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The Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most popular MMOs on the market. Available on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and now an enhanced version on PS5 and Xbox Series X, there are plenty of ways to access the largest Elder Scrolls game ever made.
That begs the question – is ESO cross-platform? Here's what you need to know about ESO cross-play before diving into Tamriel.
Updated on December 1, 2021 by Quinton O'Connor: As ESO continues to rise in MMO popularity rankings, it's important that we maintain up-to-date accuracy with regard to the game's cross-play status. To that end, we've revisited our article and conducted a bit of housekeeping wherever necessary. While ZeniMax Online Studios hasn't shifted its cross-platform policies in recent days, we'll continue to offer timely clarity on the nuances of the matter so that friends both near and far can learn how to traipse across scenic Tamriel together.
ESO Does Not Support Cross-Platform Play But Has Cross-Generation Servers
So, is ESO cross-platform? Well, yes and no. But mostly no.
The Elder Scrolls Online does not support cross-platform play in the traditional sense. PC players won't be able to engage with PS4 or Xbox players, and Xbox players won't ever see PC players. However, when the new generation of consoles was released in 2020, things became a bit more complex. Here's how it all works:
- PC players have their own servers and won't encounter players on any console.
- Xbox players have a server shared between Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.
- PlayStation players have a server shared between PS4 and PS5.
- Stadia players share a server with the PC community.
In summary, this means that while Elder Scrolls Online cross-platform gaming isn't really a thing, but you can play across different generations of the same console. Since so many console enthusiasts have yet to make the jump to the newest generation, we suspect many games like ESO will maintain cross-generation features for the foreseeable future.
Will The Next-Gen Update Impact ESO Cross-Play?
Originally, The Elder Scrolls Online ran on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S through backward compatibility. Your game may have run a bit faster – thanks to the new hardware – but it was essentially the same game as it was years ago.
That all changed on June 8, with the massive graphical overhaul that came to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. This has made the world of Tamriel look more vivid than ever before, although you are still able to play with your friends on last-generation consoles.
Keep in mind that ESO's cross-platform play only works within the same family of consoles, meaning all Xbox consoles share one server and all PlayStation consoles share another. It's not true Elder Scrolls Online cross-play support, but at least each individual console isn't relegated to its own private server.
Is Cross-Play In Development For The Elder Scrolls Online?
As of now, Zenimax Online Studios has no intention of bringing cross-platform play to ESO. None of the servers are suffering from low player counts – it's quite the opposite, actually – and merging servers isn't a topic discussed much by the studio. Instead, ZOS is focused on getting the Deadlands expansion ready for its PC and console debuts.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Deadlands is set to release on November 1, 2021 for PC and Mac. Console users will have to wait until November 16 to step through the gates of Oblivion and experience Mehrunes Dagon’s realm. As with any new zone, this expansion will provide new environments to explore, new bosses to overcome, and bigger and tougher feats that will prove insurmountable alone. The Deadlands expansion will reveal a world we have only yet gleaned small glimpses of through previous ESO content while making a point to pay homage to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
With the developers' attention focused on major projects like the Deadlands expansion, it's apparent that cross-platform play for Elder Scrolls Online falls low on the list of priorities (if it is even on Zenimax's agenda at all). For now, we'll all have to settle for in-family cross-play support. Stadia and PC users will continue to share a server, while Xbox consoles populate another, and PlayStation consoles a third.