Elden Ring’s world is massive, brutal, and unforgettable—but when you’re knee-deep in a boss fight that makes you question your life choices, there’s one thing that crosses every player’s mind: Is Elden Ring cross-platform play? Can my friend join to help me kill the tough boss even if they’re on a different system?
FromSoftware’s open-world masterpiece may have nailed just about everything else, but crossplay isn’t one of its triumphs. Let’s break down how multiplayer works in Elden Ring, what kind of cross-platform support it has, and whether you should keep your crossplay hopes up for the future.
Elden Ring’s Multiplayer System Explained
Like previous Dark Souls and Bloodborne, the multiplayer in Elden Ring isn’t a standard matchmaking lobby or invite-based co-op. Instead, it uses the classic FromSoftware summon and invasion mechanics.
Players can use summon signs to call others into their world for co-op help, get invaded by PvP opponents looking for a fight, or interact through bloodstains and messages that mark other players’ experiences across the Lands Between. This semi-connected world makes it like playing with thousands at once, but the network limitations behind it are… well, old-school, and that’s where Elden Ring crossplay, or the lack of it comes into the picture.
Is Elden Ring Cross Platform?
No, not in the way modern games usually do. Elden Ring does not support proper cross-platform between PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. If you’re on PC, you’ll only encounter and play with other PC gamers. Likewise, PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems are completely separate.
Thankfully, Elden Ring does have cross-generation support within each console family:
- PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 players can summon, invade, and co-op together in a lobby.
- Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S players can do the same within Microsoft’s gaming platforms.
But a PS5 player can’t play together with someone on PC, and an Xbox raider won’t be invading a PlayStation lobby either.
Why Doesn’t Elden Ring Support Crossplay?
It’s easy to wonder why FromSoftware hasn’t implemented crossplay in its top-selling Soulsborne when almost every big multiplayer game—from Apex Legends to Baldur’s Gate 3—manages to provide cross-platform. The reason is likely due to the complexity of technical and design choices.
- Separate Network Infrastructures: Sony, Microsoft, and PC platforms all run on completely different online systems. Crossplay between them needs sync authentication, server management, and data pipelines—a big headache for a game studio whose multiplayer system was built long before crossplay was industry standard.
- Game Balance and Cheat Concerns: PC modding is part of gaming culture, but for competitive or co-op play, it’s a problem. FromSoftware has kept console and PC player pools separate to prevent exploits, performance mismatches, and the unfair play that comes with open PC architecture.
- FromSoftware’s Priorities: The developers have never built their games around multiplayer first. Their strategy for co-op and PvP is meant to improve the single-player gameplay, not define it. Crossplay has not been their focus, and with their tried-and-true system working as intended, they have had little incentive to rewrite the rules.
Will Elden Ring Get Crossplay in the Future?
We don’t know; neither FromSoftware nor Bandai Namco has given any statement if they will introduce crossplay anytime in the future. Even after the Shadow of the Erdtree and Nightreign DLCs and continuous patches released down the road, this one section remains unclear from the devs’ end.
History doesn’t give a good picture either. No Soulsborne title—Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Demon’s Souls—has supported cross-platform. It doesn’t mean they’re ignoring the demand, but FromSoftware’s network code and game structure weren’t built for it. To make it happen, they’d need to restructure a big backend chunk, something that rarely a thing mid-life for any title.
Despite FromSoftware’s track record, fans are still clamouring for this feature, and they have a point. The success of other big-hit cross-platform games has shifted people’s expectations, and now, fans want to play with friends to face the Elden Ring’s toughest boss fights, no matter what system they have.
Developers have made it clear that adding crossplay to the game isn’t something you can switch on – it’s a whole technical overhaul, not a quick flick of a switch. As online infrastructure keeps evolving, who knows, maybe a future re-release or sequel might finally break the wall between platforms. Until then, the only way to fight side by side with your friends is to stick to the same console family or all download the game on PC and see what the mod scene offers.
