Is Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay in 2024?

Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls Online, ESO for short, is a high fantasy game with breathtaking graphics, making it a popular online roleplaying game. ESO is about forging alliances, exploring an ever-growing world, and fighting mind-boggling creatures. 

Whether you travel across the Telvanni Peninsula or prepare to fight dangerous creatures, there is something for everyone in ESO. In fact, you can play this game solo, with online players, or with your buddies.  

However, this poses the burning question: Is Elder Scrolls Online crossplay? In this article, we will answer whether this game allows crossplay or not and why.

An Overview of Elder Scrolls Online 

Overview Elder Scrolls Online

Elder Scrolls Online was developed by ZeniMax Studios and published by Bethesda Studios. It takes place before Elder Scrolls Morrowind and Oblivion in Tamriel during the Second Era. Two wars are taking place simultaneously. The first war is between a prince and a warring nation. The Second is between allied nations vying for the imperial throne. Your goal is to recover your soul, retrieve the Amulet of Kings, and take the prince.

At the start of the story, you’re an imprisoned slave – just like all Elder Scrolls games. After a successful prison break, your quest begins. You must save civilians and stage a fight against the prince and the nations under his control. 

With this fascinating storyline and lore, how can you resist dipping your toes into roleplay? Elder Scrolls Online gives you an interchangeable Choose Your Adventure and lets you customize your character. 

In fact, you can buy and download the game on consoles and PCs.

What is Crossplay?

What is Crossplay

Crossplay is a feature in video games that allows players with different hardware, such as Consoles, mobile devices, and PCs to play together. However, consoles and personal computers operate differently and are often not even made by the same company, so the desired feature is not always there.

Video game companies often produce games for multiple platforms. However, that does not mean players can play on these different hardware together at the same time. For instance, Elder Scrolls Online can be played on:

  • PC 
  • Xbox 
  • PlayStation 

Crossplay creates an imbalance between different platforms. This is because the same game can have different frame rates, controls, and mechanics in different hardware. And so, players might find themselves having vastly different experiences, unable to go on the same quest, or having more advantages than others. When it comes to Elder Scrolls Online, one such difference is in frame rate.  

Microsoft and Sony produce consoles that are in direct competition with each other. And so, forcing gamers to buy both to play together makes more financial sense to them than to half their profits by allowing crossplay. 

And now you’re wondering whether Elder Scrolls Online offers us this option. Can you imagine? You’re logged on your PC, getting ready to fight a dragon, when you get a notice from an Xbox user interested in joining your quest. You could get the same gameplay experience as an Xbox user without purchasing the expensive console.

Is Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay?

Is Elder Scrolls Crossplay

Elder Scrolls Online cross-play does not exist, though this game offers cross-generational play. 

Is Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay between PC and Xbox?

No, while you can play with other players on a Mac or a Microsoft PC, you won’t share a server with Xbox.

Is Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay between PlayStation and Xbox?

No, you can’t join your friends on the PlayStation server if you play on Xbox. 

Is Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay between PC and PlayStation?

Elder Scrolls Online” does not support crossplay between PC and PlayStation platforms. This means that you can’t play this game with the gamer having a different console. 

Why Isn’t Elder Scrolls Online Crossplay?

1.Horrible Lag

If all ESO players logged onto the same server, it would increase the lag, ruining the gaming and immersion experience.

2. Crossplay is Unbalanced

PCs and consoles come with unique advantages and features. For example, a keyboard and mouse can give greater control and speed. Currently, implementing crossplay in “Elder Scrolls Online” (ESO) without prior game balancing could result in divergent experiences for players. This is due to the inherent differences in gameplay dynamics and user interfaces across various platforms

3. Crossplay Makes Updates Difficult 

When a game has a bug, a simple patch can fix it. However, when dealing with crossplay, every patch must be compatible with every platform. This makes updating extremely tedious and labor-intensive.

Are there Crossplay options on the Nexus?

Elder Scrolls Nexus

Nexus Mods is a website that allows users to upload and download modifications for computer games. Elder Scrolls Online has lots of Nexus modifications. New mods are made every day, so you might find one there that allows you to crossplay unofficially.

Conclusion

Elder Scrolls Online cross-play does not officially exist. The main reason behind this is that the game’s servers might be unable to handle players from all platforms simultaneously. However, there is cross-generational play between Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, as well as between PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. If you really want crossplay, you might find a mod for it on Nexus. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can PC and Mac play together on ESO?

Yes, PC and Mac ESO players are on the same server, so can play together.

Is ESO Plus cross-platform?

No, ESO Plus is not cross-platform; to play it with others, you must be on the same platform as them.