameplay features.
