Modern Split-Screen Racing Games with Free Roam: Forza Horizon, The Crew 2, and Alternatives

Split-screen + open-world free roam is rare today due to:

• Online focus: Devs prioritize online multiplayer over local.
• Technical cost: Rendering world twice kills framerate on consoles.
• Design complexity: Syncing two players in a seamless world is hard.

Recent Games with Both (Limited)

• Forza Horizon 4 & 5 (Xbox/PC): 2-player split-screen in "Free Roam" mode (private session). Graphics/framerate reduced. Huge open world.
• The Crew 2 (PS4/Xbox/PC): Split-screen racing; massive US open world. Free roam together but mission progress tied to host.
• Trackmania (2020) (PC/Console): Split-screen racing; track-based, not open world.

Better Bets for Split-Screen Racing

• Older games: Midnight Club: LA, Burnout Paradise, NFS Most Wanted (2005), MotorStorm, Split/Second, Blur—all on PS3/360/PC.
• PC "Couch Co-op" titles: Search Steam for "Shared/Split Screen" + "Racing" + "Open World" tags.

Caveats

• Split-screen often halves resolution/framerate.
• Free roam together may restrict activities (no missions, limited distance).

Forza Horizon 4/5 is the closest modern premium experience.