Split-Screen Co-op
Java Edition does not render two players in one window, so couch co-op means two clients on one PC joined over Open to LAN, each with its own controller. Control Flex supports that setup in two specific ways: controller ownership and unfocused windows that keep playing.
What You Need
- Two or more Minecraft accounts — offline accounts are fine. Two different offline usernames in the same launcher are enough; you do not need a second Microsoft account.
- Two gamepads, or one gamepad plus keyboard and mouse.
- A launcher that can run two instances at once (see below).
- Control Flex installed in each instance that uses a gamepad.
- Optional: Splitscreen Support (window tiling only, no input handling).
Launchers That Can Do This
What matters is real instance isolation — one folder of mods/, config/ and saves per instance. These launchers give you that out of the box, so two clients can run side by side without fighting over the same files.
| Launcher | Notes |
|---|---|
| Prism Launcher | Windows · macOS · Linux — open-source MultiMC fork with true instance isolation: each instance has its own mods/, config/, saves and Java version. Offline accounts are added right on the Accounts page. |
| ATLauncher | Windows · macOS · Linux — keeps an explicit instance list with one folder each, and can import CurseForge / Modrinth packs. |
| HMCL | Windows · macOS · Linux — its version isolation keeps one game directory per version, and offline login is supported. |
| PCL2 | Windows — version isolation keeps one game directory per version; launching a second version prompts once, and confirming it starts the second client. |
| X Minecraft Launcher | Windows · macOS · Linux — manages everything as instances, each with its own mods and settings, and supports offline accounts. |
| Modrinth App | Windows · macOS — instances are kept apart from each other; Linux support is still experimental. |
Steps
- Create one launcher instance per account; keep both windowed (not fullscreen).
- Install the mods: Control Flex in the gamepad instances, optionally Splitscreen Support too.
- Launch both. Two pads: pick a different controller in each game's Gamepad Selection. Pad + keyboard: assign the pad in the gamepad instance only.
- Press F3+P in each window to disable Pause on Lost Focus (or change it in video options) — the unfocused window must keep running; the pause screen also shows a hint.
- Host on one instance (Open to LAN); join from the others from the multiplayer list, or via
localhostplus the port shown.
Picking a Look Mode
- Use Direct Turn or Smooth Turn in background windows.
- Simulate Mouse cannot drive the OS cursor in a background window and falls back to Direct Turn automatically — use Direct or Smooth everywhere to avoid the switch.
“Input stealing” is the classic two-pad problem: SDL3 reports devices honestly, but both clients might pick the same one. Just assign different devices in Gamepad Selection. When a pad disconnects, Control Flex auto-selects the first available one, so keep each player on their own device.
Related: Camera & Aim (look mode details) and Seven Layers (each player keeps their own template and config).