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The Nucleus Co-op alternative where every player gets a whole screen and a Windows account of their own.

Hydra Multi-Seat is a Nucleus Co-op alternative that gives each person a whole screen of their own, with their own keyboard, mouse, sound and Windows account on one Windows 10 or 11 PC, at full graphics-card speed. Each person runs their own games and apps the way two PCs would, with no handler or setup per game.

One PC, a seat for everyone: Hydra Multi-Seat in under two minutes.

What Nucleus Co-op does

Nucleus Co-op describes itself as a tool for Windows that starts several instances of a game on one PC and places their windows on one screen as split-screen. It works through a handler written for each game.

What you get with Hydra

Hydra Multi-Seat works for the whole PC, so nothing is set up per game. Each person has a whole screen, keyboard, mouse, sound and Windows account of their own, starts their own games and apps, and sees only their own windows, at the full speed of the graphics card. Add a seat or move a screen to another seat without restarting the PC.

	Nucleus Co-op	Hydra
What each person gets	A game window, resized and placed in a share of one screen	A whole screen of their own, or several
Setup	A handler for each game, with notes for each handler in the Nucleus UI	One setup for the PC; no handler or setup per game
Which games	Its FAQ says Nucleus does not add multiplayer to single-player games, so a game needs LAN, online or mod-based multiplayer	Each person runs their own apps and games on their own desktop, the way two PCs would
Game libraries	Its FAQ says most handlers expect the Steam version and Xbox Game Pass games are unsupported	Each person has their own Windows account and game library
Keyboards, mice and controllers	Its FAQ says most handlers detect XInput controllers only, and some are gamepad-only	Keyboards, mice and controllers belong to a seat

Nucleus Co-op facts are from its own public pages, read on 1 November 2026. If something has changed, tell us and we'll correct it.

One license for every seat

Hydra Multi-Seat starts with a free 7-day trial with every feature. After the trial you pay monthly, yearly, or once for a lifetime license at the launch price. One license covers every seat on the PC, and your first payment is refunded within 14 days. The pricing page shows the prices in your currency.

What you need to start

Windows 10 and 11 (x64).
A graphics card from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel.
For each person, a screen, a keyboard and a mouse.

Start the 7-day free trial with every feature and give each person a whole PC. Read the download page for the installer and why Hydra for what each seat gets.

Questions people ask

What is an alternative to Nucleus Co-op?

Hydra Multi-Seat. Instead of dividing one screen between game windows, it gives each person a whole screen, keyboard, mouse, sound and Windows account on one Windows PC.

Do I need a setup for each game?

No. Hydra works at the level of the whole PC, so each person starts their games and apps the way they would on a PC of their own.

Does every player get a full screen?

Yes. Each person has a screen of their own, or several, and sees only their own windows.

Can we play different games at the same time?

Yes. Everyone runs whatever they like on their own desktop, the way two PCs would.

What does it cost, and can I try it first?

You can try every feature free for 7 days. After that you pay monthly, yearly, or once for a lifetime license at the launch price, and one license covers every seat on the PC. Your first payment is refunded within 14 days. The pricing page shows the prices in your currency.

Try Hydra Multi-Seat on your own PC.

Every feature is free for 7 days. After that you pay monthly, yearly, or once for a lifetime license at the launch price. One license covers every seat on the PC, so you never pay per seat. The pricing page shows the prices in your currency.

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