Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer: How to play co-op explained
Why go it alone?
In true Dungeons & Dragons form, you can have a party of up to four to join you in your adventures across Faerûn - but it doesn’t just have to be with the regular companions, and so we will reveal all there is know about Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer with how to play co-op explained.
We also have the lowdown on the situation regarding cross-play. By the time the PS5 version comes out, PC veterans who have been playing the game for weeks already could lend a very useful hand in getting their console siblings up to speed, but dark forces may be at play here.
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To best balance your party, be sure to check out our builds guide so that you and your friends won’t be stopped as you race to discover the secrets behind the Mind Flayer tadpoles connecting you all.
Enough preamble from us, though, as there is plenty of adventuring to be getting on with!
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Is Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer?
Yes, Baldur’s Gate 3 is multiplayer. It enables you to travel across the lands and enjoy the story with up to three of your friends who take the place of the party members.
We don’t know how well your friends over Discord will stack up with the Baldur’s Gate 3 voice cast but it should be a good laugh regardless.
If you’re opting to play the game seriously, make sure your friends don’t make ridiculous characters - as you may wish they could change their appearance when they crop up in cutscenes.
You’ll be glad to know that your friends don't have to be privy to any of the intimate scenes in the game that take place between your character and any of the other companions found in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Though you can, your friends might pass judgement if you want to get close with Halsin in his infamous bear form - so having the option respects your privacy and protects you from any ridicule.
Just be sure to not fight over who gets the Everburn Blade or your journey may end before it’s even properly begun!
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How to play Baldur’s Gate 3 co-op
Starting a Co-op Campaign
- Begin your fresh Baldur's Gate 3 co-op adventure by selecting "Multiplayer" from the main menu.
- Create a lobby by clicking "Create" at the bottom of the screen.
- Invite your Steam friends to join by clicking on the empty player boxes, or set the lobby to Public to allow anyone to join.
- Alternatively, if your friends have purchased Baldur's Gate 3 on GOG, share the Server ID with them, and they can use the Direct Connect option from the Multiplayer screen.
- Once everyone is connected, the game will take all players to the character creation screen.
- Work together to create your characters and awaken at the beginning of the campaign. Note that only players joining during the initial setup can choose Origin characters, while those joining later will need to create custom ones.
Continuing a Co-op Campaign
- As the host player, load the most recent save file of your co-op campaign.
- Access the "Session" menu by pressing the Escape key in-game.
- Invite the other players to rejoin the session from the "Session" menu.
- Assign characters to each player, and seamlessly pick up where you left off in your campaign.
Will Baldur’s Gate 3 have cross-play?
No, Baldur’s Gate 3 does not have cross-play.
It does have cross-platform cloud saves, so if you are playing on your Steam Deck but opt for a more visually complete experience, you can buy the PS5 version when it comes out and pick up from where you left off.
PC and Mac users will be able to play together with no problem - so hopefully in the future, this ability will extend to every version of the game.
If and when it does, we will as always update you as soon as we know anything more about the cross-play situation for Baldur's Gate 3.
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