‘Split Fiction’ Is Putting Up Stunning User Scores, Playercount Numbers

It is hard to understand just how badly people seem to want to return, at least at times, to an era of co-op video games that can either A) be played on a couch with a physical person next to you and/or B) are co-op but do not involve trying to win battle royales or team deathmatches. Enter Split Fiction.

The new game from Hazelight studios is a conceptual follow-up to It Takes Two, the 2021 GOTY winner which has now sold 23 million copies. And if current numbers are anything to go by, Split Fiction is shaping up to be a massive hit, and a GOTY contender in its own right.

As it stands, Split Fiction is the fifth most played on Steam, behind only eternal staples CS2, PUBG and Dota 2, along with the monstrous launch of Monster Hunter Wilds. As I write this, it has 258,000 concurrent players and still climbing, a departure from the launch of It Takes Two, which peaked at 71,000 (this December!), and at launch, it only had 21,000 or so. And of course we know how successful that game was.

Split Fiction is also one of the most-played games on PlayStation right now, behind again, the hugely successful Monster Hunter Wilds, and staples it was never going to pass like NBA 2K25, Fortnite and Call of Duty. In that context, this is an excellent performance.

Past playercount, Split Fiction is also the best-reviewed game of 2025 so far with a 91 metascore, making it an easy GOTY contender like It Takes Two. A potential winner, even, as the voting bodies generally appreciate more innovative, less traditional games like last year’s Astro Bot, for instance. GOTY 2025 is mainly about whether or not GTA 6 actually makes it out this year (I have my doubts) but who knows, maybe again, Split Fiction could come off as more creative and significant, even facing off against what is probably going to be the biggest game in history. Regardless, in addition to critics, fans are loving it, and it has a stunning 95% Overwhelmingly Positive Steam score with a full 12,000 reviews in right now. No controversies, no real debates over it being overrated. Just pure success and appreciation.

Despite only being two months into 2025, it’s easy to see Split Fiction being one of the most important releases of the year, and cements Hazelight as one of the most talented studios in the industry and I wonder if it may even drive more creativity in gaming overall rather than endlessly printed shooter sequels, but that remains to be seen. I certainly hope so.

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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.