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Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary in Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) does not have native split-screen on PC. Halo Support says PC players can play with friends over the Xbox network, “but you can’t use splitscreen.” For local co-op on one PC, a community workaround uses Nucleus Co-Op to run separate MCC instances and connect them over a LAN session. The documented setup is for the Steam edition, and it is not an official Halo feature or a guaranteed fix.
What you need to know before setting it up
- Campaign player limit: Halo: Combat Evolved campaign co-op is designed for two players. MCC’s broader multiplayer and other campaigns may support more players, but that does not change Halo CE’s two-player campaign limit.
- Platform covered: The community setup guide documents the Steam edition of MCC. It does not establish that the same method works with other storefronts or the older standalone Windows release of Halo: Combat Evolved.
- Controllers: Have one controller for each player. The guide recommends Xbox-style controllers; Nucleus must detect and assign each controller to its own game instance.
- Unofficial software: Nucleus Co-Op is a third-party workaround. Its handler and the game can change, and results may vary with your PC, MCC build, controllers, and handler revision.
Set up Halo CE co-op with Nucleus Co-Op
These steps follow the community guide for Steam MCC. Nucleus’s current installation and handler instructions take precedence if its interface or requirements have changed.
- Install Nucleus Co-Op. Download it and follow the current extraction and installation instructions on the Nucleus guide. The page suggests a
C:NucleusCo-opfolder, but treat that as an example rather than a permanent requirement. - Add the MCC handler. Open Nucleus Co-Op, choose Add New Games, and find and install the Halo Master Chief Collection handler.
- Choose the game executable. When prompted, select
MCC-Win64-Shipping.exe. The guide lists this example Steam path:C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonHalo The Master Chief CollectionMCC-Win64-Shipping.exe. If MCC is installed in another Steam library or drive, browse to its actual location instead. - Sign in to Steam. Launch Steam and sign in before starting the Nucleus session; the guide says MCC needs an active Steam session for its LAN setup.
- Assign controllers. Press a button on each controller so Nucleus detects it, then assign one controller to each player instance. Check the assignments before launching so both players do not control the same instance.
- Launch both instances. Start the game instances from Nucleus and wait for them to load. In the first instance, select Campaign > Co-Op > LAN to host. In the other instance, join the LAN campaign.
If the setup has problems
The game does not find a LAN session
Confirm both instances have loaded, that the host selected the campaign’s LAN option, and that the other instance is joining the LAN campaign. The Steam Community guide also describes switching the in-game network mode to LAN, but it is older; use the current Nucleus handler instructions if they differ.
Both instances respond to one controller
Recheck Nucleus’s per-instance controller assignments. The community guide suggests disabling Steam Input for MCC if a controller controls more than one instance. This is a troubleshooting suggestion, not a guaranteed solution; controller behavior can depend on the Steam setup and handler version.
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Native split-screen versus the workaround
| Option | What it provides | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Native MCC PC support | No split-screen for PC, according to Halo Support. | Play with friends over the Xbox network instead; that is not local split-screen on one PC. |
| Nucleus Co-Op workaround | Runs separate MCC instances and connects them through LAN. | Third-party setup documented for Steam; requires controller assignment and may depend on the current handler, game build, hardware, and controller behavior. |
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