Is Deep Rock Galactic Cross Platform? (PS5, XBOX, PC)

Deep Rock Galactic is the first-ever game made by Danish studio Ghost Ship Games and has already become popular since its release two years ago. It’s also well-received by critics and won the award for Indie Game of the Year in March 2021.

That’s because it offers an experience like no other, which is why players across different platforms are now finally getting the chance to experience it themselves.

For those who don’t know, Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op first-shooter game that takes place underground on an ominous planet filled with minerals, biomes, and creatures. Players are tasked with securing the most treacherous caves in the galaxy, traversing different terrains depending on the mission they are sent out to complete.

The major appeal of the game is its dark yet vibrant atmosphere, and while there is no game like it, the aesthetics are somewhat a fusion of Minecraft’s colorfulness and Subnautica’s claustrophobia.

The players also play as Dwarves – miners who are skilled both in combat and surviving hostile environments. There are four classes of Dwarves for players to choose from: Driller, Engineer, Gunner, and Scout. This means that up to four players can team up to fight the creatures and explore the eerie world of Hoxxes, the planet that the entire game is set. 

Because Deep Rock Galactic is heavily co-op, one would expect the game to incorporate cross-functionalities. While it’s completely possible to play the game alone and have AI partners with you, it’s not quite the same as playing with your best buddies. Plus, the game is heavily focused on communication and teamwork, which is hard to do with insentient beings.

If you’re interested in picking up this game with your friends, this guide answers your burning questions about Deep Rock Galactic!

Deep Rock Galactic Cross Platform Explained

Before we dive in and answer whether or not Deep Rock Galactic is cross-platform, let’s take a moment to differentiate the meaning between the various cross-functionalities in video games. If you’re still unfamiliar with what they mean, then keep on reading.

But if you already know how it goes, then you can skip ahead and see if Deep Rock Galactic is cross-platform.

As we all know, there are a bunch of devices and consoles out there that allow us to play the games that we love. There’s Playstation, Xbox, PC, Nintendo, and even mobile. Back in the day, people argued about what the superior platform is, there was the famous ‘PC vs console’ war that went on for years on the internet.

Of course, we’ve learned that no one really gets a final answer to that as companies are constantly doing everything to make their consoles better. 

Cross-functionalities put an end to that war and allowed people from different platforms to play together, and it took a lot of time before companies with the likes of Sony finally gave in. Now, people won’t have to worry about buying the wrong copy or console in order to play games with their friends. 

There are three different variations of this feature: cross-play, cross-gen, and cross-progression. The most sought-after variation is cross-play, which lets players from different console families play the same game.

Let’s say you’re on the PC and your friend is on the PS4 and you both want to play a specific game, you can still play the game if it has cross-play enabled. The same idea is applied to cross-generation except that they’re only restricted to the same console family. If a game is cross-gen and you have an Xbox One, then you can only play with users on the Xbox Series S or X. 

And lastly, cross-progression is a feature that allows you to save your game progress and continue it on a different platform. For example, you started out playing a game on PlayStation but want to play it on PC. If the game is cross-gen, you can transfer your progress and continue the game on PC instead of playing all over from the beginning.

Now that we’ve made things clear, it’s time to answer the real question.

Is Deep Rock Galactic Cross-Play?

Deep Rock Galactic is partially cross-play. If you bought the game on Playstation or Steam, you’re only allowed to play with people on the same console family as you. On the other hand, those who purchased the Windows 10 and Xbox editions of the game can play Deep Rock Galactic together. 

It sucks because cross-platform multiplayer for Deep Rock Galactic makes perfect sense as a fun co-op shooter, right? Ghost Ship Games disagrees because according to them crossplay features for this game are a bit more complicated.

Although cross-play does exist in the game, not all platforms are supported. One can only hope that they make this feature available soon for Steam and Playstation users, especially since it just made its debut.

One thing is clear, Deep Rock Galactic is cross-generational. This means that PS4 and PS5 players can team up as long as they have the same version of the game. The same goes for players on Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

That ends our guide for Deep Rock Galactic’s cross-play feature. We hope that this article answers everything you’ve been wondering about the game, we also hope this helped you decide what version to buy with your friends.

If cross-play is not available for the platforms you have, don’t lose hope. While the game is not entirely cross-play, the team has said that they’re “looking into solutions on how to implement this,” but because of their small size, it’s hard to tell whether it’s actually going to happen.

We’ll keep watch and release an update as soon as there’s news on a complete cross-play function for Deep Rock Galactic.