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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Yes—Baldur’s Gate 3 supports cross-play. It first became testable in the Patch 8 stress test announced on January 28, 2025, then launched for everyone with Patch 8, announced on April 15, 2025. Players on PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 can play together using the Larian Network. The stress test was a limited-access preview; its sign-up and key process is no longer how players access cross-play.
What changed from the stress test to the Patch 8 release?
Larian announced the Patch 8 stress test on January 28, 2025, saying Xbox, PlayStation, and PC participants could create or join cross-play lobbies. Test access was limited: PlayStation and PC participants received access details and game codes, while Xbox participants used Xbox Insider Hub. Access was granted in waves, and registering interest did not guarantee entry. Those restrictions applied to the test, not the released feature. Larian’s stress-test announcement described the preview.
Patch 8 cross-play was announced as released on April 15, 2025. The release announcement names PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation 5 as supported platforms, with cross-play lobbies created and joined through the Larian Network. Larian’s Patch 8 announcement covers the released feature.
What you need to play BG3 with friends on another platform
- A copy of the game on each player’s platform; cross-play does not mean one copy covers the group.
- Each player must link their platform account to a Larian account.
- Both players must enable cross-play, and friends need to be connected through the Larian friend list or invited to the lobby.
- For modded games, players need matching mod versions and mods available on their platforms.
Larian’s cross-play support FAQ sets out the account, friend-list, and invitation requirements.
#1 Best Overall
- Online multiplayer for up to four players - allows you to combine your forces in combat, and split your party to follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it
- Origin Character - offer a hand-crafted experience, each with their own unique traits, agenda, and outlook on the world. Their stories intersect with the entire narrative, and your choices will determine whether those stories end in redemption, salvation, domination, or many other outcomes
- Evolved turn-based combat - based on the D&D 5e ruleset. Team-based initiative, advantage & disadvantage, and roll modifiers join combat cameras, expanded environmental interactions, and a new fluidity in combat that rewards strategy and foresight
- Define the future of the Forgotten Realms - through your choices, and the roll of the dice. No matter who you play, or what you roll, the world and its inhabitants will react to your story
- Player-initiated turn-based mode - allows you to pause the world around you at any time even outside of combat. Whether you see an opportunity for a tactical advantage before combat begins, want to pull off a heist with pin-point precision, or need to escape a fiendish trap. Split your party, prepare ambushes, sneak in the darkness -- create your own luck!
How to enable cross-play in Baldur’s Gate 3
- Link your account: Connect your platform account to a Larian account.
- Turn on the setting: From the main menu, open Options, select the Gameplay tab, and enable Allow Cross-Play.
- Add your friends: Open Account Management and Friend List, then add friends using their Larian account usernames.
- Continue an existing game: On the Load Game screen, enable cross-play for the save. Load it, open Multiplayer, and invite your friend.
- Start a new cross-play session: Open Multiplayer, choose the Cross-Play tab, select Create, configure the lobby, and launch. To join someone else, use the same tab and select their lobby.
Do players need the same mods?
Yes. Larian says cross-play can work with mods when everyone in the lobby has matching mod versions. If versions are missing or differ, use the game’s Mod Verification window to identify the mismatch and install, enable, update, or downgrade mods as needed. A PC-hosted lobby can use mods marked Available on Console & Mac to identify options compatible with those platforms.
Console players cannot use third-party mods, and Larian’s Patch 8 announcement notes a 100-mod limit for consoles. That limit is not a recommendation or a cross-play requirement; the key issue is whether every player can use the same compatible mod setup. The stress test had temporary restrictions and known issues, so its special test-build directions should not be treated as universal rules for the released game.
Quick Recap
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What to check if you cannot join a friend
- Confirm that both platform accounts are linked to Larian accounts and both players have cross-play enabled.
- Check that you have added one another on the Larian friend list, or that the host has sent an invitation.
- If the game reports a mod mismatch, resolve the Mod Verification prompts and check that each mod is available on all platforms in the lobby.
- For an existing campaign, make sure cross-play is enabled for that save from the Load Game screen before trying to invite a friend.
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