Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Crossplay? Here’s What You Should Know

Crossplay in Baldur’s Gate 3
Nov 26, 2024 Reading time : 9 min

In this modern gaming world, crossplay has become one of the most in-demand features for multiplayer games. It allows gamers playing on different devices to team up without any hassle. 

Now that Baldur’s Gate 3 is gaining popularity among gaming enthusiasts, ‘Is Baldur’s Gate 3 crossplay?’ has become the most trending query on the web. 

In this detailed article, I will share everything you need to know about BG3 cross platform multiplayer features, including its role in expanding the player base, challenges, and what you can expect in the upcoming Patch 8.

Baldur’s Gate 3: A Quick Look

Baldurs Gate 3 website

Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) is a role-playing video game launched by Larian Studios in August 2023. If you are a Dungeons & Dragons fan like me, you may already know about this 3rd installment of the Baldur’s Gate series.

It is the first game ever to win the Game of the Year award at all 5 major award ceremonies, including the Game Awards, the Golden Joystick Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, the DICE Awards, and the British Academy Games Awards.

The game is critically acclaimed, and fans all over the world love its gameplay, production quality, storyline, and voice artists. It is set in the world of the Forgotten Realms. It is a test of fellowship, betrayal, sacrifice, survival, and the greed for absolute power.

You can choose to resist or become the ultimate evil.

Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Crossplay Available?

After gaining immense popularity, it is natural for users to ask for crossplay functionalities. “Is Baldurs Gate 3 crossplay available on all platforms?” is one of the hottest questions in the gaming community. 

Coming straight to the point, Baldur’s Gate 3 does not support crossplay right now. Although Mac and PC users have some form of crossplay features, it is still not possible to play Baldur’s Gate 3 crossplay on Xbox and PC.

However, Michael Douse (head of publishing at Larian Studios) told the media that crossplay was in their plans for BG3 since its inception. They are planning to release the feature in the upcoming updates of the game.

I was expecting BG3 crossplay when they launched the Xbox version in December 2023. After a year, we are still waiting for the official release date of the feature. 

Hot Tip: If you still want to play BG3 with your friends, you can play with the help of a couch co-op. It allows you to play with your friends on the same display screen. 

Is Baldur’s Gate 3 Cross Platform?

Unfortunately, crossplay is not yet available. But what about cross-platform capabilities? Is Baldurs Gate 3 cross platform or cross progression?

The good news is that it does have cross-platform with the cross-save feature for all devices. However, you may notice that the cross-save feature does not appear on the PC if you are not using a controller. Thus, I would recommend you connect your controller while playing on a PC.

Let me help you with the steps to enable the cross-save feature. Here is an example of using the feature on PC and console:

  • Step 1: Launch Baldur’s Gate 3 on your PC.
  • Step 3: Access the ‘Options’ menu by pressing the Esc key.
  • Step 4: Go to Gameplay > Cross-Save and turn it on. Save the changes and wait for some time to let those changes get synced.
    Turn on the Cross save option
  • Step 5: Next, launch the BG3 game on your console and turn on the cross-save option from the main menu.
  • Step 6: Finally, restart the game on the console and click on the continue option that contains the existing game data on your PC.

Similarly, you can start with the console first to transfer your game data from the console to a PC.

When Can You Expect Baldur’s Gate 3 Crossplay?

A character from BG3

The developers of BG3 launched their Patch 7 in September, and it won’t be the last one. Larian Studios has informed us that they are still planning to add crossplay to the game. However, we have no idea about the release date of the next patch. 

Here is the official statement from the developers:

It Ain’t Goodbye Just Yet!

It’s hard to believe it’s almost been an entire year since we launched Baldur’s Gate 3. But the journey isn’t over yet.

Patch 7 won’t be the final update for Baldur’s Gate 3. We still have a few things up our sleeve – including many community-requested features like crossplay and a photo mode to capture and share your unforgettable moments. And we’re working on a host of other enhancements, from gameplay tweaks and quality-of-life improvements to bug fixes and performance optimizations.

We’ll keep you looped in on when those are likely to hit a little further down the line. In the meantime, stay in touch with us on our socials, stay tuned, and don’t forget to wear sunscreen.

