Is Elden Ring Cross Platform?

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Cody has been in the video game business as part of media and content creation for more than 10 years. During that time, he has contributed and even led some of the largest sites in the world dedicated to gaming and entertainment. He has also dabbled some in PR and was a tester for Activision in the past working on the Call of Duty series. When not playing games or writing about them, he enjoys cooking, sharpening his Japanese skills, and watching the latest anime shows.

How Elden Ring Multiplayer Works

Elden Ring continues the trend of mainly having convoluted and confusing multiplayer methods. This game is, arguably, even more, confusing at times than some of the past FromSoftware games since it has more options than past titles from the developer have offered.

The online multiplayer options fall into two main categories: starting a multiplayer session for others to join you and joining another player’s game. Neither one of these is as easy as other modern online games since it doesn’t let you just pick an option quickly from a menu.

Cross-Region Multiplayer Explained

While cross-platform multiplayer isn’t an option in Elden Ring, what is a choice is cross-region play. At the very least, players across the world can play with one another, which was extremely helpful for me during 2022 when Elden Ring first came out.

I was living in Japan at the time, while all of my online gaming friends were in North America and Europe. Even though you still have to be on the same platform as one another, there is at least the option to play with other regions of the world.

This can even be helpful for people who are nocturnal or play games at weird times since you could connect with players in other regions who are awake at that time.

How Multiplayer Works Across Console Generations

In addition to cross-region multiplayer, Elden Ring allows its online multiplayer to work between console generations. So, while Xbox can’t play with PlayStation, there are, technically, multiple different consoles that can play with one another online.

For instance, last-generation PS4 users on Elden Ring can play with the current generation of PS5 players. On the other hand, Xbox One players can join with Xbox Series X and S players to play the game online. This isn’t the optimal solution for the entire situation, but it at least boosts some of the platform numbers.

How to Play Multiplayer

In the end, players who want to play online with others in Elden Ring will need to deal with the unique situation it has going on. First and foremost, you need to decide what type of online experience you want to have. Do you want others to join your game session, or do you want to join someone else’s game?

There are a couple of benefits to both of these. For instance, you might need help with a particular boss fight. If that is the case, you’ll undoubtedly want to have someone join your game and ensure you have the utmost potential of finally beating the boss who has stumped you.

On the other hand, you might want to play with someone else and don’t have a particular objective in mind. In this case, joining someone else’s game might be the better option. Either way, you’re going to need certain items to make this happen.

How to Start a Multiplayer Session

There are four items related to multiplayer, which you can find when you open up the menu and select “multiplayer.” The Furcalling Finger Remedy item is the one you need for starting a multiplayer session in your game. If you want others to join you, this is the way to do it.

Select to use this item, and the game will open up various summoning signs around the world. Interact with these, and you’ll bring a player into your game. If you need to craft more Furcalling Finger Remedies, you’ll need to find an Erdleaf Flower (found all over the world) and a crafting kit.

Whenever you want someone to leave your game, use the second item, the Finger Severer, and you’ll go back to playing alone.

How to Join Someone Else’s Lobby

If you want to join someone else in their game, there are a couple of ways to do that. The first item you’ll want to use in this case is the Tarnished Furled Finger. This finger item lets you see the summoning symbols that other players have placed around.

If you interact with one, it will let you join someone else’s game. Alternatively, you can use the Small Gold Effigy to do the same. The difference here is this one is a broader item that sends a signal to all nearby summoning signs, so it is sometimes a faster way to join another player’s game.

How to Play Privately With Only Friends

Finally, some players may find that they prefer to play Elden Ring only with their friends. Unfortunately, this isn’t your typical online multiplayer game where you can invite someone to your party, and then they’re in. Because of the items system, you have to do a little workaround.

Thankfully, this workaround is relatively easy. You want to pick a multiplayer password whenever you use one of the above items to start or join a multiplayer session. Whenever the game tries to connect you with someone, it will only select other players who have the same password as you.

This way, you can connect with someone on another social platform like Discord and choose a password to use in Elden Ring. Then you both need to insert the same one, and you’ll only play together with each other. This is also great for players who don’t like random strangers joining their sessions online.

There is also the option to pick up to five passwords that put you into groups. Anyone else with the same passwords will see your messages, death bloodstains, etc., and vice versa. This is great for ensuring you have your own select community in Elden Ring.

Of course, there is also the option to turn off all online interactions entirely simply. Some players don’t like playing any FromSoft game with someone else. In this case, you can go into the main menu and then the settings, and you’ll find an option to play offline.

Whenever you play offline, you won’t ever have to worry about someone else joining your game or playing alongside you.

FAQs

Question: Is Elden Ring ever going to be cross-play?

Answer: Never say never, of course, but there is no indication that Bandai Namco and FromSoftware intend to ever make Elden Ring cross-play or cross-platform. As such, it is likely that this game will remain strictly for players who are on the same system as one another.

Question: Is Elden Ring cross-platform between Xbox and PC?

Answer: No, Elden Ring isn’t cross-platform between Xbox and PC. Despite the fact that some games offer partial cross-platform between computers and some consoles, Elden Ring isn’t one of those games. It’s uncertain if this will ever change.

Question: What platform is best for Elden Ring?

Answer: The best platform for Elden Ring is the one you own. If you’re blessed enough to have more than one platform, choose your platform based on what your friends are playing on. Or if none of that matters, go with PC if you can since some terrific mods are available here.

Learn to Respec Your Character Next

At the end of the day, the sad truth for players is that, no, Elden Ring isn’t cross-platform. Unfortunately, if you want to play this game online, you’ll have to deal with the fact that it is only available to those who are on the same platform as you.

PlayStation players will need to stick to playing with other PlayStation users, Xbox will have to deal with other Xbox users, and the PC community will be stuck in its own land. It’s a shame this is the case since the Elden Ring multiplayer adds a few extra steps there that are already annoying for some players.

Another aspect of the game that isn’t explained super well is the fact that there is a way to, thankfully, respec your character in Elden Ring. This is through using the Larval Tears, which are highly restricted items in The Lands Between that let you change your stats and try out different character builds.

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