What Crossplay Means and Why It Matters
Crossplay, also called cross-platform play, allows gamers on different systems—PlayStation, Xbox, or PC—to join the same online session seamlessly. Imagine playing on a PS5 while your friend uses a PC, and still summoning them for co-op battles or facing off in PvP invasions.
For a game like Elden Ring, where multiplayer adds strategy, unpredictability, and excitement, crossplay could expand your pool of allies or rivals. It proves especially valuable against tough bosses like Malenia or Mogh, where teamwork often determines victory.
Elden Ring and Crossplay: The Reality
Here’s the hard truth: Elden Ring does not support full crossplay across platform families. This means you cannot team up with friends on different ecosystems, such as PlayStation and Xbox, or PC and console. FromSoftware designed the multiplayer system to operate primarily within platform families, which limits matchmaking to players on the same type of device.
For example, PlayStation players on PS4 and PS5 can connect with each other seamlessly, but they cannot join sessions with Xbox or PC players. Similarly, Xbox players on Xbox One and Series X/S can only play with others on Xbox consoles, while PC players are limited to sessions with other PC users. This platform-specific design ensures stability and consistency but restricts cross-platform cooperative play.
Despite this limitation, Elden Ring does support cross-generation play within each platform family, allowing friends using different console generations to join the same multiplayer sessions. This means a PS4 player can team up with a PS5 friend, or an Xbox One player can connect with a Series X/S user, preserving co-op functionality across console updates. While full crossplay would be ideal, these provisions still allow many players to enjoy cooperative adventures with friends on the same platform family.
Why Elden Ring Lacks Full Crossplay
FromSoftware prioritizes creating deeply immersive single-player experiences, with multiplayer functioning as a complementary feature. Implementing full crossplay across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC would require complex server coordination, technical adjustments, and robust anti-cheat systems—particularly on PC, where hacking and exploits can disrupt co-op and PvP gameplay. Ensuring a smooth and fair experience across all platforms presents significant challenges for developers.
Many console players actually appreciate this limitation. By restricting multiplayer within platform families, matches are protected from potential PC cheaters, maintaining balanced PvP encounters and fair cooperative gameplay. This approach safeguards the integrity of online interactions, ensuring that invasions, duels, and cooperative boss fights remain challenging yet fair.
Community discussions, such as those on Reddit, highlight the trade-offs. Fans acknowledge that crossplay could expand the player pool, reducing wait times for summons and invasions, but it might also compromise balance and stability. Ultimately, FromSoftware’s decision reflects a deliberate focus on preserving game integrity and consistent multiplayer experiences, rather than broadening cross-platform connectivity at the risk of performance or fairness
Elden Ring: Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree
Fans eagerly anticipating Elden Ring: Nightreign, the multiplayer-focused roguelike spin-off released in 2025, should be aware that crossplay remains unavailable. PC players are limited to joining other PC users, while console players remain confined to their respective platform families. Although cross-generation play is supported within each family, allowing, for instance, PS4 and PS5 players to connect—there is still no full cross-platform multiplayer capability.
The same structure applies to the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, which retains the existing multiplayer restrictions. FromSoftware chose not to implement crossplay for these expansions to ensure server stability and prevent fragmentation of the player base. By keeping multiplayer within platform families, developers maintain smoother connections, reduce technical complications, and provide a consistent gameplay experience across all supported platforms.
Despite the absence of cross-platform functionality, both Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree still offer rich multiplayer experiences within each platform family. Players can enjoy cooperative boss fights, competitive invasions, and collaborative exploration without worrying about mismatched performance or cheating risks, preserving the quality and balance that FromSoftware is known for.
Cross-Progression: Can You Transfer Your Progress?
Many players wonder whether Elden Ring supports cross-progression, allowing save files to transfer between different platforms. Unfortunately, the game does not support this feature. Your character, inventory, achievements, and overall progress remain tied to the platform on which you are playing.
For example, if you begin your journey on a PS5, you cannot move your Tarnished character, gear, or game progress to a PC or Xbox. This restriction applies across all platform families, meaning players must continue their adventure on the original system to maintain continuity. Attempting to switch platforms without starting anew will result in the loss of saved progress.
