Split Fiction Cross-Play And Friend's Pass Free Access Explained

EA and Hazelight Studios have revealed information about how Split Fiction's Friend's Pass and cross-play between different platforms work. There's even a free trial for players who don't own the game.

Similar to Hazelight's previous co-op games like It Takes Two and A Way Out, Split Fiction also offers a Friend's Pass. This allows players who bought the game to connect with someone who doesn't have a copy, and play through the game in its entirety. But this time, Split Fiction's version has some expanded features that weren't in those previous games, such as cross-platform play.

How does Split Fiction's work?

The first step is that one person has to own the game, whether it'd be a physical or digital copy. The next step is to have a buddy download Split Fiction's Friend's Pass on their chosen platform, whether it'd be PC, PlayStation, or Xbox through their respective digital storefronts. Just be aware that if you and your friend are playing on different platforms, for example PC and PlayStation, both of you need an EA account.

Next, the person who owns Split Fiction should send an in-game invite to their friend, whom then accepts the invite. Once that step is completed, both players can play through the entire game together.

What happens if neither of you own the game? No problem. The Friend's Pass offers a free trial for both players which includes the opening stages of Split Fiction. Both players will need to download the Friend's Pass version of the game, and once either of you purchase the full game, progresses can be continued.

Another aspect to note is that in It Takes Two and A Way Out, the player who was on the Friend's Pass version did not unlock trophies or achievements on their platform, while the one who owned the game did. At least in A Way Out, if the player on the Friend's Pass decides to purchase the full game later on, they will retroactively earn the trophies and achievements they would have unlocked while on the pass. It's unknown whether this is the same case for Split Fiction.

How does cross-play in Split Fiction work?

It Takes Two and A Way Out didn't have cross-play, meaning that both players had to be on the same platform in order to play with each other. However, It Takes Two had cross-gen play, meaning that PS4 and PS5 players and Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players could play with each other as long as they were on the same platform family.

Split Fiction is only on current-gen consoles, so cross-gen play doesn't exist. However, Split Fiction now offers cross-play, meaning that PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S players can all play together. Cross-play requires both players to sign up for separate EA accounts each, which you can make for free.

Hazelight also has a Discord server with a channel called "Looking for Player" for those who want to play Split Fiction with but don't have anyone available to arrange game sessions.

Split Fiction launches on March 6 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. In other related news, director Josef Fares recently shared his thoughts on AI, and also said that Hazelight Studios will never make a live-service game.

For more Split Fiction coverage, be sure to check out GameSpot's Split Fiction preview.