Split-screen on PC

Borderlands

Up to 4 players on one PC, with controllers, keyboard and mouse or several keyboards and mice.

4Verified handler

Handler “Borderlands” by Talos91, version 5

What works

With Nucleus Co-op, up to 4 players can play Borderlands together on one PC, each in their own part of the screen, with controllers, keyboard and mouse or several keyboards and mice. The free community handler “Borderlands” by Talos91 does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 5, updated 11 Mar 2025. Borderlands is a shooter and role-playing game from 2009.

Players4
ControllersSupported
Keyboard and mouseSupported
Several keyboards and miceOne per player
Hub moderatorsVerified

How to play Borderlands split screen on PC

Get Nucleus Co-op
Download Nucleus Co-op, free for Windows 10 and 11, and unzip it into its own folder, for example C:\NucleusCo-op. There is no installer.
Keep it out of Program Files, your user folder and OneDrive.
Download Nucleus Co-op
Install the Borderlands handler
In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Borderlands and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Borderlands is installed.
Download the handler file (.nc)
Take a seat
Each player presses a button on their own controller to join and takes a spot on the screen. Pick a layout that fits your players.
Playing with several keyboards and mice? Press End once everything is in place to give each window its own cursor.
Launch and connect
Press Launch: Nucleus opens one copy of Borderlands per player and lays the windows out on your screen. Then link them in game, usually one player hosts a LAN or online session and the others join it. The handler notes say how.

What you need

A Windows 10 or 11 PC
Nucleus Co-op runs on Windows only. System requirements
Borderlands for Windows
Installed on that PC. Nucleus starts every player's window from that one install.
Nucleus Co-op, free
With .NET Framework 4.7.2 or later and the Visual C++ 2015–2022 runtimes (x86 and x64). Download
Something to play with
One controller per player, or one keyboard and mouse per player. Controllers · Keyboards and mice
A PC that can run 4 copies
Each player runs their own copy of Borderlands, so the PC carries several times the usual load. Lower the graphics settings if it struggles. Performance tips
A multiplayer mode
Nucleus links the windows through the game's own LAN or online mode; the handler takes care of it.

Handler notes

Works for both regular Borderlands 1 and Borderlands GOTY (not GOTY Enhanced).

Authors and Contributors of this handler: Talos91 from the Split Screen Dreams Discord and the original authors of the first Nucleus Co-op handler including lucasassislar.

About Borderlands

With its addictive action, frantic first-person shooter combat, massive arsenal of weaponry, RPG elements and four-player co-op, Borderlands is a breakthrough experience that challenges all the conventions of modern shooters. Borderlands places you in the role of a mercenary on the lawless and desolate planet of Pandora, hell-bent on finding a legendary stockpile of powerful alien technology known as The Vault. Role Playing Shooter (RPS) - combines frantic first-person shooting action with accessible role-playing character progression. Co-Op Frenzy - Fly solo in single player or drop in and out with up to 4 Player Co-Op online for a maniacal multiplayer experience. Bazillions of Guns - Gun lust fulfilled with rocket-launching shotguns, enemy-torching revolvers, SMGs that fire lightning rounds, and tons more. Radical Art Style - New visual style combines traditional rendering techniques with hand-drawn textures to create a unique and eye-catching spin on the First Person genre. Intense Vehicular Combat - Get behind the wheel and engage in intense vehicle-to-vehicle combat.

Summary from IGDB