PC and PS5 at a glance
BeamNG’s 0.40 release announcement and patch notes describe the feature on both platforms. The PC maximum is a technical ceiling, not a recommendation for a playable session.
| Feature | PC | PS5 |
|---|---|---|
| Local players | Up to 64, hardware permitting | Up to 4 |
| Input assignment | Multiple devices can be assigned to a player | Devices are assigned through the console operating system |
| Community mods | Available on PC | Not available on PS5 |
Both versions are in Early Access. BeamNG’s PS5 comparison also says saved vehicles, progress and settings cannot be transferred from PC to PS5. If you want a different sort of virtual build, compare the options in our car customization games guide.
Start a session
For a first try, use two players and supplied vehicles. This is a simple starting point, not a minimum requirement. Install available game updates and make sure the devices you intend to use are recognized before starting.
- Open the main menu and add participants to the split-screen session.
- Choose Freeroam or a supported game mode. If you are already in a level, use Pause Menu → Split-Screen instead.
- Check which devices belong to each player. On PC, a player can use multiple devices, such as a wheel and pedals, while another uses a gamepad. On PS5, device assignment is handled through the console’s operating system.
- In Freeroam, choose each player’s vehicle and make any desired adjustments one player at a time.
- Start with a short, repeatable activity. If someone joins later or the layout needs changing, open Split-Screen Settings to adjust the roster, layout or assists without restarting the session.
The developer’s menu labels may change in later updates. If a car needs a saved setup first, our BeamNG customization guide walks through parts, tuning and configurations.
Choose an activity
Freeroam is a useful place to get used to sharing the display. The release also documents seven competitive modes; choose one based on what your group wants to do rather than trying to tune every setting first.
| If you want to… | Try |
|---|---|
| Explore and get comfortable with the controls | Freeroam |
| Compare driving on a course or straight | Race or Drag Race |
| Chase or collide | Pursuit or Derby |
| Practice car control | Drift or Rock Crawling |
| Play a ball game with cars | Soccer |
Pick a short activity for the first session and check that each driver can see and control their own vehicle. Once that works, change assists or try another mode. A smaller view can make a familiar car feel different, so give everyone time to adjust.
When something goes wrong
| Problem | First check |
|---|---|
| Split-Screen is missing | Check your game version and install available updates; the feature arrived in 0.40. |
| A device controls the wrong player on PC | Review device assignments for each participant in the session. |
| The session feels sluggish | Reduce the number of participants or vehicles and try again; the PC ceiling depends on hardware. |
| Pursuit or a wheel behaves unexpectedly | Update first, then check the relevant device setup. The 0.40.2 notes list fixes for Pursuit and several wheel and pedal issues. |
| Nodegrabber is unavailable | BeamNG disabled it in split-screen because it caused instability. |
The 0.40.2 hotfix notes describe fixes for Pursuit police configurations, steering and some pedal bindings. A later 0.40.3 patch also addressed issues, so check for all available updates rather than stopping at a particular hotfix. Updating is a first diagnostic step, not a guarantee that every device issue is resolved.
Local play, online play and real cars
Split-screen means players share a local display. The developer’s split-screen instructions do not establish an online PC-to-PS5 cross-play workflow. PS5 also lacks the mod repository, according to BeamNG’s platform comparison, so PC mod instructions should not be treated as console setup steps.
For a different shared-play experience, the Car Mechanic Simulator 2027 demo guide covers its announced online co-op demo. BeamNG’s simulated cars can be entertaining ways to explore ideas, but they do not establish how a real modification will perform. Our guide to optimizing a real car as a system explains why related components matter; the acceleration modifications guide covers real-world choices and tradeoffs.
For your first evening, choose two stock vehicles, confirm each player’s controls and run one short activity twice. Then change one setting or switch modes so you can tell what made the session more enjoyable.
Sources and scope
Checked October 27, 2026 against the linked BeamNG developer documentation. This is a researched setup guide, not a hands-on test. The hero is a general car-customization illustration, not a BeamNG screenshot.