Split-screen on PC
Half-Life
Up to 32 players on one PC, with controllers, keyboard and mouse or several keyboards and mice.
Handler “Half-Life 1” by Talos91, version 4
What works
With Nucleus Co-op, up to 32 players can play Half-Life 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 “Half-Life 1” by Talos91 does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 4, updated . Half-Life is a shooter, puzzle and adventure game from 1998.
- Players32
- ControllersSupported
- Keyboard and mouseSupported
- Several keyboards and miceOne per player
- Hub moderatorsVerified
How to play Half-Life 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.
Install the Half-Life handler
In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Half-Life and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Half-Life is installed.
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 Half-Life 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
- Half-Life 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 32 copies
Each player runs their own copy of Half-Life, 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
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Disable Steam Input for this game in Steam for the input devices to work correctly.
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Create a LAN server (untick Steam Networking) in one instance and join in the others via find servers-LAN tab, press escape in-game so you can join in the other instances with your main mouse cursor.
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If you use keyboards/mice after all the instances have launched, resized and positioned correctly, press the END key once to lock the input for all instances to have their own working cursor and keyboard, you need to left click each mouse to make the emulated cursors appear after locking the input. Press the END key again to unlock the input when you finish playing. If you use controller instances with kbs/m instances make sure the controller instances are unfocused before locking the input.
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If the buttons in your gamepad do not do anything in-game open the console with the key under Escape and write: exec controller.cfg then press enter, press that key in all instances by alt-tabbing.
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Edit the gamepad.cfg in the Nucleus folder handlers/Half-Life/ if you want to change the gamepad buttons mapping.
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Known issue: controller instances do not play music when unfocused.
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Read the FAQ if you have any further questions and want to know more about Nucleus Co-op.
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Handler by Talos91 and Mikou. Please support the Nucleus Co-op team if you like our work.
About Half-Life
Dr. Gordon Freeman doesn't speak, but he's got a helluva story to tell. This first-person roller-coaster initiated a new era in the history of action games by combining engrossing gameplay, upgraded graphics, ingenious level design and a revolutionary story that may not be all that it seems, told not through cutscenes, but through the visual environment.
Summary from IGDB
Half-Life screenshots
Version history
- v4Current
controller fix, mapping works on first time now.
- v3
fixes, gamepad support added and triggers fix by Mikou.
- v2
error fix
- v1
First Release
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