Ten years on and the Elder Scrolls Online still has a healthy player count and is getting frequent updates and improvements as the team at Zenimax Online continues to put their fingerprints all over Tamriel. If you’re thinking of getting into it with friends, you might wonder if it’s cross platform.
No, not really.
I’m basing this off the definition that cross platform means that players on PC can interact with ones on the game’s two console releases. That’s not possible. However, you can play with players on other systems in the same console family.
That is to say, if you have the PlayStation 5 version, you can play with someone who is using a PlayStation 4. Likewise, Xbox Series X|S players can still interact with the Xbox One player base, and PC can play with Mac.
However, PC gamers can’t play with PlayStation users, and PlayStation people don’t inhabit the same world as those on Xbox.
Does Elder Scrolls Online have cross platform progression?
The logical next question might be whether or not your progress carries in Elder Scrolls Online between platforms. If you start playing on PC and find your friends prefer PS5, can you simply move over to the PS5 and still have access to your characters and unlocks?
No, you can’t do that either.
While you can sign into ESO using the same account on all platforms, that’s merely for login purposes. Progress is, once again, locked to one family of platforms (PS4/PS5, Xbox One/Series X|S, PC/Mac). Crowns, experience, and purchased items are locked to where they were originally granted.
On top of that, it isn’t possible to transfer characters between platforms. Even if you submit a ticket to Zenimax, the staff there are unable to move characters across servers or platforms, even in the back end. You’re stuck with the platform you choose.
