Baldur’s Gate 3 (BG3) is a role-playing game that lets you create and control a party of adventurers in a fantasy world based on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The game is developed by Larian Studios and is available for PC, Mac, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
The game features a single-player mode that follows an epic story, as well as a multiplayer mode that allows you to play with up to three other players online, and experience the game’s rich and dynamic content together.
But is BG3 crossplay? Can you play with your friends across different platforms and devices? And if not, when will BG3 support cross-platform play? In this article, we will answer these questions and provide you with the latest information about the BG3 crossplay release date.
Is BG3 Crossplay?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. BG3 does not support crossplay, meaning that you can only play with other players who are using the same platform or device as you. For example, if you are playing on PC, you can only play with other PC players, and if you are playing on PS5, you can only play with other PS5 players, and so on.
This means that you cannot play with your friends who are using different platforms or devices, even if you are using the same account or the same game.
Why is BG3 Not Crossplay?
Xbox players, it’s party time.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available for Xbox Series X|S; start your adventure today!
Get BG3 Here: https://t.co/cQgrmWoAQo pic.twitter.com/f08upIYL9z
— Larian Studios (@larianstudios) December 8, 2023
The developers of BG3 have not given an official explanation or reason for why the game does not support crossplay. However, some possible reasons are:
- Technical difficulties: Crossplay is not an easy feature to implement, as it requires a lot of coordination and compatibility between different platforms, devices, servers, and networks. The developers may have faced some technical challenges or limitations that prevented them from adding crossplay to the game.
- Business decisions: Crossplay is not always a profitable or beneficial feature for the developers or the publishers of the game, as it may affect their sales or revenue. The developers or the publishers may have decided that crossplay is not worth the cost or the risk for their game.
- Design choices: Crossplay is not always a suitable or desirable feature for the game, as it may affect the gameplay or the balance of the game. The developers may have decided that crossplay is not compatible or consistent with their vision or their goals for their game.
When is the BG3 Crossplay Release Date?
There is no official BG3 crossplay release date yet. The developers have not revealed when they plan to release the game with crossplay, or how long it will take to add the feature to the game.
However, based on some clues and estimates, we can make some predictions and assumptions about the BG3 crossplay release date.
- According to the information on Steam, the game is expected to stay in Early Access for at least a year. This means that the game will likely launch its full version sometime in 2022.
- According to the game’s official website, the developers are aiming to release the game with crossplay, as well as other features, such as split-screen and voice chat. This means that the game will likely support crossplay when it launches its full version, or shortly after.
- Based on these clues, we can estimate that the BG3 crossplay release date will be sometime in 2022, or early 2023 at the latest. However, this is not a confirmed or official date, and it may change depending on the development progress and any potential delays or issues.
How to Play Multiplayer in BG3?
Even though BG3 does not support crossplay, you can still play multiplayer with other players who are using the same platform or device as you. To play multiplayer in BG3, you need to follow these steps:
- Select the Multiplayer Mode from the main menu of the game.
- Choose either the Story Mode or the Sandbox Mode, depending on what you want to play.
- Choose either the Host Game or the Join Game option, depending on whether you want to create or join a multiplayer session.
- If you choose the Host Game option, you can set the game name, the password, the region, the difficulty, the ruleset, and the character settings for your multiplayer session. You can also invite your friends to join your game or wait for other players to join your game.
- If you choose the Join Game option, you can search for available games to join or enter the game name and the password of a specific game that you want to join. You can also filter the games by region, difficulty, ruleset, and character settings, to find the ones that suit your preferences.
- Once you have joined or created a game, you can select your character and your skills, and chat with other players in the game. You can also change the game settings or leave the game if you want.
- When everyone is ready, you can start the multiplayer session and play the game with up to three other players online.
Conclusion
BG3 is a role-playing game that lets you create and control a party of adventurers in a fantasy world based on the Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. The game features a multiplayer mode that allows you to play with up to three other players online, and experience the game’s rich and dynamic content together.
However, the game does not support crossplay, meaning that you can only play with other players who are using the same platform or device as you. The game does not support crossplay for various possible reasons, such as technical difficulties, business decisions, or design choices.
The BG3 crossplay release date is not confirmed yet, but we can estimate that it will be sometime in 2022, or early 2023 at the latest. To play multiplayer in BG3, you need to select the Multiplayer Mode from the main menu, and choose either the Host Game or the Join Game option, depending on whether you want to create or join a multiplayer session.