Game-breaking Black Ops Cold War splitscreen bug makes players invisible
ActivisionCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s split-screen multiplayer is struggling as players share a nightmarish, game-breaking bug that renders them and their opponents completely invisible.
In the olden days, the problem with split-screen gameplay was solely that your friends (or, more appropriately, your enemies) could take a peek at your side of the screen and figure out where you were. Now, the extreme inverse is true: players can’t see anyone on their screen, just an assortment of floating guns.
According to various reports on Reddit, it seems that the initial multiplayer match played on split-screen may work decently (albeit with hints of lag) — but things begin to deteriorate quickly. Numerous users explained that in subsequent games, their teammates and enemies would be completely invisible.
While footage of this bizarre bug confirms its existence in multiplayer, players report that it also exists in Zombies modes. That’s even worse, as zombies don’t carry the guns that split-screeners are forced into using to figure out where people are in MP.
As seen in the clip shared by ‘Bradwtv’ on Reddit, teammates and enemies are rendered completely invisible in this frustrating bug. Instead, only the players’ guns (and sometimes their strapped secondary weapons) can be seen floating around.
Of course, when aiming down a lane, that results in getting beamed by a sea of bullets without any chance to know where exactly you’re being shot from. This makes multiplayer practically unplayable and there appears to be no permanent fix at the moment.
A variety of different responses on Reddit show real differences in experiences, some with no issues on PS5 and some with even more annoying problems (‘Need2askDumbQs’ complained of “PS2 levels of terrible” graphics). Ultimately, the consensus centers on a buggy, underserved split-screen experience.
ActivisionCall of Duty has been home to split screen for years. While Modern Warfare’s version may not have been perfect, by all accounts it was relatively usable. In the past, split-screen gameplay paved a foundation for the FPS world — now, fans are understandably upset as the option is disregarded.
Although current events make it unlikely that people are setting up split-screen parties and eating up online multiplayer lobbies together, this invisibility bug is still pressing for others. Numerous players commented explaining that they’re frustrated they can’t play together with their partner while stuck at home.
At present, the sole temporary solution seems to be quitting multiplayer and zombies after each match or restarting your system. Both are unideal, so fans will be eager to find out if the developers address these issues in the coming weeks.