Deep Rock Galactic has become a fan favorite in the world of cooperative multiplayer games, offering an exciting and unique experience where players take on the role of space dwarves mining precious resources while fighting off hordes of alien creatures. However, what truly elevates the game for many players is the ability to enjoy crossplay, enabling them to play with friends across different platforms. In this guide, we’ll take an in-depth look at Deep Rock Galactic Crossplay, including how to set it up, the pros and cons, and what you can expect from the cross-platform experience.
What is Deep Rock Galactic Crossplay?
Crossplay refers to the ability for players on different gaming platforms to play together in the same game. In the case of Deep Rock Galactic, crossplay allows players on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation to team up, explore, and mine together regardless of their platform. This is a key feature that greatly enhances the multiplayer experience, as it allows friends to play together even if they own the game on different consoles or systems.
For a long time, many games had separate player pools based on platform, meaning that players on PC couldn’t interact with those on consoles, and vice versa. Deep Rock Galactic has addressed this issue, allowing for a larger and more inclusive player base. The game’s crossplay functionality extends to all major platforms, making it easier to connect with others and enjoy the game without the restrictions of platform barriers. However, it’s important to note that Deep Rock Galactic offers crossplay but not cross-progression—your game progress is tied to your specific platform.
How to Enable Crossplay in Deep Rock Galactic
Enabling crossplay in Deep Rock Galactic is relatively straightforward, but the process varies slightly depending on the platform you’re using. Let’s break down the steps for each platform to ensure you can easily get started playing with friends across different systems.
PC (Steam and Epic Games Store)
If you’re playing on PC, you’ll need to ensure that crossplay is enabled in the game settings. To do this:
- Launch Deep Rock Galactic and navigate to the settings menu.
- Under the “Game” settings, you’ll find an option to enable or disable crossplay. Make sure this is toggled to “On.”
- After this, you can join games from other platforms or invite friends to play with you across different systems.
If you’re playing on Steam or the Epic Games Store, the process is the same, as both versions of the game support crossplay. You can join public lobbies where players from different platforms are welcome, or you can invite specific friends via your friends list to join your game.
Xbox
For Xbox players, enabling crossplay is a bit more integrated into the Xbox network, as crossplay is automatically enabled for most games, including Deep Rock Galactic. However, to make sure crossplay is active:
- Launch Deep Rock Galactic on your Xbox console.
- Navigate to the game’s settings and ensure that crossplay is enabled (this is typically on by default).
- You can then start playing with friends who are on different platforms, including PC and PlayStation.
PlayStation (PS4/PS5)
The steps for enabling crossplay on PlayStation are very similar to those on Xbox. Here’s what you need to do:
- Open Deep Rock Galactic on your PS4 or PS5.
- Go to the settings menu and ensure that crossplay is enabled (again, this is usually turned on by default).
- Once enabled, you can play with friends on both Xbox and PC platforms.
Remember, if you’re unable to enable crossplay, it might be due to regional restrictions or account-related settings. Check your account settings to ensure you’re able to play with others online.
Crossplay Experience: Gameplay, Matchmaking, and Interaction
Once crossplay is enabled, you’ll notice several key benefits that enhance the overall Deep Rock Galactic experience. Crossplay opens up the opportunity to join games and interact with players from different platforms, but it also brings some unique challenges and considerations.
Gameplay Performance
When it comes to gameplay, crossplay typically works seamlessly across platforms in Deep Rock Galactic. However, there are subtle differences in how the game performs on different systems. For example, players on PC may experience higher frame rates and better graphics than those on consoles. That said, the game is designed to be enjoyable on all platforms, so performance discrepancies are minimal and shouldn’t hinder your experience.
Matchmaking and Interaction
Cross-platform matchmaking is a central feature of Deep Rock Galactic’s crossplay functionality. When you join a match, the game will search for players across all platforms to fill the lobby. This greatly reduces waiting times for matchmaking, as the pool of available players is much larger. However, there can be minor imbalances in gameplay due to different input methods—PC players using a mouse and keyboard will likely have an advantage in aiming precision compared to players on consoles using controllers.
In terms of interaction, Deep Rock Galactic supports text and voice chat, but cross-platform voice communication can sometimes present issues. For instance, players on Xbox may face challenges in communicating with PlayStation players due to platform restrictions on voice chat integration. These issues are typically minor and can often be solved by using third-party communication apps like Discord.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Deep Rock Galactic Crossplay
As with any feature, crossplay in Deep Rock Galactic has both advantages and drawbacks. Let’s take a closer look at what makes crossplay an exciting feature, as well as the potential challenges that might arise.
Benefits of Crossplay
The most significant benefit of crossplay is the ability to play with friends no matter what platform they are on. Whether your friend is playing on a PlayStation, Xbox, or PC, you can team up and enjoy the cooperative gameplay Deep Rock Galactic is known for. This significantly expands the player pool, making it easier to find a game and reducing matchmaking times.
Another benefit is the flexibility of platform choice. If you’re more comfortable playing on PC but your friends prefer console gaming, crossplay lets you enjoy the game together without having to compromise on your platform preferences. Additionally, the larger player base can lead to more dynamic and diverse in-game experiences.
Drawbacks of Crossplay
Despite the many positives, there are some downsides to crossplay. For example, while crossplay expands the player base, it can also lead to uneven gameplay. Since PC players generally have the advantage of higher frame rates and faster response times, there can be a slight imbalance in gameplay, especially in competitive or intense missions.
Another potential drawback is the issue with communication. Voice chat between players on different platforms doesn’t always work as seamlessly as it would on a single platform. You may experience technical issues like voice lag or be unable to communicate effectively with certain players.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Deep Rock Galactic crossplay is a fantastic feature that allows players from different platforms to unite and enjoy the game together. Whether you’re on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation, crossplay enhances the multiplayer experience by offering faster matchmaking, the ability to play with friends across platforms, and more dynamic gameplay. However, it does come with some challenges, such as minor gameplay imbalances and communication issues. Overall, if you’re a fan of Deep Rock Galactic and want to experience the full multiplayer potential, enabling crossplay is a great choice.
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