According to sources such as Esports.net, this limitation is intentional to maintain server stability, fair multiplayer interactions, and consistent gameplay experiences. For players planning long-term progression or co-op sessions, it is crucial to choose your platform carefully and commit to it, ensuring that your journey through the Lands Between remains uninterrupted and fully preserved.
How Elden Ring’s Multiplayer Operates
Even without full crossplay, Elden Ring delivers a robust multiplayer experience:
- Cooperative Play: Leave summon signs using the Tarnished’s Furled Finger. Friends activate your sign to join your world if they share the same platform family. Using a Furlcalling Finger Remedy lets you see signs in your world, enabling smooth coordination for bosses and dungeons.
- Invasions: Players can invade other worlds for PvP battles, restricted to the same platform family to preserve fairness and balance.
- Password System: Set a multiplayer password so only friends with the same code can see your summon signs. This simplifies coordination with your crew.
- Cross-Gen Support: PS4 and PS5 players connect, as do Xbox One and Series X/S players. This setup benefits friends who have not upgraded yet.
Following these steps and ensuring everyone shares the same in-game password and region maximizes multiplayer enjoyment, even with platform limitations.
Will Elden Ring Ever Receive Crossplay?
The community hopes for crossplay, but as of mid-2025, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco have not announced plans to implement it. Fans voice strong interest, especially after Nightreign’s release, yet FromSoftware historically prioritizes gameplay depth over cross-platform features, as seen with Dark Souls.
The industry trend leans toward crossplay, so future titles may include it. However, Elden Ring itself remains unlikely to receive full cross-platform integration.
Elden Ring’s multiplayer remains highly engaging, even with cross-gen play restricted to platform families. Players can enjoy co-op and PvP with friends on PS4/PS5 or Xbox One/Series X/S, while PC users remain confined to their ecosystem.
Although crossplay and cross-progression limitations may frustrate groups spanning multiple platforms, the multiplayer experience still delivers rich, rewarding gameplay. Features like the password system and cross-gen support ensure you can coordinate effectively with friends.
For Nightreign and Shadow of the Erdtree, the multiplayer rules stay consistent: no crossplay, but full cross-gen play within the same platform family. For now, focusing on your platform ensures you enjoy the best multiplayer Elden Ring has to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Is Elden Ring Crossplay
Is Elden Ring crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC ?
Elden Ring does not feature full crossplay between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Players on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 can connect with each other, and Xbox One players can join with Xbox Series X|S users through backward compatibility, but cross-platform play between consoles and PC is not supported. This means if you are playing on a PC, you cannot directly summon or invade players on a PlayStation or Xbox system. FromSoftware has kept multiplayer interactions restricted to families of consoles rather than offering universal crossplay.
Can PS4 players join PS5 players in Elden Ring?
Yes, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 users can play together in Elden Ring thanks to cross-generation support. This feature allows players who have not upgraded to the latest console to still enjoy co-op adventures or PvP battles with friends using the PS5. However, it is important to note that this compatibility is limited to PlayStation systems only, meaning Xbox and PC players remain outside of this shared pool.
Does Elden Ring have cross-save or cross-progression?
Elden Ring does not support cross-save or cross-progression between different platforms. This means that if you start your journey on PlayStation, your progress cannot be transferred to PC or Xbox, and vice versa. Within the same console family, you may carry progress forward through backward compatibility, but there is no universal system that allows data transfer between all platforms. Players must remain on the same ecosystem to keep their characters, equipment, and achievements.
Why doesn’t Elden Ring have full crossplay support?
FromSoftware has not officially explained why Elden Ring does not include crossplay, but there are several likely reasons. One factor is technical limitations, as balancing seamless multiplayer interactions across three major ecosystems can be challenging. Another reason is server management, since different platforms often operate with unique online infrastructures. Finally, security and anti-cheat concerns on PC may have influenced the decision to limit multiplayer pools. While many players would love to see universal crossplay, it is currently not part of the design.
Will Elden Ring get crossplay in future updates?
As of 2025, FromSoftware has not announced plans to bring full crossplay to Elden Ring. Updates and expansions such as the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC have added new content, balance changes, and improvements, but none have introduced cross-platform functionality. While fans continue to request this feature, there is no official indication that it will be implemented. Players looking for cooperative or competitive experiences should expect multiplayer to remain within each console family and PC separately.
