By the time Elden Ring came out in 2022, the cult following FromSoftware had been building had breached the mainstream. The massive risk of going open-world paid off big time as millions of players have flocked to the game since release, even going back for seconds with the amazing Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Just like older titles, Elden Ring makes use of a (cryptic) multiplayer system, allowing you to explore the Lands Between with a buddy by your side if you find a boss or two a bit too challenging to take on alone. Even on our third, fourth, and fifth playthroughs of the game, we’re not ashamed to say we rely on summoning a friend for a few bosses to this day. But is Elden Ring a cross-platform game, or are you stuck playing with folks on the same platform as you?
Here’s everything you need to know about whether or not Elden Ring is cross-platform after all the updates and DLC has come out.
Despite all the new content, balance changes, and other tweaks FromSoftware has made to the game since its launch, Elden Ring still does not have cross-platform support. You’ll never be able to explore with your friend on PC if you’re playing on a console, or vice versa.
This is unlike games like Lords of the Fallen and Space Marine 2, which at least allows for partial cross-platform support, or games like Apex Legends with full cross-platform support.
The only slight consolation we can say is that Elden Ring does have cross-gen support. This means that if you’re playing on either of the PlayStation systems –the 4 or 5 — then you can all play together in co-op or competitively. The same goes for both Xbox systems, with PC being left isolated as well. We’ve tried every method (including mods) but no console player can match up with anyone on PC. Whatever system you get the game on, you can only play with people on that same system.
What is perhaps even more surprising is that the multiplayer spinoff game, Elden Ring: Nightreign will also not have cross-platform support. That tells us that this is an issue too deeply engrained in the code or engine of the game since the two are built using the same bones.
At the very least, Elden Ring does offer free generation upgrades, such as for PS4 to PS5, for anyone who might not have their hands on the new systems yet but still want to pick up the game.
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