Is Elden Ring cross-platform?

By Jesse Lennox Updated August 2, 2024

Four players fight in an Elden Ring colosseum. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

When it launched in 2022, Elden Ring was an immediate hit. The challenging game took everything great from previous FromSoftware titles and merged it with a sweeping open world to explore — letting players venture in any direction just a few minutes after starting the game. That also made it incredibly daunting. Not only did you have to contend with nightmarish monsters and rage-inducing combat, but you had to figure out how to best reach your next destination without stumbling upon enemies that were twice your skill level.

Thankfully, Elden Ring makes use of a (cryptic) multiplayer system, allowing you to explore the Lands Between with a buddy by your side. You can also read and leave messages for other players, giving them tips and tricks to guide their journey. But is Elden Ring cross-platform, 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.

Is Elden Ring cross-platform?

A tall statue towers over a foggy land in Elden Ring. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Unfortunately, Elden Ring does not have cross-platform support. You’ll never be able to explore with your friend on PC if you’re playing on console.

What the game does have is 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. 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.

There’s also no information about cross-play arriving with the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, so it seems that you’ll be stuck playing with folks on the same platform for the foreseeable future. The expansion will, however, give you tons of new content to explore. This includes new weapons, equipment, skills, and magic — not to mention new enemies and boss encounters.

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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Action Games

Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…

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The Concord cast eating in a diner.

Hero shooters, fighting games, and RPGs are the best examples of game genres where picking the right character makes the biggest difference. Each game wants to be balanced, especially competitive ones like Concord, but that only gets more difficult the more characters that are included. Concord has a large roster of 16 Freegunners, and no two are exactly alike. Each one has a unique weapon, two abilities, and tweaks on their movement options at least. Unlike a lot of other games in the genre, these heroes aren't cleanly divided into roles like Tank, DPS, or Healer. Instead, you need to experiment with each one to figure out which you like and which always get you eliminated. That, or you could let us give you the inside info on which are the best characters in Concord right now.
Lennox -- the best self-sufficient DPS
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One look at Kyps' design will tell you almost everything you need to know. She's a spy character and meant to be played as one. Her pistol deals good damage, but her low HP pool means you want to stay out of direct firefights. She's best for objective game modes since she can place traps around the map that will ping enemies if they pass through to reveal their locations. Her other tool is a grenade that shreds shields and disables enemy abilities. If things get a little too hot, she also gets temporary invisibility after a dodge to make a sneaky getaway.
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