Split-screen on PC

Need for Speed: The Run

Up to 8 players on one PC, with controllers.

8Verified handler

Handler “Need for Speed: The Run” by birden, version 1

P4+4 more players

What works

With Nucleus Co-op, up to 8 players can play Need for Speed: The Run together on one PC, each in their own part of the screen, with controllers. The free community handler “Need for Speed: The Run” by birden does the setup and was checked by hub moderators: version 1, updated 19 Dec 2024. Need for Speed: The Run is a racing game from 2011.

Players8
ControllersSupported
Keyboard and mouseNot supported
Several keyboards and miceNot supported
Hub moderatorsVerified

How to play Need for Speed: The Run 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 Need for Speed: The Run handler
In Nucleus Co-op, search the Hub for Need for Speed: The Run and install its handler, or download the handler file from this page and drop it on the Nucleus window. Then show Nucleus where Need for Speed: The Run 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.
Launch and connect
Press Launch: Nucleus opens one copy of Need for Speed: The Run 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
Need for Speed: The Run 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: Xbox, PlayStation or generic pads. Controllers
A PC that can run 8 copies
Each player runs their own copy of Need for Speed: The Run, 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

Video tutorial/showcasing: https://youtu.be/TxDQcK_IEEg

YOU WILL NEED NFSTR LAN MOD ALREADY INSTALLED IN YOUR GAME FILES: https://nfsmods.xyz/mod/5541 MAKE SURE IT WORKS BEFORE TRYING SPLITSCREEN! Also turn on V-SYNC to not have problems as this is an old game.

The handler comes with 100% save files for all players.

Thanks to Hypercycle for making NFS The run possible under LAN.

About Need for Speed: The Run

Need for Speed The Run lures players into an underground world of illicit, high-stakes racing. The heat is on - and it isn't just the fuzz who are after you. Entering the race is just the beginning as you blow across borders, weave through dense urban traffic, rocket down icy mountain passes and navigate narrow canyons at breakneck speeds. Powered by DICE's state-of-the-art Frostbite 2 engine, Need for Speed The Run takes the action racing genre to new heights with stunning visuals and car physics that hug the road even at top speeds all built around a gripping storyline. The cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story will have you at the edge of your seat… all the way from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Empire State building.

Summary from IGDB