--- key: mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer type: mechanic id: keyboard--family-multiplayer lang: en title: Cooperative and competitive play summary: >- Players receive separate areas of one keyboard. Overcooked! 2 supports splitting a computer keyboard between two local players. updatedAt: '2026-10-22' status: active url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer/' jsonUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer.json markdownUrl: >- https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer.md aliases: [] tags: - Physical keyboard interactions - Social rule sourceIds: - source-7912c3939a369c5f - source-723fc17981719a00 sources: - id: source-7912c3939a369c5f title: Overcooked! 2 url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' verifiedAt: null - id: source-723fc17981719a00 title: 'Team17: local split keyboard' url: 'https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq' verifiedAt: null relations: [] placements: - catalogId: keyboard id: family-multiplayer title: Physical keyboard interactions url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/keyboard/#family-multiplayer' categoryIds: - section-8 supersededBy: [] attributes: preview: updatedAt: '2026-10-22' title: Cooperative and competitive play description: >- Players receive separate areas of one keyboard. Overcooked! 2 supports splitting a computer keyboard between two local players. image: src: images/mechanics/strategy-overcooked2-08.webp width: 1440 height: 810 game: Overcooked! 2 sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' originalUrl: >- https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/728880/ss_a87a245229d8196f25301685d991467412e9fef8.1920x1080.jpg?t=1789548883 credit: Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17 rights: © Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17. All rights reserved. caption: 'Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer' alt: 'Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer' markers: - x: 13 'y': 7 label: Orders show required dishes and ingredients - x: 48 'y': 34 label: Stoves and plates form a preparation chain tips: - >- Test combined inputs on ordinary keyboards and leave enough room for both players’ hands. examples: - title: Overcooked! 2 url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/' - title: 'Team17: local split keyboard' url: 'https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq' endsAt: null provenance: >- Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. license: CC-BY-4.0 codeLicense: MIT attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors catalogKey: catalog/keyboard --- # Cooperative and competitive play id: keyboard--family-multiplayer type: mechanic key: mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer lang: en status: active url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/keyboard--family-multiplayer/ Players receive separate areas of one keyboard. Overcooked! 2 supports splitting a computer keyboard between two local players. ## At a glance ![Orders, workstations and a shared kitchen timer](https://gamemechanics.pro/images/mechanics/strategy-overcooked2-08.webp) [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) · © Ghost Town Games Ltd. / Team17 / Team17. All rights reserved. 1. Orders show required dishes and ingredients 2. Stoves and plates form a preparation chain - Test combined inputs on ordinary keyboards and leave enough room for both players’ hands. - [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) - [Team17: local split keyboard](https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq) ## How it works One surface or several devices are shared between participants. ## Variants ### Variants and applications - Split keyboard. Action: Players get different non-overlapping areas of the same keyboard. Application: Local combat, race, cooperative puzzle. Conditions: Need to check general combinations and have enough space for hands. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - General character. Action: Different participants are responsible for different parts of the control of one entity. Application: One moves the robot, the other controls the gripper; crew of one ship. Conditions: The program checks commands from zones; the identity of the person pressing is usually unknown. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - Joint chord. Action: Participants simultaneously hold or press their keys for a common result. Application: Open a cooperative lock, create a common musical chord. Conditions: Without observation, it cannot be proven that the keys were pressed by different people. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - Input relay. Action: The right to enter commands is transferred in turn. Application: Joint story, rhythmic relay race, device repair in stages. Conditions: With one keyboard, the actual performer is determined by the agreement. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - Confrontation for a common goal. Action: Participants enter commands to one object; decides the order, time or application. Application: Dispute for the direction of the ship, auction for an action, capture of the general cursor. Conditions: Determine the arbitration of conflicting events. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - Musical or work ensemble. Action: Each zone performs an independent part in the overall composition. Application: Keyboard duet, multi-station assembly, synchronized crew operation. Conditions: Feedback should allow everyone to see their task. Equipment: Regular keyboard. - Two keypads with identification. Action: The same keys on different devices belong to different players. Application: Full local game, typing competition, individual musical parts. Conditions: An API that distinguishes devices is needed; the normal stream of browser events does not separate them. Hardware: System API. - Distributed keyboard. Action: Each participant enters part of the shared state on his device through the network. Application: Mass musical performance, collective control panel, remote cooperation. Conditions: This is a network mechanics; delays and assignment of participants must be taken into account. Equipment: Additional channel. ## Context and limits Author's working classification for designing games and interactions. Options can overlap and combine; the list is not a generally accepted standard or proven exhaustive list. Application examples are conditional unless a specific verifiable observation is indicated nearby. Sources support individual techniques and technical limitations. ## Connected materials ## Sources and provenance Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review. - [Overcooked! 2](https://store.steampowered.com/app/728880/) (id: source-7912c3939a369c5f) - [Team17: local split keyboard](https://www.team17.com/news/overcooked-2-faq) (id: source-723fc17981719a00) CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors