Does Split Fiction Have Mini Games? | Side Story Facts

If you came from It Takes Two, the wording can be confusing. Split Fiction is packed with short, playful detours, but the game does not treat them as a separate versus mini-game set with a scoreboard and rematch loop. The side content is woven into the co-op campaign.

That makes the answer a little better than a flat no. You won’t pause the story to pick darts, chess, or a tug-of-war style contest from a menu. You will step into portals, swap mechanics, and play bite-size scenarios that feel like mini games in motion.

What Counts As A Mini Game Here?

In Split Fiction, the closest match is the Side Story system. These are optional portal sequences found inside main chapters. EA describes Side Stories as out-of-place portals that lead Mio and Zoe into worlds built from unfinished ideas they wrote when they were younger, which is why each one feels separate from the current chapter.

They are not throwaway rooms. A Side Story can change the rules for both players, add a new vehicle, toss you into a chase, or ask you to solve a co-op task with a fresh trick. The tone stays playful, but the design still belongs to the main adventure.

Why The Confusion Makes Sense

Hazelight has history here. It Takes Two had clear competitive mini-games, with tiny arenas that let Cody and May face each other. Split Fiction leans toward shared side missions instead. The two players are usually working together, not trying to beat each other’s score.

That matters if you’re choosing the game for couch co-op. If your group wants repeatable party-game rounds, Split Fiction won’t scratch that itch in the same way. If you want set-piece chaos, odd jobs, and sudden genre swaps, it gives you plenty.

Split Fiction Mini Games And Side Stories, Clearly Explained

The clean way to frame it is this: Split Fiction has mini-game energy, not a mini-game mode. The game keeps changing what Mio and Zoe can do, which makes many sections feel like self-contained challenges. The labels are different, but the moment-to-moment fun is close enough that players ask the question for a reason.

What You Should Expect While Playing

• Optional portals tucked inside chapters, not a standalone arcade menu.
• Co-op tasks built for two players, often with each person doing a different job.
• Short bursts of new movement, vehicles, hazards, or puzzle logic.
• A return to the main chapter after the Side Story ends.
• No classic party-game scoreboard for most of these detours.

The official EA Side Stories article describes examples such as mountain climbing, riding sandfish, snowboarding under fire, water-skiing, and a spacewalk gone wrong. Those aren’t standard menu mini games, but they do act like compact co-op events.

This structure helps the campaign stay lively without making you manage a side menu. You see a portal, call your partner over, and decide if you want to step in before pressing on. If you skip one, the main plot still moves.

Mini Game Feel Compared With Side Story Design

The table below separates the terms, because this is where most searches get muddy. Some players use “mini game” for any short activity. The game itself frames the bigger optional detours as Side Stories.

Feature	How Split Fiction Handles It	Player Takeaway
Standalone menu	No dedicated mini-game selection menu is the main hook.	You find activities during chapters.
Optional content	Portals lead to Side Stories away from the current stage.	You can chase extra variety without stopping the campaign flow.
Competition	Most side moments lean co-op, not player-versus-player.	Good for pairs who prefer teamwork.
Replay feel	Chapter replay can help you revisit missed scenes, depending on your progress.	Good for trophy hunting and missed portals.
Length	Side Stories tend to be longer than tiny arcade rounds.	They feel closer to short missions.
Mechanics	The game swaps abilities, movement, vehicles, and hazards often.	Variety comes from changing rules.
Rewards	Completion feeds the sense of seeing more of Mio and Zoe’s ideas.	Worth doing if you like extra scenes.
Best fit	Players who enjoy story-led co-op detours get the most from it.	Less ideal for short party rounds.

So, if a friend asks whether Split Fiction has mini games, the clean reply is: not the old Hazelight style, but yes in feel. You’ll find optional bursts of play that change the rules, then drop you back into the main route.

How Side Stories Change The Pace

The Side Stories work because they break rhythm without pulling the two-player bond apart. One minute you might be handling fantasy-style movement. Soon after, you’re thrown into science-fiction action with a different rule set. Hazelight’s own Split Fiction page lists platforming, stealth, puzzles, and more as part of the game’s range.

That range is the point. Split Fiction rarely asks you to repeat one trick for long. When a Side Story begins, both players get a shared reset: new problem, new controls, new rhythm. It keeps the co-op chat alive because both people need to react, call things out, and laugh when a plan falls apart.

Are They Worth Doing?

Yes, Side Stories are worth doing if you enjoy the playful parts of Hazelight games. They add more oddball scenes and let the writers’ ideas bend the rules for a while. They also help the campaign feel less like a straight hallway.

If you only care about the main story, you can treat portals as extras. The better choice for most pairs is to enter them when found. They are short enough to keep momentum, but packed enough to feel like a reward for being curious.

The EA Friend’s Pass page says one owner can invite a friend to play online for free, and crossplay works across named platforms. That helps if you and your partner own different hardware, since the side content is better when both people can join the same session.

Best Way To Play The Optional Challenges

Split Fiction is built around two people reading the room together. Talk before jumping into a portal if one player wants to push the main story and the other wants every extra scene. A simple plan avoids missed content and keeps the session easygoing.

Player Goal	Best Choice	Why It Works
See more oddball scenes	Enter every portal you find.	Side Stories carry the mini-game feel.
Finish the main plot sooner	Skip portals on the first run.	The main chapter keeps moving.
Play with a casual partner	Let the more patient player lead portal checks.	Less backtracking and less friction.
Hunt trophies or achievements	Track missed Side Stories through replay options.	Cleaner than restarting the whole game.
Recreate the It Takes Two vibe	Choose portals and playful set pieces often.	Closest match to short, surprising side play.

When Mini Game Fans May Feel Let Down

Some players want a scoreboard. They want to replay a tiny contest ten times and roast their partner after each loss. Split Fiction is less about that loop. Its side content is more cinematic, more cooperative, and more tied to Mio and Zoe’s story.

That isn’t a flaw, but it changes the purchase decision. Buy it for two-player spectacle, shifting mechanics, and optional portal missions. Don’t buy it mainly for a library of separate party games.

Final Take For Co-Op Players

Split Fiction does not have mini games in the classic menu-based sense. It has Side Stories, small activities, and chapter moments that deliver the same short burst of variety many players want from mini games.

For most pairs, that is the better fit for this game. The side content keeps both players on the same team, folds back into the campaign, and gives the adventure more texture. If you’re searching because you loved the bite-size surprises in It Takes Two, don’t skip the portals. That’s where Split Fiction hides its closest answer.