Baldur's Gate 3 cross-play: set up a campaign that stays together

The two-minute setup

Cross-play is available between PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles. Larian's official process has three layers: link the platform account to a Larian Account, enable cross-play in the Gameplay options, and add friends through the Larian Network. Do those before your planned session. Account linking and a large first launch update are terrible opening acts for game night.

The host should create the campaign and keep the main save. Baldur's Gate 3 lets players join during character creation or an ongoing campaign, but the practical ownership does not move with the group: the person holding the save must be present to continue that version of the story. Pick the player with the most reliable schedule and connection, not automatically the person who suggested the game.

New campaign or existing save?

For a new campaign, open Multiplayer, select the Cross-Play tab, create a lobby, invite the group, set the options, and launch. Starting together gives everyone control over character creation and avoids the awkward question of who owns an existing companion. It is the cleanest choice for a regular group.

An existing campaign can work too. The host selects Load Game, enables the Cross-Play checkbox on the chosen save, loads it, opens Multiplayer, and sends invitations. Treat this as a campaign decision rather than a technical toggle. A late-arriving player is stepping into choices, relationships, and inventory decisions the current party has already made.

Decide the campaign rules before the opening cinematic

The game's official feature page describes online multiplayer for up to four players and explicitly allows the party to split up and pursue separate goals. That freedom is the appeal, but it can also leave one person watching a major conversation from across the map. Agree on a simple rule: regroup before obvious story rooms, companion conversations, and area transitions. Let wandering happen during looting and exploration, then pause when a choice may affect everyone.

Also decide who leads dialogue. Other players can listen and indicate preferred responses, but the character who starts a conversation is usually the one making the relevant checks. If one person built the party's persuasive character, let them approach uncertain strangers. Rotate ordinary conversations so the campaign does not become one player's cutscene with three spectators.

Mods are a shared dependency

When a host or client uses mods, Baldur's Gate 3 checks for differences as players join. Larian says its Mod Verification window can identify mods that need to be installed, removed, or updated. That makes troubleshooting clearer, but it does not make every mod cross-platform compatible. For a group spanning PC, console, and Mac, use the Mod Browser's availability filter and keep the list conservative. Larian's cross-play instructions also cap a compatible PC save at fewer than 100 mods when console or Mac friends are joining.

The stable option is an unmodded first session. Once everyone can join, save, leave, and rejoin, add a small agreed list. Record the exact list and load order in the group's chat. If a later update breaks the campaign, return to that known set before changing five things at once.

A quick pre-session checklist

Confirm that every platform has finished updating, every player can sign into the Larian Network, and the host can see each friend. Load the campaign ten minutes early. Make a manual save before changing mods or multiplayer settings. Finally, agree on voice chat, session length, and whether the group reloads failed dialogue rolls. Those social settings prevent more friction than another hour of build planning.

First-party sources

This guide follows Larian's cross-play setup instructions, its official game feature overview, and its launch-era multiplayer explanation. Menu labels and mod limits can change in later hotfixes; the update log below will record substantive revisions.