Larian Studios

What we can assume from this statement is that Patch 8 will be one of the last major updates for the game. This update will add BG3 crossplay, and you will be able to play together with other players on PC, Xbox, and Sony PlayStation. This is the only official information we have right now.

Potential Benefits of BG3 Crossplay

Now that we know that Baldur’s Gate 3 crossplay is in the pipeline. Let’s take a look at the potential benefits of adding the feature.

  • Crossplay features will expand the player base of the game. This increase in the pool of players will make finding groups and players easy and fast.
  • It also helps in increasing the life and popularity of the game. Seamless integration of different devices will lead to the creation of competitive environments and esports events.
  • It would allow users to play with greater freedom and convenience. This will remove the restrictions of users requiring the same device to play together.
  • Crossplay also gives space to players of different platforms to connect and collaborate. It has the potential to build a more vibrant and diverse gaming community.
  • Cost reduction is one of the key advantages of crossplay functionality. It requires a single codebase, which leads to more savings in art, design, programming, and more.
  • It allows the company to maximize the return on investment. They can use a consolidated launch strategy for different platforms, which will help in hitting a wider audience at once.

These are some of the major benefits of adopting crossplay in a video game. It is not that gaming companies do not know about these things. So, why don’t they add the feature starting from its launch? Let’s understand this in the following section.

Challenges and Considerations

It is a complex task to implement crossplay in a role-playing video game like Baldur’s Gate 3. Developers need to make sure that they provide seamless synchronization of data, balanced gameplay, and address platform-specific hurdles.

Here are some of the main challenges and concerns:

  • Developers may not be able to utilize the full potential of a particular platform to optimize a game for multiple platforms. Users will not be able to use the exclusive features compatible with their devices.
  • Crossplay may give an added advantage to those playing on a superior system. Differences in processing power, graphics, and other hardware capabilities can impact the balance of a game.
  • Analyzing the effectiveness of new features in multiple platforms can be frustrating, which can lead to a lack of consistency in test coverage.
  • It can leave room for cheating because different gaming platforms can have different security and privacy policies.

Developers need to research and solve these issues with careful design and creative development strategies. Despite various challenges, it is important to capitalize on the advantages of seamless cross-play. 

Future of Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldurs Gate 3 gameplay

What is next for Baldur’s Gate 3? Larian has already hinted at what can we expect from the upcoming updates. Patch 7 update added new Evil Ending Graphics and fixed several bugs. Fans love the improvements made by the developing team, and they can’t keep calm for BG3 crossplay to arrive.

The team is working to deliver the best crossplay functionality in Patch 8 to fulfill the demand of the community. Although it is not official, they are also planning to add a few more features and fix more bugs. 

If all goes well, they are going to deliver the best possible gaming experience to the fans. However, I would recommend you be patient because it may take more time for the next update.

Final Words

I hope you got a satisfactory answer to your query. Crossplay is an important feature of all major video games, as it increases its chances to attract more gamers. The future of BG3 crossplay looks exciting, and it will help the game break more records.

Thank you for reading this article, and I hope that you come back to us for more insightful information about the gaming universe. Please share the article with your fellow gamers and friends.

Frequently Asked Questions
Does Baldur’s Gate 3 have crossplay features?

Unfortunately, it does not support the crossplay feature at the moment. But you can expect it to come with the Patch 8 update of the video game.

Will Baldur’s Gate 3 crossplay support all platforms?

Yes, it will be compatible with all the major gaming platforms like PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. You will be able to team up with any user of the game.

Is BG3 better on PC or PS5?

Although the graphics and performance are better in the PC version, the PS5 version is also pretty good and gives you the experience of playing on a larger display.

Does Baldur’s Gate 3 allow players to play in split-screen mode?

Yes, it allows you to join the multiplayer sessions with your friend using the split-screen mode.

How can PC players transfer their saved games on the PS5 version of BG3?

They can take the advantage of cross-progression capabilities of the game. However, users should make sure that their Larian Studios account is connected to both versions of the game.

What’s the difference between crossplay and cross-platform support?

Crossplay allows you to play with other players using a different console or device. On the other hand, the cross-platform feature allows the transfer of game data from one platform to another.

Sources
Team Larvesta
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Team Larvesta