If this method doesn't work initially, you can also try the reverse order: start and control the game with the keyboard/mouse first, then press the . One of these two sequences should enable the hybrid control scheme.
For over a decade, PC players were left out. But in a surprising turn of events, in February 2023, Capcom released an unexpected update for the Steam version of Resident Evil 5 . The primary goal was to remove the long-defunct Games for Windows Live (GFWL) DRM, which was causing compatibility issues on modern systems. But as a massive bonus, this update also fully restored official, built-in split-screen co-op support back into the game.
The original RE5 engine polls for input devices in a strict order: Keyboard, then Mouse, then Controller #1, then Controller #2. By forcing the split-screen mod to reserve the keyboard for P1 and the controller for P2, the mod avoids a fatal error where both players’ inputs get written to the same memory address. In layman’s terms:
: Once you are in-game and controlling your character (Chris), press START on your controller or ESC on your keyboard to have the second player (Sheva) join. If this method doesn't work initially, you can
If the native method fails or you want more robust control, these community tools are recommended:
Copy all extracted files (typically including an ini configuration file and a modified dinput8.dll ) into your main Resident Evil 5 installation directory.
The UI will display your connected peripherals. Drag the to the first screen segment (Player 1) and the Gamepad icon to the second screen segment (Player 2). But in a surprising turn of events, in
Today, the game enjoys a best-of-both-worlds scenario. You can play using two controllers for a seamless, drop-in experience. Or, for that unique PC gaming advantage, you can use the tried-and-true community method to give one player the precision of a mouse and the other the comfort of a controller on the same screen. After over 15 years of waiting and community-led innovation, the definitive PC co-op experience is finally here.
Have you successfully set up keyboard + controller split-screen? Share your .ini tweaks and performance tips in the comments below. For more PC co-op modding guides, subscribe to our newsletter.
Most PC games that support split-screen (think It Takes Two or Gears of War ) allow two controllers, or two keyboards, or any combination thereof. Resident Evil 5 is different. Due to how the game engine hard-codes input devices for Player 1 and Player 2, the exclusive, functional reality is this: The original RE5 engine polls for input devices
The definitive solution to play requires using a specialized community modification called the Nucleus Co-Op tool .
Playing using one keyboard and one controller simultaneously requires third-party modification tools . While Capcom officially brought local co-op features to console versions, the PC version lacks native, out-of-the-box support to split inputs between a keyboard and a gamepad for a single machine.
The latest version of Nucleus Co-Op or the Resident Evil 5 Quality of Life Fix (by Maluc) .