Whilst an Elden Ring crossplay feature would be cool, there are many factors to consider when imagining its actual feasibility.
The game’s multiplayer mechanics are robust, offering both co-op and PvP elements to enhance your single-player experience. Portals throughout the Lands Between indicate that you can be invaded at any point by enemy players, so it’s best to stay on your guard and steer clear if you don't want to rumble.
Although player interaction and game-hacking are key aspects of Elden Ring's expansive fantasy realm, the current multiplayer function is a little restrictive in terms of platform crossplay potential.
FromSoftware has a fondness for tough bosses and challenging enemy encounters. In this regard, Elden Ring is no different from other games in the developer’s repertoire in that its brutal difficulty spikes can leave the casual gamer throwing down their controllers in a rage.
But whilst most challenging games feature a crossplay element as a built-in mechanic, the same doesn't go for the number 1 Soulslike of 2022.
That raises the question: does Elden Ring support crossplay? Here’s everything you need to know about the game’s crossplay options - and whether we can expect a broader spectrum from the feature sometime in the future.
Everything to know about Elden Ring crossplay
Elden Ring crossplay: can PC and console players play together?
No, at least probably not in the way you want. Elden Ring offers crossplay for systems in the same family. So, Xbox One, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X players can all play together. That goes for PS4 and PS5 players, too. You can summon your buddy who was lucky enough to get their hands on a next-generation console, or go back and help a buddy who hasn’t been yet.
That being said, the game does not feature crossplay between console families. PC players won’t be able to help console players, and Xbox and PlayStation players won’t be able to play with one another either. It’s a real shame too, as Elden Ring offers a great opportunity to help one another through difficult content.
Elden Ring crossplay: will we get it someday?
On this, we don’t know. There is no official word from Bandai Namco or FromSoftware. Not even a tease of the potential down the line, so right now it isn’t looking great.
Going by precedent, probably not. Thus far, no "Soulsbourne" game has ever enabled crossplay. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the last multi-platform game from the studio, never received the feature.
For the time being, there is no reason to believe that crossplay will ever come to the game.
That being said, the functionality has become much more prominent since the release of Dark Souls 3 so there is a possibility it will be revisited as a possibility down the line. Right now, though, don’t count on it coming.
